ABDN Abrdn Plc

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:

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:

Current non-executive Roles

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:

Current non-executive Roles