Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Greg grew up in a world more about hockey rinks than Wall Street. His first job wasn’t a fancy internship; it was working as an accountant, which sounds as boring as watching paint dry, but he apparently found it fascinating. He’s like that one friend who loves doing your taxes just for fun—weird, but incredibly useful to have around.
He earned a business degree and a CPA license, then jumped into the energy business at a company called CalEnergy. That’s where he learned the fine art of buying utilities and turning them into gold. Think of it as buying a dusty old pickup truck, changing the oil, and selling it for a sports car—except with billion-dollar power plants.
By the late 1990s, Greg was working for Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which was basically a small corner of Buffett’s empire. He didn’t just run it; he expanded it so quietly that most people didn’t notice until it was the size of a small country. He’s the guy who builds a Lego castle so slowly and meticulously that you don’t realize it’s a fortress until it blocks your view.
Greg Abel: Berkshire Hathaway’s Next Leader? | Inspirepreneur
The Quiet Rise to the Top
When Warren Buffett announced in 2026 that Greg would be his successor, the business world let out a collective “Who’s that?” It was like when your dad hands you the keys to the family minivan, and you realize he’s been teaching you to drive for thirty years without you knowing. Greg had been doing the heavy lifting, buying companies like Pilot Flying J and managing GEICO and Dairy Queen from behind the scenes.
One funny thing about Greg? He doesn’t have a giant ego. He once told a reporter that he prefers to “let the numbers do the talking.” In a world of CEOs with private jets and reality shows, he’s the guy you’d find eating a sandwich at his desk, wearing a slightly wrinkled shirt, and actually answering his emails. He’s the anti-celebrity CEO, and it’s oddly refreshing.
Who is Greg Abel, Berkshire Hathaway's new CEO? | Financial Post
He also loves a good joke, which is essential when your mentor is the pun-loving Warren Buffett. Apparently, Greg can quote The Simpsons and talk about power plant margins in the same sentence. That’s a skill you can’t learn in business school—it’s a survival skill for anyone who works with octogenarian billionaires.
