As CEO and President of Halbert Hargrove, JC is guiding the firm confidently into the future. Execution and operational excellence are his bywords; we consider him our glue. He formally took the helm of CEO in December 2021. For many years, working alongside Chairman and HH founder Russ Hill, JC has had the privilege to be involved in most facets of the firm, and has enjoyed being part of HH’s growth and success.
JC enjoys the dynamic nature of his role: “I like solving big challenges,” he says. He joined HH as Operations Manager in 1996 and was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2010.
JC earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Finance emphasis from the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administracion in Bogota, Colombia, and his MBA from University of Redlands School of Business. He was awarded the ACCREDITED INVESTMENT FIDUCIARY™ designation by the University of Pittsburgh-affiliated Center for Fiduciary Studies.
In addition to his leadership responsibilities, JC is a member of the Forbes Business Council, where he regularly contributes his insights on leadership, mentorship, and more. He is also a member of the Envestnet RIA Client Advisory Board.
In 2016, JC was part of Stanford University’s pioneer cohort in earning a LEAD Certificate in Corporate Innovation from Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2021, he was again part of an inaugural class, this time in taking part in BlackRock’s first Emerging Leader Lab.
Married to Ruth for more than 30 years, JC is dad to Nico and Isabella – and a Boston Terrier named Lola. After a decade-long odyssey of breaking ground and overcoming an absurd number of obstacles, JC is happy to report that the Abusaid family finally took up residence in their Laguna Beach home in 2021. JC’s commitment to exercising and eating healthy is legendary; call him a health freak, and he’ll take it as a compliment. Outside of the office, you’ll find him running, mountain biking, wakeboarding, and snowboarding.
