He raised his three kids in Edmonton and later in Iowa, but the values stayed Canadian. He’d coach their hockey teams on weekends, never bragging about his job. One neighbor said he was “just Greg, the dad with the minivan.”
Canadian Greg Abel Set to Succeed Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett
That’s a guy who could buy the whole rink but still sweeps the snow. It’s almost ironic—the new CEO of Berkshire, the empire built on American capitalism, is a guy who probably says “sorry” when someone cuts him off.
So, What’s the Takeaway?
Greg Abel’s Canadian roots aren’t a quirky footnote—they’re the foundation. Growing up in Edmonton gave him resilience. His accounting gig gave him discipline. And those paper routes? They gave him a work ethic that no MBA can teach.
Next time you see Buffett’s successor in a headline, picture that kid on the ice. He’s still there, just in a nicer suit and with a bigger checkbook. And honestly? That’s exactly what Berkshire needs right now.
Eh?
