Schroders Announces New Group Executive Committee to Drive Strategic Growth
12 NOV, 2024
By Jose Luis Palmer from RankiaPro Europe
Schroders has announced the formation of a new Group Executive Committee (ExCo) to drive the company’s business strategy under the leadership of newly appointed Group Chief Executive, Richard Oldfield. This revamped leadership team aims to sharpen the firm's focus on accelerating growth, with the addition of new roles and experienced talent to support this strategic direction.
Experienced Leadership Team
Richard Oldfield officially steps into the role of Group Chief Executive, succeeding Peter Harrison, who has guided Schroders for the past eight years. The ExCo consists of eight internal leaders, showcasing the depth of Schroders' existing talent pool. Additionally, Ed Houghton will join Schroders in January 2025 as the Group Head of Strategy and Investor Engagement, bringing a wealth of experience from his previous role as Group Strategy and Investor Relations Director at Legal & General (L&G). Houghton’s expertise includes strategic development, investor relations, and experience in European insurance and asset management, making him well-suited to steer Schroders' strategic goals in the coming years.
The newly formed ExCo members include:
- Richard Oldfield, Group Chief Executive
- Meagen Burnett, Chief Financial Officer
- Mary-Anne Daly, CEO for Wealth Management
- Johanna Kyrklund, Group Chief Investment Officer and CEO for Public Markets
- Georg Wunderlin, CEO for Schroders Capital
- Ed Houghton, Group Head of Strategy and Investor Engagement
- Karine Szenberg, Global Head of Client Group
- Sonia Jenkins, Chief People Officer
- Neil Tomlinson, Group General Counsel
Strategic Direction and Focus on Growth
As Oldfield steps into his new role, he has outlined a clear vision for accelerating Schroders' growth. Oldfield emphasized the importance of "moving the business forward with clear accountability," underscoring the firm’s commitment to act decisively in areas of growth potential. Ed Houghton’s appointment reinforces this ambition, as he is expected to bring a strong focus on investor engagement and strategic development.
Oldfield has made it a priority for the ExCo to establish a clear understanding of areas within the business where growth can be accelerated. With this sharpened focus, Schroders aims to leverage the capabilities of its leadership team to enhance client outcomes and drive sustainable growth.
My objective from here, together with the ExCo, is to proceed at pace and with clear accountability to move the business forward. We have already made a start on identifying our key priorities. With that in mind, I am very excited that Ed will be joining us next year to drive our strategy and investor engagement; he brings exceptional experience and underlines how we are committed to having exceptional talent at the firm.
As well as spending time with my new team, I’m also looking forward to meeting clients, shareholders and other market participants in the coming weeks. One of the first things I will be asking the new ExCo to build with even more rigour is a very clear understanding of where within our business we can accelerate our transition to growth. Once we have established this, you can expect us to act decisively to deliver for clients, scale profitably and grow at pace.
Richard Oldfield, Group Chief Executive, Schroders
