Cathie Wood Biography: Net Worth, Husband, Age, Parents, Children, Salary, Books, Portfolio
Biography
Cathie Wood (born Catherine Duddy on November 26, 1955, in Los Angeles, California) is a pioneering American investor renowned for her focus on disruptive innovation.
The daughter of Irish immigrants, she graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in finance and economics from the University of Southern California in 1981.
Trending Now!!:
Wood launched her career as an assistant economist at Capital Group, later advancing through roles at Jennison Associates, co-founding the hedge fund Tupelo Capital Management in 1998, and serving as CIO of Global Thematic Strategies at AllianceBernstein, where she managed over $5 billion.
In 2014, Wood founded ARK Invest to champion actively managed ETFs targeting high-growth technologies like AI, robotics, genomics, energy storage, and blockchain. Her flagship ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) delivered stellar returns, topping global equity funds in 2020 and earning her Bloomberg’s “best stock picker” accolade that year.
Despite market volatility and criticism during downturns, Wood‘s bold, long-term vision has enabled her to manage assets exceeding $60 billion as of 2025, solidifying her status as a finance icon.
| CEO of Ark Invest | |
| Cathie Wood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Catherine Duddy |
| Stage Name: | Cathie Wood |
| Born: | 26 November 1955 (age 70 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | University of Southern California, Notre Dame Academy |
| Height: | 1.67 m |
| Parents: | Gerald Duddy, Mary Duddy |
| Siblings: | 1 |
| Spouse: | Robert Wood |
| Boyfriend • Partner: | Not Dating |
| Children: | Robert Wood Jr., Caitlin Wood, Caroline Wood |
| Occupation: | Investor • Businesswoman |
| Net Worth: | $250 million (USD) |
Early Life & Education
Cathie Wood, born Catherine Duddy on November 26, 1955, in Los Angeles, California, grew up in a family that instilled a strong work ethic and curiosity about the world.
Of Irish ethnicity, she is the eldest child of Irish immigrants Gerald Duddy, a radar systems engineer who served in both the Irish Army and the United States Air Force, and Mary Duddy, a homemaker.
While specific details about her siblings, such as names or number, are not widely publicized, her position as the eldest implies she has at least one younger brother or sister.
Raised in a Catholic household, Wood attended an all-girls Catholic school and has described herself as a devout Christian who draws inspiration from her faith in her professional life.
Her early interest in finance was sparked by family discussions about the stock market, particularly with her father.
For education, she graduated from Notre Dame Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Los Angeles, in 1974.
She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in finance and economics from the University of Southern California in 1981, where economist Arthur Laffer served as her mentor and influenced her economic perspectives.
Career
Cathie Wood began her career in 1981 as an assistant economist at The Capital Group in Los Angeles. Six years later, she moved to New York to join Jennison Associates, where she spent more than a decade rising to managing director and portfolio manager, concentrating on global thematic investing and emerging markets.
In 1998, she co-founded Tupelo Capital Management with Lulu Wang and others, building the hedge fund into a firm managing nearly $800 million before her departure in 2000.
From 2001 to 2013, Wood served as Chief Investment Officer of Global Thematic Strategies at AllianceBernstein, where she oversaw more than $5 billion in assets and helped shape the firm’s thematic investment framework. Despite her success, she became increasingly frustrated by the slow embrace of disruptive-innovation themes and the firm’s hesitation to launch new products centered on them.
That hesitation pushed her to strike out on her own. After AllianceBernstein rejected her idea for actively managed ETFs dedicated to disruptive innovation, she founded ARK Investment Management LLC in January 2014.
Named after the Ark of the Covenant, ARK became one of the first firms built entirely around investing in breakthrough technologies—artificial intelligence, robotics, genomic sequencing, energy storage, blockchain, and autonomous mobility.
ARK’s flagship fund, the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), launched in October 2014 and quickly drew attention for its concentrated positions in companies such as Tesla, Square (now Block), Roku, and CRISPR Therapeutics.
ARKK delivered remarkable returns in 2017, 2020, and early 2021, including a 152% gain in 2020, making it the top-performing diversified equity fund in the world that year. By early 2021, ARK’s assets under management had surpassed $50 billion, turning Wood into a global investing star and earning her the nickname “Queen of the Bull Market.”
The rapid rise was followed by a steep correction. Higher interest rates and a broad selloff in growth stocks during 2022–2023 drove ARKK down more than 75% from its 2021 peak, with ARK’s assets falling to around $7 billion at their 2022 low. Yet the firm surged back during the 2023–2025 technology rally, powered heavily by AI-driven market enthusiasm.
As of late 2025, ARK manages an estimated $60–65 billion across its lineup of active ETFs and related investment vehicles, cementing it as one of the fastest-growing and most influential asset managers in the ETF industry.
Wood remains CEO and Chief Investment Officer, leading the firm’s open-source research culture and maintaining her reputation for bold five-year forecasts and unwavering belief in exponential innovation.
Social Media
- Wikipedia: Cathie Wood
- Twitter: Cathie Wood (@CathieDWood) / X
- Instagram: Cathie Wood (@cathiewoodark)
Personal Life
Cathie Wood, born Catherine Duddy on November 26, 1955, is 70 years old.
She was previously married to Robert Wood, with the couple divorcing some time before his death in 2018.
No other marriages are publicly documented. Together, they had three children: daughters Caitlin Wood and Caroline Wood, and son Robert Wood Jr.
Wood stands approximately 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 meters) tall, though some sources estimate 5 feet 6 inches (1.67 meters).
Details about her dating history beyond her marriage are not publicly available, as she maintains a private personal life focused on her family and career.
Net Worth
Cathie Wood‘s net worth is estimated at approximately $250 million, primarily derived from her majority ownership stake (around 50-72%) in ARK Invest, which manages about $60 billion in assets focused on disruptive technologies like AI, robotics, and genomics.
This figure reflects a rebound from a 2022 low of about $140 million amid ARK’s market volatility, though it remains below her 2021 peak of $400 million when the firm’s assets surged past $50 billion.
A significant portion—roughly 25%—is allocated to personal holdings in Bitcoin, underscoring her bullish stance on cryptocurrency.
Estimates vary slightly, with some sources placing it between $230 million and $300 million, tied to ARK’s performance and her salary plus performance bonuses.
NOTICE!! NOTICE!! NOTICE!!
At TheCityCeleb, we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date biographies and entertainment news, focusing on celebrities. Our editorial team researches information from reputable sources, including interviews, official statements, and verified media.If you spot an error or have additional details, please contact us at editor@thecityceleb.com. We value your feedback and are committed to maintaining trustworthy content.
