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Rathbones Group
Annual Report 2018

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FY2018 Annual Report · Rathbones Group
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Rathbone Brothers Plc 
Report and accounts 2018

Creating value 
together 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Contents

  Strategic report
1  Our investment case
2  Chairman’s statement
4  Rathbones at a glance
6  Speirs & Jeffery acquisition
8  Our business model

   Our strategy

11  Chief executive’s review
14  Market review
16  Our journey
17  Five years of strategic progress 

   Our performance

19  Key performance indicators
22  Financial performance
25  Segmental review
30  Financial position
34  Liquidity and cash flow
35  Risk management and control
41  Corporate responsibility report

   Governance

56  Corporate governance report
66  Group risk committee report
69  Audit committee report
74  Nomination committee report
76  Group executive committee report
78  Remuneration committee report
92  Directors’ report
95  Statement of directors’ responsibilities  
in respect of the report and accounts

   Financial statements

97  Independent auditor’s report to the members  

of Rathbone Brothers Plc

104  Consolidated financial statements
108  Notes to the consolidated financial statements
169  Company financial statements
172  Notes to the company financial statements

   Further information

191  Five year record
191  Corporate information
192  Our offices

Rathbone Brothers Plc, through its subsidiaries,  
is a leading provider of high-quality, personalised 
investment and wealth management services for  
private clients, charities and trustees. Our services 
include discretionary investment management, unit 
trusts, financial planning, banking and loan services, 
unitised portfolio services, and UK trust, legal, estate 
and tax advice. 

As at 31 December, Rathbone Brothers Plc managed 
£44.1 billion of client funds, of which £38.5 billion were 
managed by our Investment Management business.

2018 financial highlights

Profit before  
tax

£61.3m

(2017: £58.9m)

Basic earnings  
per share

88.7p

(2017: 92.7p)

  Underlying1  

profit before tax

£91.6m

(2017: £87.5m)

  Underlying1  

earnings per share

142.5p

(2017: 138.8p)

Dividends paid and 
proposed per share

  Return on capital 
employed (ROCE)2

66.0p

(2017: 61.0p)

16.9%

(2017: 19.5%)

For a full five year record, please see page 191

1.  A reconciliation between underlying profit before tax and profit before tax is shown on page 23
2.  Underlying profit after tax as a percentage of average equity of each quarter end

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
    
    
    
    
    
Our investment case
Rathbones – a sector leader

A face-to-face approach and consistent growth in funds under 
management and administration

 – An established brand and reputation 
 – A face-to-face approach, which supports clients and advisers by providing  
the flexibility to meet their investment needs across different economic  
and lifestyle conditions 

 – A range of complementary services that enhance client engagement 
 – Longevity of client and adviser relationships 
 – Branches in major wealth centres across the UK and an offshore presence  

in Jersey

 – An investment process which uses a whole of market approach  

to access both direct and collective investments 

 – An in-house research team that pools intellectual investment talent 

Total funds under management  
and administration (£bn)

£44.1bn

44.1

39.1

34.2

27.2

29.2

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2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

A strong operating margin

 – Measured investment in initiatives that support organic and acquired growth 
 – An ongoing cost discipline across market cycles 
 – Consistent investment in technology and infrastructure to keep abreast  

of regulatory and industry changes 

 – Employee remuneration that is closely linked to investor outcomes 

Underlying operating margin (%)

29.4%

29.4

30.7

29.8 30.6

29.4

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Consistent returns for shareholders

 – A progressive dividend policy 
 – A high return on capital employed 
 – An ability to execute accretive acquisitions that fit our culture 
 – A commitment to high standards of corporate governance,  

stewardship and transparency

Dividend per share (p)

66p

66

61

55

57

52

rathbones.com

1

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

 
Chairman’s statement

the board and at the heart of our success. We have ongoing 
discussions at board level about how we measure and monitor 
our culture. As our business grows, the board recognises  
the continued importance of good communication and  
will ensure that the strong client-centric behaviours that are 
embedded within the business continue to thrive. Throughout 
2018, the board had particular focus on the impact of growth 
on our culture. Outside of board meetings, non-executive 
directors have held a number of constructive meetings,  
both individually and as a whole, with groups of employees 
across the business to share experiences more directly.

Corporate governance and stewardship continue to be 
important in Rathbones and the report on pages 56 to 65 
outlines how we have taken this important agenda forward  
in 2018. We believe that the active approach we take on 
corporate governance and stewardship issues arising in the 
companies we invest in is in the best interests of our clients.  
It also helps us strive for high standards in our own corporate 
governance and disclosure, and we are supportive of the 2018 
UK Corporate Governance Code changes, which we plan to 
adopt in full by the end of 2019. 

Risk and regulation

The past year has involved considerable work to implement 
changes driven by continued regulatory developments. The 
effects of these changes will be felt for some time. Our risk 
management processes continue to play an important role in 
decision-making and managing the business. The report from 
the new chairman of the group risk committee, Terri Duhon,  
is set out on page 66. In 2018, we paid particular attention to 
the risks associated with cybercrime and business resilience, 
and the operational risks of implementing the GDPR and 
MiFID II. Non-executive members of the board have also 
participated in a number of training and operational exercises 
associated with these risks. We will continue to see the 
impacts of regulatory change in 2019. 

At the beginning of June, we significantly reduced our 
exposure to property risk when we successfully assigned  
all legacy Curzon Street leases to a third party. This has 
resulted in a net write-back of non-underlying head office 
relocation costs of £2.8 million (2017: net costs of £16.2 million) 
in the year.

The board also recognises the additional operational risks 
associated with the integration of Speirs & Jeffrey and will 
ensure these are managed to within a sensible risk appetite. 

Brexit

Brexit is likely to be one of the most significant political and 
economic events to impact the United Kingdom in our 
lifetimes. The lack of consensus on the United Kingdom's 
strategy for the future creates unprecedented levels of 
uncertainty and the longer term implications will not  
be clear for some time. 

For these reasons we continue to monitor Brexit-related 
developments closely. As a UK business with no operations  
in other European Union countries, no material dependencies 
on goods or people from other European Union countries and 
a predominantly UK client base, we anticipate that the 
operational impacts on our business will be relatively small.  

Mark Nicholls
Chairman

A review of 2018

Despite weaker investment markets in the final quarter of  
the year, 2018 was a good year financially for Rathbones. 
During the year we also implemented considerable regulatory 
changes associated with MiFID II, the Asset Management 
Market Study and the General Data Protection Regulation 
successfully. These changes had a significant impact on  
our clients and across the business.

Rathbones continues to grow organically, but our growth  
in 2018 was dominated by the completion of the Speirs & 
Jeffrey acquisition in August. The business is a strong  
cultural fit, adding £6.7 billion of funds under management 
and administration at the time of acquisition, and creating  
a leading presence in Scotland. We are enjoying working  
with the Speirs & Jeffrey team and look forward to  
welcoming their clients on to our systems in mid-2019. 

Our financial results reflected the relatively strong investment 
markets that featured for most of the year but the final quarter 
of 2018 was a poor one for investors and asset managers alike. 
Despite weak markets at the end of the year, our funds under 
management and administration reached £44.1 billion at 31 
December 2018, up 12.8% from £39.1 billion last year. Profit 
before tax for the year of £61.3 million increased 4.1% year  
on year (2017: £58.9 million) and reflected the impact of a 
number of non-underlying items, including costs associated 
with the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. Basic earnings per 
share of 88.7p represented a decrease of 4.3% from 92.7p in 
2017. A full analysis of all non-underlying items impacting 
profit before tax can be found on page 23.

Our overall growth helped deliver underlying profit  
before tax of £91.6m (2017: £87.5 million), resulting in an 
underlying operating margin of 29.4% for the year (2017: 
30.6%). Underlying earnings per share of 142.5p represented 
an increase of 2.7% from 138.8p in 2017. In line with our 
progressive dividend policy, the board is recommending a 
final dividend of 42p per share. This brings the total dividend 
for the year to 66p per share, an increase of 8.2% over last year.

Governance and culture

Rathbones’ culture (based on professionalism, putting clients 
first, a collegiate approach and integrity) remains a priority of 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

In particular, Brexit will bring no changes to the basis or nature 
of the services we provide to the vast majority of our clients 
and investors, who are based in the UK. However, we 
recognise that the impact of Brexit more generally could affect 
the value of our funds under management and administration.

Investors in the Luxembourg SICAV funds managed by 
Rathbone Unit Trust Management will see some changes to 
the basis on which these funds are delivered. It is also possible 
that there may be some implications for our private clients 
based in other EEA countries depending on the exact nature  
of the services they receive and regulatory framework agreed 
in the transitional period or in the event of an exit from the EU 
without agreement. 

We continue to devote considerable resources to the 
investment implications of Brexit for client portfolios and  
our range of funds, and regularly communicate our views 
through formal and informal briefings from our research  
team to clients and advisers. 

Board changes and succession

As part of our normal succession planning, the board 
continues to monitor its capabilities and assesses what  
new skills are necessary to strengthen both the board and  
the wider business over time, taking into account the existing 
balance of knowledge, experience and diversity. This year,  
we have implemented a number of changes in accordance 
with our succession plans which place us in a strong position 
to lead the business successfully in the future. 

Taking these in order, in July 2018 we welcomed Terri Duhon 
to the board. Terri has wide experience in the financial services 
industry and was appointed chair of the risk committee on the 
departure of Kathryn Matthews after nine years of excellent 
service. We were also delighted to welcome Colin Clark to the 
board in October 2018. Colin’s considerable experience in the 
investment management industry will be of great value to 
Rathbones in the years ahead. 

Following a rigorous recruitment process, we announced the 
appointment of Jennifer Mathias to the group finance director 
role in October 2018. Jennifer’s knowledge and experience in 
the wealth management and private banking sectors will be 
welcome and she will join us on 1 April 2019. 

Finally, in November 2018, we announced that Philip Howell 
would be retiring from his role as chief executive by our 
Annual General Meeting on 9 May 2019 having achieved  
a successful period of considerable growth. Under Philip’s 
leadership, Rathbones has firmly established itself as the 
leading independent UK wealth manager and, on behalf of  
the board, I would like to thank him for the strong direction, 
unfailing commitment and dedication he has provided to 
Rathbones during his tenure.

Philip is to be succeeded by Paul Stockton, currently  
group finance director and managing director of Rathbone 
Investment Management. Having worked with Paul for many 
years, I am delighted with his promotion to the role of chief 
executive. Paul has both considerable experience and a deep 
knowledge of Rathbones, its values and culture. I wish him 
every success as he takes on his new responsibilities. 

Strategy

When we set our five-year strategy in 2014, we had the 
ambition to reach £40 billion of funds under management  
by the end of 2018. A combination of organic growth, earnings-
enhancing acquisitions, positive investment performance and 
favourable markets has helped us to realise this ambition and 
we now manage £44.1 billion (2014 opening funds: £22.0 
billion). Further detail on our journey over the last five years 
can be found on page 17. We expect to update the market on 
the next phase of our growth during the second half of 2019. 

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Supporting our employees 

We support the broader initiatives in the 2018 Corporate 
Governance Code, which include workforce engagement, 
diversity and cultural issues. We believe that these require 
separate but related initiatives and we are actively considering 
how best to give them impetus. The board holds a strong 
desire for Rathbones to be a business where every employee 
has the opportunity to build a successful career and find the 
right balance between work and personal life. This has been 
our broad goal for some time and, over the past year, we have 
made specific improvements including signing the Women in 
Finance Charter and rolling out training programmes covering 
diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias across the firm. 

The board recognises that the securing of true diversity is not 
an overnight change and will take time, but we are committed 
to tackling the underlying causes of our gender imbalance in 
particular. This will involve attracting talented people, 
enabling their career paths to senior management, removing 
any unconscious bias in our behaviours and actively creating  
a culture of inclusion across the company. Further information 
on the initiatives we offer to support and engage staff can be 
found in our corporate responsibility report on page 41. 

Engaging with shareholders 

We are fortunate to have many supportive long-term 
shareholders with whom we engage on a regular basis. In  
2018 and at the beginning of 2019 we have consulted with 
them on executive remuneration and we continue to hold  
an open and constructive dialogue in analyst and investor 
meetings. Shareholder support was evidenced this year by  
the success of our £60 million share placing to support the 
acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 

Outlook

Our priorities for 2019 will be the successful integration of 
Speirs & Jeffrey, the roll-out of the next phase of our growth 
and the smooth transition of our executive management team. 

Despite political and economic uncertainties, we remain 
confident in the underlying strength of our business and its 
longer-term prospects. 

Mark Nicholls
Chairman

20 February 2019

rathbones.com

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Rathbones at a glance
Delivering our services

We employ over

1,400

people

We operate from

15

UK locations1  
and Jersey

We manage over

£44.1bn

for our clients

We are a

FTSE 
250

company listed  
on the London 
Stock Exchange

1. 

Includes Vision Independent 
Financial Planning

Investment Management

Through Rathbone Investment Management, we provide personal discretionary 
investment management solutions to private clients with investible assets of £100,000 
upwards. Clients of this service can expect:

 – Direct access to their investment manager 
 – An investment manager who understands their requirements and provides a strategy 

that meets their objectives 

 – An investment process that aims to provide risk-adjusted returns to meet clients’ needs 

today and in the future 

Investment Management funds under management and 
administration have increased by 90.6 % to £38.5bn over the  
past five years

Size of
relationship
by value

Client account
type by value

£0-£250k

£250k-£500k

£500k-£750k

£750k-£1.5m

£1.5m-£5.0m

£5.0m-£10.0m

£10m+

Private client

ISA

Charities

Pensions

Trusts

Other

8.1%
12.0%
9.6%
17.3%
23.8%
8.3%
20.9%

37.0%
17.0%
13.4%
11.5%
10.8%
10.3%

Within Investment Management, we have several specialist capabilities including:

Charities
Our charities business manages £5.3 billion of funds and is the fourth largest charity 
manager in the UK. The team is diverse, in both its expertise and experience, and aims  
to deliver suitably tailored investment portfolios to meet the specific needs of charity 
clients and trustees.

Rathbone Greenbank Investments
As one of the pioneers in the field of ethically-focused investments, Rathbone Greenbank 
Investments manages over £1.2 billion in ethical and socially-responsible investment 
portfolios for private clients, charities and trusts. The team is highly proactive on ethical 
and sustainability issues, engaging directly with companies and government to improve 
business practices. 

Rathbone Investment Management International
Based in Jersey, Rathbone Investment Management International caters for the investment 
needs of individuals and families, charities and professional advisers who are looking for 
offshore investment management. The services are delivered by an experienced team of 
investment professionals. 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Unit Trusts

Rathbone Unit Trust Management is an active UK  
fund manager with £5.6 billion under management, 
providing a range of specialist and multi asset funds  
that are designed to meet core investment needs in  
the retail client market. These funds are distributed 
primarily through financial advisers in the UK.

Funds can also be accessed by international  
clients through our Rathbone Luxembourg Funds  
SICAV (Société d’Investissement à Capital Variable) 
which allows access to a similar range of actively 
managed funds.

Unit Trusts funds under management  
have increased by 211.1% to £5.6bn over  
the past five years

Total Unit
Trusts FUM
£5,642m

Rathbone Global
Opportunities Fund 
Rathbone Ethical Bond Fund
Rathbone Income Fund
Rathbone Multi Asset Portfolios 
Rathbone Active Income 
Fund for Charities
Rathbone Strategic Bond Fund
Rathbone Global Alpha Fund
Rathbone High Quality Bond Fund
Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund
Other funds 

£1,351m
£1,236m
£1,091m
£965m

£179m
£145m
£111m
£52m
£48m
£464m

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Complementary services2

Banking and loan services
We offer loans to our existing clients secured against 
their investment portfolios and, in some cases, other 
assets. As a licensed deposit taker, we are also able to 
offer our clients a range of banking services including 
currency and payment services, and fixed interest term 
deposits. These additional services are valued by our 
clients and are an important point of differentiation 
from many of our peers.

Financial planning 
We offer in-house financial planning, which  
provides whole of market advice to clients. Our 
in-house financial planners are highly qualified and 
work closely with investment managers to help clients 
create a bespoke financial plan. We have long-standing 
experience of advising individuals, couples and families, 
companies and trusts and can act on a one-off basis or 
as part of an ongoing service.

Unitised Portfolio Service
Using Rathbone Multi Asset Portfolio Funds, we offer 
clients with investible assets of £25,000 or more our 
model-based discretionary investment management 
services. This is designed for clients who do not require  
a fully bespoke investment solution, but still want  
access to an investment manager to ensure investment 
needs are selected and monitored to suit their individual 
circumstance, as well as ensuring that their investments 
are managed in a tax-efficient manner.

Managed Portfolio Service 
A simple and straightforward execution-only 
investment service which gives clients with £15,000  
or more the ability to access high-quality investments. 
The service is delivered at a price that reflects the 
competitive nature of our sector, but to a standard  
that clients have come to expect from Rathbones. 

We also operate the following additional entities:

Rathbone Trust Company
Rathbone Trust Company provides UK trust and  
some legal, estate and tax advice to larger clients.

Vision Independent Financial Planning
Vision Independent Financial Planning is an 
independent IFA network providing financial  
advisory solutions to UK private clients.

Since it was fully acquired in 2015, it has grown  
from £845 million of assets on its discretionary fund 
management panel and 81 advisers to £1.5 billion and 
125 independent financial advisers.

2.  All complementary services are reported on as part of our Investment  

Management segment

rathbones.com

5

               
 
Speirs & Jeffrey acquisition
Combining businesses with  
a cultural and strategic fit

On 31 August 2018, Rathbones completed the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 
Founded in 1906, Speirs & Jeffrey is one of the largest independent private  
client investment managers in Scotland with a total of £6.7 billion of funds  
under management and administration (FUMA) at the time of acquisition. 

Like Rathbones, Speirs & Jeffrey has a long-standing heritage and client-centric 
philosophy, making the two businesses an excellent fit. 

Building scale in an increasingly 
fragmented marketplace

Together, we now manage 

£44.1bn

in assets, making us one of the largest wealth  
managers in the UK.

Scale gives us additional reach and strength and enables 
greater financial and organisational capacity to invest in 
our people, technology and processes, and to manage  
regulatory change.

An enhanced presence in Scotland

  Funds under 

management and 
administration

Investment 
professionals

Speirs & 
Jeffrey 

  £6.4bn   38 

  £2.9bn   36 

Existing 
Rathbones 
presence in 
Edinburgh, 
Glasgow and 
Aberdeen

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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A reduced dependency  
on the London office

Clear benefits  
for our stakeholders 

Scotland
24%

Jersey1
2%  

London
51% 

Benefits our shareholders

The increased scale firmly establishes our  
regional credentials and offers earnings per  
share accretion, cost and revenue synergies. 

London now accounts 
for c.50% of FUMA 
from over 60% 
previously2

Northern
England
9% 

Southern
England
14% 

Glasgow is now the second-largest 
Rathbones office with £6.8 billion 
of funds under management  
and administration. Our Scottish 
offices now manage £9.3 billion 
(2017: £3.3 billion). 

1.  Jersey funds under management and administration 

excludes assets managed on a delegated basis

2.  Based on funds under management and administration

Benefits our clients

The increased operational capacity allows further 
investment in client-facing technology, central processes 
and research capability, which supports a better service 
for clients. 

Benefits employees

The ability to invest in front office systems allows 
employees to work with more effective and efficient  
tools, improving team capacity.

rathbones.com

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Our business model
Building value

Through a personalised approach to investment management, we offer 
a compelling and attractive way to build value.

What we do

What makes us different

How we do it

We are a leading independently-
owned provider of investment  
and wealth management services to 
private clients, charities and trustees. 

We have two main areas of  
operation as well as several 
complementary services:

 – Rathbone Investment Management, 
which offers personal discretionary 
investment management solutions
 – Rathbone Unit Trust Management, 
which provides single strategy and 
multi asset fund products

 – Complementary services including:

 – banking and loan services
 – in-house financial  
planning advice

 – a unitised portfolio service
 – a managed portfolio service
 – UK trust, legal, estate  

and tax advice

 – Vision Independent  
Financial Planning

A sound investment case
 – A relationship-based approach
 – A whole of market approach  

to investment
 – Leading margins

Scale and expertise 
 – 341 trained investment professionals 
 – £44.1 billion of funds under 

management and administration
 – A broad range of investment solutions

Brand and reputation 
 – An established brand with  

local presence

 – Reliable systems and infrastructure 
 – Accredited performance reporting

Independent ownership 
 – Listed on the London Stock 
Exchange and a constituent  
of the FTSE 250

 – High standards of corporate 

governance

Individual 
relationships  
with clients  
and advisers

An informed  
investment  
process

Working flexibly  
with clients and 
advisers

Supported  
by in-house  
operations

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 – Our service is delivered directly through investment managers  

who make portfolio decisions

 – Our aim is to build lasting and trusted relationships 
 – We access investments across the whole market, with no bias towards 
in-house funds, but have a suite of fund solutions through Rathbone 
Unit Trust Management for clients who do not require a fully bespoke 
investment service 

 – Our Jersey office can cater for offshore investment needs 
 – Our online presence complements our service

 – We have a bespoke approach to portfolio construction  

supported by a central research team 

 – Our firm-wide processes allow us to pool intellectual capital  

and provide strategic asset allocation methodologies

 – We operate a range of specialist mandates including specialist 

investment teams who provide services to charities and  
ethical investors

 – Our internal quality assurance and performance measurement 

capabilities provide a sound control framework

 – Clients have the ability to join Rathbones either directly  

or through their own financial intermediary

 – Our dedicated intermediary sales team provide our discretionary and 
unit trust services to national adviser networks and strategic partners

 – Direct client and adviser referrals remain the most important  

source of organic growth 

 – Our Vision Independent Financial Planning business operates 

independently but maintains a close relationship with Rathbone 
Investment Management

 – We have dedicated in-house custody and settlement services 
 – Our operations team is highly experienced
 – We outsource selected services, where cost-effective, to reliable  

and carefully chosen partners 

 – We invest incrementally in IT to ensure that our infrastructure  

keeps pace with change

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How we create long-term value

For investors
 – A track record of strong  

operating margins

 – Successful acquisition capability for 
people and firms that fit our culture 

 – Stable dividend growth 
 – Consistent returns on capital employed

Read more on our aim to  
provide earnings growth  
on pages 17 and 20

For clients
 – Active management of portfolios 

through changing market conditions

 – A valued and quality service that  

builds trust

 – Specialist mandate capability in  
charity and sustainable investing 

 – High-quality adviser services 

Read more on our aim to  
provide quality service on  
pages 17 and 19

For employees
 – Empowered to make individual 

investment decisions

 – Performance-based remuneration
 – Investment in training, support  

and development 

 – Graduate and apprenticeship 

programmes

 – Low staff turnover 

Read more on our aim to  
provide employee value  
on pages 17 and 21

rathbones.com

9

 
Our  
strategy

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Chief executive’s review

Philip Howell
Chief Executive

A resilient year

The wealth management industry continues to grow, with 
sector assets reaching close to £1 trillion according to a recent 
Compeer study. The case for independent wealth managers 
providing discretionary investment management through  
a personalised client relationship model continues to be 
compelling. A discretionary service can respond dynamically 
to volatile market conditions and deliver a quality outcome. 
Capitalising on the market opportunity requires continuous 
investment in technology and professional talent, which in 
turn calls for the advantages of scale. In this environment, 
Rathbones is well-positioned. 

Markets during the first half of 2018 were slow to react to the 
growing economic and political uncertainties that were widely 
reported. They did however begin to reflect sentiment more 
closely during the second half of the year when we saw the 
considerable falls in asset levels that have perhaps reset 
expectations for 2019. Our own funds under management  
and administration grew to £44.1 billion at 31 December 2018 
(2017: £39.1 billion). 

The year was characterised by some additional demands 
placed upon the business. On the one hand, we needed to 
adapt to new regulatory regimes and navigate increasingly 
complex investment conditions. On the other, we continued 
to progress our five-year strategic initiatives and completed 
the most significant acquisition in our history. Our positive 
financial results despite this significant level of activity 
demonstrate the resilience of our business. 

“The case for independent wealth managers 
providing discretionary investment 
management through a personalised  
client relationship model continues to  
be compelling. A discretionary service  
can respond dynamically to volatile market 
conditions and deliver a quality outcome.”

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A strong 2018 financial performance and the 
completion of the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey 

The 12.8% growth in our total funds under management and 
administration in 2018 reflected continued net organic growth 
and the completion of our acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey in 
August 2018, which added funds of £6.7 billion at the time  
of completion. Total funds in our Investment Management 
business were £38.5 billion (2017: £33.8 billion), whilst our  
Unit Trusts business totalled £5.6 billion (2017: £5.3 billion). 
This growth helped deliver underlying profit before tax of 
£91.6 million (2017: £87.5 million), resulting in an underlying 
operating margin of 29.4% for the year (2017: 30.6%). 
Underlying earnings per share of 142.5p, increased 2.7% from 
138.8p in 2017. Profit before tax of £61.3 million (2017: 58.9 
million) reflected a number of non-underlying items including 
costs associated with the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 

Net new organic inflows totalled £1.1 billion in 2018, 
representing a growth rate of 3.4% (2017: 3.0%). This was  
a relatively steady performance compared to last year. 
Outflows reflected the ongoing use of funds for lifestyle  
and property, as well as the departure of a small number  
of investment managers over the past year. 

Net flows into Unit Trusts totalled £543 million in the year 
(2017: £883 million) representing 10.1% of opening funds under 
management. Encouragingly, this meant Rathbones funds 
ranked 11th overall for net retail sales in 2018, according to 
numbers published in the February 2019 Pridham report. 

As reported on page 30, our balance sheet remains 
stable with a consolidated Common Equity Tier 1 ratio  
at 31 December 2018 of 20.6% compared with 20.7% at  
31 December 2017. We remain very lightly geared with a 
consolidated leverage ratio at 31 December 2018 of 8.9% 
compared with 7.8% at 31 December 2017. Our underlying 
return on capital employed was lower at 16.9% as a result  
of the £60 million share placing to part-fund the acquisition  
of Speirs & Jeffrey (2017: 19.5%). A detailed analysis of our 
regulatory capital position at 31 December 2018 can be found 
on page 30.

rathbones.com

11

 
Chief executive’s review continued

Performance against our strategy

Supplementing our growth through acquisitions

Our growth strategy has always been supported by the 
acquisition of teams and businesses, and our approach  
here has and will remain opportunistic. Our acquisitions  
and recruitment have added 137 investment professionals 
over the past five years. In 2014, we acquired Deutsche Bank's 
London and Jupiter's private client businesses (£2.6 billion) 
and in 2018 we acquired Speirs & Jeffrey (£6.7 billion). This  
was in addition to the acquisition of Vision Independent 
Financial Planning in 2015. 

Our acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey makes Rathbones the 
largest independent discretionary wealth manager in Scotland 
and further reinforces our long-held commitment to the 
region. Like Rathbones, Speirs & Jeffrey has a long-standing 
heritage and client-centric philosophy and our combined scale 
enables greater financial and organisational capacity to invest 
in our people, technology and processes. Work to bring the 
business into Rathbones is progressing well and the migration 
to our systems is intended to complete by mid-2019. Our 
commitment to keeping clients at the forefront of what  
we do will remain as we bring our two businesses together. 

We will continue to focus on our key competencies to take 
advantage of industry trends and drive organic growth, while 
also seeking out acquisition opportunities that fit our culture. 

Steady investment in our infrastructure 

Capital expenditure excluding property costs was relatively 
stable at £9.7 million in 2018 (£9.3 million in 2017) but as an 
overall trend it has been increasing in recent years. Our 
investment systems remain market-leading and these have 
been enhanced, offering the ability to deal more efficiently, 
better manage asset allocation and measure investment 
performance. The roll-out of our asset allocation modelling 
software across Rathbone Investment Management five  
years ago was an exciting step for us and enabled each of  
our investment managers to better manage client portfolios 
through the ability to actively compare them to model 
strategies. This tool is now a critical part of our infrastructure. 
Over the same period, we have steadily grown our research 
skills and capability, which now represents a strong backbone 
to our investment process and a considerable source of 
investment intellectual property. 

Like many other businesses, we continue to strive to make  
all our desired improvements to our client relationship 
management systems and will continue to work diligently  
this year to achieve our goals. Our other operational systems 
remain well controlled, supported by a technology 
infrastructure that is considerably more resilient than  
it was five years ago.

Our aim to build trusted relationships with our clients and be 
accountable for the outcome of their portfolios is as relevant 
today as it was five years ago. 

The combination of organic growth, earnings-enhancing 
acquisitions, positive investment performance and effective 
cost management has helped Rathbones create and  
maintain value for shareholders and employees alike. In  
an environment of continued growth and favourable markets, 
we have delivered underlying operating profit margins at 
around the 30% mark over a period of significant change.  
This has been achieved while investing in our infrastructure, 
managing regulatory developments and pursuing a number  
of growth initiatives. 

Market growth has not been particularly strong over the last 
five years, with the FTSE 100 Index average of 7269 for 2018 
representing only a 13.2% increase over the average in 2014  
of 6419. In spite of this, our underlying profits over that  
period have grown 81.4% to £91.6 million in the year ended  
31 December 2018 (31 December 2013: £50.5m). 

Funds under management and administration in the 
Investment Management business have grown 90.6%  
to £38.5 billion at 31 December 2018 from £20.2 billion five 
years ago. While our average net organic growth of 3.3%  
did not meet the 5% we aimed for, it does reflect somewhat 
the headwinds of a sustained period of low yields and a 
continuing client appetite to invest away from public 
investment markets and into property. 

Our strategic focus on distribution of our discretionary fund 
management services through UK IFA networks continues  
to positively contribute to organic growth. 

Our charity and Greenbank specialist mandate businesses 
have continued to perform strongly. Rathbones is the  
fourth largest charity investment manager in the UK, with  
£5.3 billion of charity-related funds at 31 December 2018,  
and now competes for some of the largest charity business  
in the country. Our specialist ethical investment business, 
Rathbone Greenbank Investments, has also benefited from 
momentum in this period, growing funds to £1.2 billion at  
31 December 2018. 

The Unit Trusts business in particular has gained considerable 
momentum and is now a £5.6 billion business (funds under 
management at 31 December 2018) in its own right and 
importantly does not rely on internal funds for growth. We 
now manage three funds of over £1 billion and have launched 
several new funds and strategies to keep up with growing 
demand and the ever-changing investment market. 

Some other growth initiatives have been slower to bear  
fruit. Our in-house financial planning business has been 
restructured recently. It will require investment in the  
short term to ensure that all of our key offices have an 
appropriate level of access to financial advisers to support 
business development. We will continue to invest selectively 
in financial planning talent in 2019. The Rathbone Private 
Office has also recently been restructured to simplify  
its proposition and build closer links with private client 
discretionary managers. We will continue to leverage the 
professional network it has established to add to growth.

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Outlook and succession 

We have made some significant progress over the last five 
years, but there is still work to do to develop our services  
and strive for greater operational efficiency. This year will  
be a busy one, with strategic investment decisions being  
made amid the heightened uncertainties in investment 
markets. During 2019, we will not only focus on ensuring  
that the transfer of Speirs & Jeffrey clients to our platform is 
successful, but we will also improve our customer relationship 
management systems and client reporting tools, while 
continuing to develop other systems and processes as we 
progress our digital agenda and continue to grow. We will 
continue to maintain our cost discipline, investing as market 
conditions allow and ensuring that our infrastructure supports 
the business and manages operational risks appropriately.

On 27 November 2018, we announced that I will be retiring 
from my role as chief executive by the Annual General 
Meeting in May 2019. When I joined Rathbones in 2013,  
we were a business with £22.0 billion of funds under 
management, 41,000 clients and around 800 people.  
Back then, I could not have imagined the opportunities  
and challenges that we would face along the way but,  
five years later, at the end of 2018, we have emerged as the 
largest independent discretionary fund management provider 
in the UK, with £44.1 billion of funds under management and 
administration, some 60,000 clients and over 1,400 people. 
These achievements are down to the many talented 
employees who compose Rathbones.

Paul Stockton will take on the role of chief executive and, 
having worked closely with him for several years, I believe  
he is the right person to lead the company into the next 
chapter of its history. 

I leave Rathbones with great confidence that the business  
is well-positioned for the next phase of growth, which will be 
announced in the second half of 2019. It has been my privilege 
to lead Rathbones and I thank you all for your support over the 
last five years. 

Philip Howell
Chief Executive

20 February 2019

“The combination of organic growth, earnings-
enhancing acquisitions, positive investment 
performance and effective cost management 
has helped Rathbones create and maintain 
value for shareholders and employees alike.”

Managing the impacts of greater regulation 

2018 was a year in which significant new regulation was 
implemented, adding to both capital and operating costs  
and involving some considerable internal resource. We  
were not alone as many industry participants wrestled  
with MiFID II and GDPR implementation projects whilst 
continuing to pursue a busy change agenda. Notwithstanding 
a sustained period of heavy regulatory change in 2018, we 
expect the impact to continue to be felt in 2019. Income in 
2018 for example continued to benefit from the generation  
of ‘risk-free’ managers' box dealing profits (£3.4 million in the 
year ended 31 December 2018 and £3.1 million in 2017) in our 
Unit Trust business, but such profits will not recur in 2019. 
Alongside the wider asset management industry, we also 
expect to face greater public scrutiny of costs and charges 
following the implementation of MiFID II. We remain 
confident in our value proposition but will continue to 
improve our services to clients. 

Employees

Our employees remain the most valuable part of our  
business and without them we would not be the leading 
wealth manager we are today. We explained last year that 
current employee share ownership had been falling and we 
are pleased to have addressed this during the year with our  
new Staff Equity Plan. From May 2018, this adds £4.5 million 
per annum over five years to operating expenses. We also 
continue to support the Share Incentive Plan (SIP) and it is 
encouraging to see that 1,055 (nearly 80%) of employees now 
actively participate in that plan. The increased employee share 
ownership provided by all of these plans ensures employees 
are directly incentivised by, and motivated to ensure, the 
positive performance of the group and its continuing long-
term success.

Training and career development is important to us and  
we strive to provide a high-quality learning and development 
experience for all of our employees to ensure they are well-
informed and to help them achieve both their professional  
and personal potential. In 2019, we also expect our emphasis 
to move away from the considerable amount of regulatory 
training completed in recent years to pay greater attention  
to other areas such as leadership development and  
succession planning. 

rathbones.com

13

 
Market review
Our market and opportunities

Enduring demand for  
face-to-face advice 

An ageing population with increased  
life expectancy along with greater pension 
freedoms increases the need to save for 
retirement and finance lifestyles over a  
longer period of time. Clients and advisers  
value face-to-face delivery of services. 

How we respond 
 – Focus on a discretionary model, which 

promotes regular client and adviser contact 

 – A strong investment process to support  
a wide variety of differing client needs 

 – Specialist services such as our charities business 
and Rathbone Greenbank Investments to cater 
to differing investment requirements

 – A suite of fund solutions through Rathbone  
Unit Trust Management for clients who do  
not require a fully bespoke investment service

 – Complementary services such as loans and 

financial planning 

Leveraging technology 

The industry continues to change with all 
business models looking for technological 
advantage. Keeping pace with this change  
is fundamental to sustaining a quality service.

How we respond 
 – Leading investment management systems  

and a stable core platform 

 – A desire to enhance the digital client experience 
 – Investment in client relationship management 

systems

Taking advantage of scale economies 

Many businesses in the marketplace are  
unable to keep up with the pace of regulatory 
and technological change. This has led to  
an increased need for consolidation. 

How we respond 
 – Selectively added 137 investment managers 

over the last five years 

 – Opened new regional offices in Newcastle  

and Glasgow 

 – Successfully acquired the Deutsche Bank's 

London and Jupiter's private client businesses 
in 2015 (£2.6 billion funds under management 
and administration), Vision Independent 
Financial Planning in 2015 and Speirs & Jeffrey 
in 2018 (£6.7 billion funds under management 
and administration) 

 – Further developed our distribution channels

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Female

Male

How we will develop
 – Continue to improve the delivery of our discretionary 

Average life expectancy continues  
to increase in the UK1 (years)

84

82

80

78

76

74

72

service offering 

 – Widen breadth and depth of investment and  

research capability 

 – Leverage our existing environmental, social and 

governance capability to make this form of investing  
more mainstream

 – Selectively add to the funds provided by Rathbone Unit 

Trust Management in response to client and adviser needs 

 – Fully embed our financial planning capability in all offices
 – Continue to grow the Vision Independent Financial 

Planning adviser network 

How we will develop
 – Continue to invest in systems that will reduce time  

spent on administrative tasks

 – Enhance the use of data to reduce costs and improve 

profitability

 – Further develop and expand our digital client experience
 – Continue to upgrade relationship management tools and 

risk management processes 

1992-
1994

1997-
1999

2002-
2004

2007-
2009

2012-
2014

2015-
2017

Capital expenditure (excluding property) (£m)

9.7

9.3

5.3

4.9

4.4

IT and other

Internally 
developed 
software

Purchased 
software

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

How we will develop
 – Continue to look for consolidation opportunities that  
fit our culture but maintain strict acquisition criteria 

 – Support business development activity to improve organic 
growth with direct clients, intermediaries and advisers
 – Continue to selectively recruit individuals and teams  

to the business

The market is fragmented and there are 
several firms that have less than £5bn  
of funds under management, making 
the consolidation argument strong2

1.  Data from the Office for National Statistics
2.  Data from the 2018 Private Asset Managers (PAM) Directory

rathbones.com

15

 
Our journey

Our objective in 2014 was to be the UK’s leading independently-owned provider  
of investment management services to private clients, charities and trustees.  
From a starting point of £22.0 billion, we have grown to manage £44.1 billion today.  
The combination of organic growth, earnings-enhancing acquisitions, positive  
investment performance, favourable markets and effective cost management has  
also helped Rathbones create and maintain value for shareholders and employees alike.

