The European Tour is delighted to confirm that Martin Gilbert, one of the UK’s foremost business figures, is to be appointed to the Board of the Tour as a Non-Executive Director.
The 65-year-old Scot, who will retire as Chairman of Aberdeen Standard Investments at the end of next month, will bring a wealth of experience and business acumen in addition to continuing his personal relationship with golf and specifically the European Tour which began when Aberdeen Asset Management became title sponsor of the Scottish Open in 2012.
Martin Gilbert said: “I am very much looking forward to this new chapter in my career. Business and golf have been two of the main passions in my life and so to be able to combine them in this position is very appealing.
“Under the leadership of David Williams and Keith Pelley, the European Tour has made great strides in many areas in recent years and I look forward to doing everything I can to assist them and the Tour in that forward momentum.”
In addition to his role with ASI, Martin was the Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, which he co-founded in 1983. Under his leadership, AAM became one of the world’s leading independent asset managers through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
AAM merged with Standard Life in 2017 to form Standard Life Aberdeen. Following the merger, he was appointed co-Chief Executive Officer, a role he stepped down from in March 2019. He was Vice Chairman of the group from March 2019 until May this year.
David Williams, Chairman of the European Tour, said: “I am delighted to welcome Martin to the Board of the European Tour. His support for the European Tour and the Ladies European Tour over the years is appreciated and his career in international business and finance, combined with his wide ranging Board experience, will be of immense value as we chart the European Tour’s future direction.”
In addition to his ASI commitments, Martin is Chairman of Revolut Limited, Toscafund and The Oil & Gas Technology Centre in Aberdeen. He is also the Senior Independent Director at Glencore plc.
In 2011, he joined the Board of Sky PLC and in January 2016, he was appointed Deputy Chairman until its acquisition by Comcast in 2018. Between 1995 and 2013, he was Chairman of FirstGroup, having been a director since it was formed in 1989.
A member of the International Advisory Board of British American Business, Martin was previously Chairman of the UK Prudential Regulation Authority’s Practitioner Panel as well as a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
In 2015, Harvard Business Review ranked Martin 22nd out of over 900 in its list of the world’s top performing CEOs. In 2017, he was named Personality of the Year at the City AM Awards and Asset Management CEO of the Year at the Global Investor Awards the following year.
He holds honorary degrees from the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University and Heriot-Watt University. Martin is an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Imperial College Business School, and also honorary president of the Aberdeen social care charity, VSA.
Martin, who was born in Malaysia, earned an MA in accountancy and a LLB in law from the University of Aberdeen. After qualifying as a chartered accountant with Deloitte, he joined the investment department of local law firm Brander & Cruickshank, which went on to become Aberdeen Asset Management.
