Alok Maskara on organizational culture
From The Art of Reinvention: The Life Cycle of a CEO with Alok Maskara · · Spencer Stuart
“We looked at the core competencies of the company which was very well defined. There were sort of seven of them. Things like results, accountability, all of that was well done. We added couple. One was customer experience. So that was sort of missing, but we added that deliberately. Then we added very specific things around innovation. To put it all together, just like you drive EBIT or accountability, we put metrics behind them. So like customer experience we put things like fulfillment rate net promoter score and then we launched it as a new package and we called it guiding behavior that's a change in nomenclature. So made it fresh but we kept our core values. So it's all about integrity, respect, excellence, and here are the guiding behaviors underneath.”
On , Alok Maskara, Chief Executive Officer, President & Director at Lennox International, spoke about organizational culture during The Art of Reinvention: The Life Cycle of a CEO with Alok Maskara on Spencer Stuart.
About Alok Maskara
Alok Maskara, CEO of Lennox, has discussed the company's efforts to navigate tariff-related cost pressures and operational challenges. During earnings calls in 2025 and early 2026, Maskara described implementing multiple price increases to offset direct and indirect tariff impacts, with total cost inflation initially projected at 9% before later estimates were revised lower. He noted that approximately 90% of Lennox's cost structure is in North America, with about 10% facing direct tariff exposure. Maskara also addressed the company's inventory buildup during the R-454B refrigerant transition, stating that the company prioritized product availability for dealers despite higher inventory levels, and expressed confidence in drawing down inventory over time. Maskara has emphasized a focus on customer experience and operational improvements. He recounted an instance where he visited a distribution center that appeared empty despite computer systems showing good inventory, illustrating his view that data must reflect actual customer conditions. Under his leadership, Lennox reported achieving full-year margins above 20% for the first time in company history in 2025. Maskara also highlighted partnerships with Samsung and Ariston to expand product offerings, and noted that the company has repurchased $300 million in shares and increased its quarterly dividend by approximately 15%. He stated that Lennox's markets benefit from strong replacement fundamentals and that the company remains prepared for potential economic slowdowns.