Aberdeen appoints Threadneedle COO as head of distribution

Campbell Fleming will be stepping down from his role as EMEA chief executive and global chief operating officer of Columbia Threadneedle Investments to join Aberdeen Asset Management as global head of distribution.

Fleming will be responsible for Aberdeen's global distribution platform encompassing 450 people across business development, product specialists, marketing and client service. He will also work closely with the senior management of all of Aberdeen's investment capabilities.

Campbell, who joined Threadneedle from JP Morgan in 2009 as head of distribution, succeeds John Brett who stepped down from the role late last year.

He will report to chief executive Martin Gilbert and will join Aberdeen's group management board.

Gilbert said: “We are delighted to attract someone of Campbell's calibre - this reflects the appeal of our global platform and our full-service capability across asset classes and strategies.

“After an in-depth worldwide search process, Campbell was identified as the outstanding candidate given his expertise and experience across client channels globally, including North America which is a key focus for us."

At 1354 BST, Aberdeen shares were up 2.2% to 318.25p.