cathie wood

Catherine Duddy Wood is the founder, CEO, and CIO of Ark Invest, an investment management firm.

She was born in 1955 in Los Angeles. Her flagship ARK Innovation exchange-traded fund (ETF) has received appreciation for its performance in 2017, 2020 and 2023

She began her career at AllianceBernstein in 2001 as the chief investment officer of global theme strategies, a position she held for 12 years. After her idea for actively managing exchange-traded funds based on disruptive innovation was deemed too risky by Alliance Bernstein, she left the company and founded Ark of the Covenant.

ARK’s first 4 ETFs were seeded with capital from Bill Hwang of Archegos Capital. She was chosen for the inaugural Forbes 50 Over 50 list in 2021, which includes entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists, and innovators over the age of 50.