Mellody Hobson | |
|---|---|
 Hobson in 2007 | |
| Born | (1969-04-03)April 3, 1969 (age 56) |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Mellody Louise Hobson Lucas[1][2] (néeHobson; born April 3, 1969) is an American businesswoman who is president and co-CEO ofAriel Investments,[3] and former chair ofStarbucks.[4] She is the former chairman ofDreamWorks Animation,[5] having stepped down after negotiating the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., by NBCUniversal in August 2016. In 2017, she became the firstAfrican-American woman to head The Economic Club of Chicago.[6] On December 26, 2020 it was announced she would become chair ofStarbucks in 2021, thus becoming the first black woman to chair anS&P 500 company,[7] making her one of the highest profile corporate directors in the US.[8] She continued in the role of chair until August 2024.[4]
As of 2020, she is listed as #94 inForbes list of theWorld's 100 Most Powerful Women.[9]
Hobson was born on April 3, 1969, inChicago. She is youngest of six children, Hobson grew up in a household where there was often not enough money to pay the rent or make the car payment. Experiences like this made understanding money, she said, “something that gnawed at me. I wanted to have a different life.”[10]
Hobson graduated fromSt. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago in 1987, and fromPrinceton University in 1991.[11] At Princeton, Hobson was a member of theCottage Club.[12]
Soon after her graduation from Princeton, Hobson joinedAriel Investments, a Chicago investment firm that manages over $14 billion in assets,[13] as an intern. She rose to become a senior vice president and director of marketing.[14] In 2000,[citation needed] she became the company's president.[15] Ariel Investments is one of the largestAfrican American-owned money management and mutual fund companies in the US.[11] She was a contributor to financial segments onGood Morning America andCBS This Morning for many years.[15]
Hobson is also chairman of the board of trustees of Ariel Investment Trust and formerly a spokesperson for the annual Ariel/Schwab Black Investor Survey.[citation needed]
Hobson is on the board of many organizations, includingJPMorgan Chase & Co. and theLucas Museum of Narrative Art. She is also on the board of directors ofthe Starbucks Corporation,[15] and formerly ofThe Estée Lauder Companies Inc.[15] Hobson has been acclaimed in selections such asTime's 2015 Time 100 List, the magazine's annual list of the one hundred most influential people in the world).,[16]Ebony magazine's "20 Leaders of the Future" (1992),Working Women Magazine's "20 Under 30" (1992), theWorld Economic Forum's "Global Leaders of Tomorrow" (2001),Esquire's "America's Best and Brightest" (2002), andThe Wall Street Journal's 50 "Women to Watch" (2004).[17]
Hobson created and hosted a show on ABC on May 29, 2009, calledUnbroke: What You Need to Know About Money, featuring celebrities such as theJonas Brothers,Oscar the Grouch andSamuel L. Jackson.[18]
In 2017, Hobson was named to head the Economic Club of Chicago, the first African-American woman to do so.[19] In August, Hobson guest hostedCBS Sunday Morning's annual "Money Issue" episode.[20]
In June 2018, Hobson was named vice chair ofStarbucks Corporation.[21] After heading the finance committee she was elected to chair the board in 2020.[8] Following the replacement ofLaxman Narasimhan as Starbucks CEO on August 13, 2024, it was also announced that Hobson will step down as chair effective September 9, and become lead independent director.[4]
In 2022, Hobson joined an investment group consisting ofRob Walton,Greg Penner,Carrie Walton Penner,Condoleezza Rice, andLewis Hamilton that purchased theDenver Broncos.[22][23]
In October 2020, Hobson and the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation made the lead gift to establish a residential college atPrinceton University.[24][25]
In 2024, Hobson and her husbandGeorge Lucas provided funding for restoration ofGirish Kasaravalli's filmGhatashraddha. The restoration is done byFilm Heritage Foundation.[26]
Hobson appeared on theJack Good Show in August 2017, where she accepted theCity of Birmingham's deepest appreciation for her charitable work with Birmingham's Bright Leaders of Tomorrow.[27]
Hobson was inducted as a Laureate ofThe Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded theOrder of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by theGovernor of Illinois in 2018.[28]
In the American television dramaThe Good Wife, actressVanessa L. Williams based her character, self-made businesswoman Courtney Paige, on Hobson, studying her via Hobson'sTED talks.[29]
Hobson began dating film director and producerGeorge Lucas in 2006, after they met at a business conference in 2005.[30][31] Hobson and Lucas announced their engagement in January 2013,[32] and were married on June 22, 2013, at Lucas'Skywalker Ranch.[33] They have one daughter who was born viasurrogacy in August 2013.[34]
Hobson was photographed byAnnie Leibovitz for the 2016Pirelli Calendar.[35]
The coffee chain hires Chipotle's Brian Niccol to take over from Laxman Narasimhan, ending a rocky stint marked slowing sales and a slumping stock price. ... Mellody Hobson, who was instrumental in the hiring of Narasimhan, will stay on the board as lead independent director, but cede her role as chairwoman.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Media related toMellody Hobson at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related toMellody Hobson at Wikiquote
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