Warren Buffett Remains On Berkshire Board
On September 18th, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. announced that Warren E. Buffett has been named Chairman Emeritus, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to Berkshire and its owners. As Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Buffett will remain a member of the Board of Directors and will continue to offer his valued judgment and perspective. Consistent with the company’s long-standing succession plan, the Board has elected Howard G. Buffett, a Berkshire director since 1993, as Chairman of the Board. Susan L. Decker will continue to serve as Lead Independent Director.
“Warren’s impact on Berkshire and its owners is without parallel in the history of American business,” stated Greg Abel, Chief Executive Officer, on behalf of the entire Berkshire Board of Directors. “The culture Warren built and the values he championed will remain at the heart of Berkshire, and Howard will be their guardian. We are grateful to Howard for the care, discipline, and deep understanding of Berkshire he will bring to his new role, and to Sue Decker for her continued leadership and valued contributions as Lead Independent Director.”
Howard Buffett Elected Chairman Of The Board
Howard Buffett has served since 1999 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a charitable foundation focused on global food security and conflict mitigation. He served as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Programme for nearly a decade. He has been a director of numerous public and private company boards, including Agro Tech, Archer Daniels Midland, ConAgra Foods, The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Enterprises, FirsTier Financial, and Lindsay Corporation – including as Chairman of the Board.
For those interested in Warren Buffett’s own comments on the matter, as set forth in his letter to Berkshire’s shareholders, they are reprinted below:
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.
To My Fellow Shareholders:
Berkshire has an extraordinary group of shareholders. From the beginning, Charlie and I looked for owners who thought in decades rather than quarters, and we were fortunate to find a great many of you.
Recently, I celebrated my 96th birthday with family and friends, including one of my great-grandchildren, who had just turned one. He’s moving a bit faster than I am these days.
I have served Berkshire since 1965. Sixty-plus years in, I still have the best job in the world. That is not something many people my age can say, and I have never felt better about what comes next.
Part of the reason is Greg. My expectations for him were sky high from the start, and he has exceeded them. He has taken hold of the Chief Executive Officer job in every respect. He has been making the decisions that matter for some time now, and I have not had to think twice about any of them.
So the timing is right to complete the transition. I will become Chairman Emeritus and remain a Director. My son, Howard, will succeed me as Chairman.
Howard has been a Berkshire Director for 33 years. That is a longer apprenticeship than I served before taking the reins at the age of 34. Greg runs the company; Howard will guard its culture and values – both worth more than anything on our balance sheet. Think of Howard as a policy the shareholders own and hope never to claim against.
Howard cares deeply about Berkshire, as do all of our Directors. No company has been or will be more shareholder-minded than Berkshire.
Serving as your Chairman has been the privilege of a lifetime, and I have never taken your trust for granted. Father Time always wins. He has, however, been generous with me. He has given me the opportunity to see Berkshire reach a point where I am more confident than ever about what lies ahead. The company is in excellent hands, and I look forward to remaining a shareholder alongside you.
September 18, 2026
Warren E. Buffett