Earnings-enhancing acquisitions 
2014: Deutsche Bank's London and Jupiter's  

private client businesses (£2.6 billion)

2015: Vision Independent Financial Planning  

to help expand distribution channels

2018: Speirs & Jeffrey (£6.7 billion)

2018
Closing funds under 
management and 
administration

£44.1bn

2017
£39.1bn

2016
£34.2bn

2015
£29.2bn

2014
£27.2bn

2014
Opening funds under 
management and 
administration

£22.0bn

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

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Five years of strategic progress

Quality 
service

Earnings 
growth

Employee 
value

Our aim is to build high-quality 
revenues that support ongoing 
investment and provide a 
growing stream of dividend 
income for shareholders  
over each economic cycle.

 – Added new funds to broaden  
our Unit Trusts offering, with  
three funds now managing  
over £1 billion

 – Widened specialist mandate 
capability, building on our 
dedicated charity capability  
to grow Rathbone Greenbank 
Investments and offer more 
mainstream sustainable 
investment options 
 – Enhanced management 

information tools to improve 
support for commercial  
decision-making

 – Selectively added 137 investment 
managers over the last five years 

 – Opened offices in Newcastle  
in 2013 and Glasgow in 2015 
 – Created a combined dedicated 
intermediary sales team to  
focus on strategic partners 
 – Established dedicated support 

teams for IFA networks

Our ability to achieve growth 
and deliver a quality service  
is dependent on the ability of  
our people. We are committed  
to rewarding our staff in line 
with business objectives  
and providing them with an 
interesting and stimulating 
career environment.

 – Redefined remuneration 
structures and created 
opportunities for more  
employees to build a larger 
element of equity ownership 
 – Continued to monitor succession 
and development plans for critical 
roles and functions

 – Established ongoing development 

and monitoring of culture 

 – Expanded graduate and 
apprenticeship schemes 
 – Increased average annual  

training investment per employee 
each year for the last five years
 – Rolled out training programmes 
covering diversity, inclusion and 
unconscious bias 

 – Signed the Women in Finance 
Charter and made significant 
improvements to both maternity 
and paternity policies

We aim to provide our clients 
with the highest quality of 
service to maintain our brand 
reputation and competitive 
positioning.

 – Upgraded investment process  
to facilitate more efficient 
management of portfolios 
 – Invested in in-house research, 
adding intellectual capacity, 
improving both written outputs 
and their timely communication  
to clients 

 – Improved ability to demonstrate 

performance by attaining  
GIPS accreditation

 – Invested in front office tools  

and automation of operational 
processes, allowing teams  
to manage client bases  
more effectively 

 – Continued the development  
of our customer relationship 
management platform 

 – Began a technology upgrade 

programme, which will improve 
data management capabilities,  
and introduced additional security 
measures to combat the growing 
cyber threat

 – Managed investment management 
team capacity to support growth 
and ongoing client service 
 – Developed reporting tools to 
support client meetings and  
client engagement

 – Implemented a new brand identity 
and marketing communications 
suite that appeals to a broader 
range of clients

Principal risks:
Suitability and advice (see page 38)
Regulatory (see page 39)

Principal risks:
Suitability and advice (see page 38)
Regulatory (see page 39)

Principal risks:
Regulatory (see page 39)
People (see page 39)

Read more on our KPIs on pages 19 to 21.

rathbones.com

17

 
Our  
performance

18

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Key performance indicators
Monitoring our performance

Quality service

Capital expenditure  
excluding property (£m)

£9.7m

9.3

9.7

4.9

5.3

4.4

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Definition

Funds used to acquire, 
upgrade and maintain 
physical and technological 
assets (mostly intangible), 
with the exception  
of property. 

Relevance

Reflects how much  
we are investing back into 
the business as well as on 
undertaking new projects  
or investments to maintain 
or increase the scope and 
efficiency of our operations.

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Total funds under management  
and administration (£bn)

£44.1bn

44.1

39.1

34.2

27.2

29.2

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Definition

Total funds under 
management and 
administration at  
the end of the year.

Relevance

The amount of funds  
that we manage directly 
impacts the level of  
income we receive.

Investment Management net  
organic growth rates (%)

Number of Investment  
Management clients (‘000)

3.4%

4.0

3.0

2.9

3.0

3.4

Definition

The value of annual  
net inflows from 
Investment Management  
as a percentage of opening 
funds under management 
and administration.

Relevance

Measures the ability of the 
firm to grow business in  
the absence of acquisitions.

60,000

Definition

The number of clients  
who use our services.

60

46

47

48

50

Relevance

In an industry where scale  
is important, the size of  
our client base helps to 
determine market share.

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

rathbones.com

19

 
Key performance indicators continued

Earnings growth

Dividend per share (p)

66p

66

61

55

57

52

Definition

Total annual dividend per 
share (interim and final).

Relevance

Dividends represent  
an important part of the 
returns to shareholders. 

Underlying  
operating margin (%)

29.4%

29.4

30.7

29.8 30.6

29.4

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Return on capital employed (%)

16.9%

19.1

19.3

19.5

17.8

16.9

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Definition

Underlying profit after  
tax as a percentage of  
the quarterly average  
total of equity.

Relevance

A useful measure of 
financial efficiency as it 
measures profitability after 
factoring in the amount  
of capital employed by  
the business. 

Underlying earnings  
per share (p)

142.5p

117.0 122.1

102.4

138.8 142.5

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Definition

Underlying profit before  
tax as a percentage of 
underlying operating 
income.

Relevance

This measure enables the 
group’s operational and 
segmental performance to 
be understood, accurately 
reflecting key drivers of 
long-term profitability. 

Refer to page 22 for  
a full definition of  
adjusted measures.

Definition

Underlying profit after tax 
divided by the weighted 
average number of  
ordinary shares.

Relevance

An important measure  
of performance as it shows 
profitability reflecting  
the effects of any new  
share issuance.

Refer to page 22 for a  
full definition of adjusted 
measures.

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Staff turnover (%) 

6.0%

6.0

6.0

5.0

5.0

4.0

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Definition

Number of permanent 
employees who have  
left during the year, 
excluding retirements  
and redundancies, as  
a percentage of opening 
headcount.

Relevance

A measure of staff retention, 
which can be a reflection  
of the work environment 
and commitment to  
the organisation.

Number of participants with SIP  
partnership shares

1,055

1,055

946

845

844

767

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Definition

The number of staff  
who make a direct 
contribution to purchase 
shares in the business. 

Relevance

A measure of commitment 
to the organisation and 
belief in the future financial 
success of the company.

Average full-time  
equivalent employees

1,329

1,329

1,147

1,066

981

880

Variable staff costs as a % of underlying profit 
before tax and before variable staff costs

37.6%

36.4

36.1

37.5

37.9

37.6

Definition

Monthly average number  
of full-time equivalent  
staff during the year.

Relevance

A fundamental measure  
for cost growth and 
operational efficiency.

Definition

Variable staff costs divided 
by underlying profit before 
tax and before variable  
staff costs. 

Relevance

Shows the extent to  
which reward is aligned  
to the performance of  
the company. 

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

rathbones.com

21

 
Financial performance 

Paul Stockton 
Finance Director 

Table 1. Group’s overall performance  

Underlying operating income 
Underlying operating expenses 
Underlying profit before tax1 
Underlying operating margin2 
Profit before tax 
Effective tax rate 
Taxation 
Profit after tax 
Underlying earnings per share 
Earnings per share 
Dividend per share3 
Return on capital employed4 

2018 
£m 
(unless stated) 
312.0 
(220.4) 
91.6 
29.4% 
61.3 
24.6% 
(15.1) 
46.2 
142.5p 
88.7p 
66.0p 
16.9% 

2017
£m
(unless stated) 
286.0 
(198.5)
87.5 
30.6% 
58.9 
20.5% 
(12.1)
46.8 
138.8p 
92.7p 
61.0p 
19.5% 

1.  A reconciliation between underlying profit before tax and profit before tax is shown in table 2 
2.  Underlying profit before tax as a % of underlying operating income 
3.  The total interim and final dividend proposed for the financial year 
4.  Underlying profit after tax (note 14) as a % of average equity at each quarter end 

Overview of financial performance 

Our financial results in 2018 were reasonably strong, as 
underlying profit before tax grew by 4.7% to £91.6 million.  
The underlying operating margin, which is calculated as the 
ratio of underlying profit before tax to underlying operating 
income, was 29.4% for the year and thus in line with our target 
of 30% over the cycle (2017: 30.6%). Profit before tax increased 
by 4.1% to £61.3 million. 

Profits from Speirs & Jeffrey are included for the four-month 
period since completion of the acquisition on 31 August 2018, 
together with all of the associated acquisition-related profit  
and loss charges. 

Underlying operating income 

Fee income of £233.4 million in 2018 increased 7.3% compared 
to £217.5 million in 2017, reflecting organic and acquired new 
business over the period. Fees represented 74.8% of total 
underlying operating income in 2018, lower than the 76.0%  
in 2017, largely reflecting a higher proportion of commissions in 
Speirs & Jeffrey and increased interest margins. Net commission 
income increased 7.0% to £41.4 million (2017: £38.7 million)  
in 2018. Net interest income increased 31.9% to £15.3 million, 
reflecting higher interest rates and a longer average duration  
in treasury assets. 

A full reconciliation between underlying operating income  
and reported operating income is provided on page 122. 

Underlying operating expenses 

Underlying operating expenses increased by 11.0%, not only 
reflecting £5.9 million of Speirs & Jeffrey operating costs, but 
also underlying growth in the business as well as additional 
research costs totalling £2.3 million, which are now borne by  
the company rather than our investment funds following the 
adoption of MiFID II. 

Planned additions to headcount increased fixed staff costs  
by 5.5% to £92.6 million, with Speirs & Jeffrey adding a further 
£3.3 million of fixed staff costs and 156 heads. In total, average 
headcount increased by 15.9% to 1,329 in 2018. 

Total variable staff costs increased by 3.4% to £55.1 million, 
reflecting improved performance pay levels and the  
additional cost of share incentives to staff. Variable staff  
costs in 2018 represented 17.7% of underlying operating  
income (2017: 18.6%) and 37.6% of underlying profit before 
variable staff costs and tax (2017: 37.9%). 

22 
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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 
Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
 
 
 
Financial performance 

Paul Stockton 

Finance Director 

Table 1. Group’s overall performance  

Underlying operating income 

Underlying operating expenses 

Underlying profit before tax1 

Underlying operating margin2 

Profit before tax 

Effective tax rate 

Taxation 

Profit after tax 

Underlying earnings per share 

Earnings per share 

Dividend per share3 

Return on capital employed4 

2018 

£m 

2017

£m

(unless stated) 

(unless stated) 

312.0 

(220.4) 

91.6 

29.4% 

61.3 

24.6% 

(15.1) 

46.2 

142.5p 

88.7p 

66.0p 

16.9% 

286.0 

(198.5)

87.5 

30.6% 

58.9 

20.5% 

(12.1)

46.8 

138.8p 

92.7p 

61.0p 

19.5% 

1.  A reconciliation between underlying profit before tax and profit before tax is shown in table 2 

2.  Underlying profit before tax as a % of underlying operating income 

3.  The total interim and final dividend proposed for the financial year 

4.  Underlying profit after tax (note 14) as a % of average equity at each quarter end 

Overview of financial performance 

Our financial results in 2018 were reasonably strong, as 

underlying profit before tax grew by 4.7% to £91.6 million.  

The underlying operating margin, which is calculated as the 

ratio of underlying profit before tax to underlying operating 

income, was 29.4% for the year and thus in line with our target 

of 30% over the cycle (2017: 30.6%). Profit before tax increased 

by 4.1% to £61.3 million. 

Profits from Speirs & Jeffrey are included for the four-month 

period since completion of the acquisition on 31 August 2018, 

together with all of the associated acquisition-related profit  

and loss charges. 

Underlying operating income 

Fee income of £233.4 million in 2018 increased 7.3% compared 

to £217.5 million in 2017, reflecting organic and acquired new 

business over the period. Fees represented 74.8% of total 

underlying operating income in 2018, lower than the 76.0%  

in 2017, largely reflecting a higher proportion of commissions in 

Speirs & Jeffrey and increased interest margins. Net commission 

income increased 7.0% to £41.4 million (2017: £38.7 million)  

in 2018. Net interest income increased 31.9% to £15.3 million, 

reflecting higher interest rates and a longer average duration  

in treasury assets. 

A full reconciliation between underlying operating income  

and reported operating income is provided on page 122. 

Underlying operating expenses 

Underlying operating expenses increased by 11.0%, not only 

reflecting £5.9 million of Speirs & Jeffrey operating costs, but 

also underlying growth in the business as well as additional 

research costs totalling £2.3 million, which are now borne by  

the company rather than our investment funds following the 

adoption of MiFID II. 

Planned additions to headcount increased fixed staff costs  

by 5.5% to £92.6 million, with Speirs & Jeffrey adding a further 

£3.3 million of fixed staff costs and 156 heads. In total, average 

headcount increased by 15.9% to 1,329 in 2018. 

Total variable staff costs increased by 3.4% to £55.1 million, 

reflecting improved performance pay levels and the  

additional cost of share incentives to staff. Variable staff  

costs in 2018 represented 17.7% of underlying operating  

income (2017: 18.6%) and 37.6% of underlying profit before 

variable staff costs and tax (2017: 37.9%). 

Group underlying profit before tax/operating 
margin 

Underlying profit before tax and earnings per share are 
considered by the board to be a better reflection of true business 
performance than reviewing results on a statutory basis only. 
These measures are widely used by research analysts covering 
the group. Underlying results exclude income and expenditure 
falling into the four categories explained below. 

Table 2. Reconciliation of underlying profit before tax to profit 
before tax 

Underlying profit before tax 
Gain on plan amendment of defined 

benefit pension schemes 
Charges in relation to client 
relationships and goodwill 

Acquisition-related costs 
Head office relocation costs 
Profit before tax 

2018
£m 
91.6 

2017
£m 
87.5 

– 

5.5 

(13.2)
(19.9)
2.8 
61.3 

(11.7)
(6.2)
(16.2)
58.9 

Charges in relation to client relationships and 
goodwill (note 22) 
As explained in notes 1.14 and 3.1, client relationship intangible 
assets are created when we acquire a business or a team of 
investment managers. The charges associated with these assets 
represent a significant non-cash item and they have, therefore, 
been excluded from underlying profit, which represents largely 
cash-based earnings more directly relates to the financial 
reporting period. Charges for amortisation of client relationship 
intangibles in the year ended 31 December 2018 were £13.2 
million (2017: £11.7 million), reflecting the Speirs & Jeffrey  
and other acquisitions. 

Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 
Acquisition-related costs are significant costs which arise  
from strategic investments to grow the business rather than 
from its trading performance and are therefore excluded from 
underlying results. 

Net costs of £18.4 million were incurred in 2018 in relation  
to the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. These amounts are largely 
capital in nature but, in accordance with IFRS 3, any deferred 
consideration payments to shareholders of the acquired 
business who remain in employment with the group must  
be treated as remuneration. During 2018, £14.7 million of 
deferred consideration payments were expensed to the  
income statement and are considered separately for  
executive remuneration purposes (see page 78). 

Deferred costs of £1.5 million (2017: £1.3 million) were incurred  
in relation to the acquisitions of Vision Independent Financial 
Planning and Castle Investment Solutions, which were 
completed on 31 December 2015. These amounts include  
the cost of payments to vendors of the business who  
remain in employment with the group. The final payment  
for this acquisition of £7.0 million is due at the end of 2019. 

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As announced on 31 August 2017, we incurred professional 
services costs of £4.9 million in relation to the merger 
discussions with Smith & Williamson during 2017. 

Head office relocation costs (note 10) 
During February 2017, we relocated our London head office to 
new premises following a nine-month fit-out period. Charges 
incurred in relation to the double running of the two London 
premises and the relocation amounted to £16.2 million in 2017. 
This included the recognition of a provision for the cost of the 
surplus property until the end of the existing lease, net of any 
expected rental income from sub-letting the space. 

On 6 June 2018, our legacy lease was assigned, several  
months earlier than anticipated, triggering a release of the 
unused element of the provision. Professional costs were  
also incurred in 2018 and, consequently, a net credit of  
£2.8 million has been recognised in the result for 2018. 

These items represent an investment to expand our operating 
capacity in a key location and are not expected to recur in the 
short to medium term; they have therefore been excluded  
from underlying results. 

Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension 
schemes (note 28) 
All defined benefit schemes were closed with effect from  
30 June 2017, ceasing all future accrual and breaking the link  
to salaries. These changes resulted in a plan amendment gain  
of £5.5 million, which was recognised in operating income in 
2017. This gain was a significant one-off item which does not 
directly relate to the trading performance of the business and  
it has, therefore, been excluded from underlying results. 

Taxation 

The corporation tax charge for 2018 was £15.1 million  
(2017: £12.1 million) and represents an effective tax rate  
of 24.6% (2017: 20.5%). The effective tax rate in 2018 reflects  
the disallowable costs of the deferred consideration payments 
in relation to the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. The effective  
tax rate in 2019 and 2020 is expected to remain elevated as  
the group continues to recognise these costs. Thereafter,  
the group expects it to return to 1-2% above the statutory rate. 

A full reconciliation of the income tax expense is provided  
in note 12 to the financial statements. 

The Finance Bill 2016, which included provisions for the  
UK corporation tax rate to be reduced to 17% in April 2020,  
from 19% in April 2017, gained royal assent in September 2016. 
Deferred tax balances have therefore been calculated based  
on these reduced rates where timing differences are forecast  
to unwind in future years. 

22 

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Financial performance continued  

Basic earnings per share 

Basic earnings per share for the year ended 31 December 2018 
were 88.7p compared to 92.7p in 2017. This reflects the full 
impact of non-underlying income and charges as well as the 
issue of 3.9 million shares to partially finance the acquisition  
of Speirs & Jeffrey and to satisfy share-based remuneration 
scheme awards. On an underlying basis, earnings per share 
increased by 2.7% to 142.5p in 2018 (see note 14 to the  
financial statements). 

Dividends 

We operate a generally progressive dividend policy, as set out  
in the directors’ report on page 92. 

In determining the level of any proposed dividend, the  
board has regard to current and forecast financial performance. 
Any proposal to pay a dividend is subject to compliance with 
the Companies Act, which requires that the company must  
have sufficient distributable reserves from which to pay the 
dividend. The company’s distributable reserves are primarily 
dependent on: 

–  compliance with regulatory capital requirements for  

the minimum level of own funds 

–  the level of profits earned by the company, including 

distributions received from trading subsidiaries (some  
of which are subject to minimum regulatory capital 
requirements themselves) 

–  actuarial changes in the value of the pension schemes  

that are recognised in the company’s other comprehensive 
income, net of deferred tax. 

At 31 December 2018 the company’s distributable reserves  
were £68.9 million (2017: £63.9 million). 

In light of the results for the year, the board has proposed a final 
dividend for 2018 of 42.0p. This results in a full-year dividend of 
66.0p, an increase of 5.0p on 2017 (8.2%). The proposed full-year 
dividend is covered 1.3 times by basic earnings and 2.2 times by 
underlying earnings. 

Capital expenditure 

Overall, capital expenditure of £11.0 million in 2018 was  
down £0.3 million compared to 2017, a fall of 2.7%. As  
planned, expenditure on software increased by £0.7 million  
as we continued with the IT change programme announced 
 in 2017. These activities are expected to continue into 2019  
with a similar level of capital expenditure. 

Premises-related capital expenditure fell by £1.0 million 
following the completion of our head office relocation in 2017. 

Return on capital employed 

The board monitors the return on capital employed (ROCE) as a 
key performance measure, which forms part of the assessment 
of management’s performance for remuneration purposes as 
described in the remuneration report on page 81. For monitoring 
purposes, ROCE is defined as underlying profit after tax 
expressed as a percentage of quarterly average total equity 
across the year.  

Consideration of the return on capital is a key consideration  
of all investment decisions, particularly in relation to  
acquired growth. 

In 2018, ROCE was 16.9%, a decrease of 2.6% on 2017. Quarterly 
average total equity increased by £73 million in 2018 compared 
to 2017, reflecting the issue of £60 million of new share capital  
in 2018 and the impact of retained earnings. 

Outlook 

The group’s profitability remains closely linked with the 
performance in investment markets, which are expected to  
be more volatile in 2019. In 2019, the group’s results will reflect  
a full year of profits from Speirs & Jeffrey, together with the 
associated costs of acquisition and integration. Client migration 
to Rathbones’ systems is expected to complete towards the 
middle of 2019. 

Staff costs in 2019 will reflect the full impact of hiring activity  
in 2018 in addition to salary inflation of 3.6% and the cost of  
five-year share-based awards made in May 2018, which will  
be spread on a straight line basis over five years from launch. 
Following the announcement of Philip Howell’s planned 
retirement from the role of chief executive in May 2019, the  
cost of his outstanding deferred awards are being accelerated  
to recognise the full cost over the shorter service period.  

Following publication of the final rules associated with the 
FCA’s Asset Management Market Study, we have converted our 
unit trust funds to single priced units from 21 January 2019. The 
£3.4 million of associated managers’ box dealing profits earned 
in 2018 (2017: £3.1 million) are not expected to recur in 2019. 

We will continue to maintain our cost discipline, investing as 
market conditions allow to support our growth strategy and 
ensure that our infrastructure supports the business and 
manages operational risks appropriately. 

Other financial impacts 

The group is required to adopt IFRS 16, a new accounting 
standard for leases, with effect from 1 January 2019. As  
described in note 1 to the financial statements, IFRS 16 requires  
a change in the accounting requirements for operating leases 
which accelerates the charge to profit or loss associated with the 
leases. In 2019, we expect this change will add approximately 
£0.3 million to the group’s net charge for leases. 

Deferred consideration payments to former shareholders of 
Speirs & Jeffrey will be made in 2019 to 2022. The ultimate 
amounts payable are conditional on performance against 
certain operational targets. The final payment to the sellers of 
Vision Independent Financial Planning and Castle Investment 
Solutions will be made at the end of 2019. We currently expect 
to recognise a non-underlying charge of approximately  
£31 million in 2019 in relation to these deferred payments. 

24 
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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Financial performance continued  

Segmental review 

Basic earnings per share 

Basic earnings per share for the year ended 31 December 2018 

were 88.7p compared to 92.7p in 2017. This reflects the full 

impact of non-underlying income and charges as well as the 

issue of 3.9 million shares to partially finance the acquisition  

of Speirs & Jeffrey and to satisfy share-based remuneration 

scheme awards. On an underlying basis, earnings per share 

increased by 2.7% to 142.5p in 2018 (see note 14 to the  

financial statements). 

Dividends 

We operate a generally progressive dividend policy, as set out  

in the directors’ report on page 92. 

In determining the level of any proposed dividend, the  

board has regard to current and forecast financial performance. 

Any proposal to pay a dividend is subject to compliance with 

the Companies Act, which requires that the company must  

have sufficient distributable reserves from which to pay the 

dividend. The company’s distributable reserves are primarily 

dependent on: 

–  compliance with regulatory capital requirements for  

the minimum level of own funds 

–  the level of profits earned by the company, including 

distributions received from trading subsidiaries (some  

of which are subject to minimum regulatory capital 

requirements themselves) 

–  actuarial changes in the value of the pension schemes  

that are recognised in the company’s other comprehensive 

income, net of deferred tax. 

At 31 December 2018 the company’s distributable reserves  

were £68.9 million (2017: £63.9 million). 

In light of the results for the year, the board has proposed a final 

dividend for 2018 of 42.0p. This results in a full-year dividend of 

66.0p, an increase of 5.0p on 2017 (8.2%). The proposed full-year 

dividend is covered 1.3 times by basic earnings and 2.2 times by 

underlying earnings. 

Capital expenditure 

Overall, capital expenditure of £11.0 million in 2018 was  

down £0.3 million compared to 2017, a fall of 2.7%. As  

planned, expenditure on software increased by £0.7 million  

as we continued with the IT change programme announced 

 in 2017. These activities are expected to continue into 2019  

with a similar level of capital expenditure. 

Premises-related capital expenditure fell by £1.0 million 

following the completion of our head office relocation in 2017. 

Return on capital employed 

The board monitors the return on capital employed (ROCE) as a 

key performance measure, which forms part of the assessment 

of management’s performance for remuneration purposes as 

described in the remuneration report on page 81. For monitoring 

purposes, ROCE is defined as underlying profit after tax 

expressed as a percentage of quarterly average total equity 

across the year.  

Consideration of the return on capital is a key consideration  

of all investment decisions, particularly in relation to  

acquired growth. 

In 2018, ROCE was 16.9%, a decrease of 2.6% on 2017. Quarterly 

average total equity increased by £73 million in 2018 compared 

to 2017, reflecting the issue of £60 million of new share capital  

in 2018 and the impact of retained earnings. 

Outlook 

The group’s profitability remains closely linked with the 

performance in investment markets, which are expected to  

be more volatile in 2019. In 2019, the group’s results will reflect  

a full year of profits from Speirs & Jeffrey, together with the 

associated costs of acquisition and integration. Client migration 

to Rathbones’ systems is expected to complete towards the 

middle of 2019. 

Staff costs in 2019 will reflect the full impact of hiring activity  

in 2018 in addition to salary inflation of 3.6% and the cost of  

five-year share-based awards made in May 2018, which will  

be spread on a straight line basis over five years from launch. 

Following the announcement of Philip Howell’s planned 

retirement from the role of chief executive in May 2019, the  

cost of his outstanding deferred awards are being accelerated  

to recognise the full cost over the shorter service period.  

Following publication of the final rules associated with the 

FCA’s Asset Management Market Study, we have converted our 

unit trust funds to single priced units from 21 January 2019. The 

£3.4 million of associated managers’ box dealing profits earned 

in 2018 (2017: £3.1 million) are not expected to recur in 2019. 

We will continue to maintain our cost discipline, investing as 

market conditions allow to support our growth strategy and 

ensure that our infrastructure supports the business and 

manages operational risks appropriately. 

Other financial impacts 

The group is required to adopt IFRS 16, a new accounting 

standard for leases, with effect from 1 January 2019. As  

described in note 1 to the financial statements, IFRS 16 requires  

a change in the accounting requirements for operating leases 

which accelerates the charge to profit or loss associated with the 

leases. In 2019, we expect this change will add approximately 

£0.3 million to the group’s net charge for leases. 

Deferred consideration payments to former shareholders of 

Speirs & Jeffrey will be made in 2019 to 2022. The ultimate 

amounts payable are conditional on performance against 

certain operational targets. The final payment to the sellers of 

Vision Independent Financial Planning and Castle Investment 

Solutions will be made at the end of 2019. We currently expect 

to recognise a non-underlying charge of approximately  

£31 million in 2019 in relation to these deferred payments. 

The group is managed through two key operating segments, Investment Management and Unit Trusts. 
Investment Management – number of clients 
Chart 1. Investment Management – number of clients  
and investment managers
and investment managers 

Investment Management 

The activities of the group are described in detail on pages  
4 to 9. The Investment Management segment comprises  
those activities described under the headings ‘Investment 
Management’ and ‘complementary services’ on pages  
4 and 5. The results of the Investment Management  
segment described below include the trading results  
of Speirs & Jeffrey for the last four months of the year,  
following its acquisition on 31 August 2018. 

Investment Management income is largely driven by  
revenue margins earned from funds under management  
and administration. Revenue margins are expressed as a  
basis point return, which depends on a mix of tiered fee rates, 
commissions charged for transactions undertaken on behalf  
of clients and the interest margin earned on cash in client 
portfolios and client loans. 

Year-on-year changes in the key performance indicators for 
Investment Management are shown in table 3. 

Table 3. Investment Management – key performance indicators 
2017 

2018 

Funds under management and 

administration at 31 December1 

£38.5bn 

£33.8bn 

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80

60

40

20

0

249

46.0

260

47.0

273

48.0

277

50.0

327

60.0

400

300

200

100

0

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Number of investment managers
Number of Investment Management clients (’000)

Funds under management and administration 
Investment Management funds under management  
and administration increased by 13.9% to £38.5 billion at  
31 December 2018 from £33.8 billion at the start of the year.  
This increase is analysed in table 4. 

Table 4. Investment Management – funds under management 
and administration 

Underlying rate of net organic 

growth in Investment 
Management funds under 
management and administration1 
Underlying rate of total net growth 
in Investment Management funds 
under management and 
administration1 

Average net operating basis point 

return2 

Number of Investment 
Management clients 

Number of investment managers 

1.  See table 4 
2.  See table 7 

3.4% 

3.0% 

23.5% 

3.9% 

71.4 bps 

72.7 bps 

60,000 
327 

50,000 
277 

As at 1 January 
Inflows 
– organic1
– acquired2
Outflows1 
Market adjustment3 
As at 31 December 
Net organic new business4 
Underlying rate of net organic 

growth5 

Underlying rate of total net growth6 

2018 
£bn 
33.8 
10.6 
3.8 
6.8 
(2.7)
(3.2)
38.5 
1.1 

2017
£bn 
30.2 
3.4 
3.1 
0.3 
(2.2)
2.4 
33.8 
0.9 

3.4% 
23.5% 

3.0% 
3.9% 

During 2018, Investment Management has continued to  
attract new clients both organically and through acquisitions. 
The total number of clients (or groups of closely related clients) 
increased from 50,000 in 2017 to approximately 60,000 during 
the year. During 2018, the total number of investment managers 
increased to 327 at 31 December 2018 from 277 at the end of 
2017. Of these, approximately 8,500 clients and 38 investment 
managers joined the group with the acquisition of Speirs & 
Jeffrey on 31 August 2018. 

1.  Value at the date of transfer in/(out) 
2.  Value at date of acquisition 
3.  Represents the impact of market movements and investment performance 
4.  Organic inflows less outflows 
5.  Net organic new business as a % of opening funds under management and administration 
6.  Net organic new business and acquired inflows as a % of opening funds under management  

and administration 

Net organic growth in our Investment Management business 
was 3.4% (2017: 3.0%). Total gross organic inflows grew 22.6%  
to £3.8 billion, with approximately half coming from existing 
client relationships. 

24 

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 

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Segmental review continued 

Charity funds under management and administration 
continued to grow strongly and reached £5.3 billion at  
31 December 2018, up 12.8% from £4.7 billion at the start  
of the year. 

Funds under management and administration in accounts 
linked to independent financial advisers and provider panel 
relationships increased by £0.1 billion during 2018, ending the 
year at £7.8 billion. 

The acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey on 31 August 2018 added  
£6.7 billion to funds under management and administration. 

Outflows of funds under management and administration 
during the year were 8% of the opening balance (2017: 7%) 
largely reflecting some recent losses of investment managers. 
Investment Management – funds under 
Chart 2. Investment Management – funds under  
management and administration five year growth
management and administration five-year growth (£bn) 

26.1

30.2

24.7

38.5

33.8

40

30

20

10

0

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

FTSE 100*
MSCI Balanced*

*  Index figures show how funds under management and administration would have changed between 

2014 and 2018 if they had tracked each index 

In total, net organic and acquired growth added £7.9 billion  
to Investment Management funds under management and 
administration in 2018 (2017: £1.2 billion), representing 23.5%  
of opening funds under management and administration 
(2017: 3.9%). 

As at 31 December 2018, Vision Independent Financial Planning 
advised on client assets of £1.54 billion, up 10.0% from 2017. 

2018 was an extremely testing year for UK investors, beset by 
Brexit concerns. This was exacerbated in the final quarter as 
investors worried about the impact on global growth of the  
US Federal Reserve raising interest rates more quickly. The 
ongoing trade dispute between the US and China also hit 
sentiment later in the year. Reflecting these factors, the  
MSCI WMA Balanced index finished the year down 7.18%. 

Against this backdrop, the average investment return  
across all Investment Management client portfolios slightly 
outperformed the WMA index by 0.2%. This outperformance 
was largely driven by UK equities, which have benefited from 
the weakness in sterling, and more defensive alternative asset 
classes, as well as UK property and gold. Overall performance 
against other competitor indices, such as the Private Client 
Indices published by ARC, was robust. 

Financial performance 
Table 5. Investment Management – financial performance 

Net investment management fee 

income1 

Net commission income 
Net interest income 
Fees from advisory services2  

and other income 

Underlying operating income 
Underlying operating expenses3 
Underlying profit before tax 
Underlying operating margin4 

2018 
£m 

2017
£m 

200.5 
41.4 
15.3 

18.1 
275.3 
(196.5)
78.8 
28.6% 

189.5 
38.7 
11.6 

14.8 
254.6 
(177.8)
76.8 
30.2% 

1.  Net investment management fee income is stated after deducting fees and commission expenses 

paid to introducers 

2.  Fees from advisory services includes income from trust, tax and financial planning services 

(including Vision) 

3.  See table 8 
4.  Underlying profit before tax as a % of underlying operating income  

Net investment management fee income increased by 5.8%  
to £200.5 million in 2018, benefiting from positive markets for 
most of the year as well as organic and acquired growth in funds 
under management and administration. Fee income in Speirs & 
Jeffrey in the period post acquisition totalled £4.3 million. 

Fees are applied to the value of funds on quarterly charging 
dates. Average funds under management and administration  
on these billing dates in 2018 were £36.6 billion, up 8.3% from 
2017 (see table 6). 

Table 6. Investment Management – average funds under 
management and administration 

Valuation dates for billing 
– 5 April
– 30 June
– 30 September1
– 31 December
Average 
Average FTSE 100 level2 

2018 
£bn 

32.4 
34.1 
41.3 
38.5 
36.6 
7269 

2017
£bn 

31.5 
32.0 
32.5 
33.8 
32.4 
7426 

1.  Funds under management and administration at 30 September 2018 included £6.7 billion in  
Speirs & Jeffrey, for which only one month’s fees accrued to the group post-acquisition 

2.  Based on the corresponding valuation dates for billing 

In 2018, net commission income was £41.4 million, an  
increase of 7.0% on 2017, including £4.2 million earned  
by Speirs & Jeffrey during the last four months of the year. 
Excluding the acquisition, commission levels were £1.5 million 
lower than 2017, reflecting the continued trend towards to our 
fee-only tariff as well as challenging investment markets. 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
  
  
 
 
Segmental review continued 

Charity funds under management and administration 

continued to grow strongly and reached £5.3 billion at  

31 December 2018, up 12.8% from £4.7 billion at the start  

of the year. 

Funds under management and administration in accounts 

linked to independent financial advisers and provider panel 

relationships increased by £0.1 billion during 2018, ending the 

year at £7.8 billion. 

The acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey on 31 August 2018 added  

£6.7 billion to funds under management and administration. 

Outflows of funds under management and administration 

during the year were 8% of the opening balance (2017: 7%) 

largely reflecting some recent losses of investment managers. 

Chart 2. Investment Management – funds under  

management and administration five-year growth (£bn) 

*  Index figures show how funds under management and administration would have changed between 

2014 and 2018 if they had tracked each index 

In total, net organic and acquired growth added £7.9 billion  

to Investment Management funds under management and 

administration in 2018 (2017: £1.2 billion), representing 23.5%  

of opening funds under management and administration 

(2017: 3.9%). 

As at 31 December 2018, Vision Independent Financial Planning 

advised on client assets of £1.54 billion, up 10.0% from 2017. 

2018 was an extremely testing year for UK investors, beset by 

Brexit concerns. This was exacerbated in the final quarter as 

investors worried about the impact on global growth of the  

US Federal Reserve raising interest rates more quickly. The 

ongoing trade dispute between the US and China also hit 

sentiment later in the year. Reflecting these factors, the  

MSCI WMA Balanced index finished the year down 7.18%. 

Against this backdrop, the average investment return  

across all Investment Management client portfolios slightly 

outperformed the WMA index by 0.2%. This outperformance 

was largely driven by UK equities, which have benefited from 

the weakness in sterling, and more defensive alternative asset 

classes, as well as UK property and gold. Overall performance 

against other competitor indices, such as the Private Client 

Indices published by ARC, was robust. 

Financial performance 

Table 5. Investment Management – financial performance 

Net investment management fee 

income1 

Net commission income 

Net interest income 

Fees from advisory services2  

and other income 

Underlying operating income 

Underlying operating expenses3 

Underlying profit before tax 

Underlying operating margin4 

2018 

£m 

2017

£m 

200.5 

41.4 

15.3 

18.1 

275.3 

(196.5)

78.8 

28.6% 

189.5 

38.7 

11.6 

14.8 

254.6 

(177.8)

76.8 

30.2% 

1.  Net investment management fee income is stated after deducting fees and commission expenses 

2.  Fees from advisory services includes income from trust, tax and financial planning services 

paid to introducers 

(including Vision) 

3.  See table 8 

4.  Underlying profit before tax as a % of underlying operating income  

Net investment management fee income increased by 5.8%  

to £200.5 million in 2018, benefiting from positive markets for 

most of the year as well as organic and acquired growth in funds 

under management and administration. Fee income in Speirs & 

Jeffrey in the period post acquisition totalled £4.3 million. 

Fees are applied to the value of funds on quarterly charging 

dates. Average funds under management and administration  

on these billing dates in 2018 were £36.6 billion, up 8.3% from 

2017 (see table 6). 

Table 6. Investment Management – average funds under 

management and administration 

Valuation dates for billing 

– 5 April

– 30 June

– 30 September1

– 31 December

Average 

2018 

£bn 

32.4 

34.1 

41.3 

38.5 

36.6 

2017

£bn 

31.5 

32.0 

32.5 

33.8 

32.4 

Average FTSE 100 level2 

7269 

7426 

1.  Funds under management and administration at 30 September 2018 included £6.7 billion in  

Speirs & Jeffrey, for which only one month’s fees accrued to the group post-acquisition 

2.  Based on the corresponding valuation dates for billing 

In 2018, net commission income was £41.4 million, an  

increase of 7.0% on 2017, including £4.2 million earned  

by Speirs & Jeffrey during the last four months of the year. 

Excluding the acquisition, commission levels were £1.5 million 

lower than 2017, reflecting the continued trend towards to our 

fee-only tariff as well as challenging investment markets. 

Net interest income increased 32.1% to £15.3 million in 2018  
as a result of higher interest rates during 2018, coupled with an 
increase in both the average maturity of the treasury book and 
the level of exposure to higher yielding asset classes. Cash held 
at the Bank of England reduced from £1.4 billion at 31 December 
2017 to £1.2 billion at the end of 2018. 

