Fast-forward to university: Abel studied business at the University of Alberta, then got his accounting degree. He didn’t go to an Ivy League school—he went to a public university, where you sat in lecture halls with kids who drove beat-up cars.
He joined Price Waterhouse in Edmonton, auditing oil companies. Imagine him in a cheap suit, crunching numbers in a strip-mall office while it’s -30°C outside. That’s where he learned to love details—and to hate bullshit.
Fun fact: he once said his first boss taught him that “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it.” Classic Canadian understatement, right?
Why Alberta Matters More Than You Think
Alberta is Canada’s wild, resource-rich province—kind of like Texas but with more politeness and less barbecue. Growing up there instilled a pragmatism that makes Abel different from the typical Wall Street suit.
Greg Abel: The Next CEO of Berkshire Hathaway - The USA Leaders
He saw boom-and-bust cycles up close. Oil prices crashed in the ’80s, and people lost everything. That taught him to hoard cash and avoid debt—sound familiar? It’s the Berkshire way, but he lived it before he ever met Buffett.
So when you hear “Canadian roots,” think less about maple syrup and more about shoveling snow at 6 a.m. to get to work. It’s a whole mindset.
