BMO GAM (EMEA), the former asset management arm of BMO Financial Group, is to be rebranded as Columbia Threadneedle Investments in July 2022.
The move follows the £615 million acquisition of BMO GAM by the parent company of Columbia Threadneedle, Ameriprise Financial, last year.
The rebranding acts as a milestone in the integration of BMO GAM (EMEA) into Columbia Threadneedle, which will see BMO fund ranges renamed with the prefix CT, reflecting the Columbia Threadneedle branding.
The Threadneedle-named fund range also intends to transition to the CT prefix in due course from July, providing consistency across the combined open-ended retail fund ranges in Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
The Columbia Funds range’s naming convention in the US will remain the same.
“The strong cultural fit between Columbia Threadneedle and BMO GAM (EMEA) was an important consideration in the acquisition and will be further strengthened as we come together under the Columbia Threadneedle brand,” said Nick Ring, CEO, EMEA at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.
“We share a client-centric culture, a collaborative and research-based investment approach and a long-held commitment to responsible investment principles, these common characteristics will drive the further development of our brand identity.”
The all-cash acquisition of BMO GAM (EMEA) was completed in November last year and added £90 billion of assets under management in Europe – increasing Columbia Threadneedle’s overall assets under management to £488 billion.
“We are pleased to bring the capabilities and products of the BMO GAM (EMEA) business under the Columbia Threadneedle branded offering, as well as launch a new CT prefix for our expanded range of funds for clients in UK, Europe and Asia,” said Leslie Walstrom, global head of marketing at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.