The investment management loan book grew to £131.7 million 
by the end of the year and contributed £3.5 million to net 
interest income in 2018 (2017: £3.1 million). Also included in 
net interest income is £1.3 million (2017: £1.3 million) of interest 
payable on the Tier 2 notes which are callable in August 2020. 

As shown in table 7, the average net operating basis point return 
on funds under management and administration has decreased 
by 1.3 bps to 71.4 bps in 2018. 

Table 7. Investment Management – revenue margin 
2018 
bps 

Basis point return1 from: 
–  fee income 
–  commission 
–  interest 
Basis point return on funds under 
management and administration 

2017
bps 

58.4 
11.9 
2.4 

56.5 
11.7 
3.2 

71.4 

72.7 

1.  Underlying operating income (see table 5), excluding interest on own reserves, interest payable  
on Tier 2 notes issued, fees from advisory services and other income, divided by the average  
funds under management and administration on the quarterly billing dates (see table 6).  
Speirs & Jeffrey funds under management and administration have been included pro-rata  
for the period of ownership 

Fees from advisory services and other income increased 22.3% 
to £18.1 million. This largely reflects a higher level of retained 
advisory fees earned by Vision Independent Financial Planning 
and growth in trust administration revenues. 

Underlying operating expenses in Investment Management  
for 2018 were £196.5 million, compared to £177.8 million in 2017, 
an increase of 10.5%. This is highlighted in table 8. 

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Table 8. Investment Management – underlying 
operating expenses 

Staff costs1 
– fixed
– variable
Total staff costs 
Other operating expenses 
Underlying operating expenses 
Underlying cost/income ratio2 

2018 
£m 

2017
£m 

66.5 
37.7 
104.2 
92.3 
196.5 
71.4% 

59.5 
40.2 
99.7 
78.1 
177.8 
69.8% 

1.  Represents the costs of investment managers and teams directly involved in client-facing activities 
2.  Underlying operating expenses as a % of underlying operating income (see table 5) 

Fixed staff costs of £66.5 million increased by 11.8% year on year, 
principally reflecting an 11% increase in average headcount, 
including c. 1% from Speirs & Jeffrey, and salary inflation. 

Variable staff costs of £40.2 million in 2017 include £5.1 million 
for the cost of variable awards for new teams who had been in 
situ for longer than 12 months. Following the adoption of IFRS 
15, such costs are now capitalised (see note 2 to the financial 
statements). Excluding these costs from 2017, variable staff  
costs increased by 7.4% to £37.7 million in 2018, reflecting  
both the higher profitability in the period and the introduction 
of the Staff Equity Plan in May 2018 (note 31). 

Other operating expenses of £92.3 million include property, 
depreciation, settlement, IT, finance and other central support 
services costs. The year-to-year increase of £14.2 million (18.2%) 
reflects increased investment in the business, recruitment and 
higher variable awards in support departments in line with 
overall business performance. 

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Segmental review continued 

Unit Trusts 

Table 9. Unit Trusts – funds 

Rathbone Global Opportunities 

Fund 

Rathbone Ethical Bond Fund 
Rathbone Income Fund 
Rathbone Multi Asset Portfolios 
Rathbone Active Income Fund for 

Charities 

Rathbone Strategic Bond Fund 
Rathbone Global Alpha Fund 
Rathbone High Quality Bond Fund 
Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund 
Rathbone Blue Chip Income and 

Growth Fund1 

Other funds 

2018 
£m 

2017
£m 

1,351 
1,236 
1,091 
965 

179 
145 
111 
52 
48 

1,168 
1,100 
1,433 
736 

173 
108 
127 
– 
61 

– 
464 
5,642 

78 
383 
5,367 

1.  The Rathbone Blue Chip Income and Growth Fund was merged into the Rathbone Income Fund  

on 5 October 2018 

Unit Trusts’ financial performance is principally driven by the 
value and growth of funds under management. Year-on-year 
changes in the key performance indicators for Unit Trusts are 
shown in table 10. 

Table 10. Unit Trusts – key performance indicators 
2018 

2017 

5.3 

5.6 

Funds under management  

at 31 December1 

Underlying rate of net growth  
in Unit Trusts funds under 
management1 

Underlying profit before tax2 

1.  See table 11 
2.  See table 13 

Against this backdrop, overall positive momentum in sales of 
our funds continued through 2018, with gross sales up 11.8%  
in the year to £1.9 billion. However, redemptions also increased 
markedly to £1.4 billion (2017: £0.8 billion), reflecting experience 
across the industry.  

Net inflows of £0.5 billion (2017: £0.9 billion) continued to be 
spread across the range of funds. The multi asset portfolios, 
Global Opportunities Fund and Ethical Bond Fund attracted 
particularly strong net flows in the year, the latter notably 
contrasting with the industry trend in its sector. This level  
of net retail sales ranked as the 11th highest in the UK,  
according to the Pridham Sales Report for 2018. 

Unit Trusts funds under management closed the year up  
5.7% at £5.6 billion (see table 11). Included within this was  
£464 million managed through Luxembourg-based feeder 
funds; up 8.4% from £428 million at the end of 2017. 

Table 11. Unit Trusts – funds under management 

As at 1 January 
Net inflows 
– inflows1
– outflows1
Market adjustments2 
As at 31 December  
Underlying rate of net growth3 

1.  Valued at the date of transfer in/(out) 
2.  Impact of market movements and relative performance 
3.  Net inflows as a % of opening funds under management 

2018 
£bn 
5.3 
0.5 
1.9 
(1.4)
(0.2)
5.6 
10.1% 

2017
£bn 
4.0 
0.9 
1.7 
(0.8)
0.4 
5.3 
21.8% 

Chart 3. Unit Trusts – annual net flows (£m) 

900

883

10.1% 
12.7 

21.8% 
10.7 

600

554

554

543

371

300

0

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Funds under management 
Net retail sales in the asset management industry totalled 
approximately £7 billion in 2018, as reported by the Investment 
Association (IA), down around £41 billion on 2017. Fixed income 
funds saw significant outflows in the final quarter, as did UK 
equity funds throughout the year, reflecting signs of faster  
US interest rate hikes and the potential for a disorderly Brexit. 
Global equity was the best-selling sector overall during 2018  
and mixed asset funds were also strong sellers, attracting net 
sales in every month during 2018. 

Industry-wide funds under management dropped 6.5% to  
£1.15 trillion at the end of the year. In total, the IA sectors in 
which we manage funds saw net inflows of £0.8 billion, down 
93% from £11.9 billion in 2017. However, gross sales in those 
sectors were up 28.7% at £128.4 billion in 2018. 

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Segmental review continued 

Unit Trusts 

Table 9. Unit Trusts – funds 

Rathbone Global Opportunities 

Fund 

Rathbone Ethical Bond Fund 

Rathbone Income Fund 

Rathbone Multi Asset Portfolios 

Rathbone Active Income Fund for 

Charities 

Rathbone Strategic Bond Fund 

Rathbone Global Alpha Fund 

Rathbone High Quality Bond Fund 

Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund 

Rathbone Blue Chip Income and 

Growth Fund1 

Other funds 

Against this backdrop, overall positive momentum in sales of 

our funds continued through 2018, with gross sales up 11.8%  

in the year to £1.9 billion. However, redemptions also increased 

markedly to £1.4 billion (2017: £0.8 billion), reflecting experience 

2018 

£m 

2017

£m 

across the industry.  

Net inflows of £0.5 billion (2017: £0.9 billion) continued to be 

spread across the range of funds. The multi asset portfolios, 

Global Opportunities Fund and Ethical Bond Fund attracted 

particularly strong net flows in the year, the latter notably 

contrasting with the industry trend in its sector. This level  

of net retail sales ranked as the 11th highest in the UK,  

according to the Pridham Sales Report for 2018. 

Unit Trusts funds under management closed the year up  

5.7% at £5.6 billion (see table 11). Included within this was  

£464 million managed through Luxembourg-based feeder 

funds; up 8.4% from £428 million at the end of 2017. 

Table 11. Unit Trusts – funds under management 

1,351 

1,236 

1,091 

965 

179 

145 

111 

52 

48 

1,168 

1,100 

1,433 

736 

173 

108 

127 

– 

61 

– 

464 

5,642 

78 

383 

5,367 

1.  The Rathbone Blue Chip Income and Growth Fund was merged into the Rathbone Income Fund  

on 5 October 2018 

Unit Trusts’ financial performance is principally driven by the 

value and growth of funds under management. Year-on-year 

changes in the key performance indicators for Unit Trusts are 

shown in table 10. 

As at 1 January 

Net inflows 

– inflows1

– outflows1

Market adjustments2 

As at 31 December  

Table 10. Unit Trusts – key performance indicators 

2018 

2017 

1.  Valued at the date of transfer in/(out) 

2.  Impact of market movements and relative performance 

3.  Net inflows as a % of opening funds under management 

5.6 

5.3 

Chart 3. Unit Trusts – annual net flows (£m) 

Underlying rate of net growth3 

10.1% 

21.8% 

2018 

£bn 

5.3 

0.5 

1.9 

(1.4)

(0.2)

5.6 

2017

£bn 

4.0 

0.9 

1.7 

(0.8)

0.4 

5.3 

Funds under management  

at 31 December1 

Underlying rate of net growth  

in Unit Trusts funds under 

management1 

Underlying profit before tax2 

1.  See table 11 

2.  See table 13 

Funds under management 

10.1% 

12.7 

21.8% 

10.7 

Net retail sales in the asset management industry totalled 

approximately £7 billion in 2018, as reported by the Investment 

Association (IA), down around £41 billion on 2017. Fixed income 

funds saw significant outflows in the final quarter, as did UK 

equity funds throughout the year, reflecting signs of faster  

US interest rate hikes and the potential for a disorderly Brexit. 

Global equity was the best-selling sector overall during 2018  

and mixed asset funds were also strong sellers, attracting net 

sales in every month during 2018. 

Industry-wide funds under management dropped 6.5% to  

£1.15 trillion at the end of the year. In total, the IA sectors in 

which we manage funds saw net inflows of £0.8 billion, down 

93% from £11.9 billion in 2017. However, gross sales in those 

sectors were up 28.7% at £128.4 billion in 2018. 

Reflecting the general market trends, the Ethical Bond and  
UK Opportunities Funds underperformed their peers during  
the year. The more defensive positioning of the Income  
and Strategic Bond funds helped relative performance and  
the funds out performed their peers over the year. The Global 
Opportunities Fund’s overweight position in the US equity 
market helped it to generate top quartile performance for the 
year, despite a weaker performance in the final quarter. Long-
term performance for most of our retail funds remains strong 
and the funds are performing in line with expectations given 
their investment mandates. 

Our multi asset funds posted negative overall returns in 2018, 
although risk-adjusted returns remained relatively strong 
compared to peers. Longer-term performance of the multi  
asset funds remains ahead of benchmark. 

Table 12. Unit Trusts – performance1, 2 
2018/(2017) Quartile ranking3 over 
Rathbone Ethical Bond Fund 
Rathbone Global Opportunities 

Fund 

Rathbone Income Fund 
Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund 
Rathbone Strategic Bond Fund 

1 year 
4 (1) 

3 years 
1 (1) 

5 years 
1 (1) 

1 (1) 
2 (4) 
4 (1) 
1 (2) 

1 (1) 
3 (3) 
4 (1) 
1 (2) 

1 (1) 
1 (3) 
4 (2) 
2 (2) 

1.  Quartile ranking data is sourced from FE Trustnet 
2.  Excludes multi-asset funds (for which quartile rankings are prohibited by the IA), non-publicly 
marketed funds and segregated mandates. Funds included in the above table account for 72%  
of the total FUM of the Unit Trusts business 

3.  Ranking of institutional share classes at 31 December 2018 and 2017 against other funds in the same 
IA sector, based on total return performance, net of fees (consistent with investment performance 
information reported in the funds’ monthly factsheets) 

As at 31 December 2018, 92% of holdings in Unit Trusts’ retail 
funds were in institutional units (31 December 2017: 88%). 

During 2018, the total number of investment professionals  
in Unit Trusts increased to 14 at 31 December 2018 from 13  
at the end of 2017. 

Financial performance 
Unit Trusts income is primarily derived from: 

–  annual management charges, which are calculated on  

the daily value of funds under management, net of rebates 
and trail commission payable to intermediaries 

–  net dealing profits, which are earned on the bid-offer spread 
from sales and redemptions of units and market movements 
on the stock of units that are held on our books overnight. 

Net annual management charges increased 17.5% to £32.9 
million in 2018, driven principally by the rise in average funds 
under management. Net annual management charges as a 
percentage of average funds under management fell to 58 bps 
(2017: 60 bps) reflecting the increased proportion of holdings  
in institutional units and the continued growth in the fixed 
income mandate funds, which levy a lower rate of annual 
management charges. 

Table 13. Unit Trusts – financial performance 

Net annual management charges 
Net dealing profits 
Interest and other income 
Underlying operating income 
Underlying operating expenses1 
Underlying profit before tax 
Operating % margin2 

2018 
£m 
32.9 
3.4 
0.4 
36.7 
(24.0)
12.7 
34.6% 

2017
£m 
28.0 
3.1 
0.3 
31.4 
(20.7)
10.7 
34.1% 

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1.  See table 14 
2.  Underlying profit before tax divided by underlying operating income 

Net dealing profits of £3.4 million were marginally higher  
than the previous year (2017: £3.1 million). These revenues  
will no longer be earned following the conversion of all funds  
to single-priced units, with effect from 21 January 2019,  
in compliance with the final rules published by the FCA 
following its Asset Management Market Study. 

Underlying operating income as a percentage of average funds 
under management fell to 65 bps in 2018 from 67 bps in 2017, 
reflecting reduced revenue margins.  

Table 14. Unit Trusts – underlying operating expenses 

Staff costs1 
– Fixed
– Variable
Total staff costs 
Other operating expenses 
Underlying operating expenses 
Underlying cost/income ratio1 

2018 
£m 

2017
£m 

3.3 
7.6 
10.9 
13.1 
24.0 
65.4% 

3.0 
7.2 
10.2 
10.5 
20.7 
65.9% 

1.  Underlying operating expenses as a % of underlying operating income  

(see table 13) 

Fixed staff costs of £3.3 million for the year ended 31 December 
2018 were 10% higher than in 2017, reflecting salary inflation  
and growth in headcount in response to regulatory changes. 

Variable staff costs of £7.6 million were 5.6% higher than  
£7.2 million in 2017 as higher profitability and growth in gross 
sales drove increases in profit share and sales commissions.  

Other operating expenses have increased by 24.8% to £13.1 
million, reflecting an increase in third-party administration  
costs in line with growth in the business, the absorption of  
£0.9 million of research costs, which were previously charged  
to the funds, and project costs related to the high level of 
regulatory change during the year. 

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Financial position 

Table 15. Group financial position Please fix the leading on this 
table. 

2018 
£m 
(unless stated) 

2017
£m
(unless stated) 

20.6% 
22.0% 
464.1 
19.8 
1,141.8 
1.6% 
8.9% 

20.7% 
22.2% 
363.3 
19.7 
977.2 
1.8% 
7.8% 

2,867.7 
2,351.7 

2,738.9 
2,303.9 

131.7 

120.5 

160.1 
30.2 

151.7 
26.7 

2,225.5 

2,170.5 

Capital resources 

Rathbones is classified as a banking group for regulatory  
capital purposes and is therefore required to operate within  
the restrictions on capital resources and banking exposures 
prescribed by the Capital Requirements Regulation, as applied 
in the UK by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). 

At 31 December 2018, the group’s regulatory capital resources 
(including verified profits for the year) were £251.4 million  
(2017: £216.8 million). 

Table 16. Regulatory capital resources 

Share capital and share premium 
Reserves 
Less: 
  Own shares
  Intangible assets1
Total Common Equity Tier 1 capital 

resources 

Tier 2 capital resources 
Total own funds 

2018 
£m 
233.0 
263.9 

2017
£m 
145.7 
222.5 

(32.7)
(229.3)

(4.9)
(161.3)

234.9 
16.5 
251.4 

202.0 
14.8 
216.8 

Capital resources: 
  Common Equity Tier 1 ratio1 
  Total own funds ratio2 
  Total equity 
  Tier 2 subordinated loan notes 
  Risk-weighted assets 
  Return on assets3 
  Leverage ratio4 
Other resources: 
  Total assets 
  Treasury assets5 
  Investment management  
loan book6 
  Intangible assets from acquired 
growth7 
  Tangible assets and software8 
Liabilities: 
  Due to customers9 
  Net defined benefit pension 
liability 

11.2 

15.6 

1.  Net book value of goodwill, client relationship intangibles and software are deducted directly  

from capital resources, less any related deferred tax 

1.  Common Equity Tier 1 capital as a proportion of total risk exposure amount 
2.  Total own funds (see table 16) as a proportion of total risk exposure amount 
3.  Profit after tax divided by average total assets 
4.  Common Equity Tier 1 capital as a % of total assets, excluding intangible assets, plus certain  

off-balance sheet exposures 

5.  Balances with central banks, loans and advances to banks and investment securities 
6.  See note 17 to the financial statements 
7.  Net book value of acquired client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 
8.  Net book value of property, plant and equipment and computer software (notes 20 and 22) 
9.  Total amounts of cash in client portfolios held by Rathbone Investment Management as a  

bank (note 24) 

Common Equity Tier 1 capital (CET1) resources increased by 
£32.9 million during 2018, largely due to the inclusion of verified 
profits for the 2018 financial year and the capital raised from the 
placing of 2.4 million shares on 18 June 2018, net of dividends 
paid in the year and the intangible assets acquired through the 
acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 

The CET1 ratio was 20.6%, in line with 20.7% at the previous  
year end. Our consolidated CET1 ratio remains higher than  
the banking industry norm, reflecting the low-risk nature  
of our banking activity.  

The leverage ratio was 8.9% at 31 December 2018, up from  
7.8% at 31 December 2017. The leverage ratio represents our 
CET1 capital as a percentage of our total assets, excluding 
intangible assets, plus certain off balance sheet exposures. 

The business is primarily funded by equity, but also supported 
by £20 million of 10-year Tier 2 subordinated loan notes. The 
notes introduce a small amount of gearing into our balance 
sheet as a way of financing future growth in a cost-effective  
and capital-efficient manner. They are repayable in August  
2025, with a call option for the issuer in August 2020 and 
annually thereafter. Interest is payable at a fixed rate of  
5.856% until the first call option date and at a fixed margin  
of 4.375% over six-month LIBOR thereafter (note 27). 

The consolidated balance sheet total equity was £464.1 million 
at 31 December 2018, up 27.7% from £363.3 million at the end  
of 2017, primarily reflecting the issue of new share capital and 
retained profits for the year. 

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Financial position 

Table 15. Group financial position Please fix the leading on this 

Capital resources 

table. 

Capital resources: 

  Common Equity Tier 1 ratio1 

  Total own funds ratio2 

  Total equity 

  Tier 2 subordinated loan notes 

  Risk-weighted assets 

  Return on assets3 

  Leverage ratio4 

Other resources: 

  Total assets 

  Treasury assets5 

  Investment management  

  Intangible assets from acquired 

loan book6 

growth7 

  Tangible assets and software8 

Liabilities: 

  Due to customers9 

  Net defined benefit pension 

liability 

2018 

£m 

2017

£m

(unless stated) 

(unless stated) 

20.6% 

22.0% 

464.1 

19.8 

1,141.8 

1.6% 

8.9% 

20.7% 

22.2% 

363.3 

19.7 

977.2 

1.8% 

7.8% 

Rathbones is classified as a banking group for regulatory  

capital purposes and is therefore required to operate within  

the restrictions on capital resources and banking exposures 

prescribed by the Capital Requirements Regulation, as applied 

in the UK by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). 

At 31 December 2018, the group’s regulatory capital resources 

(including verified profits for the year) were £251.4 million  

(2017: £216.8 million). 

Table 16. Regulatory capital resources 

Share capital and share premium 

2,867.7 

2,351.7 

2,738.9 

2,303.9 

Reserves 

Less: 

131.7 

120.5 

160.1 

30.2 

151.7 

26.7 

  Own shares

  Intangible assets1

Total Common Equity Tier 1 capital 

resources 

Tier 2 capital resources 

2,225.5 

2,170.5 

Total own funds 

2018 

£m 

233.0 

263.9 

2017

£m 

145.7 

222.5 

(32.7)

(229.3)

(4.9)

(161.3)

234.9 

16.5 

251.4 

202.0 

14.8 

216.8 

11.2 

15.6 

1.  Net book value of goodwill, client relationship intangibles and software are deducted directly  

from capital resources, less any related deferred tax 

1.  Common Equity Tier 1 capital as a proportion of total risk exposure amount 

2.  Total own funds (see table 16) as a proportion of total risk exposure amount 

3.  Profit after tax divided by average total assets 

4.  Common Equity Tier 1 capital as a % of total assets, excluding intangible assets, plus certain  

off-balance sheet exposures 

5.  Balances with central banks, loans and advances to banks and investment securities 

6.  See note 17 to the financial statements 

7.  Net book value of acquired client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 

8.  Net book value of property, plant and equipment and computer software (notes 20 and 22) 

9.  Total amounts of cash in client portfolios held by Rathbone Investment Management as a  

bank (note 24) 

Common Equity Tier 1 capital (CET1) resources increased by 

£32.9 million during 2018, largely due to the inclusion of verified 

profits for the 2018 financial year and the capital raised from the 

placing of 2.4 million shares on 18 June 2018, net of dividends 

paid in the year and the intangible assets acquired through the 

acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 

The CET1 ratio was 20.6%, in line with 20.7% at the previous  

year end. Our consolidated CET1 ratio remains higher than  

the banking industry norm, reflecting the low-risk nature  

of our banking activity.  

The leverage ratio was 8.9% at 31 December 2018, up from  

7.8% at 31 December 2017. The leverage ratio represents our 

CET1 capital as a percentage of our total assets, excluding 

intangible assets, plus certain off balance sheet exposures. 

The business is primarily funded by equity, but also supported 

by £20 million of 10-year Tier 2 subordinated loan notes. The 

notes introduce a small amount of gearing into our balance 

sheet as a way of financing future growth in a cost-effective  

and capital-efficient manner. They are repayable in August  

2025, with a call option for the issuer in August 2020 and 

annually thereafter. Interest is payable at a fixed rate of  

5.856% until the first call option date and at a fixed margin  

of 4.375% over six-month LIBOR thereafter (note 27). 

The consolidated balance sheet total equity was £464.1 million 

at 31 December 2018, up 27.7% from £363.3 million at the end  

of 2017, primarily reflecting the issue of new share capital and 

retained profits for the year. 

Own funds and liquidity requirements 

Pillar 1 – minimum requirement for capital 

As required under PRA rules, we perform an Internal Capital 
Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) and Internal Liquidity 
Adequacy Assessment Process (ILAAP) annually, which include 
performing a range of stress tests to determine the appropriate 
level of regulatory capital and liquidity that we need to hold.  
In addition, we monitor a wide range of capital and liquidity 
statistics on a daily, monthly or less frequent basis as required. 
Surplus capital levels are forecast on a monthly basis, taking 
account of proposed dividends and investment requirements, 
to ensure that appropriate buffers are maintained. Investment  
of proprietary funds is controlled by our treasury department. 

We are required to hold capital to cover a range of own funds 
requirements, classified as Pillar 1 and Pillar 2. 

The group’s own funds requirements were as follows: 

Table 17. Group’s own funds requirements1 

Credit risk requirement 
Market risk requirement 
Operational risk requirement 
Pillar 1 own funds requirement 
Pillar 2A own funds requirement 
Total Pillar 1 and 2A own funds 

requirements 
CRD IV buffers: 
  capital conservation buffer (CCB) 
  countercyclical buffer (CCyB) 
Total Pillar 1 and 2A own funds 

2018 
£m 
44.6 
0.4 
46.3 
91.3 
48.4 

2017
£m 
39.5 
0.4 
38.4 
78.3 
46.1 

139.7 

124.4 

28.5 
8.9 

18.3 
0.1 

requirements and CRD IV buffers 

177.1 

142.8 

1.  Own funds requirements stated above include the impact of trading results and changes to 
requirements and buffers that were known as at 31 December and which became effective  
prior to the publication of the preliminary results 

Pillar 1 focuses on the determination of a total risk exposure 
amount (also known as ‘risk-weighted assets’) and expected 
losses in respect of the group’s exposure to credit, counterparty 
credit, market and operational risks, and sets a minimum 
requirement for capital. 

At 31 December 2018, the group’s total risk exposure amount 
was £1,142.7 million (2017: £977.2 million). 

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Pillar 2 – supervisory review process 

Pillar 2 supplements the Pillar 1 minimum requirement with  
a firm-specific Individual Capital Guidance (Pillar 2A) and  
a framework of regulatory capital buffers (Pillar 2B). 

The Pillar 2A own funds requirement (which is set by the PRA) 
reflects those risks, specific to the firm, which are not fully 
captured under the Pillar 1 own funds requirement. 

Our Pillar 2A own funds requirement was reviewed by the  
PRA during 2017. 

Pension obligation risk 
The potential for additional unplanned capital strain or  
costs that the group would incur in the event of a significant 
deterioration in the funding position of the group’s defined 
benefit pension schemes. 

Interest rate risk in the banking book 
The potential losses in the non-trading book resulting from 
interest rate changes or widening of the spread between  
Bank of England base rates and LIBOR rates. 

Concentration risk 
Greater loss volatility arising from a higher level of loan  
default correlation than is assumed by the Pillar 1 assessment. 

The group is also required to maintain a number of Pillar  
2B regulatory capital buffers, all of which must be met  
with CET1 capital. 

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Financial position continued 

Capital conservation buffer (CCB) 
The CCB is a general buffer, designed to provide for losses  
in the event of a stress and was phased in from 1 January 2016  
to 1 January 2019. As at 31 December 2017, the buffer rate was 
1.25% of risk-weighted assets. On 1 January 2018, it increased  
to 1.875% of risk-weighted assets and it finally increased to  
2.5% of risk weighted assets from 1 January 2019. 

Countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) 
The CCyB is designed to act as an incentive for banks to 
constrain credit growth in times of heightened systemic risk. 
The amount of the buffer is determined by reference to rates  
set by the Financial Policy Committee from time to time, 
depending on prevailing market conditions, for individual 
countries where the group has credit risk exposures.  

The buffer rate is currently set at 1.0% for the UK. The group  
also has some small, relevant credit exposures in Canada  
and Australia, both of which have applicable buffer rates of  
0%, resulting in a weighted buffer rate of 0.78% of the group’s 
total risk exposure amount as at 31 December 2018. 

PRA buffer 
The PRA also determines whether any incremental firm-specific 
buffer is required, in addition to the CCB and the CCyB. The PRA 
requires any such buffer to remain confidential between the 
group and the PRA. 

The surplus of own funds (including verified profits for the  
full year) over total Pillar 1 and 2A own funds requirements  
and CRD IV buffers was £74.1 million, up from £74.0 million  
at the end of 2017. 

In managing the group’s regulatory capital position over  
the next few years, we will continue to be mindful of: 

–  future volatility in pension scheme valuations which  
affect both the level of CET1 own funds and the value  
of the Pillar 2A requirement for pension risk; 

–  regulatory developments; and 
–  the demands of future acquisitions which generate intangible 

assets and, therefore, directly reduce CET1 resources. 

We keep these issues under constant review to ensure that  
any necessary capital-raising activities are carried out in a 
planned and controlled manner.  

The group’s Pillar 3 disclosures are published annually on  
our website (rathbones.com/investor-relations/results-and-
presentations) and provide further details about regulatory 
capital resources and requirements. 

Total assets 

Total assets at 31 December 2018 were £2.9 billion (2017: £2.7 
billion), of which £2.2 billion (2017: £2.2 billion) represents the 
investment in the money markets of the cash element of client 
portfolios that is held as a banking deposit. 

Treasury assets 

As a licensed deposit taker, Rathbone Investment Management 
holds our surplus liquidity on its balance sheet together with 
clients’ cash. Cash in client portfolios as held on a banking  
basis of £2.2 billion (2017: £2.2 billion) represented 5.8% of total 
Investment Management funds at 31 December 2018 compared 
to 6.4% at the end of 2017. Cash held in client money accounts 
was £3.0 million (2017: £4.5 million). 

The treasury department of Rathbone Investment 
Management, reporting through the banking committee to  
the board, operates in accordance with procedures set out  
in a board-approved treasury manual and monitors exposure  
to market, credit and liquidity risk as described in note 32 to  
the financial statements. It invests in a range of securities  
issued by a relatively large number of counterparties. These 
counterparties must be single ‘A’-rated or higher by Fitch  
and are regularly reviewed by the banking committee. 

During the year, we reduced the share of treasury assets  
held with the Bank of England to £1.2 billion from £1.4 billion  
at 31 December 2017 and increased the balance invested in 
certificates of deposit with maturities of up to one year.  
Interest rates paid by those assets had increased during  
the year, enabling us to increase the interest margin earned 
whilst maintaining a consistent appetite for credit risk. 

Loans to clients 

Loans are provided as a service to Investment Management 
clients who have short- to medium-term cash requirements. 
Such loans are normally made on a fully secured basis against 
portfolios held in our nominee name, requiring two times cover, 
and are usually advanced for up to one year (see note 17 to the 
financial statements). In addition, charges may be taken on 
property held by the client to meet security cover requirements. 

All loans (and any extensions to the initial loan period) are 
subject to review by the banking committee. Our ability to 
provide such loans is a valuable additional service, for example, 
to clients who require bridging finance when moving home. 

Loans advanced to clients totalled £131.7 million at the end  
of 2018 (2017: £120.5 million). 

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Financial position continued 

The CCB is a general buffer, designed to provide for losses  

in the event of a stress and was phased in from 1 January 2016  

to 1 January 2019. As at 31 December 2017, the buffer rate was 

1.25% of risk-weighted assets. On 1 January 2018, it increased  

to 1.875% of risk-weighted assets and it finally increased to  

2.5% of risk weighted assets from 1 January 2019. 

Countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) 

The CCyB is designed to act as an incentive for banks to 

constrain credit growth in times of heightened systemic risk. 

The amount of the buffer is determined by reference to rates  

set by the Financial Policy Committee from time to time, 

depending on prevailing market conditions, for individual 

countries where the group has credit risk exposures.  

The buffer rate is currently set at 1.0% for the UK. The group  

also has some small, relevant credit exposures in Canada  

and Australia, both of which have applicable buffer rates of  

0%, resulting in a weighted buffer rate of 0.78% of the group’s 

total risk exposure amount as at 31 December 2018. 

PRA buffer 

The PRA also determines whether any incremental firm-specific 

buffer is required, in addition to the CCB and the CCyB. The PRA 

requires any such buffer to remain confidential between the 

group and the PRA. 

The surplus of own funds (including verified profits for the  

full year) over total Pillar 1 and 2A own funds requirements  

and CRD IV buffers was £74.1 million, up from £74.0 million  

at the end of 2017. 

In managing the group’s regulatory capital position over  

the next few years, we will continue to be mindful of: 

–  future volatility in pension scheme valuations which  

affect both the level of CET1 own funds and the value  

of the Pillar 2A requirement for pension risk; 

–  regulatory developments; and 

–  the demands of future acquisitions which generate intangible 

assets and, therefore, directly reduce CET1 resources. 

We keep these issues under constant review to ensure that  

any necessary capital-raising activities are carried out in a 

planned and controlled manner.  

The group’s Pillar 3 disclosures are published annually on  

our website (rathbones.com/investor-relations/results-and-

presentations) and provide further details about regulatory 

capital resources and requirements. 

Total assets at 31 December 2018 were £2.9 billion (2017: £2.7 

billion), of which £2.2 billion (2017: £2.2 billion) represents the 

investment in the money markets of the cash element of client 

portfolios that is held as a banking deposit. 

Treasury assets 

As a licensed deposit taker, Rathbone Investment Management 

holds our surplus liquidity on its balance sheet together with 

clients’ cash. Cash in client portfolios as held on a banking  

basis of £2.2 billion (2017: £2.2 billion) represented 5.8% of total 

Investment Management funds at 31 December 2018 compared 

to 6.4% at the end of 2017. Cash held in client money accounts 

was £3.0 million (2017: £4.5 million). 

The treasury department of Rathbone Investment 

Management, reporting through the banking committee to  

the board, operates in accordance with procedures set out  

in a board-approved treasury manual and monitors exposure  

to market, credit and liquidity risk as described in note 32 to  

the financial statements. It invests in a range of securities  

issued by a relatively large number of counterparties. These 

counterparties must be single ‘A’-rated or higher by Fitch  

and are regularly reviewed by the banking committee. 

During the year, we reduced the share of treasury assets  

held with the Bank of England to £1.2 billion from £1.4 billion  

at 31 December 2017 and increased the balance invested in 

certificates of deposit with maturities of up to one year.  

Interest rates paid by those assets had increased during  

the year, enabling us to increase the interest margin earned 

whilst maintaining a consistent appetite for credit risk. 

Loans to clients 

Loans are provided as a service to Investment Management 

clients who have short- to medium-term cash requirements. 

Such loans are normally made on a fully secured basis against 

portfolios held in our nominee name, requiring two times cover, 

and are usually advanced for up to one year (see note 17 to the 

financial statements). In addition, charges may be taken on 

property held by the client to meet security cover requirements. 

All loans (and any extensions to the initial loan period) are 

subject to review by the banking committee. Our ability to 

provide such loans is a valuable additional service, for example, 

to clients who require bridging finance when moving home. 

Loans advanced to clients totalled £131.7 million at the end  

of 2018 (2017: £120.5 million). 

Capital conservation buffer (CCB) 

Total assets 

Intangible assets 

Capital expenditure 

Intangible assets arise principally from acquired growth  
in funds under management and administration and are 
categorised as goodwill and client relationships. Intangible 
assets reported on the balance sheet also include purchased  
and developed software. 

At 31 December 2018, the total carrying value of intangible  
assets arising from acquired growth was £225.6 million (2017: 
£151.7 million). On 31 August 2018, the group completed the 
purchase of Speirs & Jeffrey, which resulted in the acquisition  
of £28.1 million of goodwill and £54.3 million of client 
relationship intangible assets. 

During the year, further client relationship intangible assets  
of £1.3 million were capitalised (2017: £2.7 million) in relation  
to awards to newly joined investment teams for new client 
relationships introduced. As described in note 2 to the financial 
statements, the adoption of IFRS 15 in the year required us to 
change the accounting policy for these awards. Historically,  
the cost of awards for funds introduced by investment 
managers who have been in situ for more than 12 months  
were charged to profit or loss (2017: £5.1 million). Under the  
new accounting standard, these amounts are also capitalised. 
Consequently, the opening balance of client relationship 
intangible assets was increased by £8.3 million. 

Client relationship intangibles are amortised over the estimated 
life of the client relationship, generally a period of 10 to 15 years. 
When client relationships are lost, any related intangible asset  
is derecognised in the year. The total amortisation charge for  
client relationships in 2018, including the impact of any lost 
relationships, was £12.9 million (2017: £11.4 million).  

Goodwill, which arises from business combinations, is not 
amortised but is subject to a test for impairment at least 
annually. During the year, the goodwill relating to the trust and 
tax business was found to be impaired as the growth forecasts 
for that business have not kept pace with cost inflation. An 
impairment charge of £0.3 million was recognised in relation  
to this element of goodwill (2017: £0.3 million). Further detail  
is provided in note 22 to the financial statements. 

During 2018, we have broadly maintained the level of 
investment in the development of our premises and systems, 
with capital expenditure for the year totalling £11.0 million (2017: 
£11.3 million). Capital expenditure in 2017 included £2.8 million 
for the completion of the fit out of our London head office. In 
2018, property-related spend of £3.2 million included the cost  
of moving to a new office in Birmingham and the fit out of 
additional space in Liverpool. 

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The level of spend on our systems has increased slightly in  
2018, as we have continued with the IT change programme 
announced in 2017. Total costs for the purchase and 
development of software were £7.7 million in the year (2017:  
£7.1 million). Key areas of investment during the year included 
continuing the development of our new client relationship 
management system and work to streamline the client journey. 

Overall, new investment accounted for approximately 77%  
of total capital expenditure in 2018, broadly consistent with  
79% in 2017. The balance of total spend has been incurred  
for the maintenance and replacement of existing software  
and equipment. 

Defined benefit pension schemes 

We operate two defined benefit pension schemes, both of which 
have been closed to new members for several years. With effect 
from 30 June 2017, we closed both schemes, ceasing all future 
benefit accrual and breaking the link to salary. The closure of the 
schemes resulted in a £5.5 million improvement in the reported 
position of the schemes in 2017. 

At 31 December 2018 the combined schemes’ liabilities, 
measured on an accounting basis, had fallen to £146.5 million, 
down 10.7% from £164.1 million at the end of 2017. Reflecting  
the performance of the schemes’ assets over the course of the 
year, the reported position of the schemes at 31 December 2018 
was a deficit of £11.2 million (2017: deficit of £15.6 million). 

Triennial funding valuations form the basis of the annual 
contributions that we make into the schemes. During 2018, 
funding valuations of the schemes as at 31 December 2016  
were finalised, resulting in committed annual contributions  
to the schemes totalling £12.0 million, paid at a rate of  
£3.1 million per year until 2022. 

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The most significant non-operating cash flows during the year 
were as follows: 

–  Net outflows of £72.9 million in relation to the acquisition  

of Speirs & Jeffrey, being cash consideration of £88.4 million 
less cash balances of £15.5 million in the acquired entity; 
–  Net cash inflows of £57.4 million from the issue of shares 
during the year to partially finance the acquisition of  
Speirs & Jeffrey; 

–  Outflows relating to the payment of dividends of £32.7 million 

(2017: £29.4 million); 

–  Outflows relating to payments to acquire intangible assets 

(other than as part of a business combination) of £15.1 million 
(2017: £11.9 million); and 

–  £3.2 million of capital expenditure on property, plant and 

equipment (2017: £4.2 million). 

