Standard Life Aberdeen rebrands as abrdn

Standard Life Aberdeen has completed its transition to a single global brand, re-emerging as abrdn plc in 2021 after a multi-stage rebranding process. The move reshapes how the group presents its merged Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management franchises to clients across investments, adviser platforms and UK savings and wealth.

Corporate identity and naming structure

Standard Life Aberdeen plc announced its intention to change its name to abrdn plc on 26 April 2021. The new corporate name is styled in lowercase as “abrdn” but is pronounced “Aberdeen”. According to the company, the abrdn brand is designed to be “modern, dynamic” and “engaging” across all client and customer channels.

Stephen Bird, Chief Executive of Standard Life Aberdeen plc, said at launch that the new brand would replace five different brand names that had each been operating independently across the business. Before their £11bn merger in 2017, Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management had been established names with strong brand equity in their respective markets.

Implementation of the legal name and market ticker

Standard Life Aberdeen plc formally became abrdn plc on 5 July, completing the legal change of company name. From 8.00am on the same day, the company’s stock ticker on the exchange was changed from SLA to ABDN. The group had previously stated that a subsequent announcement would confirm when the name change became effective, with a revised ticker expected before publication of its half-year results in August.

Stephen Bird, now CEO of abrdn plc, said the completion of the name change was “a milestone” and that abrdn was “so much more than a new name”. He said the shift brought the business together “under a single global brand” with a focus on enabling clients and customers “to be better investors”. As part of this process, abrdn flagged that a new corporate website at abrdn.com would be launched. Management described the abrdn identity as a “modern, agile, digitally-enabled brand”, positioning the new name within a broader digital engagement strategy.

Bird said the unified brand was intended to be engaging across all client and customer channels, spanning institutional, wholesale, adviser and retail relationships.

Alignment with business lines and growth vectors

The group has framed the abrdn identity around three interrelated growth vectors. These are: global asset management, referred to as Investments; technology platforms for UK financial advisers and their customers, referred to as Adviser; and UK savings and wealth, referred to as Personal. The company has presented this as a structural simplification of how its investment, platform and savings capabilities are presented to the market under the abrdn label.

The group’s next formal decision points around the brand and market presentation were tied to the publication of its half-year results, following completion of the ticker change and ongoing roll-out of the abrdn identity through 2021.