Abrdn CIO slams jabs at company’s rebranded name

The press making jabs on the present identify of asset supervisor Abrdn, which was rebranded from ‘Commonplace Life Aberdeen’, quantities to “company bullying,” the agency’s chief funding officer Peter Branner mentioned.

The agency introduced its renaming in April 2021 and has confronted constant ridicule, jokes and jibes within the media since then.

In a press release launched on the time, the agency mentioned its identify was pronounced “Aberdeen”, as if the vowels remained included, and that the rebranding marked “the following stage within the reshaping of the enterprise and future-focused progress technique”. The agency’s CEO then described the brand new model identify as “trendy,” “dynamic,” and “partaking.”

In a Monetary Information interview out on Monday, Branner referred to as the media jibes in regards to the identify “infantile,” calling out press for the frequency of its jokes.

“I perceive that company bullying to some extent is a part of the sport with the press, though it is a bit of infantile to maintain hammering the lacking vowels in our identify,” he mentioned.

He added that folks wouldn’t deal with people on this approach, however that the press appeared to practise completely different requirements for corporations.

“Would you try this with a person? How would you take a look at an individual who makes enjoyable of your identify day in day trip? It is most likely not moral to do it. However apparently with corporations it’s completely different,” he added.

A spokesperson for Abrdn on Tuesday advised CNBC that the agency appreciated that “it’s for the media to make their very own assessments in regards to the corporations they want to write about.”