Liquidity and cash flow 

Table 18. Extract from the consolidated statement of cash flows 
2017
£m 

2018 
£m 

Cash and cash equivalents at the 

end of the year 

1,408.5 

1,567.8 

Net cash inflows from operating 

activities 

Net change in cash and cash 

equivalents 

111.1 

351.5 

(159.2) 

304.7 

Fees and commissions are largely collected directly from  
client portfolios and expenses, by and large, are predictable; 
consequently, we operate with a modest amount of working 
capital. Larger cash flows are principally generated from  
banking and treasury operations when investment managers 
make asset allocation decisions about the amount of cash to  
be held in client portfolios. 

As a bank, we are subject to the PRA’s ILAAP regime, which 
requires us to hold a suitable liquid assets buffer to ensure  
that short-term liquidity requirements can be met under  
certain stressed scenarios. Liquidity risks are actively managed 
on a daily basis and depend on operational and investment 
transaction activity. 

Cash and balances at central banks was £1.2 billion at  
31 December 2018 (2017: £1.4 billion). 

Cash and cash equivalents, as defined by accounting standards, 
includes cash, money market funds and banking deposits, 
which had an original maturity of less than three months  
(see note 38 to the financial statements). Consequently,  
cash flows, as reported in the financial statements, include  
the impact of capital flows in treasury assets. 

Net cash flows from operating activities include the effect of a 
£54.2 million increase in banking client deposits (2017: £282.6 
million increase) and a £11.4 million increase in the component 
of treasury assets placed in term deposits for more than three 
months or lent to clients (2017: £16.6 million increase). 

Cash flows from investing activities also included a net outflow 
of £203.8 million from the purchase of longer dated certificates 
of deposit (2017: £4.0 million). 

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Risk management and control
Managing our risks

In 2018, we have continued to evolve our risk management framework in support of our ‘three lines of  
defence’ model. Our approach to risk governance, risk processes and risk infrastructure ensures that the 
management of risk across the group considers existing and emerging challenges to our values and strategy. 
Going forward into 2019, we will continue our approach to ensure that effective risk management is in place  
to protect our stakeholders.

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Risk culture

Managing risk

We believe an embedded risk culture enhances the 
effectiveness of risk management and decision making across 
the group. The board is responsible for setting the right tone, 
which supports a strong risk culture and, through our senior 
management team, encouraging appropriate behaviours  
and collaboration on managing risk across the business. Risk 
management is accepted as being part of everyone’s day-to-
day responsibilities and activities; it is linked to performance 
and development, as well as to the group’s remuneration and 
reward schemes. Our approach through this is to create an 
open and transparent working environment, encouraging 
employees to engage positively in risk management and 
support the effective achievement of our strategic objectives.

Risk appetite

The board is ultimately accountable for risk management  
and regularly considers the most significant risks and 
emerging threats to the group’s strategy. The board,  
audit and group risk committees exercise further oversight 
and challenge of risk management and internal control. 
Day-to-day, the group chief executive and executive 
committee are responsible for managing risk and the  
regular review of key risks facing the group. 

In 2018, we merged our conduct and operational risk 
management committees to form a new executive risk 
committee, which complements the banking committee  
that oversees financial risk management. 

Throughout the group, all employees have a responsibility  
for managing risk and adhering to our control framework. 

We define risk appetite as both the amount and type of risk the 
group is prepared to accept or retain in pursuit of our strategy. 

Three lines of defence

Our appetite is subject to regular review to ensure it remains 
aligned to our strategic goals. Our risk appetite framework 
contains some overarching parameters, alongside specific 
primary and secondary measures for each principal risk. At 
least annually, the board, executive committee and group risk 
committee will formally review and approve the group’s risk 
appetite statement and at each meeting, risks are reported 
which have triggered key risk indicators or risk appetite 
measures so that risk mitigation can be reviewed and 
strengthened if appropriate. 

Notwithstanding the continued expectations for business 
growth, along with a strategic and regulatory change 
programme for 2018, the board remains committed to  
having a relatively low overall appetite for risk, ensuring that  
our internal controls mitigate risk to appropriate levels. The 
board recognises that the business is susceptible to fluctuations 
in investment markets and has the potential to bear losses from 
financial and operational risks from time-to-time, either as 
reductions in income or increases in operating costs.

Our three lines of defence model supports the risk 
management framework and the expectations of all 
employees, with responsibility and accountability  
for risk management broken down as follows.

First line: Senior management, business operations and 
support are responsible for managing risks, by developing  
and maintaining effective internal controls to mitigate risk.

Second line: The risk, compliance and anti-money laundering 
functions maintain a level of independence from the first  
line. They are responsible for providing oversight and 
challenge of the first line’s day-to-day management, 
monitoring and reporting of risks to both senior  
management and governing bodies.

Third line: The internal audit function is responsible for 
providing independent assurance to both senior management 
and governing bodies as to the effectiveness of the group’s 
governance, risk management and internal controls.

Three lines of defence

Overview

External independent assurance

Third line: Internal independent assurance

Second line: Oversight and challenge functions

First line: Business operations and support

Executive risk 
committee

Executive 
committee

Audit and group 
risk committee

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Risk management and control continued

Identification and profiling of principal risks

Risk assessment process

Our risks are classified using a hierarchical approach, which is 
regularly reviewed to ensure we identify all known material 
risks to the business and consider emerging risks, which may 
impact future performance. Our highest level of risk analysis 
(Level 1) comprises financial, conduct and operational risks. 
This year we have made some adjustments to our next level 
(Level 2), which contains 17 risk categories, each allocated to  
a Level 1 risk. The changes reflect the future risk landscape  
and profile of the group. Detailed risks (Level 3) continue to  
be identified as sub-sets of Level 2 risks. Level 3 risks are 
captured and maintained within our group risk register,  
which is the principal tool for monitoring risks. We recognise 
that some Level 2 and Level 3 risks have features, which need 
to be considered under more than one Level 1 risk, and this  
is facilitated in our framework through a system of primary  
and secondary considerations.

Our risk exposures and overall risk profile are reviewed  
and monitored regularly, considering the potential impact, 
existing internal controls and management actions required to 
mitigate the impact of emerging issues and likelihood of future 
events. To ensure we identify and manage our principal risks, 
reviews take place with risk owners, senior management and 
business units across the group. The risk function conducts 
these reviews and risk workshops regularly during the year. 

A watch list is maintained to record any current, emerging or 
future issues, threats, business developments and regulatory 
or legislative change, which will or could have the potential  
to impact the firm’s current or future risk profile and therefore 
may require active risk management, usually through process 
changes, systems development or regulatory changes. The 
group’s risk profile, risk register and watch list are regularly 
reviewed by the executive committee, senior management, 
board and group risk committee.

This year, we have reviewed our risk assessment approach 
and adjusted our scoring system. Each Level 3 risk is assessed 
for the inherent likelihood of its occurrence in a three-year 
period (a reduction from five years) and against a number of 
different impact criteria, including financial, client, operations, 
reputation, strategy and regulation indicators. A residual risk 
exposure and overall risk profile rating of high, medium,  
low or very low is then derived for the three-year period by 
taking into account an assessment of the internal control 
environment or insurance mitigation. The assessment of  
our control environment, undertaken by senior management 
within the firm, includes contributions from first, second and 
third line people, data, monitoring and/or assurance activity.

The board and senior management are actively involved  
in a continuous risk assessment process as part of our risk 
management framework, supported by the annual Internal 
Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) and Internal 
Liquidity Adequacy Assessment Process (ILAAP) work, which 
assesses the principal risks facing the group.

Stress tests include consideration of the impact of a number  
of severe but plausible events that could impact the business. 
The work also takes account of the availability and likely 
effectiveness of mitigating actions that could be taken to avoid 
or reduce the impact or occurrence of the underlying risks.

Day-to-day, our risk assessment process considers both the 
impact and likelihood of risk events which could materialise, 
affecting the delivery of strategic goals and annual business 
plans. A top-down and bottom-up approach ensures that  
our assessment of key risks is challenged and reviewed on a 
regular basis. The board, executive committee and executive 
risk committee receive regular reports and information from 
senior management, operational business units, risk oversight 
functions and specific risk committees.

The executive risk committee, executive committee, group 
risk committee and other key risk-focused committees 
consider the risk assessments and provide challenge, which  
is reported through the governance framework and ultimately 
considered by the board. 

Profile and mitigation of principal risks

As explained above, our risks are classified hierarchically in  
a three-level model. There are three Level 1 risks, 17 Level 2 
risks and 47 Level 3 risks, all of which form the basis of the 
group’s risk register. Our approach to managing risk continues 
to be underpinned by an understanding of our current risk 
exposures and consideration of how risks change over time. 
The underlying risk profile and ratings for the majority of  
Level 2 risks have remained reasonably stable during 2018. 
However, there have been some changes to risk ratings and 
the following table summarises the most important of these.

Based upon the risk assessment processes identified above, 
the board believes that the principal risks and uncertainties 
facing the group, which could impact the delivery of our 
strategic objectives, have been identified below. These reflect 
the impact of the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey, the increased 
and evolving cyber threat landscape, increasing political risk 
including Brexit and global trends impacting market volatility, 
and continuing focus on client suitability. 2018 also saw two 
material regulatory changes come into effect, MiFID II and  
the General Data Protection Regulation, which remain areas  
of focus for the firm. The board remains vigilant to the risks 
associated with the pension schemes’ deficit. The other  
key risks are operational risks that arise from growth and 
regulatory risks that, in turn, may arise from the continuing 
development of law, regulation and standards in our sector.

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Our overall risk profile and control environment for principal 
risks are described below. The board receives assurance from 
first line senior management that the systems of internal 
control are operating effectively and from the activities  
of the second line and third line that there are no material 
control issues which would affect the board’s view of its 
principal risks and uncertainties. 

In line with current and developing guidance, we also include 
in the tables the potential impacts (I) the firm might face and 
our assessment of the likelihood (L) of each principal risk 
crystallising in the event it materialises. These assessments 
take into account the controls in place to mitigate the risks. 
However, as is always the case, should a risk materialise,  
a range of outcomes (both in scale and type) might be 
experienced. This is particularly relevant for firms such  
as Rathbones where the outcome of a risk event can be 
influenced by market conditions as well as internal  
control factors.

We have used ratings of high, medium, low and very low  
in this risk assessment. We perceive as high-risk items those 
which have the potential to impact the delivery of strategic 
objectives, with medium-, low- and very low-rated items 
having proportionately less impact on the firm. Likelihood  
is similarly based on a qualitative assessment.

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Emerging risks and threats

Emerging risks, including legislative and regulatory change, 
have the potential to impact the group and its strategy.  
These risk factors are monitored through our watch list. 
During the year, the executive committee continued to 
recognise a number of emerging risks and threats to the 
financial services sector as a whole and to our business.  
We also recognise that the risk profile associated with 
outsourced activities can change over time and this  
will be an area of continued focus in 2019. 

The group’s view is that we can reasonably expect current 
market conditions and uncertainties to remain throughout 
2019, given the implications of Brexit and the UK political 
environment. Other developing risks include, for example, 
cyber threats, regulatory change and further scenarios 
potentially arising from geopolitical developments and 
increasing tensions around global trade.

We are continuing to monitor the potential consequences  
of Brexit very closely. Our current assessment is that the  
direct impacts of Brexit as currently proposed are manageable 
given our largely UK-based business model. However, we are 
conscious that the position is uncertain, has the potential to 
change and may raise unexpected challenges and implications 
for the firm, possibly extending to our supply chain. The firm’s 
income is correlated to market levels, which are expected to  
be impacted by Brexit and other areas of political uncertainty.

Key changes to risk profile
Risk
Business model  
(including Brexit)

Description of change
This risk includes the impacts arising from changing market conditions, which are  
impacted in turn by political uncertainty and the global economy.

Risk change in 2018

Although the firm does not have operations in other European Union countries, or  
material dependencies on goods or people from other European Union countries and has  
a predominantly UK client base, any impact of Brexit on investment markets will also affect 
the value of our funds under management and administration.

Suitability and advice Our forward-looking risk assessment increased during the year, largely reflecting regulatory 

Change

Data integrity  
and security
People

Pension

drivers. In addition to changes delivered in 2017/18, we plan to improve our processes 
further in 2019 through systems enhancements designed to simplify the workflows 
involved for our clients and employees. 
We increased our risk assessment to reflect the firm’s change plans, including the integration 
programme for Speirs & Jeffrey.
We have increased our risk rating in this area based on our assessment of the increasing 
external threat profile, despite continuing investment in technology improvements. 
Our forward-looking risk assessment increased further during the year, reflecting industry-
wide trends. We also recognise the importance of addressing the drivers behind our gender 
pay gap over the coming years. 
The funding deficit decreased materially due to the closure of the schemes in 2017,  
with a significant number of members transferring benefits out of the schemes. However, 
this remains an important risk for the firm to manage.

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Risk management and control continued

Principal risks

The most significant risks which could impact the delivery of our strategy and annual business plans are detailed below.

Level 2 risk
Credit

The risk that one or more 
counterparties fail to fulfil 
contractual obligations, 
including stock settlement

How the risk arises
This risk can arise from placing 
funds with other banks and  
holding interest-bearing securities. 
There is also a limited level of 
lending to clients

Pension

The risk that the cost of 
funding our defined benefit 
pension schemes increases,  
or their valuation affects 
dividends, reserves and capital

This risk can arise through a 
sustained deficit between the 
schemes’ assets and liabilities.  
A number of factors impact  
a deficit, including increased  
life expectancy, falling interest 
rates and falling asset values

  Residual rating

I
High

L
Very 
low

High Med

Business model

The risk that the business 
model does not respond  
in an optimal manner to 
changing market conditions 
such that sustainable growth, 
market share or profitability  
is adversely affected

This risk can arise from strategic 
decisions, which fail to consider  
the current operating environment, 
or can be influenced by external 
factors such as material changes  
in regulation or legislation within 
the financial services sector

High Med

Control environment
 – Banking committee oversight
 – Counterparty limits and credit reviews
 – Treasury policy and procedures
 – Active monitoring of exposures
 – Client loan policy and procedures
 – Annual ICAAP
 – Board, senior management and trustee 

oversight

 – Monthly valuation estimates
 – Triennial independent actuarial valuations
 – Investment policy
 – Senior management review and defined 

management actions

 – Annual ICAAP
 – Board and executive oversight
 – A documented strategy
 – Annual business targets, subject  
to regular review and challenge
 – Regular reviews of pricing structure
 – Continued investment in the investment 
process, service standards and marketing

 – Trade body participation
 – Regular competitor benchmarking  

and analysis

Suitability and advice

The risk that clients receive 
inappropriate financial,  
trust or investment advice, 
inadequate documentation  
or unsuitable portfolios

This risk can arise through failure 
to appropriately understand the 
wealth management needs of our 
clients, or failure to apply suitable 
advice or investment strategies

High Med

 – Investment governance and structured 

committee oversight

 – Management oversight and segregated 

quality assurance and performance teams
 – Performance measurement and attribution 

analysis

 – Know your client (KYC) suitability processes
 – Weekly investment management meetings
 – Investment manager reviews through 

supervisor sampling
 – Compliance monitoring

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Level 2 risk
Regulatory

The risk of failure by the 
group or a subsidiary to fulfil 
regulatory requirements and 
comply with the introduction 
of new, or changes to existing, 
regulation

How the risk arises
This risk can arise from failures  
by the business to comply  
with existing regulation or  
failure to identify and react  
to regulatory change

  Residual rating

L

I
High Med

Change

The risk that the planning or 
implementation of change is 
ineffective or fails to deliver 
desired outcomes, the impact 
of which may lead to 
unmitigated financial 
exposures

This risk can arise if the business  
is too aggressive and unstructured 
in its change programme to 
manage project risks, or fails  
to make available the capacity  
and capabilities to deliver  
business benefits

High Med

High Med

This risk can arise from the  
firm failing to maintain and  
keep secure sensitive and 
confidential data through  
its operating infrastructure, 
including the activities of 
employees, and through  
the management of  
cyber threats

High Med

This risk can arise across all  
areas of the business as a result  
of resource management failures 
or from external factors such as 
increased competition or material 
changes in regulation

Data integrity and security

The risk of a lack of integrity 
of, inappropriate access to,  
or disclosure of, client or 
company-sensitive 
information

People

The risk of loss of key staff, 
lack of skilled resources and 
inappropriate behaviour or 
actions. This could lead to  
lack of capacity or capability 
threatening the delivery  
of business objectives, 
or to behaviour leading  
to complaints, regulatory 
action or litigation

Control environment
 – Board and executive oversight
 – Active involvement with industry bodies
 – Compliance monitoring programme to 

examine the control of key regulatory risks
 – Separate anti-money laundering function 

with specific responsibility 

 – Oversight of industry and regulatory 

developments

 – Documented policies and procedures
 – Staff training and development
 – Executive and board oversight of material 

change programmes

 – Dedicated change delivery function, use  
of internal and, where required, external 
subject matter experts

 – Documented business plans and IT strategy
 – Two-stage assessment, challenge and 

approval of project plans

 – Documented project and change 

procedures

 – Data security committee oversight
 – Data protection policy and procedures
 – System access controls and encryption
 – Penetration testing and multi-layer  

network security

 – Training and employee awareness 

programmes
 – Physical security 
 – Executive oversight
 – Succession and contingency planning
 – Transparent, consistent and competitive 

remuneration schemes

 – Contractual clauses with restrictive 

covenants

 – Continual investment in staff training  

and development

 – Employee engagement survey
 – Appropriate balanced performance 

measurement system

Further detailed discussion of the group’s exposures to financial risks is included in note 32 to the financial statements.

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Risk management and control continued

Assessment of the company’s prospects

Viability statement

The board prepares or reviews its strategic plan annually, 
completing the ICAAP and ILAAP work, which form the basis 
for capital planning and regular discussion with the Prudential 
Regulation Authority (PRA).

During the year, the board has considered a number of stress 
tests and scenarios which focus on material or severe but 
plausible events that could impact the business and the 
company’s financial position. The board also considers the 
plans and procedures in place in the event that contingency 
funding is required to replenish regulatory capital. On a 
monthly basis, critical capital projections and sensitivities 
have been refreshed and reviewed, taking into account current 
or expected market movements and business developments.

The board’s assessment considers all the principal risks 
identified by the group and assesses the sufficiency of our 
response to all Pillar 1 risks (credit, market and operational 
risks) to the required regulatory standards. In addition, the 
following risks were focused on for enhanced stress testing: 
equity market risk, interest rate risk, a loss of business/
competition risk, business expansion risk and pension 
obligation risk. 

The group considers the possible impacts of serious business 
interruption as part of its operational risk assessment process 
and remains mindful of the importance of maintaining its 
reputation. Although the business is almost wholly UK-
situated, it does not suffer from any material client, 
geographical or counterparty concentrations. 

While this review does not consider all of the risks that the 
group may face, the directors consider that this stress testing-
based assessment of the group’s prospects is reasonable in  
the circumstances of the inherent uncertainty involved.

In accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code,  
the board has assessed the prospects and viability of the  
group over a three-year period taking into account the  
risk assessments. The directors have taken into account  
the firm’s current position and the potential impact of the 
principal risks and uncertainties set out above. As part of  
the viability statement, the directors confirm that they have 
carried out a robust assessment of both the principal risks 
facing the group, and stress tests and scenarios that would 
threaten the sustainability of its business model, future 
performance, solvency or liquidity. 

The board considers five-year projections as part of its  
annual regulatory reporting cycle, which includes strategic 
and investment plans and its opinion of the likelihood of  
risks materialising. However, given the uncertainties 
associated with predicting the future impact of investment 
markets on the business over this longer period, the directors 
have determined that a three-year period to 31 December  
2021 continues to constitute an appropriate period over  
which to provide its viability statement. This is more  
closely aligned to its detailed capital planning activity.

Stress testing analysis shows that under scenarios such as a 
45% fall in FTSE 100 levels or a 0% interest rate environment 
for two years, the group would remain profitable and is able  
to withstand the impact of such scenarios. We see this 
scenario as also incorporating the potential adverse indirect 
impact of Brexit on the firm. An example of a mitigating action 
in such scenarios would be a reduction in dividend.

Based on this assessment, the directors confirm that they  
have a reasonable expectation that the company will be  
able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as  
they fall due over the period to 31 December 2021.

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Corporate responsibility report

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all designed to achieve these goals. Members of staff have 
access to management and leadership courses, continuous 
professional development (CPD) programmes to achieve 
continuous learning and agreed career development 
programmes to enable progression within the firm. 

Charities and communities 

The Rathbone Brothers Foundations have continued to 
support small local charities where donations can make a  
real difference. The overall charitable objective of the firm  
is to support small, local charities that help to improve the 
lives of young people. We also support our staff's involvement 
in charities and their communities through the two and a half 
volunteering days we offer, which will increase to three days 
in 2019. Further information on our various initiatives can be 
found below. 

Through our sponsorship of the Rathbones Folio Prize,  
we were also involved in the establishment of a mentoring 
programme for young writers.

Environmental reporting

This year, we are pleased to report significant reductions  
in both total emissions and the emissions intensity of our 
business. Though our core business grew considerably,  
with increases in total headcount (+8.3%), funds under 
management and administration (+12.8%) and operating 
income (+7.0%), our total emissions were reduced to 2,214 
tCO2e (down 343 tCO2e). Across all business activities, total 
emissions are therefore 13.4% lower than 2017 and 23.1%  
below our baseline year. 

These reductions are primarily attributable to reduced energy 
consumption across our buildings and the continued trend  
of UK grid decarbonisation. Across all buildings, our total 
energy consumption fell by 0.4%, with our Building Research 
Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) 
excellent-rated head office at Finsbury Circus proving to be 
significantly less energy-intensive than our previous Curzon 
Street location. Across the UK, the increasing share of 
electricity from renewables and declining generation from  
coal resulted in a 19.5% reduction in emissions intensity – a 
significant driver of reduced emissions from our operations. 

Despite an 8.3% increase in headcount, business travel 
emissions rose at a lower rate of 3.7%, with higher emissions 
from flights (+12.6%) offset by reduced emissions from rail 
(-8.7%) and employee-owned car use (-3.5%). Other reported 
emissions from paper and waste also fell considerably (down 
31.2%) primarily due to a reduction in paper consumption. 

We are committed to reducing the environmental impacts  
of our business and to improving our environmental 
management and reporting processes in line with our 
sustainability strategy.

For further details of our carbon footprint, please read  
the environmental impact section of this report.

Philip Howell
Chief Executive 

20 February 2019

Philip Howell
Chief Executive 

Chief executive’s annual statement on corporate 
responsibility

Rathbones’ corporate responsibility strategy aims to ensure 
that social, environmental and ethical considerations are  
taken into account throughout the business. With regard to 
environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters as they 
affect our business, the executive committee has identified 
and assessed the significant risks to the company as well as 
focusing not only on potential risks but also on opportunities 
for the company to play its part as a good employer and as a 
contributor to the environment and communities in which we 
work and our clients live. This report provides an overview of 
our activities – more information can be found on our website.

In 2018, we concluded a review to assess the alignment of our 
environmental and sustainability objectives with the broader 
commercial goals of the business. The objective of this review 
was to set the framework for the firm’s sustainability strategy 
for the long term and develop key initiatives to ensure the 
sustainability of the firm. You will find further details below.

Responsible investing 

The objective of stewardship and responsible investment  
(SRI) is to ensure that in discharging our responsibilities to  
our clients, we ensure that their interests are prioritised and 
that we adopt an active approach to the management of  
their investments in securities on their behalf. Implementing 
effective stewardship is integral to our investment process as  
a means of protecting and enhancing value for clients, often 
through encouraging high standards of corporate governance. 
During 2018, we reviewed and updated our policies in this area 
and are pleased to report on our progress below. We also 
remain a constituent company of the FTSE4Good Index series 
and a signatory to the UN–backed Principles for Responsible 
Investment (PRI). 

Our employees

Our business success is dependent upon delivering a highly 
professional and personal service to our clients and we believe 
this can only be achieved by having engaged and motivated 
employees with a diverse range of skills and experience.  
Our employee strategy, policies and investment plans are  

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Our approach

Rathbones’ corporate responsibility approach can be 
summarised as follows:

 – Investing for clients
 – Considering corporate responsibility and governance issues 
in the companies in which we invest on behalf of our clients

 – Developing our employees
 – Motivating and rewarding our employees appropriately, 

encouraging their development

 – Engaging with the communities in which we operate
 – Being aware of our environment
 – Managing our environmental impact and reducing  
our carbon footprint by the efficient use of resources

Responsible investment

Rathbones specialises in discretionary private client 
investment management. We manage assets for clients based 
on their goals. Central processes provide guidance on equity 
analysis and strategic asset allocation advice and are shared by 
the group. It is essential to our business model that investment 
managers retain their independence to buy and sell securities 
for clients. Therefore, a top-down responsible investment 
framework is provided, while maintaining investment 
flexibility for investment managers. 

Nonetheless, we are long-term investors and ESG factors  
form a key part of our equity analysis. Since 2016, our 
approach in this area has been governed by the group 
stewardship policy. The concept of our stewardship policy 
means taking a client first, active approach to the ownership  
of securities. Implementing effective stewardship is integral  
to our investment process as a means of protecting and 
enhancing value for clients. 

Core principles

The core principles that we follow are: 

1.  Materiality  

We recognise that governance and stewardship  
risks can be material to the performance and 
valuation of companies. 

2.  Active voting  

We actively consider proxy votes for client holdings. 

3.  Engagement  

Active engagement with companies on governance 
issues is an important adjunct to voting activities. 

4.  Transparency  

We report annually on our stewardship activities. 

In addition, the issue of governance as a risk factor is covered 
by the work of our stewardship committee, recognising that 
governance issues can be material in the companies in which 
we invest on behalf of our clients. As well as conducting our 
own in-house analysis, we subscribe to specialist providers of 
ESG research as part of our research budget. Governance risk 
scoring is now integrated into the work of various investment 
committees. Social, environmental and ethical considerations 
are also taken into account for specific mandates throughout 
the group, particularly those managed by our specialist ethical 
investment unit, Rathbone Greenbank Investments, and a 
number managed by our charities team. 

Through Rathbone Greenbank Investments and Rathbone  
Unit Trust Management’s specialist funds, the company is  
able to provide investment services tailored to clients’ interests 
in the area of socially responsible or sustainable investment.  
In addition to the well established Rathbone Greenbank 
Investments service and the Rathbone Unit Trust Management 
Ethical Bond Fund, in 2018 we launched the Rathbone  
Global Sustainability Fund, an investment vehicle which  
fully integrates sustainability analysis into its approach. Where 
appropriate, the company is also able to participate in new share 
issues offered by companies that provide environmentally  
or socially beneficial products or services. As at 31 December 
2018, Rathbone Greenbank Investments had £1.2 billion of funds 
equivalent to 3.12% of Rathbone Investment Management’s 
funds under management and administration. 

Affiliations
The firm has the following affiliations and accreditations: 

 – CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), as well as being a signatory 

to the CDP sister programmes on water disclosure and 
forestry. In 2018, we improved our score to a ‘C’ reflecting 
our continued focus on environmental performance 
management and climate-related issues. 

 – UN-backed PRI. We also play an active role in the PRI 
Collaboration Platform. 2019 marks our tenth year of 
membership, a milestone which we will mark with the 
publication of a special report on our activities later in  
the year. In 2018, we were ranked in the highest tier for  
our approach to the management and governance of 
responsible investment, reflecting expanding resources 
applied to this area.

 – UK Sustainable and Investment Finance Association 
(UKSIF) and the Ecumenical Council for Corporate 
Responsibility. Rathbone Greenbank Investments is  
also a leading member of the Institutional Investors  
Group on Climate Change (IIGCC).

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Voting
The cornerstone of all responsible investment is an active  
and considered approach to proxy voting. Since 2010, the 
group’s voting activity has been coordinated by a dedicated 
committee, established in line with Rathbones’ obligations 
under the PRI, and pays heed to the Financial Reporting 
Council’s (FRC) UK Stewardship Code. Composed of 
investment managers and other representatives from across 
the business, and supported by a permanent stewardship 
director, the committee maintains general group policy on 
corporate governance. Advice and research received by the 
committee supplements the analysis carried out internally  
as part of the investment process. The committee issues 
voting recommendations based on best practice which 
establishes a baseline for consideration by the major holders  
of the companies in question. Our investment managers retain 
the ability to vote independently of this advice if appropriate. 

Rathbone Investment Management exercises the voting rights 
attached to its largest holdings, covering the most widely-held 
stocks across the business. Voting is also undertaken on any 
company if requested by an underlying shareholder. 

Rathbone Unit Trust Management, as an institutional investor, 
meets its obligations as a signatory to the Stewardship Code 
and was classified as a Tier 2 signatory by the FRC in 2016.  
In addition to expanding the scope of proxy voting in 2015, 
and now employing Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS)  
to vote actively on all of its holdings, Rathbone Unit Trust 
Management has recently clarified its policy on stewardship 
and company engagement in line with the demand of 
regulators. It also applies a more detailed sustainability-
themed voting policy in the relevant funds. 

Votes are entered in line with UK corporate governance  
best practice, overseen by the stewardship director, fund 
managers and investment managers. During 2018, the 
committee oversaw active proxy voting on 5,232 resolutions  
at 395 company meetings. Voting on these resolutions 
includes consideration of such issues as executive 
remuneration, auditor independence, appointment  
of directors and non-financial reporting.

Engagement
Engagement with companies on ESG matters is largely 
undertaken by Rathbone Greenbank Investments’ ethical 
research team and the stewardship director on behalf of  
the stewardship committee. Engagement may occur as a  
result of fundamental analysis of companies’ ESG reporting  
or through collaborative efforts initiated by interest groups 
such as CDP, UKSIF or the PRI Collaboration Platform. It  
covers a wide range of themes spanning the whole of the  
ESG spectrum. In 2018, we joined the steering committee for 
the PRI-coordinated engagement on responsible sourcing of 
cobalt and fuelling water disclosure for oil and gas companies. 
We continued our work on responsible tax, cyber security and 
combating deforestation. 

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Employees

Our approach
We are firmly committed to evolving our people policies  
and practices and having continued high levels of employee 
engagement in line with our corporate values. Our goal 
continues to be the delivery of the highest possible quality  
of service to our clients through talented and professional 
employees. Rathbones has over 1,400 staff in 16 locations  
in the UK and Jersey. We promote a culture where we recruit 
and retain individuals whose values match those of the 
business. To promote engagement with our values, we 
actively encourage employees to become involved in the 
financial performance of the group through our all employee 
SIPs (UK Share Incentive Plan and International Share 
Incentive Plan) and SAYE (Save As You Earn share option 
plan). We have offered share ownership plans to our 
employees since 1996 and now have 55% participation  
in our SAYE and 91% participation in our SIP plans.

We also encourage our employees to become financially 
aware and offer discounted independent financial advice. 

Employee statistics
Percentage of female employees
Percentage of employees working part-time
Resignation rate

47% 
11%
6.6%

Unilever case study

The contentious decision announced by Unilever's 
management to simplify its dual legal structure and 
re-locate its HQ to the Netherlands was a good example 
of how our engagement approach can see results. 

We were made aware of the plans by senior 
management as part of our regular cycle of company 
meetings. We expressed concerns, less over the decision 
to simplify the dual structure, and more over the process 
which had been followed, and the apparent lack of 
sufficient justification. Having failed to receive sufficient 
assurances from senior management, we began to work 
with other concerned investors through the Investor 
Forum, a membership group established to help 
investors coordinate engagements on difficult issues. 

Following several interactions with senior management 
through formal and informal channels, it became clear 
that the company had failed to make the case that 
relocating the business to the Netherlands was the  
best option for all shareholders. This was in no small  
part owing to a lack of clarity regarding tax arrangements, 
which could have negatively affected our clients. We 
spoke directly to the finance director and chairman on 
several occasions, and were pleased when the managers 
decided to put their plans on hold.

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Corporate responsibility report continued

Learning
We continue to support the development of all our employees 
and have maintained our average investment per person at 
 a significant level of £710 (2017: £783) and an average of two 
days’ training per year. These figures are a very conservative 
estimate because there is much more employee development 
that has no direct cost and is conducted at the desk. 

Our aim when delivering high-quality programmes is to 
ensure that employees have the best opportunity to put  
their learning into practice. We do this by engaging with line 
managers and other stakeholders in the business to ensure 
that the opportunity and support are in place for employees  
to use new skills. We regularly implement new initiatives 
across the group to ensure that all employees have access  
to the development they need for their current and possible  
future roles. Also, during the year, we implemented online 
learning for regulatory issues such as anti-money laundering 
and courses to provide additional support on key client issues.

Leadership and management development 
We deploy a comprehensive suite of management and 
leadership courses. These are designed to enable the business 
to support high-potential employees and progress them 
through key stages of learning from being highly effective 
team members to ultimately growing into senior leadership 
roles. The leadership programme continued successfully 
throughout the year and the programme again involved senior 
managers focusing on how to lead their teams to achieve 
corporate goals. The programme culminates in a presentation 
about leadership changes and the value of the learning. This 
format will continue to roll out through the firm during 2019  
to build leadership and management skills across the group.

We have aligned some of our management development to 
formal qualifications. A number of managers have successfully 
achieved a level five qualification awarded by the Chartered 
Management Institute. This included a module on managing 
operational risk which was tailored to the specific issues  
in Rathbones. We will continue to support this type of 
development where the formal recognition of  
learning is appropriate.

Continuing professional development (CPD)
Our client-facing employees continue to meet and mostly 
exceed the required CPD targets set by our regulators. 
Investment managers have the opportunity to further 
improve their technical and management skills to ensure  
that the highest levels of client service are maintained.

Talent development 
Rathbones is keen to develop a pipeline of high-calibre talent 
to ensure appropriate skills and succession planning for the 
future. Our fourth apprenticeship programme in Liverpool  
is well underway with eight participants and, in light of the 
ongoing success of this programme, a further group will be 
recruited in 2019. Our continued commitment to developing 
younger talent means that a new graduate development 
programme will start in September 2019. The programme  
sees the trainees participate in a variety of placements  
around the firm to gain a broad range of experience.

Career development and performance management
The introduction of a more comprehensive performance 
appraisal regime is helping to identify individual training 
needs and provides a framework to help employees see their 
future pathway for career progression within the organisation. 
There is further work to be done in this area but the leadership 
team recognises the benefits both to the individual employees 
and to the firm of deeper succession planning.

Diversity and inclusion
Rathbones is an equal opportunities employer and it is our 
policy to ensure that all job applicants and employees are 
treated fairly and on merit regardless of race, sex, marital/civil 
partnership status, age, disability, religious belief, pregnancy, 
maternity, gender reassignment or sexual orientation.

We have two female directors out of eight and have thus 
achieved our commitment to meet Lord Davies’ target of  
25% female board representation. We are working towards 
achieving the adjusted target of 33% of female board 
representation for FTSE 350 companies by 2020, which  
will be achieved once Jenny Mathias joins our board in  
April 2019. We continue to develop our plans to align with  
the recommendations published in the Hampton-Alexander 
review and we will work towards achieving the targets set  
by the Women in Finance Charter. Historically, women have 
been less well represented in the investment management 
industry and addressing this imbalance is a key priority.  
We are working hard to appoint more women in graduate 
trainee positions and are also trying to encourage more 
applications from women to our work experience and 
financial career programmes. 

We continue to target the progression and development of 
existing female employees with opportunities for leadership 
and management programmes. In 2017, we implemented 
significant improvements to our maternity, adoption and 
paternity policies. We also introduced group coaching and 
online support for working parents and have put in place  
a diversity strategy. We will establish a diversity task force  
with executive representation in early 2019.

We are continuing a training programme covering diversity, 
inclusion and unconscious bias. Rathbones prides itself on 
being a ‘real Living Wage’ employer and pays Living Wage 
Foundation rates of pay to internal employees and sub-
contractor staff.

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Modern slavery
Rathbones is committed to maintaining and improving our 
practices to tackle slavery and human trafficking violations 
with respect to our own operations, our supply chain and  
our services. We welcomed the introduction of the Modern 
Slavery Act in 2015 and used this as an opportunity to build  
on our existing policies and develop a focused approach to 
addressing the risk of modern slavery. Rathbones already  
has a range of relevant initiatives in place such as our policy  
on stewardship, being a real Living Wage employer, and our 
equal opportunities and whistleblowing policies. 

Since 2017, Rathbones has been working towards a set of 
objectives to improve and refine our approach to ensuring  
that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place  
in our supply chains. This is a three-year plan and is  
a key component of the development of our wider  
sustainability strategy. 

To further develop our approach, we set ourselves a set of 
objectives over the next three years. These include carrying 
out a third-party risk assessment, developing prioritised 
actions based on the results, introducing a modern slavery 
screening process, training our staff and communicating  
what we are doing. 

In 2018, we engaged a third-party sustainability consultancy, 
Carbon Smart, to carry out a modern slavery risk assessment 
of our operations and supply chain. This was important to us 
because, although we are a professional services business in  
a highly regulated market and therefore low risk, we do know 
that no supply chain is risk free. Carbon Smart mapped our 
annual supplier spend based on sector and location to identify 
areas of elevated risk in our supply chain. The majority of  
our spend is in the UK with a small proportion in the US and 
Canada and the majority is with professional services, which  
is low risk. However, the risk assessment did show that there 
was an elevated risk, although still below the UK average and 
well below the global average in the following sectors: 

 – Paper and paper-based products
 – Electrical equipment
 – Construction
 – Cleaning products and other chemicals 

In addition, we have identified two sectors, which have  
an elevated risk relative to the rest of our supply chain  
but are themselves low risk. These are hotels and 
telecommunications.

With an understanding of our level of risk and the relevant 
sectors, we were able to develop a risk-based approach, which 
allows us to focus our attention and resources where it matters 
the most. In the event our staff wishing to procure products  
or services from the above sectors, additional checks must  
be performed. All new suppliers in the above categories must 
share with us their modern slavery statements. In addition  
to this, we have engaged with all our current suppliers to 
understand the due diligence they have in place to mitigate 
the risk of modern slavery in their supply chains.

