MELLODY HOBSON
CEO. FINANCIAL GURU. TRAILBLAZER.
Mellody Hobson has a lot to offer the world. That’s why we’re lucky that the gifted businesswoman does so much of her work in Chicago, her hometown.
While her financial management expertise has made her a regularly sought- after ally—she is currently on the boards of Starbucks and JPMorgan Chase—she was also the first black woman to head the Economic Club of Chicago. Chicago-based Ariel Investments, one of the largest minority-owned investment firms in the country, initially brought Hobson on as a summer intern after her graduation from Princeton in 1991. After showing incredible dedication and savvy, she worked her way up the ranks and was named president of the company in 2000. This past July, Hobson made another leap at Ariel, ascending to the position of co-CEO. She was also recently named vice chairman of World Business Chicago by another of our Intriguing Chicagoans, Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Something tells us we’ll be hearing plenty from Hobson in the years to come.
Photography by: CALVIN SIT/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
