Columbia Management of the US and Threadneedle Investments of the UK, both owned by Ameriprise Financial and both significant managers of insurance company assets, are rebranding themselves under the joint name of Columbia Threadneedle Investments.
"Columbia and Threadneedle have been working together for more than two years to increase the breadth and depth of our offering to clients. Presenting the combined capabilities of both firms under a single brand is the natural next step," said Ted Truscott, global asset management CEO at Ameriprise.
The rebranding announcement stressed that the established investment teams, strategies, processes and legal entities currently in place at both firms will not change as a result of the rebranding. Similarly, existing funds will not change, nor will existing client portfolios and mandates.
Together, Columbia and Threadneedle have more than $500bn in assets under management across developed and emerging market equities, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternatives.
In a statement Threadneedle's CEO Campbell Fleming said that: "Asset management is an increasingly global business - investors want managers that can create solutions and generate strong returns in all regions of the world. Working together under the banner of Columbia Threadneedle Investments, we bring the scale, breadth and depth to compete globally while maintaining a consistent, strong local focus in our home markets."