This year, our focus is on embedding the due diligence checks.  
Our key staff will receive modern slavery training to ensure 
that they understand how modern slavery may manifest itself 
and what they can do to mitigate the risk when engaging with 
suppliers. To raise awareness, we will also communicate more 
widely to staff what we are doing in this space. At the end of 
the year, we also plan to review the due diligence checks we 
have carried out to understand the effectiveness of our 
approach and update accordingly.

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Employees

721

1,220

1,400

0

300

600

900

1,200

1,500

Number of employees 
in SAYE
Number of employees in SIP

Headcount at 
31 Dec 2018

Number of employees by length of service (years)

0-15
16-30
31-45

1,160
209
31

Number of employees by age range

16-20
21-35
36-50
51-65
66+

19
568
473
325
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Anti-bribery policy
As a firm we value our reputation for ethical behaviour  
and upholding the utmost integrity and we comply with  
the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial 
Conduct Authority (FCA) clients’ best interests rule. We 
understand that in addition to the criminality of bribery  
and corruption, any such crime would also have an adverse 
effect on our reputation and integrity. Rathbones has a zero 
tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and we ensure 
all our employees and suppliers are adequately trained so as  
to limit our exposure to bribery by:

 – setting out clear anti-bribery and corruption policies
 – providing mandatory training to all employees
 – encouraging our employees to be vigilant and report 

breaches or concerns

 – reporting suspected cases of bribery in accordance  

with the specified procedures

 – escalating and investigating instances of suspected bribery 
and assisting the police or other appropriate authorities in 
their investigations.

Gender pay reporting
The firm published its gender pay gap data in April 2018 and 
will do so again before April 2019. The report is available on 
our website. 

We regularly review both fixed and variable remuneration  
and are confident that men and women are paid equally for 
performing equivalent roles across our business. Historically, 
there have been significantly less women in the wealth 
management sector and as a consequence we have found it 
harder to hire senior women into the firm. We are committed 
to taking all steps possible to reduce our gender pay gap and 
have had some success in increasing representation in more 
junior professional levels, which will in due course provide 
better representation at senior levels, albeit over time. We  
are signatories to the Women in Finance Charter and the firm 
is committed to achieving 25% female senior management 
representation by 2023. Also, the firm is mindful of the 
Hampton-Alexander gender targets for executives and  
their direct reports and we plan to take further action  
to achieve these targets.

Performance and reward
We offer a comprehensive remuneration package, which 
is regularly reviewed to ensure that our employees are fairly 
rewarded. This includes annual equal pay audits. This is also 
supported by challenging objective-setting and appraisal 
processes to align variable reward to the achievement  
of corporate goals and individual performance and to  
motivate and appropriately reward performance.

All employees have the opportunity to participate in a  
pension arrangement and are eligible to receive at least  
a 6% contribution from the company (on an employee 
non-contributory basis) to a group personal pension 
arrangement, rising to 10% with employee contributions. 

We provide a wide range of core benefits such as private 
medical cover, income protection insurance and life assurance. 
All employees are eligible for an annual medical examination 
funded by the company.

Employees are encouraged to identify with and benefit from 
the financial performance of the group through ownership of 
shares in the company. Our Share Incentive Plan (SIP) enables 
employees to benefit from share-matching by the company  
on a one-to-one basis. Employees are also eligible to receive 
free shares and join the Save As You Earn (SAYE) share  
option plan.

We have continued to grow our employee wellbeing offering. 
Employees have access to a free, independent employee 
assistance programme (EAP) offering confidential advice  
and support to them and their families. We have increased  
the range and number of training, one-to-one and drop-in 
sessions on wellbeing-related topics and widened this to 
include mental health awareness and mental health first aid 
training. We continue to provide support for working parents 
through targeted seminars and training sessions, as well as  
a number of physical wellbeing sessions.

Our people can also take advantage of a vast range of 
voluntary benefits available, such as the cycle to work scheme, 
flexible holidays, voluntary leave and discounts on products 
and services through our ‘Reward Board’ benefits platform.

Employee relations
Engagement with our employees is crucial to the continuing 
success of the group. We communicate regularly and openly 
with them on matters affecting them and on the issues that 
have an impact on the performance of the group and actively 
seek their feedback on these matters. After the success of the 
employee engagement survey run in 2016, we will be running 
a second in 2019 in order to reassess employee engagement. 

Rathbones recognises the importance of an appropriate 
work-life balance, both to the health and welfare of employees 
and to the business. Holiday entitlement begins at 25 days per 
annum for all employees, increasing to 30 days after five years’ 
service, with the opportunity to buy up to five additional days 
of flexible leave each year. In 2018, we ran a series of flexible 
working workshops for managers, focusing on how to manage 
and support flexible working opportunities in the business. 
We aim to focus more effort on flexible working as part of  
our diversity and employee engagement efforts.

Communities

Donations and fundraising
During the year, the group made total charitable donations  
of £355,000, representing 0.5% of group pre-tax profits  
(2017: £378,000, representing 0.7% of group pre-tax profits).  
It also included the matching of employee donations made 
through the tax efficient Give As You Earn (GAYE) payroll  
giving scheme. In 2018, Rathbones employees made payments 
totalling £199,000 (2017: £225,000) through this scheme, which 
is administered by the Charities Aid Foundation. The company 
matched staff donations of up to £200 per month made through 
GAYE and, in 2018, donated £166,000 (2017: £161,000) to causes 
chosen by employees through this method.

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Investing in brighter futures 
Sport offers the opportunity to teach key life skills to young 
people, and from 2012 to 2018 Rathbones has been a strong 
supporter of female sport through our partnerships with 
Lacrosse Scotland and England Lacrosse. Over that time, more 
than 3,500 young women competed each year in tournaments 
that we sponsored and many more were introduced to the 
sport through community programmes that we supported. 
2018 represented our last year of involvement in lacrosse as 
we feel it is important to focus more on our programmes 
supporting writing and literacy for young people. 

The Rathbones Folio Mentorships programme, which  
started in 2017, provides talented young writers from state 
schools the transformational opportunity to be mentored  
by published authors, one-on-one, for a year. Alongside this,  
in 2018, Rathbones also piloted a digital reading programme 
in schools, in association with The Pigeonhole (a digital book 
club) and Harper Collins Publishers. 

The Rathbones Financial Awareness programme is another way 
in which we invest in the future of young people. Investment 
managers deliver presentations to 16–25 year olds within our 
offices and at schools around the UK. The programme aims  
to equip those attending with the necessary information to  
take ownership of their finances at a young age. In 2018, the 
programme was delivered to over 1,500 young people. 

to imagine what that must be like. The resilience of  
some of the people I have met, in the face of true hardship, 
is awe-inspiring. This is not something I would be able  
to do without the support of Rathbones though. Not all 
companies would allow their staff to disappear for three 
weeks at short notice, even if it was to help others. I am 
forever grateful to the company, my line manager and  
my team for enabling me to do what I do.” 

For more information about ShelterBox, please visit 
shelterbox.org

During 2018, the Rathbone Brothers Foundations across  
the country considered many requests for assistance and  
met a number of charities. Examples of our donations and 
volunteering support include:

 – A team of nine employees from the London research team 
volunteered in November 2018 for a day at Divine Rescue, 
which provides meals, clothes, hostel referrals and hospital 
visits to homeless, vulnerable people, ex-offenders and 
substance abuse victims in the Borough of Southwark.  
In 2017, Divine Rescue supported 36,960 people with  
food, clothes and advice. 

 – A group of six Rathbones employees from the London office 
hosted a group of 30 students from Dairy Meadow Primary 
School in September 2018. The event was organised by 
Enabling Enterprise, which works with schools and teachers 
to help students develop essential skills through a range of 
experiences in British companies. At Rathbones, students 
were set a challenge to devise and secure a loan for a new 
business venture before running the initial set-up of the 
business. The students demonstrated their leadership  
and presenting skills throughout the challenge.

 – In 2018, the Cambridge office undertook a 24-hour rowing 
relay event to raise funds for the Cambridge Central Aid 
Society, a charity, which gives funding grants to help needy 
individuals and families in Cambridge and its environment. 

 – In May 2018, 10 employees in the Winchester office, along 
with 200 members of the general public descended upon 
the gardens of Wolvesey Castle to participate in 'The Big 
Sleep Out'. The event, organised by the Trinity Winchester 
charity, intends to draw attention to the estimated 300,000 
homeless people in England and raise money in support of 
the charity.

ShelterBox case study

Laura Coleman is head of client marketing and has  
worked at Rathbones since 2014. Laura is also a ShelterBox 
response team volunteer. ShelterBox is an international 
disaster relief charity that provides temporary shelter  
and life saving supplies to displaced families.

As a response team volunteer, Laura is on call twice a  
year ready to be deployed, sometimes with only 48 hours 
notice, to countries affected by natural disaster or conflict. 
In June 2018, Fuego Volcano in Guatemala erupted killing 
hundreds, displacing over 12,000 and otherwise affecting 
hundreds of thousands of people. Laura was part of the 
second ShelterBox team on the ground to work with  
the government, aid agencies and local organisations  
to support those affected. 

In August, Laura was deployed to Ethiopia where nearly  
a million people were displaced as a result of conflict within 
the country. This was an extremely complex response,  
but ShelterBox were able to help nearly 2,000 families in  
some of the greatest need, approximately 10,000 people, 
with shelter, blankets, water purifiers, kitchen sets and 
mosquito nets. 

“I am humbled and honoured to be a ShelterBox response 
team volunteer. An estimated 85 million people are 
displaced across the world right now; I can’t even begin  

rathbones.com

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Environmental impact
Rathbones has been reporting its environmental impacts  
since 2007. As a responsible investor, we aim to lead by 
example in our approach to environmental matters, striving  
to understand the environmental impacts of our business 
activities and, wherever possible, act to reduce them. Since 
2017, we have produced internal reporting of environmental 
impacts and emissions on a quarterly basis in order to improve 
our ability to manage year-on-year performance. 

Our 2018 carbon footprint
We are pleased to report a 13.4% reduction in our overall 
emissions to 2,214 tCO2e, down from 2,557 tCO2e in 2017. 
Furthermore, our emissions intensity has also reduced  
by around 20% despite continued growth in headcount,  
funds under management and administration, and  
operating income.

These reductions are primarily attributable to reduced  
energy consumption across our offices, reduced consumption 
of natural resources and the continued decarbonisation of  
the UK’s electricity supply. Our BREEAM excellent-rated  
head office building in Finsbury Circus is considerably more 
energy-efficient than our previous Curzon Street location,  
with almost 30% less energy consumed on an annual basis.

Total emissions (tCO2e) since baseline year

Building energy emissions arising from energy consumption 
at our offices and data centres were 1,248 tCO2e in 2018,  
down 16.2% from 1,490 tCO2e in 2017.
Business travel emissions grew by 3.7% to 741 tCO2e (up  
from 715 tCO2e last year). Emissions from flights increased  
by 12.6%, linked to the increase in headcount, whilst emissions 
from rail and employee-owned car usage fell by 8.7% and  
3.5% respectively. 

Emissions from other resource consumption, namely  
paper, waste and refrigerants, fell sharply by 36.1% to  
226 tCO2e, primarily driven by a significant reduction  
in paper consumption.

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

Total
Baseline
Energy
Travel
Other resources

Operational indicators
Staff (FTE)
Net internal area  
of offices (m2)
Operating income (£m)
Funds under  
management and 
administration (£bn)

Carbon intensity / tCO2e
Staff (FTE)
Net internal area  
of offices (m2)
Operating income (£m)
Funds under  
management and 
administration (£bn)

2,843

2,985

3,052

2,798

2,557

2,214

2013
829

2014
867

2015
965

14,430
176.4

14,430
209.3

14,518
230.1

2016
1,045

15,369
243.8

2017
1,227

22,924
291.6

2018
1,329

Vs. 2017
+14.1%

19,640 
312.0

+12.8%
+6.8%

22.0 

27.2

29.2

33.2

39.1

44.1 

+12.8%

3.4

0.20
16.1

3.4

0.21
14.3

3.2

0.21
13.3

2.7

0.18
11.5

2.1

0.11
8.8

1.7

-19.7%

0.11
7.1

-0.1%
-19.0%

129.1

109.8

104.5

84.3

65.4

50.2

-23.2%

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Key achievements in 2018

This has delivered the following key benefits to management:

Rathbones completed several important initiatives in  
2018 to mark the tenth anniversary of our reporting on 
environmental impacts.

Office portfolio consolidation
Following the move to our new head office at 8 Finsbury 
Circus in February 2017, last year saw further changes to 
consolidate our office portfolio. Our previous head office 
location at Curzon Street is now sub-let and we moved  
offices in Birmingham, taking Rathbones’ total office space  
in 2018 to 19,640 m2 (down from 22,924 m2 in 2017).

Last year was the first full year of occupancy at 8 Finsbury 
Circus, thereby enabling a comparison of annual performance 
with our previous head office location. In 2018, total energy 
consumption at 8 Finsbury Circus was 1,317,815 kWh against 
an average annual consumption of 1,810,035 kWh at Curzon 
Street between 2014 and 2016, representing a reduction of 
492,220 kWh (27.2%). Despite a 60% increase in headcount 
since baseline, changes to our office portfolio have contributed 
towards a 12.3% reduction in energy consumption (576,693 
kWh per annum).

In addition to improvements in energy performance and 
reduced emissions, our award-winning head office location 
also provides other environmental benefits including 160 
cycle spaces, photovoltaics, and a green roof grey water 
recycling system.

Improved performance management and reporting 
Rathbones has reported its environmental performance and 
impacts on an annual basis since 2007. Since 2017, we have 
increased the frequency of our reporting to provide quarterly 
performance updates, analysis and trend information 
throughout the year, thereby creating an improved 
performance management capability.

 – More timely provision of environmental data, enabling  

the alignment of carbon footprint reporting with 
Rathbones’ financial year.

 – Improved data quality and accuracy, reducing the  
number of estimations required due to unavailable  
or incomplete data.

 – Intra-year visibility of environmental performance,  
thereby creating capacity for the management team  
to identify actions during the year that will influence  
year-end performance.

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Carbon offsetting programme
Alongside the firm’s growth, we have succeeded in 
maintaining a steady carbon footprint and continue to pursue 
efforts to reduce this year-on-year. As per environmental  
best practice, since 2011 we have taken action to mitigate  
this footprint by supporting low carbon projects around  
the world through a process known as carbon offsetting. 

With our partner ClimateCare, specialists in climate and 
sustainable development, we have to-date supported 14 
projects across the world that reduce global carbon emissions 
and improve lives for local communities. To compensate  
for our 2017 carbon footprint we have supported two solar 
projects in India: one delivering solar lighting and heating 
solutions for households and businesses, another producing 
electricity at a large scale to supply the Indian grid. Both 
projects avoid carbon emissions by displacing fossil fuels,  
and these savings are rigorously measured and certified  
by internationally accredited third-party bodies. 

We work with ClimateCare to ensure our carbon offset 
programme goes beyond reducing emissions. In line with  
our support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals we 
have selected these two projects on the basis of their delivery 
of renewable energy infrastructure in India and creation of 
jobs in the low-carbon sector. 

Orb Energy, India case study

Orb Energy delivers transformational outcomes for 
households and businesses across India with its solar 
lighting and heating solutions. 

With the support of carbon finance from Rathbones  
and others, Orb has sold over 130,000 solar units and 
employs over 500 people across the country. 

rathbones.com

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Compliance with regulations
Rathbones complies with the regulations for reporting 
greenhouse gas emissions. Following an operational  
control approach, our 2018 greenhouse gas emissions  
from business activities amounted to: 

 – 328 tCO2e resulting from the combustion of fuel and  
the operation of any facilities (classified as Scope 1 in  
this report)

 – 680 tCO2e from the purchase of electricity by the company 

for its own use (classified as Scope 2 in this report). 

In June 2018, we sub-let our previous head office location in 
Curzon Street and vacated our Birmingham office, thereby 
reducing our reporting boundary. It has not been practical  
to gather data on energy use at our Lymington office and  
we have used typical energy consumption benchmarks  
to calculate the energy use at this site based on floor area. 

Please note that our reported 2018 emissions do not include 
any data for the newly acquired Speirs & Jeffrey business. In 
our 2019 report, we will include full-year performance data  
for the newly-acquired business and will rebaseline historic 
emissions to support consistency of comparison.

The methodology used is in accordance with the requirements 
of the World Resources Institute Greenhouse Gas Protocol 
(revised version) (WRI GHG). This includes best practice Scope 
2 guidance using the market-based method ‘Environmental 
Reporting Guidelines: including mandatory greenhouse gas 
emissions reporting guidance’ (Defra, October 2013) and ISO 
14064 – part 1. 

Carbon Smart opinion statement
This statement provides Rathbones and its stakeholders  
with a third-party assessment of the quality and reliability  
of Rathbones’ carbon footprint data for the reporting  
period 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018. It does not 
represent an independent third-party assurance of  
Rathbones’ management approach to sustainability. 

Carbon Smart has been commissioned by Rathbones for  
the eleventh consecutive year to calculate Rathbones’ carbon 
footprint for all offices for its 2018 annual report. Through this 
engagement, Carbon Smart has assured Rathbones that the 
reported carbon footprint is representative of the business  
and that the data presented is credible and compliant with  
the appropriate standards and industry practices. Data has 
been collected and calculated following the ISO 14064 – part 1 
standard and verified against the WRI GHG Protocol principles 
of completeness, consistency and accuracy. Carbon Smart’s 
work has included interviews with key Rathbones personnel,  
a review of internal and external documentation and 
interrogation of source data and data collection systems, 
including comparison with the previous years’ data.  
Carbon Smart has concluded the following: 

Relevance
We have ensured the GHG inventory appropriately  
reflects the GHG emissions of the company and serves  
the decision-making needs of users, both internal and  
external to the company.

Completeness
Rathbones continues to use the operational control approach 
to define its organisational boundary. Rathbones calculates 
total direct Scope 1, 2 and major Scope 3 emissions. Reported 
environmental data covers all employees and all entities that 
meet the criteria of being subject to control or significant 
influence of the reporting organisation. 

Consistency 
To ensure comparability, we have used the same calculation 
methodologies and assumptions as for the previous year.  
In 2017, previous years’ emissions have been rebaselined  
to align with Rathbones’ financial year.

Transparency 
Where relevant, we have included appropriate references to 
the accounting and calculation methodologies, assumptions 
and recalculations performed.

Accuracy
To our knowledge, data is considered accurate within the 
limits of the quality and completeness of the data provided.

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Carbon footprint by scope (tCO2e)
Rathbones’ reporting period for greenhouse gas emissions is 1 January to 31 December, aligned to our financial year. 

Location-based emissions1
Scope 1
Natural gas
Refrigerant
Company cars
Scope 2
Purchased electricity
Scope 3
Data centres2
Business travel
Paper
Waste
Electricity T&D3
Total location-based4

Market-based emissions
Purchased electricity
Data centres

2018
328
328
0
–
680
680
1,206
182
741
219 
7
58
2,214

2018
807
217

2017
327
302
25
–
852
852
1,378
257
715
319
9
80
2,558

2017
909
285

2016
404
404
–
–
947
947
1,447
294
699
342
27
86
2,798

2016
1,061
294

2015
317
315
2
0.02
1,282
1,282
1,453
317
677
328
26
106
3,052

2015
1,282
317

2014
310
272
39
0.01
1,443
1,443
1,232
252
528
310
15
126
2,985

2013 (baseline)
306
276
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1,424
1,424
1,113
150
496
328
9
130
2,843

1. 

In accordance with best practice introduced in 2015, we report two numbers to reflect emissions from electricity. Location-based emissions are based on average emissions intensity of the UK grid  
and market-based emissions to reflect emissions from our specific suppliers and tariffs

2.  Data centre emissions are reported as Scope 3, as per the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. However, where figures are stated in this report for overall buildings electricity consumption, we have included  

data centres to ensure transparency of electricity use

3.  Emissions from line losses associated with electricity transmission and distribution
4.  Previously reported as 2,553 tCO2e in 2017. For some data sources sites, we have to estimate the full-year consumption based on part-year data when aligning the emissions reporting period to our  

financial year. These estimates have now been replaced with actual data resulting in a net difference of 5 tCO2e

Carbon intensity

The table below shows the emissions intensity of Rathbones in relation to the number of staff, office space, operating income and 
funds under management and administration.

Staff (FTE)
Net internal area  
of offices (m2)
Operating  
income (£m)
Funds under 
management and 
administration 
(£bn)

Operational indicators

2018
1,329

2017
1,227

2016
1,045

2015
965

2014
867

2013
829

2018
1.7

Carbon intensity (tC02e)1
2015
3.2

2016
2.7

2017
2.1

2014
3.4

2013
3.4

19,460 22,924 15,369 14,518 14,430 14,430

0.11

0.11

0.18

0.21

0.20

0.20

312  291.6

243.8

230.1

209.3

176.4

7.10

8.8

11.54

13.39

13.89

16.34

44.1

39.1

34.2

29.2

27.2

22.0

50.2

64.4

84.3

104.5

109.8

129.2

1.  Carbon intensity is the total all scopes tCO2e per: FTE; m2; £m of operating income; £bn of funds under management and administration

rathbones.com

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10 years of corporate social responsibility at Rathbones

Rathbones has a long-standing commitment to action on CSR 
matters. Here is a selection of our achievements over the last 
10 years.

CDP respondent since 2006

Over £2.3 million in charitable donations  
since 2007

UN PRI signatory since 2009

PwC Building Public Trust Award 2011:  
Best People Reporting in a FTSE 250

2013 FTSE4Good ranking: 98th percentile

2014 ICSA Excellence in Governance Award:  
Best sustainability and stakeholder disclosure  
in a FTSE 250

CDP investor member since 2015

One of the top 20 most active and influential 
members of the UN PRI Collaboration Platform 
(2015 and 2016)

Over 5,000 16-to 24-year-olds engaged in 
Rathbones Financial Awareness Programme

Moved head office to award-winning BREEAM 
‘Excellent’ rated building in 2017

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CSR strategy review

In 2018, we concluded an in-depth review of CSR with the  
aim of developing a framework for promoting sustainability 
across the business and ensuring good corporate citizenship. 
Through consultation with key stakeholders, we considered 
material sustainability issues alongside key drivers for our 
business. This review was an important first step towards  
the definition of a longer-term roadmap to sustainability  
and identified the following four ‘pillars’ as most relevant  
to our business.

Employees
Rathbones began life as a socially conscientious family 
business and is proud to have carried those values through  
to today. Most of our employees are also shareholders with  
a deep sense of responsibility and care for the good standing  
of the business within society. The business is determined to 
respect the rights and wellbeing of both our direct employees 
and those within our supply chain. 

Our sustainability framework

High-level sustainability drivers, themes and stakeholders

Governance and stewardship
At Rathbones, we believe in the importance of adopting  
best practice corporate governance standards and managing 
companies and investments in the long-term interests of 
shareholders. As with good governance and responsible 
stewardship, sustainability, at its heart, is about promoting 
long-term success.

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Environment
For the last 10 years, Rathbones has reported its 
environmental impacts and acted to reduce them. Now  
more than ever, we recognise the importance of tackling 
environmental issues and that every business, regardless  
of sector, must act to reduce its ecological footprint.

Social and community
Rathbones is part of an increasingly interconnected  
global community. We recognise the importance of acting  
to promote wellbeing and maximise the positive impacts of 
our business in the societies and communities within which 
we operate. By promoting the success of those around us, we  
can help to generate the conditions for sustainable  
growth in our business.

Key drivers

Four pillars of sustainability

Stakeholders

Responsible investment 
trends

Increasing regulations 
and transparency

Millennials as employees 
and clients

Employees

 — Diversity, transparency, 
gender pay in financial 
services

 — Employee engagement
 — Supply chain workers –  
action on modern 
slavery

Social and 
community

 — Respect for human rights
 — Volunteering, charitable 

giving

 — Support for community 

initiatives

Governance and 
stewardship

 — Responsible investment
 — Anti-corruption practices
 — Remuneration
 — Management structure

Environment

 — Climate change, low  
carbon investment

 — Air pollution
 — Waste
 — Paper use/deforestation
 — Water

Employees

Communities

Clients

Suppliers

rathbones.com

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Looking forward

We recognise that acting on sustainability issues is not only  
the right thing to do but that it is fundamentally beneficial  
to the long-term success of the business and welfare of all  
its stakeholders. Over the next 10 years, we anticipate that  
our stakeholders will continually raise the bar on the 
sustainability standards expected of high-profile  
companies such as Rathbones. 

Secondly, we recognise this increasing focus on sustainability 
issues as one of several leading trends that will impact and 
define businesses in every sector over the coming years. 

Non-financial information statement
Reporting requirement
Environmental matters 

Some of our relevant policies
Group sustainability policy

Employees

Human rights 

Social matters 

Anti-corruption and anti-bribery 

Business model 

Non-financial key performance 
indicators 

Code of conduct
Health and safety policy
Compliance framework policy
Anti-bribery policy 

Modern slavery policy
Code of conduct 
Code of conduct 

Anti-bribery policy
Conflicts of interest policy 
Our business model 

Already we see a growth in related regulation and the need for 
transparency on social and environmental issues. The advent  
of millennials as employees and clients of our business will 
serve to accelerate interest both in acting responsibly as a 
business and in responsible investment opportunities.

For these reasons, Rathbones will continue to increase its  
focus on sustainability issues. In 2019, we will further develop 
our programme of action across the four pillars identified above 
and, by 2022, we will produce a dedicated, standalone report  
on our CSR performance.

Where to read more in the report about our impact
Responsible investing
Environmental reporting
Environmental impact
Carbon offsetting programme 
Leadership and management 
development
Diversity and inclusion
Gender pay reporting
Investing in brighter futures
Women in Finance Charter 
Modern slavery
Carbon Smart 
ClimateCare
Communities 

Page
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41
48
49
43 

44
46
47
44
45
45
49
46
46

Our business model
Our market and opportunities
Our journey 
Employee relations
Our 2018 carbon footprint 

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14-15
16
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The strategic report contains certain forward-looking 
statements, which are made by the directors in good 
faith based on the information available to them at the 
time of their approval of this annual report. Statements 
contained within the strategic report should be treated 
with some caution due to the inherent uncertainties 
(including but not limited to those arising from 
economic, regulatory and business risk factors) 
underlying any such forward-looking statements.  
The strategic report has been prepared by Rathbone 
Brothers Plc to provide information to its shareholders 
and should not be relied upon for any other purpose.

Pages 1 to 54 constitute the strategic report, which  
was approved by the board and signed on its behalf by:

Philip Howell
Chief Executive

20 February 2019

Paul Stockton
Finance Director

54

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
 
 
Governance

G
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   Governance

56  Corporate governance report
56  Introduction from the chairman
58  Governance at a glance
60  Board of Directors
62  Role of the board
64  Board and board committee evaluation
65  Risk management
65  Relations with shareholders
66  Group risk committee report
69  Audit committee report
74  Nomination committee report
76  Group executive committee report
78  Remuneration committee report
78  Remuneration committee chairman’s  

annual statement

80  Remuneration outcomes for 2018
83  Annual report on remuneration 
87  Implementation of remuneration policy in 2019 
92  Directors’ report
95  Statement of directors’ responsibilities in respect  

of the report and accounts

rathbones.com

55

Corporate governance report

Board and executive succession

The nomination committee regularly reviews the composition 
of the board to ensure it has the appropriate skills, knowledge 
and experience for the business. Such reviews help shape the 
firm’s succession plans and led to a number of changes to our 
board during the year. 

After a rigorous recruitment process, we were delighted  
to welcome Terri Duhon and Colin Clark to the board in  
July and October 2018 respectively. A comprehensive  
and tailored induction programme was arranged for them  
to introduce them to the business and provide industry 
context. More detail of the induction programme is provided 
later in the report. Also, as indicated in my report last year,  
the board recognises the importance of planning for the  
future and ensuring that succession plans are in place. As  
a result, Terri Duhon was appointed chair of the group risk 
committee following Kathryn Matthews' retirement from  
the board in September 2018. Kathryn had served nearly  
nine years as a director. 

In addition, the board discussed and approved the 
recommendation from the nomination committee to begin  
to implement our executive succession plans. Accordingly,  
the firm announced the appointment of Paul Stockton as 
managing director of Rathbone Investment Management  
in May 2018. In November 2018, after careful assessment  
of Paul's performance in this role by the nomination 
committee it was agreed by the board that he would succeed 
Philip Howell as chief executive by the 2019 AGM. Also, as 
announced in October 2018, Jennifer Mathias was appointed 
as finance director and will be joining the firm on 1 April 2019.

Mark Nicholls
Chairman

The board strongly believes that robust corporate  
governance makes a significant contribution to the  
long-term success of the firm and the achievement of  
its strategy. A good governance framework creates a solid 
foundation, which enables us to act in the best interests of  
our clients, shareholders and other stakeholders. I am pleased 
to introduce the corporate governance report for 2018, which 
includes commentaries from me and the other committee 
chairmen. The report explains how we applied the principles 
of good governance including the provisions of the 2016 UK 
Corporate Governance Code1 ('the Code'). Further details of  
the firm’s approach to corporate governance and how it 
complies with the Code can be found later in the report. 

Culture

Board meetings

The board places great importance on the firm’s culture,  
which has developed over many years and represents a key 
competitive advantage. The firm’s client focus and integrity 
are fundamental to achieving the best results for colleagues, 
clients and shareholders over the long term. 

Following a fundamental review of our culture that was 
completed in 2017, the board has continued to monitor  
the firm’s purpose and values during the year. The board  
and the executive team devoted significant time and effort  
to analysing the firm’s culture dashboard, which contains  
data relating to clients, colleagues and other stakeholders. My 
non-executive director colleagues and I have also continued 
during the year to assess the firm’s culture through direct 
engagement, both formal and informal, with investment 
managers and other employees throughout the business. 

During the year, the board held seven scheduled meetings  
and met formally and informally on many occasions. Prior to 
each scheduled board meeting, I meet with the non-executive 
directors to discuss any significant matters arising from the 
board papers and the focus of any challenges. We receive 
written reports on the development of the business and  
key performance indicators, together with detailed updates  
on the progress of agreed strategic initiatives. Each board 
meeting is attended for relevant items by members of the 
executive committee so that we can discuss their areas of 
responsibility in greater depth. 

Between board meetings, I maintain frequent contact with  
the executive team and, in particular, the chief executive  
and managing director of Rathbone Investment Management, 
who keep me apprised of progress and key developments. 
Philip, Paul and I also discuss how to bring issues to the board 
in the most effective way. Our senior independent director, 
Jim Pettigrew, and I are in frequent contact and I discuss with 
him my thinking on significant board issues. Jim and I are also 
in regular dialogue with our other non-executive director 
colleagues to ensure that any areas of concern are aired.

1.  The Code can be found at frc.org.uk

56

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Remuneration policy 

Looking forward

Our revised remuneration policy was approved at the  
2018 annual general meeting (AGM) and I was pleased  
that it received such strong support from our shareholders. 
The directors’ remuneration report, which includes further 
detail on the application of the new policy, can be found  
later in this section. 

Shareholders and stakeholders 

Engagement and dialogue with shareholders continue to  
be very important to the board. Personally, I have been pleased 
to meet with a number of our shareholders during the year 
and found these meetings informative. They allowed me to 
provide useful feedback to the board. Sarah Gentleman, the 
chairman of the remuneration committee, has also been 
proactively involved in discussions with shareholders. 

The firm’s AGM, which will take place on 9 May 2019, is a 
valuable opportunity for me and my fellow directors to meet 
with shareholders, and for shareholders to raise questions 
about the firm. I look forward to discussing our progress and 
the work of the board with shareholders at this meeting. 

The board has other important stakeholders including our 
clients, employees, our regulators and the wider community. 
Both I and my non-executive director colleagues use formal 
and informal opportunities to talk with members of staff across 
all offices and functions. The board spent considerable time 
discussing the implications for the employees of both firms 
when considering the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. We have 
set up a team visit programme for our non-executive directors. 
We are also actively considering the provisions of the new 
Corporate Governance Code on 'workforce engagement'. 

This year saw a busy period for corporate governance reform 
with the publication of the new Corporate Governance Code, 
which will apply to the firm in 2019. The board has monitored 
these developments closely including the provision on 
workforce engagement, diversity and culture. Due to the  
firm’s strong existing framework, we are well placed to 
implement these new provisions during 2019. The board  
and its committees have already spent time assessing the 
implications for the firm and over the coming months will 
consider the actions required to ensure compliance with  
the new Code. 

The nomination committee continues to take into 
consideration the recommendations of the Davies report  
and the McGregor-Smith review on board diversity. As a  
board, we acknowledge the importance of board diversity  
and, looking forward, particular regard will be given to female 
representation targets during the recruitment process. The 
firm will ensure that there are no barriers to women 
succeeding at the highest levels. 

G
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Mark Nicholls
Chairman

20 February 2019

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57

Corporate governance report continued

Governance at a glance

Corporate governance framework

n

a

Chair m

C

hief E

x

e

c

u

t

i

v

e

The board

Chaired by Mark Nicholls

Accountable to shareholders for the 
long-term sustainable success of the 
group. This is achieved through setting 
out the strategy, monitoring objectives 
and providing oversight of the 
implementation of these objectives 
by the management team.

S
e

n

i

o

r

I

n

d

e

p

e

n

d

e

nt Director

c

e

x

e

N o n -

u tive Directors

Remuneration committee
Responsible for the directors’ 
remuneration policy and oversight  
of the group’s remuneration strategy.

Group risk committee
Provides oversight of the firm’s  
risk appetite and framework.

Audit committee
Ensures there is confidence in 
 the integrity of internal financial 
controls and corporate reporting.

Nomination committee
Responsible for recommending 
changes to the composition  
of the board and reviewing  
succession planning.

Group executive committee
Implements the agreed strategy  
and oversees the day-to-day 
management of the group.

Read more  
on page 78

Read more 
on page 66

Read more  
on page 69

Read more  
on page 74

Read more  
on page 76

Chairman
 – Leads the board and sets the agenda for board 

discussions

 – Ensures the board is effective
 – Encourages the presentation of accurate,  

clear and timely information

 – Promotes effective and constructive dialogue 
between non-executive directors, executive  
directors and the executive team

 – Chairs the nomination committee, which considers 
the composition of the board and succession plans

 – Evaluates the performance of the board, its 
committees and individual directors on an 
annual basis

Chief Executive
 – Provides executive leadership and management  

to the business

 – Responsible for the effectiveness of the executive 

committee

 – Delivers on strategic objectives set by the board  

in line with the group’s risk appetite

 – Oversees the financial position of the group
 – Maintains strong relationships with the chairman,  
the board and key shareholders and stakeholders

Senior Independent Director
 – Acts as a sounding board for the chairman and serves 
as an intermediary for the other directors if required

 – Holds meetings with the non-executive directors 
(without the chairman present) at least annually
 – Leads the board in the ongoing monitoring and 
annual performance evaluation of the chairman

 – Is available to meet with a range of major 

shareholders to develop a balanced understanding  
of their issues and concerns and reports the outcome 
of such meetings to the board

Non-executive Directors
 – Provide constructive challenge to management 

performance and strategy

 – Contribute to the firm’s strategy
 – Provide independent judgement to the board

58

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
Board activities in 2018

Strategy
 – Held strategy day with group executive team  

to review and discuss progress

 – Reviewed and analysed strategic acquisition 
opportunities with considerable time spent  
on the Speirs & Jeffrey transaction

 – Focused on delivery of organic growth initiatives

Risk management
 – Monitored the firm’s principal risks and compliance 

programme

 – Received detailed reports on significant regulatory 

risks and management’s mitigating actions
 – Reviewed the implications of Brexit for the 

organisation

Performance review
 – Provided oversight of the financial performance  

of the group

 – Reviewed and approved capital requirements  

of the firm

 – Approved 2019 budget

Operational
 – Reviewed an update on the General Data Protection 

Regulation (GDPR) implementation plan

 – Reviewed an update on the IT transformation 
programme including security enhancements 
following the review of cyber security
 – Held discussions to improve controls and  
governance around MiFID II requirements
 – Reviewed and approved Speirs & Jeffrey  
work streams and client data migration

Strategy
Risk management

Performance review

Governance

Operational

Time spent 
Board activities
on activity 
discussed
discussions 

G
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30%

15%

15%

20%

20%

Governance
 – Conducted an internal board evaluation
 – Appointment of new board directors and  
approval of chief executive transition

 – Approved the firm’s Modern Slavery Act statement
 – Assessed and oversaw the firm’s culture and how it 

Board activities
discussed

was reported and monitored

Strategy

Risk management

Performance review

Governance

Operational

30%
15%
15%
20%
20%

Board structure

Board
tenure

0-2 years

3-6 years

Over 6 years

Board
tenure

0-2 years

3-6 years

Over 6 years

Chairman

Executive

Independent non-executive

50%
33%
17%

Board
composition

12%
25%
63%

Board
diversity

Male

Female

6

2

Chairman

Executive

Independent non-executive

50%
33%
17%

Board
composition

12%
25%
63%

Board
diversity

Male

Female

6
2

rathbones.com

59

Corporate governance report continued

Our leadership

Chairman

Mark Nicholls
Chairman

Executive directors

Philip Howell
Chief Executive

Paul Stockton
Finance Director and 
Managing Director of 
Rathbone Investment 
Management

Non-executive directors

Jim Pettigrew
Non-executive Director  
and Senior Independent 
Director (Independent)

Appointment: 01/12/2010

Appointment: 01/12/2013

Appointment: 24/09/2008

Appointment: 06/03/2017

Age: 69

Age: 63

Age: 53

Age: 60

Board committees:  
N, Re

Board committees:  
E

Board committees:  
E

Board committees:  
A, N, Re, Ri

Background and career
Philip was appointed in 
2013. Following an early 
military career, Philip spent 
over 30 years in the 
investment banking and 
private banking sectors, 
undertaking a range of 
leadership roles as well  
as gaining considerable 
general management 
experience. He was  
with Barclays for 24 years, 
which included leadership 
assignments in Asia  
and South Africa and 
subsequently as head  
of strategy and corporate 
development focused  
on the international  
and private banking 
divisions. He continued  
his involvement in private 
wealth management, firstly 
as chief executive of Fortis 
Private Banking and 
subsequently of  
Williams de Broë. 

