MARCHING TO HER OWN MELLODY
MARCHING TO HER OWN MELLODY Whether the magazine is Vogue or Forbes, Mellody Hobson easily fits into the pages of finance or fashion. Here’s one woman who successfully combines substance with style. By Marla Cichowski • Photography by Steve Becker
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When it comes to money, Mellody Hobson doesn’t mess around. Mellody, 38, is president of Ariel Capital Management/Ariel Mutual Funds, a Chicago-based investment management firm with over $21 billion in assets for institutional investors and mutual fund shareholders. If you think she looks familiar, it’s likely because Mellody has been the financial contributor for Good Morning America on ABC since 2000, educating viewers on important financial decisions and trends. Her success in the financial world is no secret. The Wall Street Journal profiled Mellody as one of 50 Women to Watch in the corporate world. She’s also been named a Next Generation Global Leader by Fortune magazine. Having received numerous honors throughout her career, Mellody makes a point to stay focused on her work. “This is not going to sound right, but I try not to anchor myself to things [awards] like that. For me, it’s about the work, the person and what you’re doing as a person. I’m so grateful for the recognition… but I don’t want to find myself counting on that to sustain me.” Growing up the youngest of six children in Chicago, Mellody remembers how her family struggled with money. “Money and finance wasn’t something I thought about as a career, but it was something I didn’t want to have to worry about anymore,” she recalls. Mellody credits her mother, who raised the children by herself while working in real estate, for instilling a strong work ethic in her. “Until I was five years old, I went to work with my mother every day. That’s where I learned to be focused and quiet and keep myself entertained.” Her self-discipline paid off when Mellody, the only sibling in her family to attend college, enrolled at Princeton University. “I walked around campus and wanted to pinch myself because I knew I was getting the best education and I didn’t want to take it for granted.” In fact, it was her college summer internship at Ariel Capital Management that jumpstarted her career. “This is my 16th year at Ariel, 18th if you count my internship,” Mellody says. “The average person has 11 jobs in their lifetime.
38 TCW NOVEMBER
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When it comes to money, Mellody Hobson doesn’t mess around. Mellody, 38, is president of Ariel Capital Management/Ariel Mutual Funds, a Chicago-based investment management firm with over $21 billion in assets for institutional investors and mutual fund shareholders. If you think she looks familiar, it’s likely because Mellody has been the financial contributor for Good Morning America on ABC since 2000, educating viewers on important financial decisions and trends. Her success in the financial world is no secret. The Wall Street Journal profiled Mellody as one of 50 Women to Watch in the corporate world. She’s also been named a Next Generation Global Leader by Fortune magazine. Having received numerous honors throughout her career, Mellody makes a point to stay focused on her work. “This is not going to sound right, but I try not to anchor myself to things [awards] like that. For me, it’s about the work, the person and what you’re doing as a person. I’m so grateful for the recognition… but I don’t want to find myself counting on that to sustain me.” Growing up the youngest of six children in Chicago, Mellody remembers how her family struggled with money. “Money and finance wasn’t something I thought about as a career, but it was something I didn’t want to have to worry about anymore,” she recalls. Mellody credits her mother, who raised the children by herself while working in real estate, for instilling a strong work ethic in her. “Until I was five years old, I went to work with my mother every day. That’s where I learned to be focused and quiet and keep myself entertained.” Her self-discipline paid off when Mellody, the only sibling in her family to attend college, enrolled at Princeton University. “I walked around campus and wanted to pinch myself because I knew I was getting the best education and I didn’t want to take it for granted.” In fact, it was her college summer internship at Ariel Capital Management that jumpstarted her career. “This is my 16th year at Ariel, 18th if you count my internship,” Mellody says. “The average person has 11 jobs in their lifetime.
38 TCW NOVEMBER
