About

Team size: 100
Major law firms used: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Slaughter and May

Rushad Abadan, GC of asset management firm Standard Life Aberdeen, has earned a strong reputation for persevering when the going gets tough.

The asset management sector is under intense pressure at the moment, with markets becoming increasingly volatile due to political risk. When you add the considerable task of integrating two separate legal teams following the August 2017 merger between Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management, some would consider it to be a particularly stressful year.

But not for Abadan: ‘I was at The Royal Bank of Scotland in the aftermath of the financial crisis. This is a great time to be in-house in some ways, because the quality of the work is exceptional. It’s quite an interesting challenge.’

Abadan spent close to a decade at RBS, becoming deputy group GC in 2015 before leaving for Standard Life Aberdeen. Aside from the hardy nature this gave him, he has received plaudits for the way he engages with external counsel, driving value wherever possible. ‘It’s just fixed fees as much as possible. We look for value-added activities. We’re trying to be sensible and broaden relationships with a small set of firms.’

Abadan is also quick to divert the accolades: ‘Without good people you can’t do much. My own focus has changed. It’s increasingly about recruiting and retaining the best people.’