Abrdn is to change its corporate name back to Aberdeen after a tricky branding period when the original was abbreviated.
In its full year 2024 results, the asset management business said; “We are announcing today that we will change the Company’s name to aberdeen group plc. We do not intend to make any changes to our subsidiary legal entity names or the names of our underlying funds (including the CUSIPs or ISINs) at this time, and our LSE ticker will remain ABDN.
“We will now start to use “aberdeen” as the principal trading identity for our Investments and Adviser businesses.”
CEO Jason Windsor said: “We will deliver by looking forward with confidence and removing distractions.
“To that end, we are changing our name to Aberdeen group plc. This is a pragmatic decision marking a new phase for the organisation, as we focus on delivering for our customers, people and shareholders.”
While adjusted operating profit rose to £255m (2023: £249m), with all three businesses reporting higher profits than last year, Aberdeen said it was “important to make clear, however, this is well below the level of profitability we aspire to, and we see much more potential across the Group”.
Overall, we reported a transformationally higher IFRS profit before tax of £251m (2023: loss £6m) which includes higher adjusted operating profit, the gain on sale of the European-headquartered Private Equity business of £92m and lower restructuring and corporate transaction expensesof £100m(2023: £152m).
AUMA was up 3% on last year to £511.4bn with total group outflows of £1.1bn, representing a substantial improvement on 2023 when outflows were £17.6bn. As well as strong customer and AUMA growth in interactive investor, this was supported by market conditions, which more than offset the impact of the sale of our European-headquartered Private Equity business.
The transformation programme it launched in January 2024 surpassed the year one targets set out, delivering £70m of in-year cost savings and over £100m of savings on an annualised basis, and “remain on track to deliver a reduction in run-rate costs of at least £150m by the end of 2025”.
Jason Windsor, chief executive officer, said: “The Group grew profit in 2024 for the first time in three years, with each business increasing its contribution. As our momentum shifts to growth, we have a clear focus on improving client experience and shareholder returns.
“We have strengthened and streamlined our senior leadership team and, with our sharper focus, we are committing to better results again in 2025 and 2026.
“Our position in the fast-growing UK Wealth market is exciting. interactive investor had excellent performance in 2024, achieving the number one position in the UK D2C market for net flows, and we expect continuation of this growth. Adviser is in the number two position in an attractive growth market.
“While outflows persisted through 2024, we are working hard to re-establish market leading service levels. We have a strengthened Adviser leadership team in place, with a clear plan of action, to deliver necessary improvements to return to growth.
“Investments saw a significant turnaround in flows compared to 2023, and improved investment performance. Xavier Meyer is now leading the repositioning of Investments to become a specialist asset manager, focused on its strengths in Real Assets, Credit and Specialist Equities – in each of which we have good competitive positions and clear growth prospects.
“Alongside our results, we are setting out our strategy to become a leading Wealth & Investments group, with new 2026 targets that underline the potential for the profitable growth we see in all of our businesses. Together with active capital management, – and by further lowering restructuring spend- we are able to maintain the historic dividend per share from materially higher, and sustainable capital generation.
“This is a Group to be proud of, with a promising future. We will deliver by looking forward with confidence and removing distractions. To that end, we are changing our name to aberdeen group plc. This is a pragmatic decision marking a new phase for the organisation, as we focus on delivering for our customers, people and shareholders.”
