Aberdeen completes FLAG acquisition

Scotland-based investment management firm Aberdeen Asset Management PLC has closed its previously announced buy of FLAG Capital Management, a provider of private equity and real asset solutions. No financial terms were disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE

Philadelphia, September 1, 2015 — Aberdeen Asset Management PLC (Aberdeen) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of FLAG Capital Management, LLC (FLAG), a diversified private markets manager with offices in Stamford, CT, Boston, MA, and Hong Kong.

The acquisition, together with the previously announced purchase of SVG Capital’s stake in the joint venture Aberdeen SVG Private Equity Managers Ltd, sees Aberdeen join a small number of private equity managers with investment professionals on the ground in the world’s major markets. The combined team now has around 50 such professionals in the US, Europe and Asia.

Since inception, FLAG has raised over $7 billion of discretionary commitments from its broad client base. FLAG’s investments are focused on venture capital, small- to mid-cap private equity, and real assets in the US, as well as private equity in Asia.

These acquisitions are part of Aberdeen’s strategy to grow its alternatives business via multi-manager hedge funds, property and private market allocations, direct infrastructure investments and pan-alternative capabilities. A recent PWC report predicted total investment in alternative assets would nearly double to $15.3 trillion by 2020*.

In addition to the acquisition of FLAG, Aberdeen announced on August 4, 2015 that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Arden Asset Management LLC (Arden), a specialist hedge fund manager and adviser with offices in New York and London. Arden’s clients span corporate and state pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, global bank platforms and retail investors. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2015.

Following the completion of the Arden transaction, Aberdeen’s alternatives division, under Global Head of Alternatives Andrew McCaffery, will have $30 billion of assets under management.

Andrew McCaffery, Global Head of Alternatives at Aberdeen Asset Management, comments: “The acquisition of FLAG is very important for our alternatives business. Alternatives are becoming increasingly popular with investors who are seeking diversification. But to be a credible provider you have to be able to compare markets and sectors globally and then drill down and understand what’s happening on the ground. This deal will help us meet that aim. We are now one of a handful of private equity investors with genuine local expertise in the US, Europe and Asia.”

* Alternative asset management 2020 – PWC – http://download.pwc.com/ie/pubs/2015-alternative-asset-management-2020.pdf
Aberdeen – simply asset management.

Aberdeen is an independent asset management company. Formed out of a management buy-out in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1983, we are now a FTSE 100 company operating on-the-ground in over 25 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

We are defined by our pure focus on asset management, including equities, fixed income, property and multi-asset portfolios. All our investment solutions are driven by our commitment to straightforward, transparent investment approaches that stress intensive, first-hand research and a long-term view.

As of June 30, 2015, we manage assets of $483.3 billion on behalf of institutional and private investors.

In the United States, Aberdeen Asset Management (AAM) is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd, Aberdeen Asset Management Ltd and Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Ltd, each of which is wholly owned by Aberdeen Asset Management PLC. “Aberdeen” is a U.S. registered service mark of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC.

In Canada, AAM is the marketing name for Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., Aberdeen Fund Distributors, LLC, Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Ltd and Aberdeen Asset Management Canada Limited. Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. is registered as a Portfolio Manager in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and as an Investment Fund Manager in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited and Aberdeen Asset Management Canada Limited are registered as Portfolio Managers in Ontario. Aberdeen Fund Distributors, LLC operates as an Exempt Market Dealer in all provinces and territories of Canada. Aberdeen Fund Distributors, LLC and Aberdeen Asset Management Canada Limited are wholly owned subsidiaries of Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.