Directorate Change

abrdn PLC

24 September 2024

 

abrdn plc

Board appointments

abrdn plc announces that Katie Bickerstaffe and Vivek Ahuja have been appointed to the Board with effect from 1 October 2024. They will put themselves forward for election by shareholders at the AGM on 8 May 2025.

Katie will join the Remuneration Committee. Vivek will become a member of the Audit Committee and will join as Audit Committee Chair Designate. On being appointed Chair of the Audit Committee, subject to regulatory approval, he will additionally be appointed to the Nomination and Governance Committee.

Katie has held executive leadership roles within several large FTSE listed companies, most recently at Marks & Spencer, from where she retired in July 2024 as Co-CEO. She is a highly regarded retail and consumer business leader with experience grounded through early career spells at Unilever, PepsiCo and Dyson. Across her career she has managed a wide range of business transformation challenges and brings extensive expertise on digital business models and executing change programmes, including through M&A. Having overseen M&S Bank, Katie also brings a well-informed perspective on regulated financial services sectors. She currently sits on the Board of Barratt Developments and chairs that company's Remuneration Committee. She is also Senior Independent Director of the England and Wales Cricket Board and will be appointed as Senior Independent Director of Diploma PLC from 1 October 2024.

Vivek has over thirty years of senior general management experience in international financial services and private equity. In his executive career, he was most recently CEO of Terra Firma, a leading European Private Equity firm and, prior to that, Deputy Group CFO at Standard Chartered plc. He is a highly experienced CFO and brings broad commercial and operational experience spanning finance, strategy, business and cultural transformation, risk management and corporate governance. Vivek is an experienced Non-Executive Director and currently chairs the Risk Committee at NatWest Markets plc and is the Audit & Risk Committee Chair at PZ Cussons plc. He is due to be appointed as Senior Independent Director at PZ Cussons from 21 November 2024.

Commenting on these changes, Sir Douglas Flint, Chair of abrdn plc, said:

"I am delighted to welcome Katie and Vivek to our Board. Katie is a skilled strategic thinker and operator and we look forward to her bringing a wealth of transformation and change experience to the Board. Vivek's considerable CFO experience at listed financial services companies and straight talking, logical approach will be highly valuable assets during future Board discussions.".

Following these changes, the Board will comprise one executive director, eight non-executive directors and the Chair. The Board will be made up of four women and six men. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority have been notified of these changes. Katie and Vivek's other appointments are listed below, and no other information is required to be disclosed pursuant to paragraph LR 9.6.13R of the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority.

24 September 2024

Enquiries:

Media Sarah Moody	[phone]
Duncan Young	[phone]
Institutional Equity Investors Duncan Heath	[phone]
Group Secretariat Iain Jones	[phone]

LEI number of abrdn plc: 0TMBS544NMO7GLCE7H90

Classification: 3.1. Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of the United Kingdom.

END

Notes to Editors

Vivek Ahuja

Non-Executive Director's Fee

Vivek's fee as a Non-Executive Director of abrdn plc will be £73,500 per annum.  His fees as a member of the Audit Committee will be £17,500 per committee per annum.

Interest in shares

As at the date of this announcement, Vivek does not hold any shares in abrdn plc.

Biographical details:

Nationality: Education:

Singaporean ICAEW Chartered Accountant Mumbai University BComm

Current non-executive Roles

2024 - Current 2018 - Current 2020 - Current	PZ Cussons Non-Executive Director Chair of Audit & Risk Committee NatWest Markets Non-Executive Director Chair of Risk Committee King's College London Independent Member
Executive Career summary:
2018 - 2023 2000 - 2017 1990 - 2000 1988 - 1990	Terra Firma Capital Partners CEO Group CFO & COO Standard Chartered Deputy Group CFO Group CFO, Wholesale Banking CFO, Middle East & South Asia ANZ Grindlays CFO/COO, Middle East & South Asia CFO/COO, UAE & Gulf Unit Head, Corporate & Institutional Banking HSBC Relationship Manager, Corporate Banking

Katie Bickerstaffe

Non-Executive Director's Fee

Katie's fee as a Non-Executive Director of abrdn plc will be £73,500 per annum.  Her fee as a member of the Remuneration Committee will be £17,500 per annum.

Interest in shares

As at the date of this announcement, Katie holds 30,195 shares in abrdn plc.

Biographical details:

Nationality: Education:

British Nottingham University, MBA Loughborough University BSc, Geography

Current non-executive Roles

1 October 2024 onwards 2021 - Current 2019 - Current	Diploma PLC Senior Independent Director Barratt Developments Non-Executive Director Chair of Remuneration Committee England and Wales Cricket Board Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Executive Career summary:
2020 - 2024 2018 - 2020 2008 - 2018 2001 - 2006 1998 - 2001 1995 - 1998 1991 - 1995	M&S Co-CEO Co-Chief Operating Officer Chief Strategy and Transformation Director SSE Executive Chair CEO Designate Dixons Carphone CEO, UK & Ireland CEO, Dixons, UK & Ireland Group Marketing, People, Property, Ecommerce and Services Director, Dixons Retail Somerfield Stores Managing Director, Kwik Save Group Retail Director Managing Director, Somerfield Group HR Director Dyson Appliances Group HR Director PepsiCo Various roles Unilever Various roles

 

END