Current external non-executive 
director roles 
None 

Background and career
Paul was appointed group 
finance director in 2008  
and managing director  
of Rathbone Investment 
Management in May 2018. 
He qualified as a chartered 
accountant with 
PriceWaterhouse in 1992.  
In 1999 he joined Old 
Mutual Plc as group 
financial controller, 
becoming director of 
finance in 2001 and  
finance director of Gerrard 
Limited eight months later. 
Two years after the sale of 
Gerrard in 2005 he left to 
work initially for Euroclear 
and, subsequently, as a 
divisional finance director 
of the Phoenix Group.  
He was formerly a non-
executive director of  
the Financial Services 
Compensation Scheme.

Current external non-executive 
director roles 
None 

Background and career
Jim was appointed as a 
non-executive director  
at our 2017 AGM and  
was appointed as senior 
independent director  
in August 2017. 

He is a chartered accountant 
and was formerly president 
of ICAS and chief executive 
officer of CMC Markets plc, 
chief operating officer of 
Ashmore Group plc and 
group finance director  
of ICAP plc. He was 
previously a non-executive 
director of Aberdeen Asset 
Management plc, AON UK 
Ltd, Hermes Fund Managers 
Ltd, Crest Nicholson Plc  
and Edinburgh Investment 
Trust Plc.

Current external non-executive 
director roles 
CYBG Plc

RBC Europe Limited

Miton Group Plc 

Scottish Financial 
Enterprise

Background and career
Mark is a lawyer and 
corporate financier and  
was appointed as chairman 
at our 2011 AGM. After 
studying law at Cambridge, 
he qualified as a solicitor at 
Linklaters before joining  
S G Warburg in 1976.  
He became a director of 
Warburgs in 1984 and head 
of investment banking in 
1994. In 1996, he joined 
Royal Bank of Scotland  
and became head of their 
private equity group, leaving 
in 2003 to pursue a plural 
career. He is currently 
chairman of the West 
Bromwich Building Society.

Current external non-executive 
director roles 
West Bromwich Building 
Society 

Board committees

A  Audit committee

E  Executive committee
N  Nomination committee

Re  Remuneration committee

Ri  Group risk committee
Bold in biographies indicates 
committee chairman

60

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

James Dean
Non-executive Director 
(Independent)

Sarah Gentleman
Non-executive Director 
(Independent)

Terri Duhon
Non-executive Director 
(Independent)

Colin Clark
Non-executive Director 
(Independent)

G
o
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n
a
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c
e

Appointment: 1/11/2013

Appointment: 21/01/2015

Appointment: 2/07/2018

Appointment: 24/10/2018

Age: 61

Age: 48

Age: 46

Age: 59

Board committees:  
A, N, Re, Ri

Board committees:  
A, N, Re, Ri

Board committees:  
A, N, Re, Ri

Board committees:  
A, N, Re, Ri

Background and career
James was appointed as  
a non-executive director  
in 2013 and is chair of our 
audit committee. 

He is a chartered accountant 
with over 30 years’ 
experience working in 
financial services. He has 
worked in a variety of roles 
at Ernst & Young over a 
period of 14 years, including 
holding the position of 
managing partner for the 
UK Financial Services Audit 
Practice for four years. 

Current external non-executive 
director roles 
The Stafford Railway 
Building Society

Background and career
Sarah was appointed as a 
non-executive director in 
2015 and is chair of our 
remuneration committee. 
She started her career as a 
consultant at McKinsey & 
Company and then worked 
for several years in the 
telecoms and digital sectors, 
latterly as chief financial 
officer of the LCR Telecom 
Group. In 1999, she joined 
the internet bank Egg, the 
internet banking subsidiary 
of Prudential, where she 
was responsible for business 
development and strategy. 
In 2005, she joined Sanford 
C. Bernstein & Co, the 
institutional research and 
trading arm of Alliance 
Bernstein as a banking 
analyst covering the 
European banking sector.

Current external non-executive 
director roles 
None

Background and career
Terri was appointed as  
a non-executive director  
in July 2018 and chair  
of the risk committee  
in September 2018. 

Terri is currently a non-
executive director on the 
board of Morgan Stanley 
International where she 
chairs the risk committee 
and is also chair of Morgan 
Stanley Investment 
Management. She is an 
Associate Fellow at The Said 
Business School at Oxford 
University and on the MIT 
Corporation Visiting 
Committee. Previously, Terri 
sat on the boards of CHAPS 
Co, Operation Smile and  
was a founding member  
of the Women’s Leadership 
Group for the Prince’s Trust. 
As an executive, Terri held  
a number of senior roles at 
JP Morgan and ABN AMRO 
before setting up her own 
consultancy firm. 

Current external and non-
executive director roles 
Morgan Stanley 
International

Morgan Stanley Investment 
Management Ltd

Background and career
Colin was appointed as  
a non-executive director  
in October 2018. 

He was at Mercury Asset 
Management and Merrill 
Lynch Investment 
Managers for over 20 years 
and then was appointed a 
non-executive director at 
Standard Life Investments 
in 2004. In 2005, Colin took 
on non-executive director 
roles with Alpha Strategic 
Plc, and with the Royal 
Marsden NHS Foundation 
Trust. Colin was appointed 
an executive director of 
Standard Life Investments 
in 2010 and subsequently 
appointed to the Standard 
Life Plc board as executive 
director with responsibility 
for the Global Client Group. 
He retired from this position 
in 2017. 

Current external and non-
executive roles 
AXA Investment Managers 
SA

AXA Investment Managers 
UK

rathbones.com

61

Corporate governance report continued

The role of the board

The board provides the leadership and oversight to ensure  
the long-term success of the company for its stakeholders.  
To achieve this goal, the board requires a diverse and talented 
membership with a range of skills and experiences and the 
ability to challenge and support the executive management. 
The board has a strong non-executive team, which, currently, 
comprises former executives with financial, risk management 
and operational experience drawn from a variety of financial 
institutions. In addition, the broad experience of the non-
executive directors allows them to understand the challenges 
and opportunities that face the firm and enables them to 
contribute to discussions and decisions.

Board meetings

Most scheduled board meetings are preceded by a board 
dinner, which allows for broader discussions on particular 
topics. The board dinners also provide an opportunity for  
the board to meet members of the management team or to 
receive training. In months where no formal board meeting  
is scheduled, an informal meeting of the non-executive 
directors, the chairman and the chief executive is generally 
held. The non-executive directors also have informal meetings 
without the chairman or chief executive present. The roles  
of the chairman, the chief executive, the senior independent  
director and the non-executive directors have been clearly 
defined and agreed by the board to ensure a separation of 
power and authority.

At every board meeting, the chief executive updates the board 
on the implementation of strategy and recent developments. 
The finance director reviews the financial performance and 
forecasts against plan and market expectations. The chief risk 
officer updates the board on key risk areas and any emerging 
regulatory issues which impact the business. The board is 
updated on shareholder sentiment and significant changes  
in the share register. In addition, members of the executive 
committee attend meetings as required to present and  
discuss progress in their individual businesses and functions.

Specific areas of focus and major decisions taken by the board 
during the year in line with its ‘matters reserved’ mandate are 
listed below:

 – Reviewed the firm’s current short- and long-term  

strategic initiatives

 – Scrutinised the benefits of and monitored progress on  

the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey

 – Oversight of the Speirs & Jeffrey integration programme
 – Approved the firm’s risk framework and appetite
 – Reviewed the firm’s risk management and internal  

controls systems

 – Oversaw financial performance against plan and  

market expectations

 – Provided oversight of the firm’s investment management 

processes, including suitability

 – Scrutinised the firm’s approach to and compliance  

with regulatory investment standards

 – Assessed the firm’s change management processes  

and project delivery

 – Focused on management’s delivery of organic  

growth initiatives

 – Assessed and approved the firm’s regulatory returns  

and annual budgets

 – Monitored and assessed the firm’s culture
 – Considered the firm’s approach to a cyber attack  

and subsequent management actions

 – Reviewed and implemented recommendations on  

the board evaluation exercise

 – Reviewed and approved executive management  

succession plans, including the appointment of the 
managing director for Rathbone Investment Management 
and new chief executive

 – Approved the appointment of new non-executive directors
 – Approved interim and full-year financial statements, 
interim dividend and recommended final dividend

Operations of the board

The board has a rolling agenda, which ensures that key matters 
are addressed. The board held seven scheduled meetings 
during the year, a strategy day and a number of additional 
formal and informal meetings. The chairman and the company 
secretary manage board and committee meetings and ensure 
that the board (and particularly the non-executive directors) 
receive appropriate and balanced information. The company 
secretary manages the timely circulation of information to  
the board. All board papers are prepared by executives and 
clearly indicate any action required. As part of the annual  
board evaluation process, board members provided input  
on the level and quality of the information that is provided.  
In addition, the company secretary ensures board procedures 
are complied with and applicable rules are followed.

The company secretary facilitates the induction process  
for new directors, assists with their professional development 
and advises the board on corporate governance matters and 
on the rules and regulations that affect a UK-listed company. 
The appointment or removal of the company secretary is a 
matter for the board.

Board attendance

Director
M P Nicholls
J W Dean
S F Gentleman
J N Pettigrew
P L Howell
R P Stockton 
T L Duhon1
C M Clark2

Former director
K A Matthews3

1.  Terri Duhon joined the board on 2 July 2018
2.  Colin Clark joined the board on 24 October 2018
3.  Kathryn Matthews stepped down as a director on 12 September 2018

Meetings attended 
(eligible to attend)
7(7)
5(7)
7(7)
7(7)
7(7)
7(7)
3(3)
1(1)

5(5)

62

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
 
 
Independence

The board, on the recommendation of the nomination 
committee, considers that all of the non-executive directors 
are independent. All board members are required to disclose 
any external positions or interests which might conflict with 
their directorship of Rathbones prior to their appointment  
so that any potential conflict can be properly assessed. The 
board has regard to the fact that experienced non-executive 
directors in financial firms are a valuable resource and may  
sit on several boards. Conflicts of interest can generally be 
managed by due process and common sense.

Board induction

Our non-executive directors are offered a comprehensive  
and tailored induction programme to introduce them to the 
business, industry and regulatory context. The programme  
is based on one-to-one meetings with the executive directors 
and executive committee members, the heads of group 
functions and the company secretary and covers the  
areas of business outlined below:

Business review
 – Strategic direction and priorities
 – Business strategy and market analysis
 – Risk appetite, principal risks and risk  

management framework

 – Operations

Performance and market positioning
 – Review of financial and market performance
 – Recent analyst and media coverage
 – Budget review
 – Analysis of shareholder base and investor perception
 – Shareholder engagement

Regulatory environment
 – Overview of the group’s key compliance  

and regulatory policies

 – Recent changes in regulatory landscape and impact  

of upcoming regulatory developments

 – Hot topics and key priorities

G
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Terri Duhon
Non-executive Director

Board induction
While I joined the Rathbones board with a lot of financial 
expertise around markets, asset management and risk,  
I have had less direct exposure to the UK wealth 
management sector. Thus, the company secretary 
initially provided me with reading materials, which 
included analyst reports, recent market analysis on the 
sector, Rathbones investor reports and minutes of board 
and committee meetings. This information was a great 
overview for me of Rathbones and the broader industry. 
At the same time, meetings were held primarily with  
the executive team across different areas of the business. 

The various induction meetings initially focused  
on the big picture and slowly meetings became more 
detailed. As a result, I've requested a number of follow-
up meetings with the same person on the same topic.  
In particular, I have spent a lot of time understanding  
the structure of the risk and compliance team which 
included spending time in the Liverpool office. 

Throughout the induction process, everyone at 
Rathbones has been very open and has made 
themselves available to enable me to understand the 
inner workings of the firm, the people, processes and  
the culture. My induction programme will continue 
during 2019 and I don’t expect these meetings and 
briefings to ever stop. 

People, culture and values
 – Discussion of key business principles and the firm’s culture
 – Key people and succession plans
 – Board procedures and governance framework
 – Board structure, processes and relationships
 – Board interaction with key business areas
 – Overview of listed company obligations, reporting  

and governance framework

 – Directors’ duties and responsibilities 

Board development

The firm is committed to the training and development  
of all staff to ensure professional standards are maintained  
and enhanced. All directors are encouraged to update their 
skills and any training needs are assessed as part of the board 
evaluation process. The knowledge and familiarity of non-
executive directors with the firm is enhanced by full access  
to senior management and visits to teams in London and 
offices across the country. 

rathbones.com

63

Corporate governance report continued

The company secretary assists with the professional 
development requirements of the board. In addition, the board 
receives mandatory annual training on the following areas: 

 – CASS
 – SEC obligations
 – ICAAP and ILAAP

During the year, the board received presentations on the 
impact of the GDPR, cyber security and regulatory investment 
requirements including the associated change programmes 
that will be required. Committee members also receive regular 
updates on technical developments at scheduled meetings. 

Governance of the company

In relation to compliance with the 2016 UK Corporate 
Governance Code (‘the Code’), which applies to the firm,  
this report together with the directors’ report states the 
position as at 20 February 2019. The directors have considered 
the contents and recommendations of the Code and confirm 
that throughout the year the company has applied the main 
principles and complied with the provisions of the Code. 

Board diversity 

Diversity, including ethnic diversity, is a key factor when 
assessing the board’s composition. It ensures there is the 
correct balance of skills, experience and expertise amongst 
non-executive directors to contribute to decision-making  
and assess the performance and strategy of the company.

The board has adopted a board diversity policy to ensure 
transparency and diversity in making appointments to the 
board on the recommendation of the nomination committee. 
This policy expresses our commitment to the principle  
of non-discrimination and to the promotion of fair 
participation and equality of opportunity for all. 

The gender balance of the board is also taken into 
consideration when recruiting a new non-executive director. 
This is reflected in the composition of the board, which will 
comprise three female and five male members during 2019. 
The board remains committed to improving diversity at all 
levels across the firm. As such, it supports and is updated  
on diversity initiatives in place below the executive level.

Board and board committee evaluation

Each year, the board undertakes an annual review of its 
effectiveness. In 2017, an external review was undertaken by 
an independent third party, Independent Audit Limited. This 
involved their attendance at board meetings, one-to-one 
interviews with directors, executive committee members  
and the company secretary and a review of board and board 
committee papers and minutes. The key points raised in the 
2017 review and associated actions by the board were 
disclosed in the last year’s report and accounts. 

The 2018 board effectiveness review was devised  
internally, as permitted by the Code, and supported by 
Independent Audit Limited. The board was keen for the 
evaluation to highlight learnings from the past and build  
on these for the future. 

The review consisted of a focused questionnaire on  
key topics such as:

 – board skills and dynamics 
 – quality of the board’s strategic and operational oversight
 – quality of our risk assessment on major decisions
 – oversight of culture
 – our succession planning
 – the effectiveness of the board committees.

Independent Audit Limited provided a report based on 
responses to this questionnaire, which was discussed in  
draft with the chairman and then presented in full to the 
board. The chairman followed up with one-to-one meetings 
with each director. 

Overall, the board effectiveness review was positive about  
the composition of the board and the way both the board  
and the board committees operated. Suggestions for 
improvement included:

 – Clearer information on progress on strategic projects  

and initiatives

 – More information on succession and development  

below board level

 – The need for board reports to take a more holistic  
approach to culture (looking beyond risk culture)  
to build a better picture of the whole organisation
 – The need for more focus on diversity (not just gender) 

throughout the organisation

The board expects to conduct an internal review again  
next year and an externally-facilitated evaluation in 2020.

In addition to the board evaluation process, the senior 
independent director led a separate performance review  
in respect of the chairman which involved a review with the 
non-executive directors, excluding the chairman, and separate 
consultation with the chief executive. The senior independent 
director subsequently provided feedback to the chairman on 
his appraisal, which confirmed his effectiveness. 

Succession planning 

The nomination committee is responsible for both  
executive and non-executive director succession planning  
and recommends new appointments to the board. When 
making board appointments, the board seeks to ensure that 
there is a diverse range of skills, backgrounds and experience, 
including relevant industry experience. Further information  
is included in the nomination committee report. 

Board committees

Details of the work of the principal board committees are set 
out in the separate reports for each committee, which follow 
this report.

Accountability

The statement of directors’ responsibility for preparing the 
report and accounts is set out at the end of this governance 
section. Within this, the directors have included a statement 
that the report and accounts present a fair, balanced and 

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understandable assessment of the group’s position and 
prospects. To help the board discharge its responsibilities  
in this area, the board consulted the audit committee,  
which advised on the key considerations to comply with  
best practice and the Code’s requirements. Following the 
committee’s advice, the board considered and concluded that:

 – the business model and strategy were clearly described
 – the assessment of performance was balanced
 – the language used was concise, with clear linkages  

to different parts of the document

 – an appropriate forward-looking orientation had  

been adopted.

The directors’ report on viability and the going concern  
basis of accounting, which the directors have determined  
to be appropriate, can be found in the strategic report, which 
also describes the group’s performance during the year.

Risk management 

In accordance with the Code, the board is required to monitor 
the firm’s risk management and internal control systems on  
an ongoing basis and carry out a review of their effectiveness 
and report on this review to shareholders. Details of the 
company’s ongoing process for identifying, assessing and 
managing the principal risks faced by the firm are contained  
in the risk management section on pages 35 to 40, together 
with details of those principal risks and their related mitigating 
factors. Whilst the board retains overall responsibility for the 
firm’s risk management and internal control systems, it has 
delegated oversight to the audit and group risk committees. 

The group’s financial controls framework is designed to 
provide assurance that proper accounting records are 
adequately maintained and that financial information used 
within the business and for external publication is reliable  
and free from material misstatement, thereby safeguarding  
the company’s assets. 

The board receives regular reports from the chairman of  
the group risk committee and chief risk officer on the key  
risks facing the firm that impact on operational and financial 
objectives. This assessment is completed together with 
assurance that the level of risk retained is consistent with  
and is being managed in accordance with the board’s risk 
appetite. These reports include current and forward-looking 
assessments of capital and liquidity adequacy and a summary 
‘risk dashboard’ is presented. Also, during the year, the board 
reviewed and approved the operational risk assessment 
process for the 2018 ICAAP document, which includes a  
capital assessment of financial, conduct and operational risks.

The board assesses the effectiveness of the firm’s internal 
controls on an annual basis and a report is provided for 
consideration. The report is considered one element of  
the overall assurance processes, and the board considers  
other sources that include reports emanating from first  
line of defence and second line of defence assurance teams, 
including group compliance, anti-money laundering (AML),  
as well as investment risk and information security.

A one-year risk-based approach drives internal audit  
coverage, and, over the course of the year, review work  
by the function covers all material controls across the  
firm including compliance, operations and finance.  

The observations arising from this work form the basis for the 
annual internal audit opinion.

Following these reviews, the board concluded that the firm’s 
risk management processes were effective and there were  
no significant weaknesses or failings in the system of  
internal controls. 

Relations with shareholders 

The board is committed to proactive and constructive 
engagement with the firm’s investors and is keen to  
develop its understanding of shareholder views. 

Effective communication with investors and analysts 
regarding the firm’s strategy and performance is held through 
regular meetings and roadshows by the chief executive and 
finance director. The board receives and discusses shareholder 
and analyst feedback at each board meeting. The chairman 
and non-executive directors are available to meet with 
investors at any time including at the AGM. 

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Investor relations activity in 2018 included the following:

 – 2017 year-end results – UK investor roadshow  

and analyst presentations
 – Q1 trading update – analyst call
 – AGM – all directors available for questions
 – 2017 interim results – UK investor roadshow  

and analyst presentations

On the initiative of the chairman of the remuneration 
committee, shareholder consultation letters were  
issued to our 15 largest shareholders on our proposed  
new remuneration policy and meetings held with those 
interested to discuss the proposed changes. We also  
engaged with Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS)  
and Institutional Voting Information Service (IVIS) of  
the Investment Association and Pension & Investment 
Research Consultants (PIRC) before the 2018 AGM. Also, 
during 2019, the chairman of the remuneration committee 
contacted our top 15 shareholders to update them on  
the proposed adjustments to the 2018 EIP awards for 
our executive directors. For more information, see  
pages 78 to 79 of the directors' remuneration report.

During 2018, the key areas which the chief executive and 
finance director have discussed with investors included: 

 – progress on strategic initiatives 
 – Speirs & Jeffrey transaction and share placing
 – industry trends including consolidation and the  

increased use of technology 

 – upcoming changes to regulation including MiFID II,  
the FCA Asset Management Review and the GDPR. 

Shareholder meetings

We welcome shareholders to our AGM in May each year.  
At every AGM our shareholders are given an overview of  
the progress of the business and outlook for the year. This  
is followed by the opportunity for shareholders to ask 
questions about the resolutions before the meeting and  
about the business more generally. We look forward to 
meeting shareholders and providing a further business  
update at our 2019 AGM in May this year.

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65

Group risk committee report

Membership and attendance

Director
T L Duhon (chairman)1
C M Clark2
J W Dean
S F Gentleman
J N Pettigrew

Former director
K A Matthews3 

Meetings attended 
(eligible to attend)
3(3)
1(1)
4(5)
5(5)
4(5)

4(4)

1.  Terri Duhon joined the committee on 2 July 2018 and was appointed chairman on  

13 September 2018 

2.  Colin Clark joined the committee on 24 October 2018
3.  Kathryn Matthews retired from the committee on 12 September 2018

Roles and responsibilities 

The key activities of the committee are to provide 
oversight on the firm’s risk appetite and framework.  
To do this we:

 – Review and discuss reports from the risk team on  
risk appetite issues including any early warning 
signals and advise the board accordingly
 – Discuss any loss events and near misses, the  

lessons learned and management action taken

 – Review end-to-end process risk assessments 
undertaken and any resulting internal control 
enhancements

 – Advise the board on the risk aspects of proposed 

major strategic change

 – Review risk weightings on performance objectives  

for executive remuneration

 – Receive focused reports on current business and 

horizon risks

 – Review (prior to board approval) key regulatory 

submissions including the Group Internal Capital 
Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) document

Full terms of reference for the committee are reviewed 
annually and are available on the company’s website.

Group risk committee chairman’s annual 
statement

On behalf of the board, I am pleased to present my first group 
risk committee report as chairman and would like to thank my 
predecessor, Kathryn Matthews, for her support throughout 
my transition to this role. 

The identification, management and mitigation or acceptance 
of risk is essential to the success of the firm. The group risk 
committee plays a vital part in helping support the firm’s 
governance structure and the ongoing monitoring of the  
firm’s risk management framework. The committee plays a 
fundamental role in setting the tone and culture that promotes 
effective risk awareness across the firm. The following sections 
set out the committee’s responsibilities and the principal areas 
of risk upon which we have focused during the year. 

During the year, the macroeconomic environment, political 
challenges and heavy regulatory agenda, coupled with 
firm-specific risks, have kept the committee fully occupied. 
There have been ongoing enhancements to our risk 
management and risk appetite frameworks and we are 
constantly assessing our skill sets to ensure that we are 
upskilling or bringing in expertise as required given the 
constantly changing risk landscape. 

The committee apportions its time between the planned 
periodic review of key risks and the close scrutiny of topical 
business risks as they develop. This approach allows us to 
ensure that emerging risks can be identified and debated.  
As a result, details of management risk mitigation plans  
are well understood and appropriate resource is provided. 

Committee meetings 

Our current members are the independent non-executive 
directors, who met on five occasions in 2018 (2017: four).  
I joined the committee in July 2018 and was appointed 
chairman in September 2018, and Colin Clark joined the 
committee in October 2018.

In addition to the members of the committee, standing 
invitations are extended to the chairman, the executive 
directors, the chief risk officer and the head of internal  
audit. All attend committee meetings as a matter of course  
and inform the committee’s discussions. Other executive 
committee members and risk team members are invited  
to attend the committee from time-to-time as required to 
present and advise on reports commissioned. 

I regularly meet with the chief risk officer in a combination  
of formal and informal sessions. I am still going through my 
induction process, which has included a meeting with the  
risk and compliance team in Liverpool and meetings with 
senior management across all divisions of the group. I will 
continue to meet with the chief risk officer and her team and 
with senior management as a matter of course throughout the 
year to discuss the business environment and to gather their 
views of emerging risks. 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
 
 
A number of areas of operational risk were stressed as part of 
the annual ICAAP. Following robust debate and challenge, the 
committee and board were satisfied that the group’s business 
model and allocated risk appetite remained appropriate.  
This is an important outcome given the number of change 
management programmes underway across the group.

On risk culture, the board and committee receive regular 
updates via a dashboard that sources data and qualitative 
commentary relating to clients, colleagues, conduct risk  
and investors. The data for this dashboard is also reviewed 
annually by the internal audit team. The committee uses  
this dashboard to assess the firm’s risk culture to ensure it  
is aligned with the values of the firm. The board has recently 
asked for a broader piece of work around culture, which will  
tie into the risk culture dashboard.

Our focus on cyber crime has accelerated during the year, as 
the number of industry attacks continues to increase, which 
reinforces the importance of strong cyber defences to protect 
client data and assets. To that end, the firm completed its 
General Data Protection Regulation programme on time  
and ensured it met legislative requirements with training 
provided to members of staff. 

To ensure the firm is fully compliant with the ever-changing 
regulatory landscape, we continue to engage effectively with 
regulators and industry bodies to ensure that our compliance 
framework remains relevant for the firm. 

Finally, the links between culture, risk and remuneration are 
fundamental. The risk committee and chief risk officer have 
provided input to the remuneration committee to ensure 
behaviours and the management of risk during the year  
were considered in remuneration committee decisions. 

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The committee has an agreed annual standing agenda to  
cover key risk events in the year, which are required to be 
addressed in accordance with the terms of reference. Prior  
to each meeting, I agree the agenda with the chief risk officer 
and the company secretary to identify key issues impacting  
on the firm that may require the committee’s attention.

At each meeting, the committee reviews and considers the  
risk and compliance dashboards, which highlight changes in 
key risks impacting the firm. These dashboards are designed 
to enable the committee to monitor and focus on ongoing or 
emerging risks. In addition, the committee receives reports 
and presentations on compliance, suitability and anti-money 
laundering matters, including any regulatory changes 
impacting the firm. 

Finally, the committee conducts ‘deep dive’ reviews on  
key risk areas such as internal investment management 
processes and the Internal Liquidity Adequacy Assessment 
Process (ILAAP). 

Committee effectiveness

An evaluation of the committee’s effectiveness was 
undertaken during the year as part of the internal board 
effectiveness review. The review found that the committee 
operated well and ensured that the firm’s risks were 
sufficiently analysed during the year. 

In addition, the committee is satisfied that it has access  
to sufficient resource to enable it to carry out its duties  
and continue to perform effectively. 

Committee activity in 2018

Further enhancements were made to the group’s risk 
management framework in 2018, to ensure that it remains 
aligned to industry and regulatory standards. The committee 
also reviewed the risk assessment on the firm’s various 
strategic initiatives. In addition, the risk appetite framework 
continues to be refreshed to include additional measures  
in order to support the firm’s risk management activities. 
Furthermore, the committee continues to review emerging 
risks to ensure the firm’s readiness for external volatility. 

Relative to other UK financial services businesses, the firm’s 
potential exposure and disruption from the potential impact  
of Brexit is considered low given the firm’s geographical 
footprint, with no material dependencies on goods or services 
from other EU countries and a predominantly UK client base. 
However, the firm has continued to develop appropriate 
contingency plans, which will be reviewed on a regular basis 
by the committee. 

rathbones.com

67

Looking ahead to 2019

In reviewing the committee’s priorities for the coming  
year, consideration will be given to the following areas: 

 – Continued risk assessment of recent and upcoming 

regulatory changes 

 – Further evolution of the firm’s cyber security strategy 
 – Further enhancement of the risk management framework 
for external and internal emerging risks, especially the 
impact of the UK’s exit from the EU 

 – Change risk, including the integration of Speirs & Jeffrey
 – Continued assessment of the firm’s risk culture against  

its core values

We are committed to the continuing development of  
our approach to risk management across the three  
lines of defence. 

In the first line, we expect to see delivery continue  
on a number of projects currently underway that should 
strengthen further the sustainability of good client outcomes. 
Also, we will continue to invest in additional resource for 
teams in the second line of defence.

Full details of our risk management framework are included  
in the strategic report on pages 35 to 40.

Terri Duhon
Chairman of the group risk committee

20 February 2019

Group risk committee report continued

Committee activity in 2018

The list below summarises the key issues that the 
committee considered at each of its meetings during  
the year in addition to standing reports from each 
control function. 

February 2018
 – Review of ICAAP operational risk factors
 – Review of risk register and emerging risks
 – Review of the banking committee report
 – Review of the recommendations from 2017  

audit cycle

 – Review of risk register and emerging risks

May 2018
 – Approval of the annual Pillar 3 disclosures 
 – Review of the conflicts of interest policy
 – Annual approval of the firm’s risk appetite
 – Approval of ICAAP operational risk factors
 – Review and consideration of the firm’s suitability 

programme for the year 

 – Approval of the financial crime policy
 – Review of banking committee report
 – Review of risk register and emerging risks

July 2018 
 – Approval of ILAAP and liquidity contingency plan
 – Approval of reverse stress testing disclosures
 – Approval of recovery and resolution plan

September 2018
 – Review of the risk management policy
 – Review of risk register and emerging risks
 – Review of the banking committee report

November 2018
 – Approval of risk management policy statement 
 – Review of the banking committee report
 – Review and consideration of the firm’s suitability 

programme for the year with associated  
management actions 

 – Provide oversight of the firm’s AML processes  

and procedures 

 – Review of the firm’s risk culture dashboard 
 – Review of remuneration policy and associated  

risks with executive remuneration

 – Review of risk register and emerging risks
 – Approval of 2018 ICAAP and ILAAP stress  

testing proposals 

 – Approval of the remuneration policy

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Audit committee report

Audit committee chairman’s annual statement

The audit committee’s key role is to ensure there is confidence 
in the integrity of our processes and procedures as they relate 
to internal financial controls and corporate reporting. The 
board relies on the committee to review financial reporting 
and to appoint and oversee the work of the internal and 
external auditors. 

During 2018, the committee has continued to provide 
independent scrutiny of the processes in place to monitor  
the company’s financial and non-financial reporting. This 
included oversight of the viability statement process and 
ensuring that this report and accounts meets the criteria  
for fair, balanced and understandable reporting. We have  
also overseen the firm’s systems of internal controls 
management. The committee has considered a wide  
range of topics with a focus on the following areas:

 – Analysis of the firm’s financial reporting with particular 
consideration of accounting judgments made during  
the preparation of the financial statements

 – Review of the firm’s client assets sourcebook (CASS)  

audit and submissions 

 – Impact of the reporting standards relating to IFRS 15 

‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ and 
IFRS 16 ‘Leases’

 – Audit tender process

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Meetings attended 
(eligible to attend)
6(7)
1(1)
3(3)
7(7)
6(7)

5(5)

Committee meetings 

Membership and attendance

Director
J W Dean (chairman)
C M Clark1
T L Duhon2
S F Gentleman
J N Pettigrew

Former director
K A Matthews3

1.  Colin Clark joined the committee on 24 October 2018
2.  Terri Duhon joined the committee on 2 July 2018
3.  Kathryn Matthews retired from the committee on 12 September 2018

Roles and responsibilities 

The key activities of the committee are as follows: 

 – Provide oversight of the firm’s financial performance 

and reporting, announcement of results and 
significant judgements areas

 – Review the firm’s whistleblowing arrangements and 
ensure appropriate and independent investigations 
on matters

 – Review the firm’s internal controls and effectiveness 

of the internal audit function

 – Oversee the appointment, performance and 

remuneration of the external auditor, including  
the provision of non-audit services to the firm

Full terms of reference for the committee are reviewed 
annually and are available on the company’s website.

Our current members are the independent non-executive 
directors who met on seven occasions in 2018 (2017: six). 

The board is satisfied that at least one member of the 
committee has recent and relevant financial experience.  
I am a chartered accountant as is Jim Pettigrew, while the 
other committee members have extensive experience of 
financial matters and of the financial services industry. 

In addition to the members of the committee, standing 
invitations are extended to the chairman, executive directors, 
chief risk officer, head of internal audit, financial controller, 
and the external audit partner and manager. Other executives 
and external advisers are invited to attend the committee  
from time-to-time as required to present and advise on  
reports commissioned.

During the year, I have regular meetings with the finance 
director, head of internal audit and the external audit partner 
to discuss key audit-related topics ahead of each meeting. 

The committee has an agreed annual standing agenda to 
ensure key areas are covered during the year, which it is 
required to address under its terms of reference. Prior to  
each meeting, I agree the agenda with the finance director  
and the company secretary.

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69

 
 
 
Audit committee report continued

Committee effectiveness

The annual review of the effectiveness of the committee  
was carried out internally during the year. The committee 
members and executive directors were invited to respond  
to questions on the content, management, quality and focus  
of discussion during meetings. I am pleased that their 
responses indicated that the committee is performing  
well with no areas of concern.

Committee activity in 2018

Below is a summary of the key issues that the committee 
considered at each of its meetings during the year. 

January 2018
 – Review of the report and accounts
 – Review of key judgements for the annual report
 – Assessment of going concern and the viability statement
 – Annual review of audit fees
 – Review of 2017 internal audit plan and 2018 internal 

audit cycle

 – Request for approval of 2018 non-audit services

February 2018
 – Approval of the report and accounts
 – Review the impact of IFRS 15
 – Assessment of the report and accounts being fair, 

balanced and understandable

 – Review of the firm’s distributable reserves and  

dividend policy for 2017

 – Year-end external audit report and audit opinion
 – Review and approval of representation letter
 – Review of external auditor’s letter of independence

April 2018
 – Review and approval of the firm’s CASS submission

May 2018
 – Review of audit tender process
 – Review and approval of the Q1 interim management 

statement

 – Review and approval of the external auditor’s letter  

of engagement and audit fee

 – Review of internal audit plan for 2018 and completed 

assessments across the firm

 – Approval of the internal audit charter
 – Assessment of conformity with International Literacy 
Association standards and the financial services code

July 2018
 – Approval of half-year report for 2018
 – Assessment of the firm’s statement of going concern
 – Review of audit fees for 2018
 – External auditor’s half-year review
 – Review and approval of representation letter
 – Review of external auditor’s letter of independence
 – Proposed audit plan for the year end
 – Annual review of audit and non-audit fee policy
 – Approval of recommendation of selection committee  

on external audit appointment for 2019

 – Review of internal audit plan for 2018 and completed 

assessments across the firm

 – Annual review of the whistleblowing reports for 2017
 – Annual review of the whistleblowing policy
 – Approval of committee’s terms of reference

October 2018
 – Review and approval of the Q3 interim  

management statement

 – Review of internal audit plan for 2018 and completed 

assessments across the firm

 – Review of planning of internal audit plan for 2018
 – Approval of the firm’s non-audit service policy

December 2018 
 – Review of key judgements and provisioning for  

the year end

 – Review of audit and non-audit fees for the year
 – Assessment of reporting standard changes relating  

to IFRS 9, 15 and 16

 – Review of internal audit plan for 2018 and approval  

of the 2019 internal audit plan

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Financial reporting

Accounting judgements
As part of the committee’s role of monitoring the integrity  
of the firm’s financial information contained in the interim  
and annual financial statements, a review of key accounting 
judgements and policies that were adopted by management 
was conducted and assessed. Following discussion with 
management and the external auditors, the committee 
concluded that these judgements were appropriate and 
proportionate for the firm. Details of these key significant 
judgements can be found in note 3 of the financial statements. 

Fair, balanced and understandable statement 
The committee considered whether the interim statement  
and the report and accounts were fair, balanced and 
understandable and provided the information necessary  
for shareholders to assess the firm’s performance, business 
model and strategy. The committee reviewed the interim  
and annual financial statements in conjunction with the 
narrative sections of the reports to ensure that there was 
consistency in the information reported, that appropriate 
weight had been given to both positive and negative aspects  
of business performance and that key messages had been 
presented coherently. The committee concluded that, taken  
as a whole, the interim statement and the report and accounts 
were fair, balanced and understandable.

Viability and going concern
The committee considered the requirements contained in the 
Code regarding the company’s viability statement, including 
the proposed three-year assessment period. After significant 
discussion, and having considered the firm’s current position 
and impact of potential risks, the committee concluded that 
the three-year assessment period continued to be appropriate 
and recommended the draft viability statement (as set out  
on page 40) to the board for approval. The committee also 
reviewed the going concern disclosure (as set out on page 93) 
and concluded that the firm had adequate resources to 
continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future 
and confirmed to the board that it was appropriate for the 
firm’s financial statements to be prepared on a going  
concern basis.

The carrying value of assets
We reviewed the methodology for valuing assets where  
a significant amount of judgement is required, including 
intangible assets, particularly goodwill and client relationships. 

The valuation of defined benefit pension obligations
We reviewed the key assumptions supporting the valuation  
of defined benefit pension obligations, particularly salary 
increases, investment returns, inflation and the discount  
rate, which are disclosed in note 28 to the financial statements. 
We reviewed the professional advice taken by the company 
and discussed the assumptions used by us and by other 
companies with the external auditors. We satisfied ourselves 
that the assumptions used were reasonable.

Provisions and contingent liabilities
The committee discussed provisions totalling £11.8 million, 
which have been summarised in note 26 to the financial 
statements. The main areas of provisions relate to the Speirs & 
Jeffrey acquisition, deferred payment for acquired business 
and property dilapidation liabilities.

Brexit
Complementing the board's consideration of the potential 
impact of Brexit on our business, the committee considered 
the implications of Brexit uncertainties on those accounting 
judgements that depend on assessments of the future 
economic environment and the group's future prospects, 
going concern and viability. This included an assessment  
of the appropriateness of sensitivity analysis undertaken  
for known adverse scenarios and the adequacy of disclosures 
in the report and accounts.

