Funding supervisor and Monetary Planning group Abrdn has begun the seek for a brand new CEO after Stephen Chicken determined to step down after 4 years on the helm.
The corporate mentioned it had agreed with Mr Chicken that now was the correct time for the enterprise to hunt “contemporary management.”
In February Abrdn reported that it had made a pre-tax lack of £6m final 12 months, a significant turnaround from the £546m loss posted the earlier 12 months. Heavy price reducing on the agency had aided its restoration, the corporate mentioned.
Abrdn mentioned it needed new management having accomplished the primary stage of its transformation right into a “trendy and digitally-focused specialist asset and wealth administration firm.”
The corporate mentioned the board and Mr Chicken agreed it was the correct time at hand over the reins to the management crew he has assembled during the last 4 years.
Jason Windsor, presently group chief monetary officer, has been appointed as interim group CEO, topic to regulatory approval, whereas a proper search course of is launched which can embody consideration of exterior candidates.
Mr Windsor and Mr Chicken will work collectively till 30 June, the four-year anniversary of Mr Chicken’s appointment. Abrdn mentioned they are going to be aiming for a easy handover. Mr Windsor joined the corporate final 12 months.
Mr Chicken’s 12-month discover interval began on 24 Might and he shall be on gardening depart with impact from 1 July to 31 December 2024. He shall be eligible for a pro-rated Annual Bonus in respect of the 2024 monetary 12 months. As a ‘good leaver’ he’s not eligible for any remuneration funds or funds for lack of workplace.
Mr Windsor will obtain a wage complement of £200,000, pro-rata at some point of the interim interval.
Mr Chicken, mentioned: “I’m immensely pleased with the work we now have performed collectively to simplify Abrdn and place the corporate for sustainable development. Along with a refreshed management crew and an extremely dedicated group of colleagues in any respect ranges, we now have refocused our world Investments enterprise as a specialist asset supervisor, working to deal with its price base and construct mutually useful linkages with our wealth companies.
“Abrdn’s place within the UK wealth market has been remodeled by the acquisition of Interactive Investor along with funding in our Adviser enterprise; these are important strikes as the continuing democratisation of financial savings obligations reinforces the demand for easy and cost-effective platform options to assist people as they deal with their long-term monetary wants.
“It has been a privilege to guide Abrdn by an intensely difficult time in our trade and I’m grateful to my colleagues for his or her assist and dedication to serving our purchasers with distinction. I depart the corporate properly positioned, having embedded better diversification of revenues, retained a robust capital place and, most significantly, developed a refreshed management crew which is prepared and wanting to tackle the problem of realising Abrdn’s full potential.”
Sir Douglas Flint, Abrdn chairman, mentioned: “On behalf of the board, I need to thank Stephen for the whole lot he has achieved at Abrdn during the last 4 years. He joined us because the pandemic took maintain and, regardless of the restrictions this imposed, spearheaded a elementary reshaping of the corporate, main from the entrance to create an organization that may be aggressive in a fast-evolving sector.
“Adapting the inherited enterprise mannequin to be able to producing sustainable and worthwhile development required strategic imaginative and prescient, intense arduous work and the braveness to make powerful however obligatory choices. Whereas this was underway, Stephen took time to assemble the expertise wanted to execute efficiently on his strategic imaginative and prescient and he passes on to them, with confidence, the duty to execute the following stage of our transformation. We owe him an excellent debt of gratitude and need him properly within the subsequent part of his profession.”
In April Abrdn report its Q1 AUMA and Flows Buying and selling Replace, with AUMA up by 3% to £507.7bn and whole web inflows £0.8bn within the quarter. The corporate mentioned at the moment that buying and selling and web flows thus far in Q2 have proven related traits to Q1. Abrdn will announce its first half outcomes on 6 August 2024.
