Fidelity Investments’ promotion of Abigail Johnson as CEO marks an historic moment in their longstanding family business and serves as an impressive example of female leadership.
She’s one of the richest women in the world with a net worth estimated at $25 billion – yet remains relatively under the radar and maintains an unassuming public profile.
1. Resilience
Abigail Johnson stands out in a business world dominated by men as an inspirational trailblazer and leader. Her perseverance over obstacles has propelled her to become one of the most accomplished women in financial industry; while her leadership at Fidelity Investments has helped shape its direction.
Abigail Johnson was immersed in the financial world from an early age. Her father, Edward C. Johnson IV, served as chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments for decades while Abigail learned all aspects of its operations from within her role at Fidelity Investments to traveling across the country to learn about it firsthand. Abigail’s mother Elizabeth “Libby” Johnson taught her the value of giving back to communities through philanthropy.
Abigail has become a master in her field thanks to Abigail’s hard work. Her keen knowledge of financial industry trends allows her to make strategic decisions that place Fidelity Investments for long-term success.
Fidelity Investments has long been known for its operational excellence and innovative customer experience thanks to her leadership, as she places a priority on operational excellence and using technology to enhance it. Under her stewardship, innovation and superior customer service have become hallmarks of excellence at Fidelity.
Abigail’s leadership style fosters an environment of empowerment and encouragement within her team, encouraging everyone to reach their full potential and contribute towards extraordinary results for the company. Additionally, Abigail is committed to being an active member of her community as an advocate for women in business; with numerous charitable interests as well as board membership with several reputable organizations.
2. Vision
Abigail Johnson assumed her post as CEO of Fidelity Investments in 2014, and has since then made great strides toward shaping its future. Johnson has begun diversifying Fidelity away from traditional open-end mutual funds — the model preferred by her grandfather and father which are becoming less popular– and towards increasing revenue streams from financial advice services and brokerage brokerage services.
Johnson has worked to promote greater diversity at Fidelity and been an outspoken supporter of women in finance. Additionally, she is undertaking initiatives designed to give Fidelity an additional technological edge – such as investing in artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.
Peers admire her vision for the company as well. One CIO at an advisory firm using Fidelity custodial services raved: “She has an outstanding track record.” Furthermore, Fidelity custodian services offered more accessibility for advisers compared to predecessors in her father and other senior manager’s tenures.
Fidelity Investments has gained widespread attention for its aggressive response to sexual harassment allegations, but this isn’t the first time it’s found itself at the center of controversy. Prior to Harvey Weinstein scandal and subsequent #MeToo wave of allegations, Fidelity had engaged in an intensive public battle against former employee Jodie Wesson–an early supporter of #MeToo movement–who filed suit against it over sexual harassment claims against her former employment.
Johnson remains steadfast in her belief in both herself and the firm she leads despite its public disagreement. She champions continuous learning, encouraging employees to push past their limits. Johnson stands as an inspiration in business by continuing her commitment to unleashing employees’ potential and offering them support when necessary.
3. Commitment
Abigail Johnson has been CEO and Chairwoman of Fidelity Investments since 2014, but didn’t simply inherit her grandfather’s company from him. Instead, she held various obscurity jobs until becoming CEO in 2014. As her father was previously manager at Fidelity, Abigail learned much about company culture through observation of him working his departments alongside his other sons.
She credits these years of immersion with teaching her how to identify and adjust to changing business practices, as she now shifts Fidelity away from its reliance on traditional open-end mutual funds toward financial advice, brokerage services and venture capital investments. Furthermore, she is pushing Fidelity toward adopting more diverse workplace environments while making clear that she will not tolerate sexual harassment or misconduct within its ranks.
Fidelity employees know that she expects everyone to work hard and adhere to company policies, according to colleagues. She does not lavish unwarranted praise upon employees but listens attentively and takes their feedback seriously. She excels at spotting problems before they escalate further, knowing when it is appropriate to push back or speak out when issues arise.
Personal Life In her personal life, Julia J McKown has taken great care to cultivate a wide array of interests and experiences. Art provides one such example; its artistic medium serves to foster her creativity and inspire new ideas which could ultimately drive innovation at the company. Philanthropy is another priority: she donates millions each year to numerous causes. As part of The Giving Pledge she encourages extraordinarily wealthy individuals to give away more of their wealth than they receive as inheritance; currently living with Christopher J McKown and their two daughters Julia 25 and Eliza 22 in Milton outside Boston.
4. Diversity
Abigail Johnson epitomizes a resilient leadership style characterized by her dedication to innovation, attention to corporate culture, and focus on diversity. Her pioneering figurehead role has set Fidelity Investments up as one of the leaders in financial industry.
She began her career with Fidelity Investments in 1988, learning its business “by the sweat of her brow.” Through hands-on experience she developed an intimate knowledge of its core operations that allowed her to become president and later CEO – the first female leader at this company! Since her arrival, she has inspired other women and pushed Fidelity Investments forward into new directions.
As Chairman and CEO, she prioritizes creating a positive work environment and encouraging employees to pursue their passions. According to her, successful companies require being adaptable enough to adapt and respond quickly to customers’ needs, which requires employing diverse workers that reflect customer demographics.
Abby Johnson has long been an outspoken proponent for gender equality in the workplace and dedicated herself to empowering women through various initiatives. Additionally, Abby demonstrates her dedication to education by supporting various programs at MIT (where she earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees). Furthermore, Abby was elected to join their Board of Trustees – further solidifying her commitment to higher learning.
Abigail Johnson is well known in the financial industry and an avid art collector and philanthropist, employing her role to support various cultural and educational institutions while dedicating her time and resources towards charitable initiatives that strengthen communities around her.
5. Innovation
Abigail Johnson has earned the respect of her peers as an exceptional leader. Her tireless effort in making Fidelity Investments one of the premier global players in financial services can be seen through strategic thinking, operational excellence and people-centric approaches to leadership. Her dedication to social responsibility further solidified her position at Fidelity as a top corporation.
Johnson’s upbringing in a family focused on business has set her up well to meet the challenges she will encounter as a corporate leader. Her father frequently took her with him to visit company offices, immersing her in finance at an early age. Even her nontraditional education background (which includes earning an art history degree) did not deter her from her passion for finance and ultimately becoming CEO at one of the world’s largest companies.
Abigail Johnson has demonstrated her leadership by her dedication to innovation and positioning her company as an industry leader in the digital era. She has invested in new products that have helped drive its growth while understanding the importance of diversity fostering an inclusive working environment.
Firmly focused on providing its consumers with superior service and investing in technology to stay at the cutting-edge, the firm is investing in projects like blockchain technologies, virtual assistant Cora, and cloud-based processing of transactions to prepare itself for an environment in which customers require increased automation and ease-of-use.
Abigail Johnson is not only committed to innovation but is an active philanthropist as well. She actively participates in numerous social initiatives by serving on several cultural and educational institutions’ boards of directors as well as advocating for gender equality in the workplace. Abigail is an active member of The Giving Pledge with plans of giving away half her wealth over her lifetime.