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Acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey
We considered the judgement and estimates made by 
management in accounting for the acquisition of Speirs & 
Jeffrey. In particular, we reviewed the estimated valuation and 
accounting treatment of the deferred elements of consideration 
payable for the business, the identification and valuation of the 
client relationships and other intangibles acquired and the 
valuation of goodwill arising from the acquisition.

New accounting standards
During the year, the committee reviewed two new accounting 
standards that will be implemented over the next two years 
and will impact on the financial statements as they will have  
a number of transitional arrangements. The committee looked 
at the following: 

i)  IFRS 15 
A review was conducted on the impact of this standard and 
the manner in which the firm is required to capitalise earn  
out payments. Following an extensive review of our contracts, 
it was determined that the net impact of this standard would 
result in a £8 million adjustment to the opening equity 
position and is disclosed in the financial statements. 

ii)  IFRS 16
A review of the firm’s future lease payments was conducted 
during the year to establish the potential financial liability  
that will need to be recognised on the balance sheet. The firm’s 
most significant property lease contracts were examined and 
may lead to the firm being required to hold additional capital 
from the inception of the standard.

For further information, please refer to note 1.3 to the  
financial statements. 

Audit tender process 
As reported in last year’s committee report, the last audit 
services tender process took place in 2009, which led to t 
he appointment of KPMG LLP, and under the new EU audit 
regulations, the firm was required to initiate another process. 
Also, this timing coincided with the end of tenure of the lead 
engagement partner who, having been the lead engagement 
partner for five years, in accordance with audit regulations, is 
required to rotate off the firm’s account in 2019.

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Audit committee report continued

The committee initiated an audit tender process, which it 
delegated to a sub-committee composed of the following: 

 – Chairman of the audit committee 
 – Chairman of the remuneration committee 
 – Finance Director 
 – Head of Internal Audit 
 – Group Financial Controller 

The process was designed to be transparent, effective and 
efficient in order to provide participating firms an equal 
opportunity to tender for the services. Prior to the tender,  
the participating firms had been given equal opportunity  
to meet with key members of staff to ensure they had a  
good understanding of the business. 

The main elements of planning for the tender began in  
May 2018 when the proposed process was approved by the 
committee. The sub-committee met regularly and received 
and commented on the main materials prior to these being 
issued to the participating firms. 

As an initial step, a detailed desktop review process was 
undertaken, which considered the credentials of six firms 
against a range of criteria, including an assessment of the 
depth of knowledge and expertise in the investment 
management industry, the firms’ geographical reach,  
analysis of the firms’ current and recent audit clients in  
our sector, review of the Financial Reporting Council's  
(FRC) June 2017 Audit Quality Inspection reports on each  
firm and consideration of our experience of the firms in recent 
engagements (audit and non-audit). Following the desktop 
review, the sub-committee agreed that three firms should  
be issued with a request for proposal (RFP).

In line with FRC guidance the evaluation criteria for the process 
were agreed as:

Audit quality 
 – Measured by reference to recent FRC audit quality reports 
 – Independence and management of potential conflicts 

Team competence 
 – Experience and expertise of the team 

Commitment and proactivity 
 – Enthusiasm and commitment of the proposed audit team 

Service approach 
 – Organisational and cultural fit of each firm and  
the proposed audit team with our business 

 – Appropriate audit approach and issue resolution  

processes for our business 

Communication, messages and style 
In order to evaluate each of the firms against the criteria, the 
sub-committee oversaw a number of activities including:

 – Analysis of the RFP responses
 – Presentations to the sub-committee 
 – Assessment of performance on non-audit services  

provided in the preceding 24 months

 – Due diligence including reviewing Audit Quality Review 

team Inspection reports published by the FRC, references 
and media searches

The sub-committee produced a scorecard to appraise  
each firm, which was presented to the audit committee for 
consideration. In summary, the committee concluded that 
Deloitte LLP had a strong team proposition, good knowledge 
of the business' and sector’s key risks, had performed well  
on non-audit engagements during the past 24 months  
and through certain other actions demonstrated their 
commitment to providing a high-quality focused audit. 
Accordingly, the board agreed to recommend to shareholders 
the appointment of Deloitte at the 2019 AGM. The committee 
will oversee the implementation of a detailed transition plan 
and an update will be provided in next year’s report. 

Internal audit

Internal audit plan
The 2018 internal audit plan was approved by the committee 
ahead of the start of the year with a greater focus on thematic 
work. The internal audit plan is subject to an annual risk-based 
appraisal. In setting audit scope, the internal audit function 
will take into account business strategy and form an 
independent view of whether the key risks to the organisation 
have been identified, including emerging and systematic risks, 
and assess how effectively these risks are being managed. The 
status of scheduled work and the follow up of agreed actions 
arising from reviews is reviewed at each meeting to ensure 
that agreed recommendations are acted upon promptly  
and regularly reported to the committee. 

At each meeting, the committee reviewed the internal audit 
reports presented by the head of internal audit and monitored 
progress against the 2018 plan. Reporting to the committee 
focuses on any significant issues identified in the audits and 
highlights any overdue items. A number of improvements  
to certain processes and controls were implemented in 
response to the recommendations put forward. 

Internal audit function
The internal audit function is an independent, objective 
assurance activity designed to add value and improve the 
organisation’s operations by bringing a systematic, disciplined 
approach to evaluating and improving the effectiveness of risk 
management, control and governance processes. The internal 
audit function is the third line of defence within the controls 
framework, providing independent assurance to both senior 
management and the audit committee, and reporting to the 
chairman of the audit committee. Deloitte LLP were engaged 
on 1 July 2015 as a co-source partner supplementing the 
in-house team. Deloitte’s significant resource and knowledge 
base means they are able to provide specialist assistance 
supporting the annual internal audit planning process, as well 
as technical input into individual audit reviews. A combined 
assurance map has been developed, linking significant risks  
to first line controls, second line monitoring and oversight  
and internal audit work.

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The committee reviewed the effectiveness of the internal  
audit function during the year to assess whether the function 
continued to meet key stakeholder objectives. The outcome of 
this review indicated that the internal audit function continued 
to be effective, operating in line with professional standards and 
is well supported by Deloitte. Following the proposed change in 
external auditor in 2019, the firm has initiated a tender process 
for the internal audit co-source relationship. An update will be 
provided in next year’s committee report. 

As well as meetings with management, I have regular 
meetings on a one-to-one basis with the head of internal  
audit before audit committee meetings to ensure that any 
concerns can be raised in confidence.

External audit

Audit work 2018
KPMG present their audit plan to the committee for review 
each year. The committee reviewed and challenged reports 
from KPMG, which outlined their risk assessments and audit 
plans for 2018 (including their proposed materiality level for 
the performance of the annual audit), the status of their audit 
work and issues arising from it. Particular focus was given  
to their testing of internal controls, their work on the key 
judgement areas and possible audit adjustments. We can 
confirm that there are no such material items remaining 
unadjusted in the financial statements. 

External audit effectiveness and appointment 
We place great importance on the quality, effectiveness and 
independence of the external audit process. In order to review 
the external audit process, including the performance of the 
external auditors, feedback is gathered from both committee 
members and management. This process was undertaken  
by internal audit. We also reviewed the annual FRC Audit 
Quality Inspection report prepared on our external auditor  
and discussed this report with the audit partner. There are  
no contractual or similar obligations restricting the firm’s 
choice of external auditor. 

Auditor independence and non-audit services 
We discussed the independence of the external auditor,  
the nature of non-audit services supplied by them and 
non-audit fee levels relative to the audit fee. As a result of  
the EU Audit Directive and Audit Regulations, the non-audit 
services policy was updated and approved. The revised policy 
includes prohibited services and sets a fee guide that aims to 
achieve a cap of 70% of the statutory audit fee in any year by 
2019. The committee’s prior approval is only required where 
the fee for an individual non-audit service is expected to 
exceed £50,000 and it is on the list of pre-approved services. 

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Non-audit fees, excluding services required by national 
legislation, payable to the auditor in 2018 were £179,000.  
This represents 45% of the three-year average statutory  
audit fee of £387,000. Other non-audit work undertaken  
by the auditor in 2018 was largely in relation to the corporate 
transaction, pensions advisory work and the annual ISAE3402 
internal controls report. We recognise that, given KPMG’s 
knowledge of the business, there are often advantages in  
using the external auditor to provide certain non-audit 
services and we are satisfied that their independence  
has not been impaired by providing these services. 

Prior to undertaking any non-audit service, KPMG LLP also 
completes its own independence confirmation processes, 
which are approved by the engagement partner. To provide 
the committee with oversight in this area, it submits six-
monthly reports on the non-audit services it has provided. 

Following a formal assessment of the external auditor’s 
independence and objectivity, the committee concluded  
that KPMG continued to be independent and objective. 

We agreed the external auditor’s fees (which are shown  
in note 8 to the financial statements) and reviewed the  
audit engagement letter. We also had discussions with the 
external auditor with no management present to provide  
an opportunity for any concerns to be raised and discussed.

Whistleblowing policy

We annually review the firm’s whistleblowing policy, approve 
any changes to the document and receive details of any 
reports made.

As well as meetings with management, I have regular 
meetings on a one-to-one basis with the head of internal  
audit before audit committee meetings to ensure that any 
concerns can be raised in confidence. 

Overview of priorities for 2019

As well as considering the standing items of business, the 
committee will also focus on the following areas during 2019:

 – Assessment and implementation of new  

accounting standards

 – Transition of external audit work from KPMG to Deloitte 

In light of its work, the committee was content with the 
effectiveness of the group’s processes governing financial  
and regulatory reporting and controls, its ethical standards  
and its relationships with regulators. 

Approval

This report, in its entirety, has been approved by the 
committee and the board of directors and signed on  
its behalf by:

James Dean
Chairman of the audit committee

20 February 2019

rathbones.com

73

Nomination committee report

Membership and attendance

Director
M P Nicholls (chairman)
C M Clark1
J W Dean
T L Duhon2
S F Gentleman
J N Pettigrew

Former director
K A Matthews3

Meetings attended 
(eligible to attend)
6(6)
1(1) 
4(6)
2(2) 
6(6) 
4(6)

4(4)

1.  Colin Clark joined the committee on 24 October 2018 
2.  Terri Duhon joined the committee on 2 July 2018
3.  Kathryn Matthews retired from the committee on 12 September 2018

Roles and responsibilities

The responsibilities of the committee include reviewing 
the composition (including the skills, knowledge, 
experience and diversity) of the board and making 
recommendations to the board for the appointment  
of directors. The board as a whole then decides on  
any such appointment.

The committee also has wider responsibilities for 
succession planning and the leadership needs of the 
organisation, both executive and non-executive, to 
ensure the continued ability of the firm to implement  
its strategy and compete effectively in the marketplace.

Full terms of reference for the committee are reviewed 
annually and are available on the company’s website.

Nomination committee chairman’s annual 
statement 

The nomination committee’s primary focus this year has been 
on succession planning for the board and executive team. 
There have been a number of board member changes during 
the year that have ensured a busy period for the committee. 

Succession planning – board and executive 
management 
As stated in last year’s report, the committee employed 
independent search consultants to seek potential candidates 
to succeed Kathryn Matthews as a non-executive director 
and as chairman of the group risk committee. It was also 
agreed to undertake a search for an additional non-executive 
director with executive experience in the investment 
management industry. 

Following a rigorous search process, Terri Duhon was 
appointed to the board in July 2018. In September 2018,  
the committee recommended Terri’s appointment as chair 
of the group risk committee. The committee appointed  
Russell Reynolds Associates to undertake the search  
process for an additional non-executive director and,  
in October 2018, Colin Clark was appointed to the board. 

I also referred in last year’s report to the committee’s review  
of executive succession plans, which were seen as integral to 
developing the next phase of our strategic plan. As a first step,  
in April 2018, the committee approved the appointment of  
Paul Stockton as managing director of Rathbone Investment 
Management and, after a careful assessment by the committee 
of Paul’s performance in his new role, it was agreed in 
November 2018 that he would succeed Philip Howell as chief 
executive by the 2019 AGM. In reaching its conclusion, the 
committee met a number of times to assess Paul’s progress as 
managing director of Rathbone Investment Management. The 
committee was unanimous on his appointment. Paul has been  
a key individual in the firm’s success and has played an integral 
role in the growth of the business over the last 10 years. 

Following Paul’s change in role in April 2018, the committee 
approved a detailed specification for the role of group finance 
director with input from the chief executive and engaged an 
external search consultancy firm, Korn Ferry, to find appropriate 
candidates. The firm is not connected to the company in any 
way. The search process included consideration of both external 
and internal candidates and, at all stages, the committee took 
steps to ensure that external and internal candidates were 
treated equally. A shortlist of external and internal candidates 
was agreed and candidates were interviewed by members of 
the board and executive team. Following these interviews and 
assessments, the committee recommended the appointment  
of Jennifer Mathias. The board then considered and approved 
the recommendation. The PRA and FCA have each given their 
approval to Jennifer’s appointment. Jennifer’s appointment as  
a director will be proposed for approval by shareholders at the 
AGM in May 2019. The committee believes that Paul and 
Jennifer will make an excellent team. 

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Non-executive directors’ skills 

As mentioned above, a key responsibility of the committee  
is to ensure that the board maintains a balance of skills, 
knowledge and experience appropriate to the operation of  
the business and as required to deliver the strategy. During the 
year, the committee considered and reaffirmed the skill set and 
experience of the firm’s independent non-executive directors, 
including their extensive experience in financial services. 

Talent development

The committee also takes a keen interest in executive 
succession plans, which include executive directors, the 
 group executive committee members and management  
roles across the business. Potential successors have been 
identified for many senior management positions and 
non-executive directors have met key individuals as part  
of normal board interactions and their visits to various teams 
in London and offices across the country. The committee 
continues to receive reports on the talent pipeline, which 
identifies high-calibre individuals with management potential. 
The committee acknowledges that, in a company the size  
of Rathbones, there may not always be successors for every 
senior role. The committee will continue to focus on this issue 
as a key part of its remit.

Independence and conflicts of interest

It is of the utmost importance that the board of a financial 
services firm has high-quality, experienced non-executive 
directors with the skills and integrity to undertake senior 
management roles. At Rathbones, we are fortunate to have 
such non-executives. I maintain a dialogue with each of them 
on potential conflicts of interest and time commitments. I am 
quite satisfied that in each case any conflicts of interest are 
likely to be rare and will be handled appropriately by the 
individual concerned. I have also been impressed by the 
wholehearted commitment of all our non-executive 
colleagues to Rathbones during a year in which they  
were often called upon to attend non-scheduled or  
informal meetings at short notice. 

recommendations of the Hampton-Alexander review 
published in November 2016. However, the committee 
recognises that, due to the relatively small size of the board, 
the appointment or departure of a single director can have a 
significant impact on its ability to achieve recommendations 
in relation to the composition and diversity of the board as  
a whole at a particular point in time.

For further information on our approach to diversity, please 
refer to the corporate responsibility report on page 44. 

Corporate governance reform

The committee has monitored the various reforms to 
corporate governance in the UK that have been announced 
during the year. These include the publication of the new 
Corporate Governance Code ('the new Code'), which will  
first apply to the company in the financial year ending 31 
December 2019. The committee has received updates from  
the company secretary on the new Code and its implications 
for the firm. The committee will continue to discuss the 
resulting actions required over the coming months to ensure 
that the company complies with the new Code during 2019.

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Board effectiveness review 

A formal and rigorous evaluation of the committee’s 
effectiveness was undertaken during the year as part  
of the internal board effectiveness review. The review  
found that the committee operated well during the year. 

Looking forward

We will continue to keep under review a succession timetable 
for both executives and non-executives. We will also monitor 
the development of management talent below board level  
and encourage greater diversity and challenge management 
to develop the talent that exists in the firm. 

Mark Nicholls
Chairman of the nomination committee

All non-executive directors will be standing for re-election  
at the 2019 AGM.

20 February 2019

Board diversity

Diversity continues to be a key focus of the committee.  
The committee embraces the benefits of diversity and it  
has been a topic of discussion throughout the year, including 
in the context of the board-level appointments considered  
by the committee and as part of the committee’s review  
of talent and executive management succession planning.  
The committee considers that the board remains diverse, 
drawing on the knowledge, skills and experience of  
directors from a range of backgrounds, but will seek to take 
opportunities to further improve the diversity of the board 
where it is consistent with the skills, experience and expertise 
required at a particular point in time. When Jennifer joins the 
board in April, three of the company’s eight directors will be 
women, meaning that the representation of women on the 
board exceeds the minimum percentage set out in the 

rathbones.com

75

Group executive committee report

Membership and attendance

Director
P L Howell (chairman)
R N K Baron
M T Bolsover
J A Butcher
I D Darnley
A T Morris
S Owen-Jones
R I Smeeton
R P Stockton
M M Webb

Meetings attended 
(eligible to attend)
12(12)
11(12)
11(12)
10(12)
12(12)
11(12)
11(12)
11(12)
12(12)
10(12)

Roles and responsibilities 

The committee has been delegated the full powers of  
the board subject to a list of matters which are reserved 
for decision by the board. This list is reviewed annually 
and approved by the board.

Please see the chief executive's review on pages 11 to 13. 
Biographies for the executive comittee members are 
available on our website.

Executive committee chairman’s annual 
statement

The executive committee's key role is day-to-day 
management of Rathbones. The committee actively  
reviews and assesses business performance supported  
by a range of committees that operate across the group. 

Committee meetings

We formally meet each month. These formal meetings are 
minuted and copies of the minutes are sent to committee 
members and to the board. Ad hoc and informal meetings  
are held as required.

Non-committee members are regularly invited to attend part 
of a meeting to report on a particular aspect of our business 
and non-executive directors may also attend meetings.

The committee has an agreed annual standing agenda to  
cover key areas in the year. Prior to each meeting, I agree  
the agenda with the company secretary. 

What we have done

Our main focus is on the implementation of the agreed 
strategy and on the day-to-day management of the group.  
We review and discuss the annual business plan and budget 
prior to its submission to the board for approval. We discuss 
the management and performance of the operating businesses 
(including their results compared to the budget, risks and 
regulatory compliance) and growth initiatives such as  
possible acquisitions and new products and services. 

Items of particular focus in 2018 were as follows: 

 – Implementation of planned enhancements to our 

investment process

 – Implementation of the strategic initiatives relating  

to Rathbone Financial Planning

 – Development of the intermediary distribution channel
 – Implementation of an IT transformational programme
 – Implementation of regulatory changes relating to the 

General Data Protection Regulation and MiFID II
 – Review of investment processes and development  

of the client journey

 – Review and assessment of the annual budget
 – Integration of Speirs & Jeffrey

Our people are our main asset and so HR matters and  
learning and development are important agenda items.  
The maintenance of and improvement in our core IT and 
operations infrastructure are key to the continuing success  
of the business and are subject to close scrutiny. 

The chief risk officer reports on the work of the risk and 
compliance teams and updates us on risk and internal control 
matters as well as on industry developments. We receive 
updates from internal audit on their work schedule and 
discuss any significant issues they raise following their work. 
The head of internal audit may attend any meeting. We also 
have oversight of business units, banking matters, marketing, 
social and environmental matters, business continuity and 
investor relations.

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Overview of priorities for 2019

As well as considering the standing items of business, the 
committee will also focus on the following areas during 2019:

 – Implementation of our IT transformation programme 
 – Integration of Speirs & Jeffrey 
 – Formulation of the next five-year strategic plan
 – The firm’s cybersecurity strategy
 – Employee engagement
 – Talent development
 – Diversity and succession planning

Philip Howell
Chairman of the executive committee

20 February 2019 

Executive committee members

Our current members and their responsibilities are below.

Philip Howell 
Chief Executive

Paul Stockton 
Finance Director and  
Managing Director of Rathbone 
Investment Management

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Rupert Baron 
Head of Investment 
Management in London

Mike Bolsover 
Head of Strategy and 
Organisation Development

Andrew Butcher 
Chief Operating Officer

Ivo Darnley 
Head of Specialist and 
Charity Business

Andrew Morris 
Head of Investment 
Management outside 
London

rathbones.com

Sarah Owen-Jones 
Chief Risk Officer

Richard Smeeton 
Head of Investment 
Management Special 
Projects and Recruitment

Mike Webb 
Chief Executive Unit Trusts 
and Head of Group 
Marketing and Distribution

77

Remuneration committee report

Membership and attendance

Director
S F Gentleman (chairman)
C M Clark1
J W Dean
T L Duhon2
M P Nicholls
J N Pettigrew

Former director
K A Matthews3 

Meetings attended 
(eligible to attend)
5(5)
1(1)
4(5)
2(2)
5(5)
4(5)

4(4)

1.  Colin Clark joined the committee on 24 October 2018

2.  Terri Duhon joined the committee on 2 July 2018

3.  Kathryn Matthews retired from the committee on 12 September 2018

Roles and responsibilities 

The committee’s responsibilities are to:

 – Determine and set the firm’s remuneration 
philosophy, ensuring that it is aligned with  
the business plans and risk appetite 

 – Approve the remuneration policy for executive 
directors for final approval by shareholders and  
make remuneration decisions within the policy

 – Approve total annual remuneration for executive 

directors based on achievements against objectives 
set by the committee

 – Review total annual remuneration for executive 
committee members and material risk takers 

Full terms of reference for the committee are reviewed 
annually and are available on the company’s website.

Remuneration committee chairman’s annual 
statement

On behalf of the board, I am pleased to present the directors’ 
remuneration report for the year ended 31 December 2018.

2018 has been a busy year for the remuneration committee, 
which mainly focused on implementing the new remuneration 
policy. We also welcomed two new non-executive directors  
to the committee: Terri Duhon and Colin Clark. At the AGM  
in May 2018, shareholders approved the new remuneration 
policy, which was developed to ensure that remuneration 
structures and performance measures:

 – supported the future strategy of our business, reflecting the 
need for investment at different times in the market cycle 
and the opportunities for inorganic growth that may arise

 – aligned the reward received by our executive directors  
with the experience and interests of our shareholders

 – continued to comply with regulations and industry  

best practice. 

2018 performance and remuneration outcomes 

Our remuneration framework is closely aligned with the 
financial performance of the group. While investment  
markets have been weak, particularly in the fourth quarter, the 
acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey helped funds under management 
and administration reach £44.1 billion at 31 December 2018. 
Profit before tax grew by 4% to £61.3 million, while underlying 
profit before tax increased from £87.5 million to £91.6 million, 
which represents an underlying operating margin of 29.4%. 

A significant milestone in 2018 was the completion of  
the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. Speirs & Jeffrey was 
Scotland’s largest independent wealth manager with funds 
under management and administration of £6.7 billion and  
38 investment professionals. This acquisition completed  
on 31 August 2018 and the committee discussed this 
acquisition in detail and its impact on the Executive  
Incentive Plan (EIP) award. 

Speirs & Jeffery impact on EIP award 
As announced at the time of the acquisition, the transaction 
structure contained three elements. This design achieved the 
most commerically-beneficial outcome for our shareholders, 
and de-risked the transaction by ensuring all aspects of the 
deferred consideration required the sellers to be in employment 
at the date of vesting whilst linking significant elements of  
the consideration to their continued service. However, the 
accounting implications of de-risking the Speirs & Jeffrey 
acquisition in this way means that the deferred consideration  
is treated as an expense in the profit and loss accounts and is at 
odds with the commercial substance of the transaction, causing 
a material reduction in basic earnings per share (EPS) and return 
on capital employed (ROCE). If management had not de-risked 
the transaction, this amount would have been treated as capital. 

The remuneration policy that was approved at the 2018 AGM, 
allows for both long- and short-term metrics to be reviewed in 
the case of a material acquisition or corporate transaction. The 
2018 EIP was assessed against (a) one-year metrics based on 
2018 performance and targets set at the start of the year; and 

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(b) three-year metrics based on performance between 2016 
and 2018. The acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey has had an  
impact on both sets of metrics, which was not envisaged  
at the time that the targets were originally set. As a result, 
the committee has decided to make an adjustment to  
the financial measures of the 2018 EIP award so that the 
commercial substance of the transaction is reflected and 
management are not penalised for taking actions that are  
in the interests of our shareholders. 

The outcomes have therefore been adjusted to treat all of  
the consideration as capital, notionally increasing the number 
of shares in issue accordingly for the calculation of ROCE and 
EPS outcomes. This ensures that the outcomes reflect the 
associated higher capital requirement and balance the impact 
of the proposed adjustments across all performance measures. 
The committee made no adjustments to targets as related 
acquisition costs offset the profits earned by Speirs & Jeffrey 
from the date of completion to 31 December 2018.

Full detail on these adjustments and the EIP outcome for 2018 
can be found on page 81. It is important to note that the EIP 
award for 2018 will vest at a smaller amount on an adjusted 
basis than if Rathbones had not completed the transaction. 

The board took the opportunity to engage with shareholders  
to explain this decision in the early part of 2019 and we were 
pleased that the majority of shareholders understood the 
rationale and the need to make these adjustments. The 
committee is also aware that the firm may wish to make  
other acquisitions in the future. The committee will continue  
to ensure that management is incentivised to act in the best 
interest of our shareholders for any possible future acquisitions.

EIP outcomes
Given the strong alignment between our remuneration 
framework and the financial performance of the group,  
the financial outcomes for 2018 are directly reflected in the 
respective elements of the EIP, which, having considered  
the impact of the Speirs & Jeffrey acquistion, delivered above 
target performance in respect of three-year ROCE, annual profit 
before tax and underlying operating margin. Above threshold 
performance was reached in respect of EPS, but, at 3.1%, total  
net organic growth of our Investment Management and Unit 
Trusts businesses in 2018 was not enough to meet threshold.

Good progress was made during the year on most of  
the non-financial objectives which cover critical project 
performance, stakeholder measures and client experience.  
We have set out in more detail the EIP results for 2018 on  
page 81.

Board changes
We have announced that Philip Howell, our current chief 
executive, will be retiring from the board by the next AGM  
on 9 May 2019. Paul Stockton, currently finance director and 
managing director of Rathbone Investment Management, is 
being promoted to chief executive and Jennifer Mathias will 
be joining Rathbones as finance director from 1 April 2019. All 
remuneration arrangements for these three individuals are 
fully in line with our approved remuneration policy and full 
details are provided on pages 86 to 87.

I would also like to personally echo the board’s thanks to Philip 
for his strong leadership of Rathbones during his tenure and to 
congratulate Paul and Jennifer on their new roles. 

Philip is being treated as a good leaver as a result of his 
retirement and he will continue to receive pay and benefits 
until his retirement date. All unvested EIP awards will vest  
at their normal time. In line with our remuneration policy, 
Philip is required to retain 200% of base salary in shares in  
the first year post-cessation and 100% of his base salary in  
the second year post-cessation.

Paul Stockton’s salary as chief executive has been set at 
£477,000 and Jennifer Mathias’ salary as finance director  
has been set at £320,000, both of which are comparable to  
the salaries of the previous incumbents. In Paul’s case, his  
base salary has been set at the same level as the previous 
incumbent. The committee reviewed these base salaries 
against those of other companies of similar size and 
complexity in line with our policy. These salaries are broadly 
at lower quartile market levels. The committee will review this 
position as our executives develop in their respective roles.

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Both executive directors are eligible to participate in EIP 
awards annually with a maximum opportunity of 300%  
of base salary and receive pension benefits of 12% of base 
salary, in line with our approved policy. 

Fees and salaries
The 2019 budget for salary increases for employees across  
the company is set at around 3.6%. In setting directors’ 
remuneration, the committee takes into account the  
pay and employment conditions of all employees, the 
performance of the firm, and the views of shareholders  
and their representatives. Remuneration arrangements at 
other firms of similar size and complexity are also reviewed  
for guidance. The committee will continue to use a number  
of reference points to determine future pay structure, 
quantum and peer group positioning for executive  
directors and members of the executive committee. 

Chairman and non-executive director fees were also reviewed 
and increased in the year for the first time since 1 January 2015. 
Full detail on changes to these fees is on page 87.

Following their appointments as chief executive and  
finance director and the associated base salary changes,  
both executive directors will have their base salaries  
reviewed on 1 January 2020.

Conclusion
I hope that you find the information in this letter and  
the directors’ remuneration report clear and useful. The 
remuneration landscape continues to be the subject of many 
political and regulatory policy changes and, as these evolve, 
the committee will ensure that our policy and practices remain 
compliant, balancing the need to remain performance-driven 
and competitive. I welcome any feedback you may have 
during the year and hope to receive your support for the 
approval of the remuneration report. 

Sarah Gentleman
Chairman of the remuneration committee

20 February 2019

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Remuneration committee report continued

Remuneration outcomes for 2018

Our remuneration philosophy

Overview of our 2018  
remuneration framework

Our remuneration policy is designed to be:

Key features

 – Linked to our strategy
 – Aligned with shareholders’ interests with 
significant, long-term equity participation

 – Simple and transparent
 – Compliant with financial services rules and 
regulations for both annual and long-term 
components

 – In line with the market, having regard to the  
size and complexity of the group’s operations

 – Fair for both the director and the company  

with some element of discretion

 – Aligned with the board’s approved risk appetite
 – Flexible, recognising that the business is evolving 

and responsibilities change

Salary
 – The core, fixed component of the package  
is designed to enable the recruitment and  
retention of high-calibre individuals

Pensions and benefits
 – Defined contribution benefit or a fixed  

maximum pension allowance

Shareholding requirement
 – Executive directors and executive committee 
members are required to build and maintain  
a shareholding of at least 200% of base salary

EIP
 – One variable pay plan with annual and long-term 

measures 

 – Balanced scorecard approach linked to strategic 

and financial targets

 – Aligns the interests of shareholders and directors 

with long-term value creation

 – Five year deferral period for each award
 – Malus and clawback provisions

To read about our remuneration policy,  
please see page 82.

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Executive Incentive Plan 
Performance targets

Executive Incentive Plan 
Achievement summary 2018

One-year financial (30% of award)
 – Underlying profit before tax compared to  

the budget

 – Net organic growth in funds under management 

and administration compared to the target
 – Underlying operating profit margin compared  

to target range

Three-year financial (50% of award)
 – Compound annual growth in EPS over three years
 – Average ROCE over three years

Non-financial metrics (20% of award)
 – Performance relating to delivery of strategic 

objectives

 – Assessed and approved by remuneration 

committee

Annual profit before tax

Total net organic growth

Underlying profit margin

Non-financial 
strategic measures

% of award

Achieved

10%
10%
10%

9.5%
0%
10%

20%

12%

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One-year
measures

EPS growth

Underlying ROCE average

% of award

Achieved

25%
25%

8.4%
19.3%

Three-year
measures

Remuneration outcomes (£’000)

2,000

1,500

1,000

534

500

0

1,967

1,394

1,389

1,455

1,031

1,033

395

Philip Howell

Paul Stockton

Minimum

Target

Maximum

Actual

rathbones.com

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Remuneration committee report continued

Implementation of  
remuneration policy in 2019

How the implementation of our policy in 2019 supports our strategic priorities

EIP measures

Financial – one-year

Financial – three-year

Non-financial strategic 

 – EPS growth
 – Underlying ROCE 

average

 – Annual profit before tax
 – Total net organic 

growth in funds under 
management and 
administration (FUMA)

 – Underlying operating 

margin

Strategic target

Weighting

30%

50%

20%

Quality service 
see page 19

Earnings growth 
see page 20

Employee value 
see page 21

How does the EIP work and how will performance be assessed for 2019?

We measure short- and long- term  
historic performance...

… to determine  
an award value.

We pay a portion 
immediately in cash…

… and we defer the remaining portion in shares  
over a five-year period.

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

EPS growth 
25%

Underlying 
ROCE average 
25%

Annual PBT 
10%

FUMA growth 
10%

Profit margin 
10%

Strategic 
measures 
20%

Non-deferred 
EIP 

Cash 
40%

Restriction on sales over the whole  
deferred EIP for five years

EIP 
300%  
maximum  
of salary 

Year 1

Year 2

Deferred 
EIP 

Shares 
60%

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

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Remuneration policy 

Role of remuneration committee

The remuneration policy (‘Policy’) was approved at the AGM  
in May 2018 and can be found on our website. No further 
changes have been made to the remuneration policy since  
its agreement in 2018.

Annual report on remuneration

This part of the directors' remuneration report explains how  
we have implemented our remuneration policy during the year. 
This annual report on remuneration is subject to an advisory 
vote at the 2019 AGM, and the financial information in this part 
of the remuneration report has been audited where indicated. 

The role of the committee is to set the overarching principles 
of the remuneration policy and provide oversight on 
remuneration across the firm. Details of the committee’s 
responsibilities and composition are noted above. At the 
invitation of the committee chairman, the chief executive, 
finance director and the head of strategy and organisation 
development attend some or all of each meeting. The chief 
risk officer also advises the committee on matters relating  
to remuneration, and attends meetings as required. The 
company secretary acts as secretary and, with the chairman, 
agrees the agenda for each meeting. 

At the end of each meeting, there is an opportunity for  
private discussion between committee members without  
the presence of management. No committee member or 
attendee is present when matters relating to his or her  
own remuneration are discussed.

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Committee activity in 2018/19

Below is a summary of the key issues that the committee 
considered at each of its meetings during the year. 

January 2018
 – Review and approve the remuneration policy

 – Review regulatory developments on remuneration  

and their implications for the firm

 – Review remuneration landscape and implications  

for executive remuneration

 – Review progress against financial and non-financial  

EIP targets for the current year

 – Assess and approve the 2017 EIP award for executive 
directors and members of the executive committee

October 2018
 – Review and approve the remuneration package for  

 – Review and approve EIP performance measures for 2018

 – Review and approve the directors' remuneration report 

for shareholder approval

May 2018
 – Annual review of remuneration for material risk  

takers across the firm

 – Review and discuss shareholder and proxy agency 
feedback on the directors’ remuneration report 

 – Review staff equity plan 2018

 – Review regulatory developments on remuneration  

and their implications for the firm

September 2018
 – Review of forecasted 2018 EIP performance assessment 

and impact of Speirs & Jeffrey on 2018 awards

 – Annual review of the remuneration policy statement  

for the PRA

the incoming finance director 

 – Review impact of executive directors' succession plans

December 2018
 – Review and approve executive director salaries for 2019

 – Review progress against financial and non-financial EIP 

targets for 2018

 – Approval of chairman’s fee

 – Approval of the committee’s terms of reference

 – Re-appointment of the advisers to the committee

January 2019
 – Review annual risk report on variable pay targets  
to ensure alignment with the firm’s risk appetite 

 – Assess and approve the 2018 EIP award for executive 
directors and members of the executive committee

 – Approve EIP performance measures for 2018

 – Annual fee and pay review for the board

 – Review and approve the directors’ remuneration  

report for shareholder approval

rathbones.com

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Remuneration committee report continued

Single total figure of remuneration for each executive director (audited)

The table below sets out a single figure for the total remuneration received by each executive director for the year ended 31 
December 2018 and the prior year:

P L Howell 
2018
2017
R P Stockton
2018
2017

Taxable  
benefits and 
allowances  
£’000

EIP award  
for the  
year – cash  
£’000

EIP award  
for the year –
unvested 
deferred shares  
£’000

Pensions  
£’000

SIP  
£’000

SAYE  
£’000

Total  
£’000

2
2

6 
13

339
238

 251
151

 509
356

 376
226

57
40

42 
25

5
4

5
5

– 
–

–
3

1,389
1,104

1,033
718

Salary  
£’000

477
464

353 
295

Notes to the single total figure of remuneration for each director table

Paul Stockton became managing director of Rathbone Investment Management on 1 May 2018 in addition to his finance  
director responsibilities. At this point, his base salary was increased to £375,000 per annum with a reduction in his contracted  
travel expenses. His base salary in the above table is the salary received in the 12 months to 31 December 2018.

Taxable benefits
Taxable benefits and allowances represent the provision of private medical insurance for executive directors and their dependents 
and contractual travel expenses for the executive directors.

Executive Incentive Plan (audited) 
The EIP was approved by shareholders at the 2015 AGM and subsequently at the 2018 AGM. The overall maximum award  
level achievable under the existing Policy is 300% of base salary, with 60% of awards made in deferred shares, which must  
be held for a minimum period of five years.

Executive Incentive Plan award 2018 
Performance is assessed using a combination of measures that are detailed below:

One-year financial
Three-year financial
Non-financial strategic
Total

1)  One-year financial

Weight %
30
50
20
100

% of base salary
90
150
60
300

The one-year financial performance measures are three key performance indicators actively used by the business, which  
are closely aligned to strategy. The one-year financial measures and achievement levels are provided below:

Financial one-year
Annual profit before tax (£m)
Total net organic growth in  
funds under management and 
administration (%)
Underlying operating margin (%)

% of  
base salary

Threshold  
75% of 
 base salary

On target  
180% of  
base salary

Maximum 
300%  
of base salary

Actual

Speirs & Jeffrey 
 adjusted

Weighted payout 
(% of base salary)

30.0

62.1

69.0

75.9

61.3

75.1

28.6

30.0
30.0
90.0

5.3
26.3

5.9
27.8

6.5
29.3

4.3
29.4

4.3
29.4

0.0
30.0
58.6

The organic growth in funds under management and administration covers both our Investment Management and Unit  
Trusts businesses.

