Warren Buffett is transferring the chairmanship of Berkshire Hathaway to his son, Howard Graham Buffett, who has been a member of the company’s board since 1993.
Berkshire announced on Friday that the younger Buffett would take over as chairman, while his father would become chairman emeritus and continue serving as a director.
Howard Buffett, 71, will not manage Berkshire Hathaway’s vast array of businesses. Greg Abel, who took over from Warren Buffett as CEO at the start of 2026, will remain responsible for the company and its major decisions.
Instead, Howard Buffett will act as a steward of the corporate culture his father developed over more than 60 years.
“Greg runs the company; Howard will guard its culture and values,” Warren Buffett wrote in a shareholder letter released with the announcement.
Farmer, conservation advocate and sheriff
Howard, who is sometimes known as “Howie,” is Warren Buffett’s middle child. He joined Berkshire’s board in 1993, giving him 33 years of director experience before assuming the chairmanship.
His professional path has been less traditional than those of many corporate directors. According to his official foundation biography, the longtime farmer, conservationist and photographer has also held senior positions at agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland and agricultural equipment manufacturer GSI Group. He previously served on the boards of Coca-Cola, ConAgra Foods and ADM.
Farming is more than a hobby for Howard. He manages a 1,500-acre family farm in central Illinois, runs a 400-acre farm in Nebraska and oversees three foundation research farms in Arizona, Illinois and Nebraska that cover about 9,500 acres in total, according to a 2024 No-Till Farmer profile.
He has long promoted no-till farming and other agricultural methods centered on conservation.
Howard has been chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation since 1999. Much of the foundation’s philanthropy supports food security, conflict reduction and efforts to fight human trafficking.
The foundation says Howard has visited more than 150 countries and served as a United Nations World Food Program goodwill ambassador in the fight against hunger.
A Republican, Howard has also held elected office and law enforcement roles. He served on the Douglas County Board of Commissioners in Nebraska and was sheriff of Macon County, Illinois, from 2017 to 2018.
His foundation is a leading supporter of Ukraine, pledging more than $1 billion in assistance after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and the ensuing war, which continues.
A succession strategy more than a decade in development
The decision to appoint Howard chairman has been under consideration for well over 10 years.
During a 2011 interview with 60 Minutes, Warren Buffett said he wanted Howard to eventually become Berkshire Hathaway’s nonexecutive chairman and protect its values without directing strategy or selecting investments.
In the same interview, the younger Buffett told CBS he was prepared to accept the position provided he could “keep farming.”
In his farewell letter as chairman, Warren Buffett told shareholders to regard his son as an insurance policy they own but hope they never need to use.