Women Rise at Fidelity, Santander as Gender Gap Persists

At Fidelity Investments, like Banco Santander SA, decades of preparation and an heiress effect helped propel a woman to the top job for the first time.

Abigail Johnson, 52, is taking over from her father at closely held Fidelity in Boston, administrating retirement plans for millions of Americans. Last month, Ana Botin became the most powerful woman in European banking after succeeding her father as chairman of Spain’s Santander, which has holdings stretching from Brazil to Poland.