Mellody Hobson joined Ariel Investments as an intern shortly after graduating from college, and less than a decade later was president of the company, making it the largest African-American owned mutual fund company in the US. She’s been on the directorial board of Dreamworks animation (as well as Starbucks, Groupon, and Esteé Lauder) for some time now, and now she now ascends to head of the board.
Roger Enrico, former Pepsi CEO, stepped down last week from his post as chairman of the Dreamworks board of directors. He did not cite a specific reason, but CEOÂ Jeffrey Katzenberg gave him a good sendoff. Mellody Hobson has been tapped as his replacement. From The Hollywood Reporter:
Hobson, 43, is president of Chicago-based Ariel Investments, which manages more than $3 billion in assets, and chairwoman of Ariel Mutual Funds. Ariel is reportedly among the largest African American-owned money management and mutual fund companies in the U.S.
Hobson regularly contributes commentary on financial issues on ABC’s Good Morning America and is a spokesperson for the annual Ariel/Schwab Black Investor Survey.
In 2009, Hobson hosted a show on ABC called Unbroke: What You Need to Know About Money, which was meant to educate people about how to invest and save money. It featured appearances by celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson, the Jonas Brothers and the Muppet character Oscar the Grouch.
And I know it’s rarely conclusive to look too hard into the personal lives of business people to predict their future actions, but I’m a nerd. And when you’ve been publicly dating George Lucas for six years like Ms. Hobson has, a LucasFilm/Dreamworks collaboration doesn’t seem that farfetched.
(via The Hollywood Reporter.)
