who is greg abel
Greg Abel is a Canadian-born businessman who is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Berkshire Hathaway, succeeding Warren Buffett at the start of 2026.
Quick Scoop: Who Greg Abel Is
- Born in 1962 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Greg Abel studied commerce at the University of Alberta and became a chartered accountant early in his career.
- He started out at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) before moving into the energy industry with a geothermal power company called CalEnergy in the early 1990s.
- Through CalEnergy and later MidAmerican Energy (eventually renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy), Abel built a reputation as a lowâprofile but highly effective energy executive overseeing large utility and infrastructure operations.
- Berkshire Hathaway bought a controlling interest in MidAmerican in 1999; Abel rose to CEO of the energy business in 2008 and later became vice chairman in charge of Berkshireâs nonâinsurance operations.
- In 2025, Warren Buffett and Berkshireâs board formally identified Abel as Buffettâs successor, and he took over as Berkshireâs CEO in January 2026.
Why He Matters Now
- As CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Abel oversees a vast collection of businesses, from railroads and utilities to manufacturing, retail, and big stock holdings like Apple and CocaâCola.
- Investors and forum communities are watching him to see how he balances preserving Buffettâs valueâinvesting culture with making his own strategic moves in a new economic and energy landscape.
Forum/Trending Angle
Online investor forums and Reddit threads often describe Abel as disciplined, detailâoriented, and far less showy than Buffett, with some users joking about whether Berkshire meetings will feel less like a âpilgrimageâ without Buffett on stage. Others speculate about the stockâs longâterm prospects under Abel, debating whether his background in energy and utilities will shape Berkshireâs future dealmaking and capital allocation.
âLetâs hope Greg is Able.â â a typical tongueâinâcheek comment from Berkshireâwatching communities reacting to his rise as CEO.
Timeline At A Glance
- 1980s: Studies commerce and qualifies as an accountant, joins PwC.
- Early 1990s: Moves to CalEnergy, a geothermal power company, and climbs the leadership ranks.
- 1999: Berkshire Hathaway acquires a controlling stake in MidAmerican (linked to CalEnergy), pulling Abel into the Berkshire orbit.
- 2008â2014: Becomes CEO of MidAmerican; the company is renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
- 2018: Named vice chairman of Berkshire Hathawayâs nonâinsurance operations and joins the board.
- 2025â2026: Officially designated as Warren Buffettâs successor and then becomes CEO of Berkshire in January 2026.
Mini Fact Sheet (HTML Table)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gregory Edward Abel | [1]
| Born | June 1, 1962, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | [3][1]
| Current role | President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (since Jan 2026) | [7][1]
| Background | Chartered accountant; longtime energy and utility executive | [9][3][1]
| Key prior position | CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Energy | [3][7][1]
| Known for | Low profile, focus on operations, continuity of Buffettâs value- investing culture | [9][7][1][3]
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.