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Global head of ASI to join Martin Gilbert on River and Mercantile board
Alex Hoctor-Duncan joins as an executive director responsible for strategic development
Alex Hoctor-Duncan is following in the footsteps of Martin Gilbert by moving from Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) to the board of River and Mercantile as an executive director.
Hoctor-Duncan (pictured) will be responsible for strategic development at River and Mercantile after he joins later this year at the end of his contract with ASI.
Valuable contribution
ASI said Hoctor-Duncan’s role will be taken over by Chris Demetriou, CEO UK, EMEA and Americas and Rene Buehlmann, CEO APAC, with the distribution strategy “aligned to their regional strategic priorities”.
Home / News / Future of Standard Life Aberdeen brand called into question by expected Phoenix Group deal
Future of Standard Life Aberdeen brand called into question by expected Phoenix Group deal
‘It looks as if the business wants to have a clearer identity that consigns some of its history to the archives’
Fund buyers say the reported sale of the Standard Life brand to Phoenix Group is further evidence of the former’s newly minted chief executive Stephen Bird carving out a clearer identity for the firm, but they view underlying product quality as more important than a name.
It comes after the future of the Aberdeen Standard Investments name established by the £13bn merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management in 2017 was called into question by a proposed deal with Phoenix Group, the life insurer.
He had spent 29 years with UBS and was mostly recently head of asset management Asia Pacific and global head of wholesale client coverage.
Buehlmann would be based in Singapore and would join the executive leadership team, reporting to Stephen Bird, chief executive of Standard Life Aberdeen.
“René’s wealth of experience in asset and wealth management, deep knowledge of key client segments and a proven record of developing a strategic business will support our growth ambition,” Buehlmann said.
“His acute understanding of client needs and evolving investment trends will be vital, as we focus on the significant opportunities in the region and delivering a diverse array of future-fit investment solutions to our clients.”