Tara Lachapelle, Columnist

Sizing Up Warren Buffett's Successor

As the 87-year-old Oracle said, this transition period could last a long time, or it could happen tomorrow.

January 10, 2018 at 2:29 PM UTC

By Tara Lachapelle

Tara Lachapelle is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering entertainment, telecommunications and deals.

1515596195_GettyImages-471988268 — Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

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Greg Abel and Ajit Jain are shaping up to be the next generation's Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger -- the largest shoes anyone in Corporate America will have to fill.

On Wednesday morning, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. announced that both executives were added to the board. Abel, the company's energy division head, was appointed vice chairman of non-insurance business operations and Jain, who runs reinsurance, was made vice chairman of everything insurance-related. It's a significant gesture toward Buffett's succession and the clearest indication yet as to who will lead the conglomerate when the Oracle of Omaha is gone. Buffett is 87, while his trusty sidekick Munger just turned 94 last week. They're staying in their own current roles as chairman and CEO and vice chairman, respectively.