Charles Stewart - Time Magazine

When telecom tycoon Patrick Drahi acquired Sotheby’s in 2019, he raised eyebrows by naming Charles Stewart the now 282-year-old auction house’s chief executive. Stewart, 56, had a long career in banking and corporate leadership but had never worked in the art world. Fast forward to 2026, and he is the longest-tenured current head of a major auction house. He’s also managed some growth within a challenging market. 

Under Stewart, Sotheby’s has opened a new Hong Kong flagship featuring a retail boutique and, in November, relocated its New York headquarters to a landmarked Madison Avenue building whose past tenants include the Whitney, the Met, and the Frick Collection. He has expanded Sotheby’s ties to the Gulf, securing around $1 billion of investment from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund in late 2024 and launching live sales in Saudi Arabia in 2025—a first for a Western auction house. The firm’s offerings have diversified, too, expanding further into collectibles and even taking a controlling stake in collectible cars specialist RM Auctions. It seems the CEO’s outsider thinking has paid off: altogether, Sotheby’s sold nearly $50 billion of art and luxury collectibles in Stewart’s first seven years.