Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert is "very, very positive" about the prospect of sharing the top job with Standard Life chief executive Keith Skeoch when the two companies merge.
His comments came days after the two Scotland-based investment managers announced they would join forces in a £11bn merger, to create the biggest active asset management firm in the UK.
The terms of the merger will see the two bosses share the role of chief executive.
Speaking at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association investment conference yesterday (8 March), Mr Gilbert said he was confident the power-sharing arrangement would work.
"In financial services, co-CEOs are very common, especially in investment banks," he said.
"Keith and I are pretty different characters and we believe we have complementary strengths."
Speaking more generally about the merger of the two firms, Mr Gilbert said: "We were both pretty good asset managers in our own right and had no need to do anything."
But he said the merger would give them "a broader suite" of products, and would create "an investment company that's capable of competing with the big US investment houses".
It's better not to resist what the regulator tells you to do.Martin GilbertHe stressed the importance of scale in the asset management industry, saying: "You only want to be big or small. You don't want to be in the middle."
On the name of the merged entity, he said it would contain the name "Aberdeen", but gave no further information.
When asked his thoughts on the Financial Conduct Authority's market study on the asset management industry - which is likely to result in strict rules on transparency of fees - Mr Gilbert was sanguine.
"It's better not to resist what the regulator tells you to do," he said, adding: "I think we've got to change as an industry to regain the confidence of consumers."
He said asset management fees were "inevitably" going to come down as a result of the study, and that investment houses would have to pay for their own research - something which he said Aberdeen already did.
On Britain's departure from the European Union, Donald Trump's presidency and a potential second Scottish referendum, Mr Gilbert was optimistic.
He said: "I don't think it will be as bad as people think."
He said Brexit would be worse for the wholesale banking industry than the asset management industry.
On a Scottish referendum, Mr Gilbert stated he believed the merged company, which some have speculated will be called "Standard Aberdeen", would be able to flourish whatever the outcome.
He said Mr Trump, whom he knows personally, could be a successful president if he did not micro-manage his cabinet.
"I think Trump will spend on infrastructure and defence, and I think we'll see some pretty good growth. I'm not convinced he can be a protectionist president," he said.
He added that Mr Trump was a "good golfer".
james.fernyhough@ft.com
