Mr. Buffett won renown and made billions as one of the most successful stock pickers of all time. Mr. Abel’s strengths lie more in running businesses.

Abel was named vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway in 2018. Although he has been at the company for more than two decades, he is considered to be much more guarded and hands-on than Buffett.

When Warren Buffett announced at his annual shareholder meeting that he is stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of the year, he elevated a 62-year-old Canadian executive named Greg Abel who has long been one of his top lieutenants.