Alex Dillard

President Dillard’s, Inc.

Last Reviewed: September 29, 2026

Executive Summary

Alex Dillard is President and a director of Dillard’s, Inc., the Little Rock, Arkansas department store company his father, William T. Dillard, founded in 1938. He has held the presidency since 1998, when the founder retired and the second generation took over, and he shares day-to-day supervision of the business with his elder brother, Chief Executive Officer William Dillard, II. He has sat on the board since 1975, and the company describes him as having been involved in virtually every aspect of its operations and merchandising for more than 50 years. Dillard’s runs 271 stores, including 28 clearance centers, together with dillards.com and a construction subsidiary, CDI Contractors.

Career Highlights

• President of Dillard’s, Inc. since 1998, according to the company’s fiscal 2025 annual report on Form 10-K.
• Member of the Dillard’s board since 1975 and of its Executive Committee.
• Previously Executive Vice President of Dillard’s.
• In 2026, acted as shareholder representative for W.D. Company, Inc., the Dillard family holding company, in its merger into Dillard’s, completed on 4 June 2026.
• Has served on the boards of Union Bank and Worthen Bank in Little Rock and First National Bank of Ft. Worth, Texas.

Professional Journey

Dillard grew up in a family business that was already a regional retailer. His father opened the first Dillard’s store in 1938, and the company has stayed under family control ever since, through two classes of stock: Class B holders, principally the family, elect two-thirds of the directors and Class A holders elect one-third.

He joined the board in 1975. In a career spent entirely at the company, he worked across operations and merchandising and served as Executive Vice President. When William T. Dillard retired in 1998, the leadership passed to his sons: William Dillard, II became Chief Executive Officer and Alex Dillard became President. Both still hold those offices more than 25 years later. The company’s proxy statement explains the arrangement: the President “assists William Dillard, II in the day-to-day supervision of the Company’s business”, which the board says gives management a veteran leadership team that can address issues quickly.

Much of the executive team is family. His brother Mike Dillard and sister Drue Matheny are Executive Vice Presidents, his sister Denise Mahaffy and nephew William Dillard, III are Senior Vice Presidents, and his daughters hold Vice President roles.

In 2026 he represented the shareholders of W.D. Company, Inc. in a transaction that simplified that ownership. The family holding company, which held Dillard’s Class A and Class B shares and had no operations of its own, merged into Dillard’s. Shareholders approved the merger at the 28 May 2026 annual meeting, and it was completed on 4 June 2026, after which family members hold their Dillard’s shares directly. Dillard’s remains a public company. In September 2026 it announced that it would move its primary stock listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Texas Stock Exchange.

Outside the company, he has served on the boards of Union Bank and Worthen Bank in Little Rock and First National Bank of Ft. Worth, and on the boards of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Foundation Fund and Philander Smith College.

Education

No education record was found in the company’s filings or other primary sources.