Stephen Bird has been chief executive of FTSE-listed asset manager abrdn for just 16 months, but in that short time has secured a handful of deals in a bid to transform the business and sharpen its focus on the high-growth retail investor segment.

However, the former Citigroup executive is not looking to emulate the deal-making record of Martin Gilbert, the former Aberdeen Asset Management boss who struck more than 40 deals during his time at the helm of the Edinburgh-based business he founded in 1983.