Mary Chandoha
President and CEO, Charles Schwab Investment Management
Charles Schwab Investment Management has enjoyed record growth under Marie Chandoha.
The nation's 14th-largest mutual fund manager now has $270 billion of assets under management, up 45% from when Chandoha joined Schwab in September 2010.
Chandoha attributes this growth to improved investor education and a strong commitment to lowering fees. Under her leadership, Schwab has reduced the operating expense ratios on its cap-weighted exchange-traded funds six times in the last three years and today those funds have the lowest operating-expense ratios in their Lipper categories.
Chandoha is committed to promoting diversity at Schwab, in part because she believes this builds stronger organizations and leads to better corporate results. Last year, she established a Women's Network at the company. The group is dedicated to helping female employees advance their careers, demonstrate their leadership capabilities and create outreach programs that help other women.
She also is a frequent speaker for the Women's Interactive Network at Schwab events, actively mentors women inside and outside of her company and is becoming more vocal about the importance of diversity in corporate boardrooms.
Another issue close to Chandoha's heart is conservation. Since 2011, she has been a board member for the Nature Conservancy's chapter in California, where she and her husband have placed half of their Sonoma County ranch into a Forever Wild Conservation Easement.
