Women's History Profile: Fidelity Investments CEO Abigail Johnson
To celebrate Women's History Month, we'll be profiling a series of high-impact women. In this edition, we take a look at Abigail Johnson,an industry titan—as well as one of the wealthiest women alive—and her rise to the top. Here's what you need to know.
Fast facts:
- Abigail Johnson is the CEO and president of Fidelity Investments, the second-largest mutual fund firm in the country.
- With a personal net worth of $13.7B, Abigail ranks seventh on the list of wealthiest women in the world.
- Before working her way to CEO in October 2014, Abigail started out answering phone calls in Fidelity's customer service department.
- Forbes ranks her as the 19th most powerful woman in the world.
Early Start: Family Legacy
Abigail's grandfather founded Fidelity Investments back in 1946, and in 1977 he turned over the company to Abigail's father, Ned (his son, who's pictured) took the company over the next few decades from a small mutual fund manager with under $5B, to a broad-ranging financial services provider with more than $2 trillion in assets.
Rising Through The Ranks
"Abby," despite being one of the family, got in to Fidelity on the ground floor, with her first job answering phone calls in customer service. Only after consulting at Booz Allen & Hamilton (and getting a Harvard MBA) did Abigail come back to Fidelity in 1988 as a stock analyst. She rose through the ranks to equity portfolio manager, then to president of Fidelity’s Employer Services Co.
Becoming CEO—And One Of The Richest People Alive
Abigail finally took the helm at her grandfather's company, becoming CEO in 2014. Despite being the seventh-wealthiest woman in the country and Forbes' 19th most powerful woman in the world, she's known by her nickname around the office, works 11-hour days regularly, and avoids the spotlight. (We actually had to find a picture of her on YouTube. No, really.)
