Investment Association appoints abrdn’s Stephen Bird to its Board
Stephen Bird, Chief Executive Officer of abrdn, has joined the Investment Association Board of Directors, replacing outgoing director Hanneke Smits, Chief Executive Officer of BNY Mellon Investment Management, the Investment Association has announced today.
Announcing the appointment, Keith Skeoch, Chair of the Investment Association Board, said:
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Stephen to the IA’s Board of Directors. Stephen’s focus on customers, his experience in technological transformation, and his global outlook will be a great complement to our board’s strengths, particularly as our industry navigates complex domestic and international challenges.
“I would also like to extend my thanks and gratitude to Hanneke for her dedicated service over the last three years and look forward to her remaining a friend to the board.”
Commenting on his appointment to the Board, Stephen Bird, Chief Executive Officer of abrdn, said:
“Investment management plays a vital role supporting millions of people to save for a more financially secure future. Technology, demographics and economic shifts are combining to create significant challenges, and opportunities, for the industry, and the IA has a critical role to play. I am pleased to be joining the Board at what is an important time.”
The changes to the Board of Directors will take effect immediately.
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Notes to Editors:
Appointments to the IA board are usually for three-year terms. Board members may seek re-election after their term is complete.
Stephen Bird was appointed Chief Executive Officer of abrdn in September 2020. Previously, Stephen served as chief executive officer of global consumer banking at Citigroup from 2015, retiring from the role in November 2019. His responsibilities encompassed all consumer and commercial banking businesses in 19 countries, including retail banking and wealth management, credit cards, mortgages, and operations and technology supporting these businesses. Prior to this, Stephen was chief executive for all of Citigroup’s Asia Pacific business lines across 17 markets, including India and China.
Stephen joined Citigroup in 1998. In 21 years with the company he held leadership roles in banking, operations and technology across its Asian and Latin American businesses. Before this, he held management positions in the UK at GE Capital, where he was director of UK operations from 1996 to 1998, and at British Steel.
In other current roles, he is a member of the Financial Services Growth and Development Board in Scotland. He holds an MBA in Economics and Finance from University College Cardiff, where he is also an Honorary Fellow.
For further information, please contact:
Katie Martin, Head of Communications:
T: +44 (0)20 7269 4655
Arianna Schardt, Communications Executive:
T: 44 (0) 20 7269 4625
IA Press Office: [email protected]
About the Investment Association (IA):
- The IA champions UK investment management, supporting British savers, investors and businesses. Our 270 members manage £9.4 trillion of assets and the investment management industry supports 114,000 jobs across the UK.
- Our mission is to make investment better. Better for clients, so they achieve their financial goals. Better for companies, so they get the capital they need to grow. And better for the economy, so everyone prospers.
- Our purpose is to ensure investment managers are in the best possible position to:
- Build people’s resilience to financial adversity
- Help people achieve their financial aspirations
- Enable people to maintain a decent standard of living as they grow older
- Contribute to economic growth through the efficient allocation of capital.
- The money our members manage is in a wide variety of investment vehicles including authorised investment funds, pension funds and stocks and shares ISAs.
The UK is the second largest investment management centre in the world, after the US and manages 37% of all assets managed in Europe.
