InvestmentsJun 9 2015

Aberdeen deal chief Hugh Little to retire

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Aberdeen deal chief Hugh Little to retire

Hugh Little, who led the acquisition of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, is to retire from Aberdeen Asset Management after 28 years.

Mr Little was the ninth employee to join the nascent Aberdeen firm, which now has £330bn assets under management.

As well as the Swip deal, which boosted Aberdeen’s assets by more than £130 billion, Mr Little also led the 2013 acquisition of Artio Global Investors, the 2010 acquisition of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s alternatives fund management business and the 2009 acquisition of certain asset management business from Credit Suisse.

He joined the firm in 1987 from the corporate finance division of Ernst and Young, working alongside chief executive Martin Gilbert on mergers and acquisitions, and from 1990 to 2006 led the private equity division at Aberdeen, before returning to the acquisitions arena.

David Boyle, a senior investment manager and member of the private equity team within alternatives, will replace Mr Little in the role.

“Hugh has played a significant role in Aberdeen’s growth and success. Without his management skills, commitment and focus, many of the acquisitions which have helped us to grow would not have happened and Aberdeen would not be the financially strong diversified, global asset management company we are today,” Mr Gilbert said.

Hugh plans to spend time on some non-executive roles, and was recently appointed to the Board of the newly listed property fund, Drum Income Plus REIT PLC. He will also remain as a Governor and visiting professor at Robert Gordon University.