Aberdeen Fund Manager Reverses Name Change to Original, Dropping Capital Letters
Four years after Aberdeen Asset Management removed the vowels from its name, drawing ridicule and allegations of “corporate bullying” from its CEO, the firm is reverting to its original moniker. However, it is eliminating capital letters this time. The decision to restore the name, “Aberdeen group plc,” was announced alongside the Edinburgh-based company’s annual results on Tuesday by new CEO Jason Windsor, who took over the company in September.
Windsor stated that the “pragmatic decision” to reinstate the vowels and simplify the name aims to eliminate “distractions” and underline the organization’s focus on its future and customer, client, and shareholder interests. This move marks a new era for the company as it seeks to assert its position as a leader in the wealth and investments sector with targets set for 2026.
In 2021, Standard Life Aberdeen adopted the “Abrdn” name following the sale of the Standard Life brand. The removal of vowels was heralded as a strategy to project a “modern, agile, digitally enabled brand.” This branding received immediate backslash, with critics calling the change “ill thought-out” and suggesting it could lead to spelling and pronunciation challenges. The company faced further criticism in the following year when its chief investment officer, Peter Branner, accused the press of “corporate bullying” for making “childish jokes” about the name change.
Despite these controversies, the company will retain the subsidiary legal entity names and the funds’ names under Abrdn, keeping its London Stock Exchange ticker as ABDN. By the end of 2023, the firm’s adjusted revenue declined by 6% to £1.3 billion, but its operating profit increased by 2% to £255 million. Its advisory arm, the second largest in the UK, reported a 7% increase in operating profit to £126 million, with assets under management rising slightly by 2% to £75.2 billion. However, the company’s flows were labeled “disappointing” as it experienced outflows of £3.9 billion, up from £2.1 billion in 2023, due to higher withdrawal rates. Despite the mixed performance, shares in the group jumped by almost 10% on Tuesday morning.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/04/abrdn-renames-itself-aberdeen-uk-fund-manager
