Abel, who is now vice president of non-insurance operations at Berkshire Hathaway, travels often, yet still manages to coach his kids’ hockey, baseball and soccer teams, says Jim Cownie, a former cable executive and Iowa real estate investor.
“How does a guy with that much responsibility do that? He just figures out a way,” Cownie said. “He’s an amazing human being.”
Abel will succeed the 90-year-old Buffett as CEO.
Buffett confirmed the succession plan Monday to CNBC after Berkshire Vice Chairman Charlie Munger let details of it slip during the Omaha, Nebraska-based company s annual meeting on Saturday.
In an exchange with Munger, Buffett said Berkshire s extremely decentralized operating model wouldn t work unless the company has the right culture.
Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO-in-waiting has a lot of Warren Buffett in him plus more MarketWatch 5/4/2021
LAWRENCE A. CUNNINGHAM S QUALITY INVESTING
It’s confirmed: Warren Buffett’s eventual successor as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway will be Gregory Abel, currently the company’s vice-chairman. While no one can match the unparalleled record Buffett set as both an investor and a manager, Abel is the right fit: a player and a coach who has a light-touch and makes a high-impact.
As a manager within Berkshire’s culture famous of autonomy and decentralization, Abel, 59, is aptly low-ego and hands-off. A deep business knowledge and wisdom that he gladly offers when asked, one of the most important roles of the Berkshire CEO when overseeing scores of high performing subsidiaries.
Greg Abel is poised to become one of the most important business figures in the nation, but many may not know much about the 58-year-old Des Moines resident.
Warren Buffett, 90, this week revealed that Abel is in line for one of the most coveted corporate jobs in America: leading Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett s $630 billion conglomerate, when the billionaire Oracle of Omaha decides to step down.
Unlike Buffett, who is known to revel in his role as the very public face of his company, Abel remains largely behind the scenes. Friends in Iowa say the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, native is a dedicated family man who coaches his kids hockey and soccer teams.
JONESBORO, Ark. – Arkansas State head football coach Butch Jones announced Monday that A.J. Milwee has been named the Red Wolves’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Milwee comes to A-State after most recently spending the last two seasons on the same coaching staff with Jones at Alabama, where he has served as an analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2019 and 2020. Milwee has helped Alabama post an 11-0 record and a No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings this season, while the 2019 squad capped off the year with a 35-16 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl to finish ranked No. 8 in the final AP Top 25 poll.