Tracy Britt has been reported to be facilitator of communications between the various CEOs of business subsidiaries in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.
Buffett, who in the past has been described as a hands-off manager, has worked with Britt, 29, since 2009, reported the Wall Street Journal. She is the chairman of four Berkshire subsidiaries, which together bring in around $4 billion annually.
The Journal reported that Britt is trying to make it easier for the around 80 subsidiaries to communicate with each other.
A month ago, a few dozen Berkshire managers gathered in Omaha, Neb., to meet, socialize, and discuss business practices. “This was her brainchild,” said the head of subsidiary Oriental Trading, Sam Taylor.
“It was really more of a nuts-and-bolts thing, lot of good interaction and good social time,” said Terry Kroeger, who is the publisher of the Berkshire-owned Omaha World-Herald. Britt wants to make the meeting an annual event.
Britt is a graduate of Harvard University and has humble roots. She grew up on a farm in Kansas and showed up to her first Berkshire interview with tomatoes and a bushel of corn.
“Every minute that I had to work on the farm, I hated it,” she told Harvard Magazine several years ago. “But it actually shaped my dedication, my work ethic, and the way I follow through on the commitments I have made.”
Regarding Britt, Buffet has said that she “takes care of all kinds of things that come up,” according to the Journal.
“She’s got this wealth of information about what’s going on at the Berkshire portfolio companies,” Taylor told the publication. “She knows exactly what’s going on and where Warren’s head is at.”
