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| Company type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Traded as | LSE: SL. |
| Industry | Financial services |
| Founded | 1825 |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Key people | David Nish, CEO Gerry Grimstone, Chairman Keith Skeoch, CEO Standard Life Investments and Jackie Hunt, Group Finance Director |
| Revenue | £1,579 million (2011) |
| Operating income | £544 million (2011) |
| Net income | £457 million (2011) |
| Number of employees | 10,500 (2007) |
| Parent | Phoenix Group  |
| Website | www.standardlife.com |
30 Lothian Road in Edinburgh
Standard Life plc (LSE: SL.) is a long term savings and investment business, with headquarters in Edinburgh and operations across the globe. It has 1.5 million shareholders in more than 50 countries and over 6 million customers.
History
The Standard Life Assurance Company was established in 1825 and was reincorporated as a mutual assurance company in 1925.
During the 19th century it opened offices in Canada, India, Shanghai and Uruguay.
In 2006 demutualisation took place and the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange.
The company sold Standard Life Bank plc to Barclays plc in January 2010 and then acquired the remaining 75 per cent stake in Threesixty, a financial advisory support business, that it did not already own for an undisclosed sum in March 2010.
It sold its healthcare division to Discovery Holdings, a South African business, in May 2010 and went on to buy Focus Solutions Group, a financial software company, for £42m in December 2010.
Operations
The company operates in North America, Europe, India and China: it has a large operation in Scotland where it employs some 6,000 staff.
Controversy
Standard Life has been the subject of a number of controversies in recent years.
In January 2006, Standard Life were accused of smearing a policy-holder, Michael Hogan, who was not happy with the way the company was being run. An e-mail sent to Standard Life executives and advisors (which was disclosed under the Data Protection Act) revealed an attempt to discredit him.
In January 2007, the head of Standard Life's life and pensions business, Trevor Matthews, used the phrase "nigger in the woodpile" while giving a presentation at one of the company's Edinburgh offices. After issuing an apology, Mr Matthews remained in his job and no disciplinary action was taken.
In March 2007 the company announced it would cut 1,000 jobs in an attempt to save an additional £100 million per year in costs. One month later it was highlighted in the company's annual report that three of Standard Life's top executives (Sandy Crombie, Keith Skeoch and Trevor Matthews) were awarded more than £5 million in pay. A Standard Life spokesman defended the awards, citing the leadership's efforts in turning round the company's fortunes.
In May 2007, Standard Life sent some policy documents out to the wrong customers. Around 300 people had their personal and financial details made public, causing fears of identity theft. The company pledged to step up security procedures after the error. No action was taken by the FSA.
References
- ^ "Preliminary Results 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 27 March 2012.
- ^ Standard Life in bid to axe 1,000 jobs Evening Times, 23 March 2007
- Standard Life: About us
- ^ Standard Life history: One of the first Empire builders The Scotsman, 2 September 2010
- Standard Life policyholders rush to cash in on flotation The Guardian, 24 September 2006
- Barclays buys Standard Life Bank for £226m Daily Telegraph, 26 October 2009
- Standard Life takes full control of Threesixty The Scotsman, 15 March 2010
- Standard Life sells healthcare division BBC News, 11 May 2010
- Standard Life buys Focus for £42m BBC News, 7 December 2010
- Submission to Scottish Parliament
- Richard Dyson, Mail on Sunday29 January 2006, 12:00 am (29 January 2006). "Is Standard Life fighting fair?". Thisismoney.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Hardie, Alison. "Standard Life boss says 'I'm so sorry' over racist remark". Thescotsman.scotsman.com. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ^ "Fury at £5m for Standard Life bosses". Edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ^ "Identity theft fears after SL letters blunder". Edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
External links
55°56′54″N 3°12′26″W / 55.948312°N 3.207092°W / 55.948312; -3.207092
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