Most buyers are conversant in Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by Warren Buffett with a various portfolio of companies and securities that embrace a railroad, utility companies, huge insurance coverage operations together with Geico, and even Dairy Queen. Berkshire’s inventory portfolio contains giant positions in firms corresponding to Apple (AAPL), Financial institution of America (BAC), Coca-Cola (KO) and Chevron (CVX).
At Berkshire’s 2025 annual shareholder assembly, Buffett introduced he would step down as CEO on the finish of the 12 months. The board voted, at Buffett’s advice, to nominate Greg Abel, who at present oversees the corporate’s non-insurance companies, because the incoming CEO as soon as Buffett steps apart. Whereas a lot is understood about Buffett and his funding philosophy, different executives on the firm are much less extensively adopted.
Right here’s a take a look at the highest company leaders at Berkshire Hathaway, together with Abel, who will take over as CEO on Jan. 1, 2026.
Prime leaders at Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffett (Chairman and CEO)
Buffett is among the many biggest buyers ever and constructed Berkshire from a struggling textile enterprise within the Sixties into the monetary powerhouse it’s at the moment by redeploying the corporate’s money circulation to essentially the most engaging alternatives.
Over time, Buffett has regarded for companies that earn first rate returns on capital which are promoting for lower than they’re price. He took over Berkshire in 1965 and has been on the helm ever since. As of Could 2025, Buffett’s web price was about $169 billion, in accordance with Bloomberg, making him the fifth-richest individual on the earth.
In Could 2025, Buffett advised Berkshire shareholders that he would step down as CEO on the finish of the 12 months. He’ll stay chairman of the board and be accessible to assist with main acquisitions or throughout occasions of nice funding alternative.
Greg Abel (Vice-chair, non-insurance operations and incoming CEO)
Greg Abel got here to Berkshire as a part of its acquisition of a stake in MidAmerican Power, now often called Berkshire Hathaway Power, in 1999. Abel served as CEO of BHE from 2008 to 2018 and has recurrently earned the reward of Buffett. He first talked about Abel in his 2002 letter to shareholders, calling him a “enormous asset for Berkshire.”
In 2018, Abel was named vice chair of non-insurance operations for Berkshire, main many observers to surprise if he’d someday take over for Buffett as CEO. On the firm’s 2021 annual assembly, Munger unintentionally revealed Abel as Buffett’s successor. In 2024, Buffett advised shareholders he thought Abel needs to be in control of funding selections as soon as he takes over as CEO.
Buffett shocked buyers, and Abel, through the 2025 shareholder assembly by asking the board to nominate Abel as CEO on the finish of 2025.
“The time has arrived, the place Greg ought to grow to be the chief government officer of the corporate at year-end,” stated Buffett.
On Could 4, 2025, the board voted unanimously to nominate Abel as CEO efficient Jan. 1, 2026.
Ajit Jain (Vice-chair, insurance coverage operations)
Ajit Jain joined Berkshire in 1985 and has constructed the insurance coverage operation right into a behemoth. He makes a speciality of underwriting distinctive dangers which have typically introduced billions of {dollars} to Berkshire in premiums. Jain was named vice chair of the insurance coverage companies in 2018 and serves on the Berkshire board of administrators as nicely.
Buffett has typically praised Jain’s skills and has even steered that Jain is extra necessary to Berkshire than he’s. “If Charlie, I and Ajit are ever in a sinking boat – and you may solely save considered one of us – swim to Ajit,” Buffett wrote in his 2009 letter to shareholders.
Todd Combs (Funding officer and CEO of Geico)
Todd Combs joined Berkshire as an funding supervisor in 2010 after the retirement of Lou Simpson, who had managed Geico’s investments for many years. Previous to becoming a member of Berkshire, Combs managed a hedge fund for 5 years and had earlier expertise working at Progressive Insurance coverage and on the State of Florida Banking, Securities and Finance Division. He was named CEO of Geico in 2020 and likewise serves on the board of JP Morgan Chase.
Combs relocated to Omaha, the place Berkshire is headquartered, and sometimes meets with Buffett to debate numerous enterprise issues. Buffett was launched to Combs by his longtime associate Charlie Munger, whom Combs had reached out to for an impromptu assembly. Munger and Combs hit it off and Munger thought he’d be an excellent match for Berkshire.
Ted Weschler (Funding officer)
The second funding supervisor Buffett has employed in recent times is Ted Weschler, who joined Berkshire in 2012 after operating a hedge fund from his workplace above a bookstore in Charlottesville, Virginia for about 11 years. Weschler first met Buffett by way of a web-based charity public sale the place he paid about $2.6 million two years in a row to have lunch with Buffett.
In 2021, an investigation by ProPublica into Roth IRAs revealed that Weschler had grown his account from about $70,000 on the finish of 1989 to $264.4 million on the finish of 2018. Weschler advised ProPublica that the positive factors have been made solely by way of publicly traded securities corresponding to shares and bonds.
