The Power of Possibility: Stories of Struggle and Success with Mellody Hobson

FEG Insight Bridge

As the President and Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, Chair of the Board at Starbucks, Director of JP Morgan Chase, Chairman of After School Matters, and Co-Founder of Ariel Alternatives, to say that Mellody Hobson has a lot on her plate is quite the understatement. She came by her love of investing early and honestly, and focused her career on furthering financial literacy, advancing educational opportunities in underserved communities, and increasing diversity in business and investing. Mellody has worked with industry titans from Howard Schultz to Jamie Diman and is not shy about sharing the many lessons she has learned from them. Listen in as Mellody reveals what qualities make for the right board member, her strategy for ensuring diversity in any company, her approach to rebuilding stability and trust after underperformance, and her humble perspective on serving others. You won’t want to miss this incredible episode!

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Chapter

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Episode Overview (00:00:30)

3. Welcome and Ariel Introduction (00:01:28)

4. The Origin of Mellody’s Love for Financial Literacy and Investing (00:02:34)

5. How Mellody Stays Motivated After 31 Years at the Same Company (00:04:19)

6. Breaking Down “What to Do Next” (00:06:34)

7. On Stabilizing Assets and Trust After the 2008 Great Financial Crisis (00:09:05)

8. Ariel’s Data-Driven Commitment to Diversity (00:12:27)

9. Advice for Others on Introducing and Maintaining Firm Diversity (00:15:39)

10. Unveiling Project Black (00:20:48)

11. Qualities of a Good Board Member (00:26:26)

12. Lessons Learned from Industry Titans (00:29:02)

13. The Best Thing About Being Chair of Starbucks (00:36:12)

14. Mellody’s Passion Program: After School Matters (00:36:59)

15. Lightning Round Q&A (00:38:50)