Abigail Pierrepont Johnson[1] (born December 19, 1961) is an American billionaire businesswoman and the granddaughter of late Edward C. Johnson II, the founder of Fidelity Investments.[2] Since 2014, Johnson has been president and chief executive officer (CEO) of American investment firm Fidelity Investments (FMR),[3] and chair of its former sister company Fidelity International (FIL). Fidelity was founded by her grandfather Edward C. Johnson II. Her father, Edward C. "Ned" Johnson III, remained chair emeritus of FMR until his death in March 2022. As of March 2013, the Johnson family owned a 49% stake in the privately-held company, with Johnson herself holding an estimated 24.5%.[4][5] She is a board member of Breakthrough Energy Ventures.[6]
In November 2016, Johnson was named chair and remained CEO and president, giving her full control of Fidelity with 45,000 employees worldwide.[7] As of June 2024 Johnson's wealth is approximately $35.6 billion,[8] making her one of the world's wealthiest women. She was named on Forbes' "The Richest Person In America's 50 Largest Cities" list in 2016 and ranked eighth in 2023 on their "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" list.[9] She has been the richest person in Massachusetts since at least 2015.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]
[edit]Johnson at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in 2012
Upon graduating from Harvard Business School in 1988, Johnson joined Fidelity Investments, which her grandfather Edward Johnson II founded in 1946[4] and of which her father Edward Johnson III was then the CEO. She began as an analyst and portfolio manager.[4] In 2001, she was promoted to president of Fidelity Asset Management. During her time in that position, Johnson unsuccessfully attempted to orchestrate a vote to remove her father as CEO over disagreements about his business decisions.[24] In 2005, she became Head of Retail, Workplace, and Institutional Business. She was named president in 2012. In 2014, she became CEO,[25] and in 2016 she became chairman as well.[4] In 2018, Johnson introduced cryptocurrency investment at Fidelity, making it possible for institutional investors to trade bitcoin and ethereum.[4]
In 2015, Johnson donated $2,700, the maximum amount legally allowed for presidential primary campaigns, to Republican candidate Jeb Bush.[26] In 2016, she donated about $330,000 to Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee.[27]
