Mellody Hobson: podcast appearances and interviews

Mellody Louise Hobson Lucas is an American businesswoman born on April 3, 1969. She serves as president and co-chief executive officer of Ariel Investments. She has held several prominent leadership roles, including chair of Starbucks until August 2024 and chairman of DreamWorks Animation, a position she resigned from after negotiating the company's acquisition by NBCUniversal in 2016. In 2017, Hobson became the first African-American woman to lead The Economic Club of Chicago. She made history in 2020 when it was announced she would become chair of Starbucks in 2021, making her the first black woman to chair an S&P 500 company. This achievement marked her as one of the most high-profile corporate directors in the United States. As of 2020, she was ranked number 94 on Forbes list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women.