Stephen Bird is a decorated United Kingdom-based wealth management and financial expert. He is the abrdn CEO, who helped turn the firm around and make it an FTSE100 company, plus the most prominent asset manager in the United Kingdom.
Bird brings extensive expertise and experience to deliver unmatched value to clients globally and generate high-quality revenue in complicated financial international markets. He has also helped transform numerous companies during disruptive technological and competitive changes.
Sir Douglas Flint added him to Abrdn’s executive team in 2020 as the CEO. That was after the firm suffered detrimental effects following a merger with Standard Life that resulted in the creation of Standard Life Aberdeen.
The organization’s market value dropped from £11 to £5.8 billion. That resulted in investors withdrawing up to £17.4 billion from the company’s fund in 2019 and a drop in their profits from the previous year. Stephen Bird’s knowledge in the industry helped him formulate a three-year strategy to help turn the company around.
He began by evaluating every operational area, realigning the firm’s long-term strategies, and reformulating its executive team. He also laid out a wealth management investment and capital returns program and streamlined fund management operations.
In 2021, he renamed it abrdn and introduced three divisions (personal, adviser, and investments). That ensured it represented a unified identity and a futuristic dynamic spirit.
To diversify their services and attract more investors, Stephen Bird introduced EFTs (Exchange-Traded Funds), which are more affordable than conventional funds. These robot funds invest in shares within different indices like the FTSE 100.
When investing in EFTs, a computer uses investment instructions in specific share groups, like bonds and commodities. He also provided financial advice on pensions, tax, and other complex financial issues.
Finally, he led the acquisition of Interactive Investor and Finimize, which helped the organization further diversify its services and made them more helpful for clients. In addition to his CEO responsibilities, Bird represents abrdn on the united states closed-end fund boards plus the SICAV fund boards.