Aberdeen Private Equity is a
private equity
In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...
business which is part of
Aberdeen Asset Management
Aberdeen Asset Management was an international investment management group, managing assets for both institutions and private investors from offices around the world. Its head office was in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company was listed on the Lon ...
. It was originally known as Bramdean Alternatives.
Origins
Bramdean Assets Management (BAM) was founded in 2005 by
Nicola Horlick
Nicola Karina Christina Horlick (''née'' Gayford; born 28 December 1960) is a British investment fund manager, dubbed City 'superwoman' in the British media. She has publicly supported the Labour Party and latterly, the Liberal Democrats.
Early ...
with
Derek Higgs
Sir Derek Alan Higgs (3 April 1944 – 28 April 2008) was an English businessman and merchant banker. He was knighted in 2004. His father, Alan Higgs, was a multimillionaire through property businesses in the Midlands.
Early life
Sir Derek was ...
as chair.
Bramdean Alternatives Limited was an investment company based in
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
, which was a distinct organisation from BAM and had a board chaired by Brian Larcombe,
former CEO of
3i.
In the summer of 2007 it aimed to benefit from changes introduced by the
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) was a quasi-judicial body accountable for the financial regulation, regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom between 2001 and 2013. It was founded as the Securities and Investmen ...
to allow retail investors greater access to
alternative investments
An alternative investment, also known as an alternative asset or alternative investment fund (AIF), is an investment in any asset class excluding stocks, bonds, and cash. The term is a relatively loose one and includes tangible assets such a ...
.
In the summer of 2009 the fund became of interest to the entrepreneur
Vincent Tchenguiz
Vincent Tchenguiz (born 9 October 1956) is an Iranian-British entrepreneur born in Tehran. Robert Tchenguiz is his younger brother. Tchenguiz is known as a major donor to the Conservative Party (UK) and an investor in the controversial company S ...
, who in June gained control through his company Elsina at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
Buy-out and subsequent events
Horlick lost control of Bramdean Alternatives on 19 November 2009. Aberdeen Asset Management bought out the contract from Bramdean Assets Management, re-branded the project as Aberdeen Private Equity and placed the fund under the management of
Alex Barr
Alex Barr is a Scottish financier and Alderman representing Cordwainer Ward in the City of London. Prior to this he served as a Common Councilman, also in Cordwainer Ward.
Barr attended Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline, Fife and subsequen ...
.
Following the 2017 merger of
Standard Life
Standard Life is a life assurance, pensions and long-terms savings company in the UK which is owned by Phoenix Group.
History 1825–2010
The Standard Life Assurance Company was established in 1825 and was reincorporated as a mutual assurance ...
with Aberdeen, it became a subsidiary of the company known as
Abrdn
Abrdn plc (stylised as ‘abrdn’, disemvoweling of "Aberdeen"), formerly Standard Life Aberdeen plc, is a United Kingdom-based global investment company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a ...
.
References
{{reflist
Private equity and venture capital investors