Schroders plc ( ) is global asset management company with over 200 years of experience in the world's financial markets. Headquartered in the City of London, it is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.Schroders has two share classes: voting shares (SDR.L) and non-voting shares (SDRt.L).

Schroders bears the name of the Schröder family.

History

Schroders' history began in 1804 when Johann Heinrich Schröder (John Henry) became a partner in the London-based firm of his brother, Johann Friedrich (John Frederick). In 1818 J. Henry Schröder & Co. was established in London.

Key developments in the development of the business included the establishment of J Henry Schroder Banking Corporation ('Schrobanco') as a commercial bank in New York in 1923, the public offering of the shares in J. Henry Schroder & Co. Ltd on the London Stock Exchange in 1959 and the acquisition of Helbert, Wagg & Co, a leading issuing house, in 1962.

In 1986 the Company disposed of Schrobanco, its commercial banking arm in New York and acquired 50% of Wertheim & Co, a mid-tier New York based investment bank, whose activities more closely mirrored those of the London business.

Schroders played a leading role in the privatisations carried out by the UK Government in the 1980s and was to grow dramatically under Winfried Bischoff. Schroders was worth £30 million when he took over as CEO in 1984: yet in 2000 the company sold the investment banking division to Citigroup for £1.3 billion. Citigroup's European investment banking arm traded as Schroder Salomon Smith Barney from 2000 to 2003.

Current operations

As at 30 June 2009, Schroders manages assets worth £113.3 billion, on behalf of clients include corporations, insurance companies, local and public authorities, charities, pension funds, high net worth individuals and retail investors. Schroders operates in 26 countries, through 34 offices, providing wide geographic coverage. This allows Schroders to access clients in the traditional areas of the UK, Europe, US and Japan where the demand for asset management services is long established, and the fast-growing savings pools in the emerging and more recently developed economies in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Talking Point

Schroders Talking Point website has been set up in order to reflect and promote Schroders' position as a 'thought leader' in the fields of investment management, finance, and economics.

Notable current and former employees

Business

• Geoffrey Bell - Chairman of Guinness Mahon (1987 - 1993) and founder of the Group of Thirty
• Winfried Bischoff - Chairman of Citigroup (2007 - present)
• Andrew Knight - Editor of The Economist (1974 - 1986)

Politics and public service

• David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie - Lord Chamberlain (1984 - 1997)
• Gordon Richardson - Governor of the Bank of England (1973 - 1983)
• James Wolfensohn - President of the World Bank (1995 - 2005)
• Sir John Henry Bremridge KBE, JP, MA - Financial Secretary of Hong Kong (1981 - 1986). Sir John Henry Bremridge served as a non executive director of Schroders plc.

Other

• Avery Rockefeller - member of the Rockefeller family

References

1. Roberts, page 29
2. Roberts, page 32
3. Roberts, page 217
4. Roberts, page 353
5. Roberts, page 420
6. Roberts, page 502
7. Roberts, page 498
8. Citigroup to acquire Schroders bank unit International Herald Tribune, 19 January 2000
9. Citigroup boss banks on his 'foot soldiers' - The Times - September 17, 2006
10. Schroders plc: Home page
11. Talking Point

Further reading

External links

• Schroders Company Website
• Schroders Talkingpoint