Sir Norman Keith Skeoch (born 5 November 1956) is a British businessman. He is the non-executive chairman of QBE,[1] and was the former chief executive (CEO) of Standard Life Aberdeen, a British long term savings and investment company, and head of Aberdeen Standard Investments, its asset management division.

Keith Skeoch
Keith Skeoch in 2011
Born (1956-11-05) November 5, 1956 (age 68)
Alma materUniversity of Sussex
University of Warwick
OccupationBusinessman
TitleFormer CEO, Standard Life Aberdeen
Term2015–2020
PredecessorDavid Nish
SuccessorStephen Bird

Early life

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Norman Keith Skeoch was born on 5 November 1956 in the town of Guisborough.[2][3]

Skeoch received a BA in Economics from the University of Sussex in 1978, and an MA in Economics from the University of Warwick in 1979.[4]

Career

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According to his company profile, Skeoch had previous appointments with James Capel and from 1996 onwards HSBC Securities, where he was the Managing Director of International Equities in 1998, Director of Economics and Strategy (1993), Chief Economist (1984) and in 1980 International Economist.[5] Skeoch began his career in 1979 at the Government Economic Service.[5]

In 1999, he joined Standard Life,[6] and was appointed CEO of the company in August 2015, having been a director since 2006 and chief executive of Standard Life Investments since 2004.[7]

He is also a board member of the Financial Reporting Council.[8] In 2015, he retired as a board member of the Investment Association.[9]

In 2017, Skeoch took a 20% reduction in pay.[10] The year before, he gave up almost £600,000 in bonus payments, accepting a bonus package worth 400% rather than 500% of his base salary.[11]

In March 2017, a merger between Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management was announced. The merger will create the UK’s largest asset management firm, and the second biggest in Europe.[12]

He was knighted in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to the financial sector.[13]

Personal life

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Skeoch is married with two sons and lives in Edinburgh. He enjoys fishing in his spare time.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "QBE European Operations appoints Sir Keith Skeoch Non-Executive Chairman". youTalk-insurance.com. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Hauling up the Standard". The Observer. 29 May 2005. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Sir Keith Skeoch postgraduate scholarships". Teesside University. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Executive Profile: Norman Keith Skeoch". Bloomberg. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Our Executive Directors - Standard Life Investments". www.standardlifeinvestments.com. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  6. ^ a b Ralph, Oliver (6 March 2017). "Keith Skeoch, the driving force behind Standard Life's transformation". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  7. ^ Farrell, Sean (19 June 2015). "Standard Life's Keith Skeoch to replace David Nish as chief executive". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  8. ^ team, FRC web. "FRC". www.frc.org.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Press Release 2015-09-09 | Investment Association". www.theinvestmentassociation.org. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Standard Life chief takes 20pc pay cut despite profits on the rise". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Standard Life chief executive Keith Skeoch cuts own bonus". BBC News. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  12. ^ Khan, Mehreen (6 March 2017). "Standard Life and Aberdeen agree merger". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  13. ^ "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N2.