Investment management firm Schroders has announced the death of Bruno Schroder on 20 February at the age of 86 following a short illness.
The great-great-grandson of John Henry Schroder, who co-founded the firm in 1804, Bruno had served as a director since 1963. According to Forbes, this made him the longest-serving non-executive directors of any company listed on London’s FTSE 100.
The firm’s chairman, Michael Dobson, said: “Bruno made an enormous contribution to Schroders over more than 50 years. He was passionate about Schroders and unwavering in his support for the company.
“His long experience, good judgement and sense of humour will be sorely missed.”
Dobson extended the “heartfelt condolences” on behalf of everyone at Schroders to Bruno’s wife and family.
Family wealth
Bruno Schroder and family were ranked 281 in Forbes’ 2018 billionaires list. His wealth was estimated to be $6.2bn (£4.7bn, €5.5bn).
A prominent landowner in Scotland, he financially supported the case against Scottish independence and donated money to the campaign against Brexit.
Twice married, he leaves behind one daughter, Leonie Fane.
She was at the heart of a controversy in 2018 when it was rumoured that she would be appointed to the Schroders board.
The move was criticised by industry as being poor corporate governance, as the Schroder family owns 48% of the firm and it would potentially undermine the independence of the board. Her limited experience in the City was also flagged as a concern.
But the company strongly refuted suggestions that the board’s independence could be compromised; as it is comprised of six independent non-executive directors, two Schroder family members, two executive directors and one chairperson.