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2)  Three-year financial
The three-year financial performance measures and achievement levels are provided below:

% of  
base salary

Threshold  
75% of 
 base salary

On target  
180% of  
base salary

Maximum  
300% of  
base salary

Actual

Speirs & Jeffrey  
adjusted

Weighted payout 
(% of base salary)

Financial three-year 

EPS growth (% CAGR)
ROCE average (%)

Total one- and three-year financial

75.0
75.0
150.0
240.0

4 .0
14.0

9.0
17.0

14.0
20.0

(3.0)
18.6

5.2
18.3

25.1
57.9
83.0
141.6

3)  Non-financial strategic
The non-financial strategic measures are designed to drive strategic goals. Details of the performance measures, assessment  
and outcomes are detailed below:

Strategic 
objective
Quality 
service

Objective
 – Upgrade the governance 

framework documentation, 
supporting the suitability 
processes and associated 
management information 
 – Add quality financial planning 
resources to key offices and 
develop the Rathbone Private 
Office proposition 

 – Deliver on key projects 

supporting the continued 
stability and security of data 
and our IT infrastructure  

Earnings 
growth

In addition to the financial targets 
set for 2018:

 – Deliver on budgeted organic 

growth targets

 – Sub-let space at 1 Curzon 

Street 

Employee 
value

 – Continue to ensure good 

engagement and development 
of employees across the firm

Risk 
conduct 
and 
compliance

 – Maintain a proactive and 

effective relationship with 
regulators, committing to 
maintaining high standards  
in managing conduct and 
prudential matters 

Performance in 2018
 – Improvements were made to suitability processes but the delivery  

of some planned system enhancements was moved into 2019
 – Growth in internal research team resources was as planned with  

a number of improvements made to how research output is 
disseminated

 – Financial planning headcount grew to 20 during the year, largely  
as planned, however progress on the private office was limited 
prompting a revision of the approach 

 – Successful completion of over 120 IT projects and upgrades

 – Net organic growth of 4.3% was achieved by consistent private  
client inflows somewhat offset by higher outflows in respect  
of departing investment managers, charities and Greenbank 
mandates have grown strongly at 5.8% and 12.5% respectively 

 – The Unit Trusts business had a strong year with gross inflows of 

£1.8 billion

 – Vision delivered strong funds under management of £1.54 billion
 – Inflows from our distribution team and networks of £177 million 
 – The Curzon Street office was sub-let in June 2018
 – Greater employee shareholding across the firm
 – Increased annual training investment per employee
 – Signed the Women in Finance Charter and introduced significant 

improvements to maternity and paternity leave terms

 – Continuing to develop improvements to communication and 

employee engagement initiatives

 – Positive engagement with regulators, providing responses  
to seven industry thematic questionnaires during the year

 – Delivery of MiFID II and GDPR projects 
 – No material issues raised by the audit or risk committee during  

the year 

Extent to which 
objective has 
been met
 Partially 
achieved

 Largely 
achieved

 Largely 
achieved

 Achieved

rathbones.com

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Remuneration committee report continued

Total 2018 EIP award 

In addition to the above specific measures, the committee also considered direct client feedback, investment performance and  
other feedback from the risk and audit committees. After taking this into account, the committee concluded that an overall score  
for this element of the EIP of 12% out of 20% was appropriate, which corresponds to 36% of base salary.

Target
Financial – one-year total
Financial – three-year trailing
Non-financial strategic measures
Total award

Director
P L Howell
R P Stockton

Pensions
Philip Howell and Paul Stockton are paid a cash allowance  
of 12% of salary and neither are in receipt of a defined  
benefit pension.

All executive directors are eligible to participate in the 
Rathbone 1987 Scheme for death in service benefits.

Share Incentive Plan (SIP)
This benefit is the value of the SIP matching and free share 
awards made in the year. All employees may contribute up to 
£150 per month to buy partnership shares with contributions 
matched on a one-for-one basis by the company. Free share 
awards are linked to EPS growth.

Save As You Earn (SAYE)
This benefit is the value of the discount on SAYE options 
granted during the year.

Remuneration outcomes under different 
performance scenarios

The charts below show the relative split of fixed and  
variable remuneration showing minimum, on-target  
and maximum awards.

Value of package in 2018 (£’000)

1,967

1,394

1,455

1,031

534

395

Philip Howell

Paul Stockton

Minimum

Target

Maximum

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

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Weighting
30%
50%
20%
100%

Award achieved
19.5
27.7
12.0
59.2

Total award  
(£)
848,589 
627,226 

Delivered in cash  
(£)
339,435 
250,890 

Deferred in shares  
(£)
509,154 
376,336 

Change of executive directors

Payments for loss of office (audited) 
As announced on 27 November 2018, Philip Howell will  
retire from the board and will leave the firm by 9 May 2019.

On cessation of his employment, he will be paid in lieu of 
notice for the balance of his notice period (being six months). 
In accordance with the directors’ remuneration policy, the 
payment in lieu of notice will be confined to basic salary, 
pension allowance and benefits. He will also receive payments 
in relation to legal and other costs. The total payments for loss 
of office are as follows:

Payment reason
Payment in lieu of notice 
Legal and other costs 
Total

£
268,680
67,500
336,180

The rules of the EIP required the remuneration committee  
to determine Philip’s leaver status. As termination of his 
employment is due to retirement, the committee deemed  
him to be a 'good leaver' for the purposes of the EIP. 

EIP awards are granted based on performance in the three 
years prior to their grant. 40% of any grant is delivered 
immediately in cash and 60% is deferred into shares,  
which vest over five years. Under the rules of the EIP and  
the remuneration policy all unvested share awards under the 
EIP will remain subject to their original vesting and retention 
schedules as well as the recovery provisions set out in the 
remuneration policy table.

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

These share awards have already been disclosed in the single 
figure table in the relevant year. The number of share awards 
outstanding under each EIP grant are as follows:

Implementation of the remuneration policy  
in 2019

Deferred shares*
2015 Executive Incentive Plan
2016 Executive Incentive Plan
2017 Executive Incentive Plan 
2018 Executive Incentive Plan 1
Total

 Number of shares 
outstanding
19,491
12,718
13,947
21,740
67,896

 * Subject to malus and clawback
1.  Details on the 2018 EIP award are provided on page 81. Shares will be granted in March 2019  
based on the share price at that time. The number of shares in this table is an estimate based  
on the share price at 31 December 2018 of £23.42

These amounts have already been disclosed in the relevant 
single figure and will continue to vest at their normal time.  
The final tranche will vest in March 2024.

As the termination of his employment is due to retirement, 
Philip is classified as an ‘automatic good leaver’, under which 
he will be paid in line with the rules of the SAYE scheme and 
the SIP. Following cessation of his employment, Philip is 
entitled to exercise his SAYE options to the extent of the 
savings in the related SAYE savings contract for a period  
of six months and to receive his SIP shares. 

Philip will be eligible for a pro rata award under the 2019 
EIP, which will be disclosed in next years directors’ 
remuneration report. 

Remuneration arrangements for Paul Stockton
Paul Stockton became managing director of Rathbone 
Investment Management on 1 May 2018 in addition to  
his finance director responsibilities. At this point, his base 
salary was increased to £375,000 per annum with a reduction 
in his contracted travel expenses. Upon promotion to chief 
executive, Paul’s base salary will increase to £477,000 per 
annum effective from 9 May 2019. No other changes have 
been made to Paul’s remuneration.

Remuneration arrangements for Jennifer Mathias
Jennifer Mathias will be joining Rathbones as finance director 
from 1 April 2019. Jennifer’s base salary will be £320,000. In 
line with our approved remuneration policy, Jennifer will 
receive pension benefits worth 12% of base salary and be 
eligible to participate in the EIP, with maximum opportunity  
of 300% of salary per annum. 

Payments to past directors
There were no payments to past directors.

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In 2019, the remuneration policy will be applied in a similar 
way to 2018. Salary, pensions and benefits were set for both 
executive directors following their change in role as described 
above. No further changes will be made in 2019. 

EIP 2019 – forward-looking targets

The 2019 EIP (which will be awarded in 2020), subject to 
performance, will be delivered in line with the remuneration 
policy. While the committee is able to make awards up to the 
new maximum award level of 300%, actual award levels will 
continue to be determined by the committee based on a 
robust assessment of performance measures.

Incentive awards under the EIP will continue to be linked  
to a scorecard of short- and longer-term financial metrics, and 
annual objectives covering financial and non-financial criteria. 
Annual targets set for 2019 will take into account the amount 
of expenditure and investment approved by the board in the 
2019 budget to develop the business and support its growth 
initiatives. The committee will not, at this time, disclose any  
of the remaining one-year measures on a prospective basis  
as these are considered commercially sensitive. Full disclosure 
of targets and performance against these will be disclosed 
retrospectively in 2020.

While recognising the potential volatility associated  
with investment markets and its direct impact on the  
financial outcomes for Rathbones, the committee believes  
EPS and underlying ROCE measures continue to be 
appropriate measures to use when assessing longer-term 
performance targets. 

Long-term targets for the 2019-21 award period have 
accordingly been set as outlined in the table below:

Performance measure
Three-year CAGR EPS
Three-year underlying average 
ROCE

Threshold 
5%

Maximum
15%

14%

20%

Non-executive director fees

Chairman and non-executive director fees were reviewed in 
the year for the first time since 1 January 2015. The following 
increases were applied:

Chairman fee
Non-executive director base fee
Committee chair fee

Fee effective  
1 January 2019
(£)
180,000
55,000
15,000

Fee effective  
1 January 2018
(£) 
160,000
50,000
10,000

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Remuneration committee report continued

Directors’ interests in shares (audited)

The table below sets out details of the directors’ shareholdings and outstanding share awards that are subject to vesting conditions:

Executive directors
P L Howell
R P Stockton

Beneficially owned shares

Subject to relevant holding period

Private shares
 35,420
67,614
 103,034

SIP1
768
2,787
3,555

Total

36,188  
70,401  
106,589  

EIP
38,360 
24,285
62,645 

SIP (not yet  
beneficially  
owned)1
421
582 
1,003 

SAYE
943 
983 
1,926

Total
39,724 
25,850 
65,574 

1.  SIP matching and free shares held for less than three years may be forfeited in certain circumstances and so are not considered to be beneficially owned

Shareholding guidelines 

In order to align the interests of executive directors and shareholders, with effect from 1 January 2018, the executive directors are 
required to acquire and retain a holding in shares or rights to shares equivalent to the value of 200% of basic salary within five years 
of the date of appointment, or the date of adoption of the Policy. Shares that count towards these guidelines include shares that are 
owned outright, vested and not exercised EIP and SIP awards. Philip Howell and Paul Stockton have both achieved this target. 

Share ownership versus Policy

R P Stockton

534%

P L Howell

115%

0%

100%

200%

300%

400%

500%

600%

700%

Beneficially owned

Conditional

Remuneration policy

Executive Incentive Plan 

Executive directors Grant date
P L Howell

Type of security

At 1 January 
2018

During 2018

At 31 December 2018

Face value  
of award  
at grant1 
(£)

Number of  
unvested  
securities  

Vested but 
unexercised 
(subject to  
sales restriction 

period)  

Vested but 
unexercised 
(subject to  
sales restriction 
period)

Normal exercise 
date (end 
 of sales  
restriction  
period)3

Unvested  
securities

Securities 
granted2

22/03/2016 Nil paid options
434,670 15,593  
22/03/2017 Conditional shares 365,201 15,897   
23/03/2018 Conditional shares 356,357
–   

–
–
13,947

 3,898  
3,179  
–  

 11,695 
 12,718
13,947

 7,796 22/03/2021
3,179 21/03/2022
– 23/03/2023

R P Stockton  

22/03/2016 Nil paid options
9,783  
22/03/2017 Conditional shares 232,105 10,103   
23/03/2018 Conditional shares 226,485
–   

272,722

– 
– 
8,864

 2,445  
2,021   
–   

7,339
 8,082
8,864

 4,890  22/03/2021
2,021 21/03/2022
– 23/03/2023

1.  Exercise price is nil
2.  The number of shares awarded is calculated based on the 20-day average share price on the day prior to grant. Share price on award was £25.55
3.  Awards vest in five equal tranches (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years from grant). All shares must be held until the fifth anniversary of the grant (the normal exercise date). There are no further performance conditions  

on these shares

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Deferred profit share scheme

Executive directors
P L Howell
2013
2014

R P Stockton
2013
2014

Total

Share Incentive Plan 

P L Howell
R P Stockton
Total

Number of shares

At 1 January 2018

Vested in 2018

At 31 December 
2018

–
12,434
12,434

–
7,477
7,477
19,911

–
12,434
12,434

–
7,477
7,477
19,911

–
–
–

–
–
–
–

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  At 1 January 2018

During 2018

Total number of 
SIP shares1
949
3,075
4,024

Partnership shares 
acquired
81 
81
162

Matching shares 
acquired
81
81
162

Dividend shares 
acquired
26
80
106

Free shares  
received
52
52
104

At 31 December 
2018

Total number of 
SIP shares1
1,189
3,369
4,558

1.  SIP matching and free shares held for less than three years may be forfeited in certain circumstances and so are not considered to be beneficially owned

Save As You Earn outstanding options 

Number of shares

Executive directors
P L Howell

R P Stockton

Total

Grant date

At 1 January 
2018

Granted in 
2018

Exercised in 
2018

Lapsed in  
2018

At 31 
December 
2018

Earliest  
exercise  
date

Latest exercise 
date

Market price  
on grant  
(p)

Exercise  
price  
(p)

28/03/13
01/05/14
28/04/15

28/04/16
28/04/17

1,356 
578 
365 

273
710
3,282

–
–
–

–
–
–

1,356
–
–

–
–
1,356

–
–
–

–
–
–

– 01/05/18 01/11/18
578 01/06/19 01/12/19
365 01/06/20 01/12/20

273  01/06/19 01/12/19
710 01/06/20 01/12/20

1,926

1,397
1,945
2,051

2,059
2,373

1,106 
1,556 
1,641 

1,648
1,899

Performance graph 

The chart opposite shows the company’s total shareholder 
return (TSR) against the FTSE All Share Index for the nine 
years to 31 December 2018. TSR is calculated assuming that 
dividends are reinvested on receipt. The FTSE All Share Index 
has been selected as a comparator as it is a suitably broad 
market index and has been used as a performance comparator 
for long-term incentive plan (LTIP) cycles since 2005-07.

Performance graph (unaudited) 

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

2008

2009

2011

2010

2012
Rathbone Brothers Plc – TSR
FTSE All Share Index – TSR

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

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Remuneration committee report continued

Chief executive officer single figure

Non-executive directors’ share interests

The interest of the directors in the ordinary shares of the 
company are set out below:

Chairman
M P Nicholls
Non-executive directors
C M Clark
J W Dean
T L Duhon
S F Gentleman
K A Matthews
J N Pettigrew 
Total

Private shares

SIP

Total 

3,000

749

3,749

–
1,000
–
–
1,242
–
5,242

–
–
–
–
–
–
749

–
1,000
–
–
1,242
–
5,991

Relative importance of spend on pay

The chart below shows the relationship between total 
employee remuneration, profit after tax and dividend 
distributions for 2018 and 2017. The reported profit after  
tax has been selected by the directors as a useful indicator 
when assessing the relative importance of spend on pay. 

Relative importance of spend on pay (£m)

7%

151.1

141.1

150

100

50

0

1%

46.2

46.8

11%

32.7

29.4

Total staff costs

Profit after tax

Dividends paid

2018

2017

During the nine years to 31 December 2018, Andy Pomfret  
was chief executive until 28 February 2014 when he was 
succeeded by Philip Howell.

Year
2018
2017
2016 
2015
2014
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010

Chief executive 
Philip Howell
Philip Howell
Philip Howell 
Philip Howell
Philip Howell
Andy Pomfret 
Andy Pomfret 
Andy Pomfret 
Andy Pomfret 
Andy Pomfret

Chief executive 
single  
figure of total 
remuneration 
£’000
1,389
1,104
1,398 
1,608
999
342
1,204
1,046
678
736

EIP award  
or short-term 
bonus as % of 
maximum 
opportunity
59 
64
66
78
89
n/a
59
38
46
52

Long-term 
incentive  
vesting as % of 
maximum 
opportunity
–
–
67
100
n/a
96
100
100
–
24 

Percentage change in the remuneration of the 
chief executive and employees

The table below shows the percentage year-on-year change  
in salary, benefits and bonus in 2018 for the chief executive 
compared with the average Rathbones employee.

Chief executive 
Average pay based  
on all Rathbones’ 
employees

Salary
3% 

Benefits
–

Annual bonus
43% 

(4%)

(22%)

(11%)

Chairman and non-executive directors’ fees 
(audited)

Fees paid to the non-executive directors were not increased  
in 2018 but will be increased for the 2019 financial year. Any 
future increases will depend upon a rigorous assessment of 
the burden of responsibilities and market rates.

Chairman
M P Nicholls
Non-executive directors
J W Dean
J N Pettigrew
S F Gentleman
K A Matthews
T L Duhon
C M Clark
Total

2018  
£’000

160

 60 
60
60
 42 
28
9
419

2017  
£’000

160

60
45
56
60
–
–
381

90

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of shareholder voting

At the 2018 AGM, shareholders approved the remuneration policy, to apply for three years from the date of the AGM. At the  
2018 AGM, shareholders also approved the remuneration report that was published in the 2017 report and accounts and the  
results are detailed below.

534%

Votes on remuneration

115%

Remuneration 
policy 
(2018 AGM) 

Annual report 
on remuneration
(2017 AGM)

Annual report 
on remuneration
(2018 AGM)

G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

Votes withheld

Votes cast against

Votes cast in favour

Votes cast in favour
Votes cast against
Total votes cast 
Votes withheld 

Annual report on 
remuneration 
(2018 AGM)
86.91%
13.09%
79.20%
409,995

Annual report on 
remuneration 
(2017 AGM)
96.20%
3.80%
79.00%
1,268,045

Remuneration 
policy 
(2018 AGM) 
85.10%
14.90%
79.20%
428,216

Advisers to the committee and their fees

PwC were appointed as advisers to the committee in August 2017. They are members of the Remuneration Consultants Group  
and advise the committee on a range of matters including remuneration package assessments, scheme design and reporting  
best practice. PwC also provide professional services in the ordinary course of business, including advisory work to the group.  
The committee is of the opinion that the advice received is objective and independent. PwC’s fees are charged on a time cost  
basis and fees for services to the remuneration committee were £98,550 in 2018. The appointment of advisers is reviewed annually.

Evaluating the performance of the committee

The annual evaluation of the committee’s effectiveness was undertaken as part of the board’s internal evaluation process during 
the year. The committee and senior management attendees were invited to respond to questions on the content, management, 
and quality and focus of discussion during meetings. I am pleased that responses indicated that the committee is performing  
well with no particular concerns.

Approval

The remuneration committee report, incorporating both the remuneration policy and annual report on remuneration, has  
been approved by the board.

Signed on behalf of the board

Sarah Gentleman
Chairman of the remuneration committee

20 February 2019

rathbones.com

91

 
Directors’ report

Group results and company dividends

Purchase of own shares

The Rathbone Brothers Plc group profit after taxation  
for the year ended 31 December 2018 was £46,169,000  
(2017: £46,829,000). 

The directors recommend the payment of a final dividend  
of 42.0p (2018: 39.0p) on 14 May 2019 to shareholders on the 
register on 23 April 2019. An interim dividend of 24.0p (2017: 
22.0p) was paid on 2 October 2018 to shareholders on the 
register on 7 September 2018. This results in total dividends  
of 66.0p (2017: 61.0p) per ordinary share for the year. These 
dividends amount to £35,204,000 (2017: £30,429,000) – see 
note 13 to the financial statements.

The company operates a generally progressive dividend  
policy subject to market conditions. The aim is to increase  
the dividend in line with the growth of the business over  
each economic cycle. This means that there may be periods 
where the dividend is maintained but not increased and 
periods where profits are retained rather than distributed  
to maintain retained reserves and regulatory capital at  
prudent levels through troughs and peaks in the cycle.

Share capital

The company’s share capital comprises one class of ordinary 
shares of 5p each. At 31 December 2018, 55,206,957 shares  
were in issue (2017: 51,302,074). No shares were held in 
treasury. Details of the movements during the year are  
set out in note 29 to the financial statements. The shares  
carry no rights to fixed income and each share carries the  
right to one vote at general meetings. All shares are fully paid.

There are no specific restrictions on the size of a  
shareholding or on the transfer of shares, which are both 
covered by the provisions of the Articles of Association and 
prevailing legislation.

New issues of share capital

Under section 551 of the Companies Act 2006, the  
board currently has the authority to allot 17,100,864  
shares (approximately one third of the issued share capital at 
31 March 2018). The existing authorities given to the company  
at the last annual general meeting (AGM) to allot shares will 
expire at the conclusion of the forthcoming AGM. Details of 
the resolutions renewing these authorities are included in  
the notice of AGM.

Awards under the company’s employee share plans are 
satisfied from a combination of shares held either in treasury 
or in the employee benefit trust and by newly issued shares. 
During the year, the company issued 228,989 shares to satisfy 
share awards and issued 269,372 shares to the company’s 
employee benefit trust, to satisfy future awards under the 
group’s share-based payment schemes.

Following the 2018 AGM, resolution to purchase own  
shares, the board currently has the authority to buy back  
up to 2,700,000 shares under certain stringent conditions. 
During the year, the company did not utilise this authority  
but the board considers it would be appropriate to renew it. 
We intend to seek shareholder approval for the continued 
authority to purchase own shares at the forthcoming AGM  
in line with current investor sentiment. 

Details of the resolution renewing the authority are included 
in the notice of AGM.

Corporate governance statement 

As required by Disclosure and Transparency Rule 7.2, you can 
find our corporate governance statement in the governance 
report on pages 56 to 65 and it is incorporated into this 
directors’ report by reference.

Appointment and removal of directors

Regarding the appointment and replacement of directors,  
the company is governed by the company’s Articles of 
Association, the UK Corporate Governance Code, the 
Companies Act 2006 and related legislation. 

Employee share trust 

On 4 April 2017, Equiniti Trust (Jersey) Limited was appointed 
as trustee of the second employee benefit trust. The trust is 
independent and holds shares for the benefit of employees 
and former employees of the group. The trustee has agreed  
to satisfy awards under the Executive Incentive Plan, Share 
Incentive Plan and the Savings Related Share Option Plan.  
As part of these arrangements, the company issued shares  
to the trust to enable the trustee to satisfy these awards. 
Further details are set out in note 30 to the financial 
statements. During the year, the number of shares 
issued totaled 131,313 ordinary shares. 

In addition, under the rules of the Rathbone Share Incentive 
Plan, shares are held in trust for participants by Equiniti  
Share Plan Trustees Limited (‘the Trustee’). Voting rights  
are exercised by the Trustee on receipt of the participant’s 
instructions. If no such instruction is received by the Trustee 
then no vote is registered. No person has any special rights of 
control over the company’s share capital and all issued shares 
are either fully or nil paid. 

92

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Directors

Share price

All those who served as directors at any time during the  
year are listed on pages 60 to 61. The directors’ interests in  
the share capital of the company at 31 December 2018 are set 
out on pages 88 to 89 of the remuneration committee report.

The closing share price of the company on 31 December 2018 
was £23.42 and the closing price range from the start of the 
financial year to the year end was £25.82 to £23.42.

Employees

Details of the company’s employment practices, its policy 
regarding the employment of disabled persons and its 
employee involvement practices can be found in the  
corporate responsibility report on pages 41 to 54.

Corporate responsibility

Information about greenhouse gas emissions and our 
corporate social responsibility are set out in the corporate 
responsibility report on pages 41 to 54.

Financial instruments and risk management

The risk management objectives and policies of the group  
are set out in note 32 to the financial statements.

Insurance and indemnification of directors

The company has put in place insurance to cover its directors 
and officers against the costs of defending themselves in  
civil legal action taken against them in that capacity and any 
damages awarded. The company has granted indemnities, 
which are uncapped, to its directors and to the company 
secretary by way of deed. Qualifying third-party indemnity 
provisions, as defined by Section 234 of the Companies Act 
2006, were therefore in place throughout 2018 and remain  
in force at the date of this report.

Substantial shareholdings

As at 31 December 2018, the company had received 
notifications in accordance with the Financial Conduct 
Authority’s Disclosure and Transparency Rule 5 of the 
following interests:

Holding at 
20 Feb 2019
Shareholder 
Lindsell Train Ltd.
7,761,974
Mawer Investment Management Ltd. 5,005,498
2,637,236
MFS Investment 
1,775,682
Aviva Investors
Kabouter Management
1,764,247
Heronbridge Investment 
Management

1,653,765

% held at  
20 Feb 2019
14.06
9.07
4.78
3.22
3.20

3.00

G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

Auditor

The audit committee reviews the appointment of the  
external auditor and its relationship with the group,  
including monitoring the group’s use of the auditor for 
non-audit services. Note 8 to the financial statements  
sets out details of the auditor’s remuneration. KPMG LLP  
was appointed as external auditor in 2009, and under the 
Companies Act 2006, the company is required to hold a 
competitive tender process for the external auditor not less 
than every 10 years. The audit committee carried out a tender 
process in 2018 which assessed the credentials and fit of the 
three audit firms that were shortlisted for the tender. Having 
reviewed the independence and effectiveness of the three 
external audit firms, the audit committee has recommended 
to the board that Deloitte LLP be appointed and a resolution 
appointing them as auditor and authorising the directors to  
set their remuneration will be proposed at the 2019 AGM.

The directors in office at the date of signing of this report 
confirm that, so far as they are aware, there is no relevant audit 
information of which the auditor is unaware and that each 
director has taken all steps that he or she ought to have taken 
to make him or herself aware of any relevant audit information 
and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.

Going concern

Details of the group’s business activities, results, cash  
flows and resources, together with the risks it faces and other 
factors likely to affect its future development, performance 
and position are set out in the chairman’s statement, chief 
executive’s review, strategic report and group risk committee 
report. In addition, note 1.5 to the financial statements 
provides further details.

The group companies are regulated by the PRA and FCA  
and perform annual capital adequacy assessments, which 
include the modelling of certain extreme stress scenarios.  
The company publishes Pillar 3 disclosures annually on its 
website, which provide detail about its regulatory capital 
resources and requirements. In July 2015, Rathbone 
Investment Management issued £20 million of 10-year 
subordinated loan notes to finance future growth. The  
group has no other external borrowings.

The directors believe that the company is well placed  
to manage its business risks successfully despite the 
continuing uncertain economic and political outlook.  
As the directors have a reasonable expectation that the 
company has adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence for the foreseeable future, they continue to adopt 
the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the annual 
financial statements. 

rathbones.com

93

Directors’ report continued

Political donations

Annual General Meeting

No political donations were made during the year (2017: nil).

Post-balance sheet events

Details of post-balance sheet events are set out in note  
39 to the financial statements.

FCA’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency 
Rules

For the purposes of DTR 4.1.5R (2) and DTR 4.1.8, this  
directors’ report and the strategic report comprise the 
management report.

The 2019 AGM will be held on Thursday 9 May 2019 at 12.00 
noon at 8 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7AZ. Full details of all 
resolutions and notes are set out in the separate notice of AGM.

By order of the board

Ali Johnson
Company Secretary

20 February 2019

Registered office: 8 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7AZ

94

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Statement of directors’ responsibilities in respect of the report and accounts

The directors are responsible for preparing the report and 
accounts 2018, and the group and parent company financial 
statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. 

Company law requires the directors to prepare group and 
parent company financial statements for each financial  
year. Under that law they are required to prepare the  
group financial statements in accordance with International 
Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European 
Union (IFRS as adopted by the EU) and applicable law and 
have elected to prepare the parent company financial 
statements on the same basis. 

Under company law, the directors must not approve the 
financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give  
a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the group and 
parent company and of their profit or loss for that period. In 
preparing each of the group and parent company financial 
statements, the directors are required to: 

 – select suitable accounting policies and then apply 

them consistently 

Responsibility statement of the directors  
in respect of the report and accounts

We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

 – the financial statements, prepared in accordance with the 
applicable set of accounting standards, give a true and fair 
view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit  
or loss of the company and the undertakings included in 
the consolidation taken as a whole 

 – the strategic report and directors’ report include  

a fair review of the development and performance  
of the business and the position of the issuer and the 
undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a 
whole, together with a description of the principal risks  
and uncertainties that they face.

We consider the report and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, 
balanced and understandable and provides the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the group’s position and 
performance, business model and strategy.

 – make judgements and estimates that are reasonable, 

By order of the board

relevant and reliable 

G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

Philip Howell
Chief Executive

20 February 2019

 – state whether they have been prepared in accordance  

with IFRS as adopted by the EU 

 – assess the group and parent company’s ability to continue 

as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related 
to going concern 

 – use the going concern basis of accounting unless they 

either intend to liquidate the group or the parent company 
or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but  
to do so. 

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting 
records that are sufficient to show and explain the parent 
company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy 
at any time the financial position of the parent company and 
enable them to ensure that its financial statements comply 
with the Companies Act 2006.

They are responsible for such internal controls as they 
determine are necessary to enable the preparation of financial 
statements that are free from material misstatement, whether 
due to fraud or error, and have general responsibility for 
taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard 
the assets of the group and to prevent and detect fraud and 
other irregularities. 

Under applicable law and regulations, the directors are also 
responsible for preparing a strategic report, directors’ report, 
directors’ remuneration report and corporate governance 
statement that comply with that law and those regulations. 

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and 
integrity of the corporate and financial information included 
on the company’s website. Legislation in the UK governing  
the preparation and dissemination of financial statements 
may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

rathbones.com

95

Financial 
statements

96

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Rathbone Brothers Plc 

1  Our opinion is unmodified 

2  Key audit matters: including our assessment 

We have audited the financial statements of Rathbone Brothers 
Plc (“the company), and its subsidiaries (together “the Group”),  
for the year ended 31 December 2018 which comprise the 
consolidated statement of comprehensive income, consolidated 
statement of changes in equity, consolidated balance sheet, 
consolidated statement of cash flows, company statement  
of changes in equity, company balance sheet and company 
statement of cash flows, and the related notes, including  
the accounting policies in notes 1 and 41. 

In our opinion: 

–  the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state  
of the Group’s and of the parent company’s affairs as at  
31 December 2018 and of the Group’s profit for the year  
then ended;  

–  the Group financial statements have been properly prepared 

in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards as adopted by the European Union (IFRSs as 
adopted by the EU);  

–  the company financial statements have been properly 

prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU  
and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the 
Companies Act 2006; and  

–  the financial statements have been prepared in accordance 
with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and,  
as regards the Group financial statements, Article 4 of the  
IAS Regulation. 

Basis for opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with International 
Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law.  
Our responsibilities are described in the next paragraph. We 
believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient 
and appropriate basis for our opinion. Our audit opinion is 
consistent with our report to the audit committee. 

We were appointed as auditor by the shareholders on 9 June 
2009. The period of total uninterrupted engagement is for the 
ten financial years ended 31 December 2018. We have fulfilled 
our ethical responsibilities under, and we remain independent  
of the Group in accordance with, UK ethical requirements 
including the FRC Ethical Standard as applied to listed public 
interest entities. No non-audit services prohibited by that 
standard were provided. 

of risks of material misstatement 

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional 
judgment, were of most significance in the audit of the financial 
statements and include the most significant assessed risks of 
material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified 
by us, including those which had the greatest effect on: the 
overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit;  
and directing the efforts of the engagement team. We summarise 
below the key audit matters, in arriving at our audit opinion 
above, together with our key audit procedures to address those 
matters and, as required for public interest entities, our results 
from those procedures. These matters were addressed, and  
our results are based on procedures undertaken, in the context 
of, and solely for the purpose of, our audit of the financial 
statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon,  
and consequently are incidental to that opinion, and we do  
not provide a separate opinion on these matters. 

(New) The impact of uncertainties due to UK exiting the 
European Union on our audit 
Refer to page 37 (risk management report) and page 71 (audit 
committee report) 

The risk – Unprecedented levels of uncertainty 
All audits assess and challenge the reasonableness of estimates, 
in particular as described in the key audit matters below 
including (i) accounting for acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd and 
(ii) considering the impairment of client relationship intangibles, 
and related disclosures and the appropriateness of the going 
concern basis of preparation of the financial statements. All  
of these depend on assessments of the future economic 
environment and the Group’s future prospects and performance.  

In addition, we are required to consider the other information 
presented in the Annual Report including the principal risks 
disclosure and the viability statement and to consider the 
directors’ statement that the annual report and financial 
statements taken as a whole is fair, balanced and understandable 
and provides the information necessary for shareholders to 
assess the Group’s position and performance, business model 
and strategy. 

Brexit is one of the most significant economic events for  
the UK and at the date of this report its effects are subject  
to unprecedented levels of uncertainty of outcomes, with  
the full range of possible effects unknown. 

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

rathbones.com 
rathbones.com

97  
97

C
o
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s
o

l
i

d
a
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e
d
f
i
n
a
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c
i
a
l

 
 
 
 
Independent auditor’s report to the members of Rathbone Brothers Plc continued 

2  Key audit matters: including our assessment  
of risks of material misstatement continued 

Our response 
In this area our procedures included:  

We developed a standardised firm-wide approach to the 
consideration of the uncertainties arising from Brexit in  
planning and performing our audits. Our procedures included:  

–  Our Brexit knowledge – We considered the directors’ 

assessment of Brexit-related sources of risk for the Group’s 
business and financial resources compared with our own 
assessment of the risks. We considered the directors’ plans  
to take action to mitigate the risks.  

–  Sensitivity analysis – When addressing key audit matters 

including accounting for acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd 
and considering the impairment of client relationship 
intangibles, we compared the directors’ analysis to our 
assessment of the full range of reasonably possible scenarios 
resulting from Brexit uncertainty and, where forecast cash 
flows are required to be discounted, considered adjustments 
to discount rates for the level of remaining uncertainty.  
–  Assessing transparency – As well as assessing individual 

disclosures as part of our procedures on key audit matters 
including accounting for acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd 
and considering the impairment of client relationship 
intangibles we considered all of the Brexit related disclosures 
together, including those in the strategic report, comparing 
the overall picture against our understanding of the risks. 
Our results – As reported under key audit matters including 
accounting for acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd and considering 
the impairment of client relationship intangibles, we found the 
resulting estimates and related disclosures of these key audit 
matters and disclosures in relation to going concern to be 
acceptable. However, no audit should be expected to predict  
the unknowable factors or all possible future implications for  
a company and this is particularly the case in relation to Brexit. 

(New) Accounting for acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd  
Refer to page 71 (audit committee report), page 109  
(accounting policy) and page 162 (financial disclosures). 

During the year ended 31 December 2018, the Group acquired  
a 100% equity interest in Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd for a total 
consideration of £89.4 million. The fair values of identifiable  
net assets acquired on the date of acquisition amounted to  
£61.3 million and goodwill arising from the acquisition  
amounted to £28.1 million.  

The risk – Accounting application in relation to the split of  
total consideration between acquisition consideration and 
remuneration for post-acquisition services  
As part of the acquisition, payments are made to the owners of 
Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd on completion date and future payments 
based on certain operational targets and the continued 
employment of owners by the Group. 

The key areas our audit considered: 

–  The determination of whether payments made to the 
shareholders of the acquired company are treated as 
consideration or post acquisition remuneration. While there  
is limited judgement in this determination, the decision has  
a significant impact on the financial statements.  
–  For those payments regarded as post acquisition 

remuneration, there is judgment in calculating the value  
of the contingent and earn out awards including estimates 
relating to the achievement of operating targets as set out  
in the Sale and Purchase agreement. 

–  The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk 

assessment, we determined that contingent and earn-out 
awards have a high degree of estimation uncertainty, with  
a potential range of reasonable outcomes greater than our 
materiality for the financial statements as a whole. 

The risk – The fair value of client relationship intangibles 
On acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd, the Group recognised 
client relationships as an identifiable intangible asset at fair value, 
reflecting the future cash flows expected from the client 
relationships acquired. The fair value of client relationship 
intangibles recognised is £54.3 million. 

–  The valuation of the client relationship intangible depends  

on a number of key judgemental assumptions and estimates 
including the assumed useful economic life of acquired client 
relationships, the growth rate used to forecast revenue 
generated from these client relationships and the discount 
rate used in the discounted cash flow model. An inappropriate 
judgement, error or omission in valuing client relationship 
intangibles can consequently impact the amount of goodwill 
recognised during the year in relation to the related 
acquisition. 

–  The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk assessment, 
we determined that valuation of client relationship intangibles 
has a high degree of estimation uncertainty, with a potential 
range of reasonable outcomes greater than our materiality for 
the financial statements as a whole. 

Our response  
In this area our procedures included: 

Accounting application in relation to the split of total consideration  
between acquisition consideration and post-acquisition services 
Accounting analysis: We obtained and examined the Sale and 
Purchase agreement to gain an understanding of all elements  
of consideration.  

We evaluated the appropriateness of the treatment for each 
element of consideration by considering the treatment against 
the requirements set out in IFRS 3 “Business combinations”. We 
tested the appropriateness of the amounts recorded by agreeing 
these to the Sale and Purchase agreement and underlying 
calculations supported by documentary evidence as appropriate. 

We engaged our internal valuation specialists to evaluate the fair 
value of the consideration and post-acquisition remuneration 
involving share based payments. 

98 
98

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 
Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
 
We challenged the basis and assumptions around the 
achievement of operational and financial performance  
targets used by the management in estimation and recording  
of the contingent and earn out portion of the post-acquisition 
remuneration in the year ended 31 December 2018 through 
verification and recalculation. 

Methodology choice: We considered the Group’s judgement  
in selecting its assumptions and whether there were any 
indicators of management bias. 

Assessing transparency: We have evaluated the appropriateness 
of the related disclosures in note 35 to the financial statements. 

Fair value of client relationship intangibles  
Assessment of fair value: We evaluated management’s 
determination of the fair value of client relationship  
intangibles by: 

1.  Engaging our internal valuation specialists to evaluate and 

challenge the identification and valuation methodology used  
by management. This included assessing the client relationship 
intangibles identified and the basis of their valuation. 
2.  Challenge of the key assumptions used in the valuation  
model including the discount rate and growth rate used. 

Methodology choice: We considered the Group’s judgement in 
selecting its assumptions and whether there were any indicators 
of management bias. 

Assessing transparency: We have evaluated the appropriateness 
of the related disclosures in note 35 to the financial statements. 

Our results – We found the accounting application in relation  
to the split of total consideration between acquisition 
consideration and post-acquisition services and the fair  
value of client relationship intangibles acquired for the 
acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey Ltd to be acceptable. 

Impairment of client relationship intangibles £134.6 
million (2017: £88.5 million) of which £54.3 million 
relates to the Speirs & Jeffery acquisition as described  
on page 98 of our report 
Risk vs 2017: ◄► 
Refer to page 71 (audit committee report), page 113 (accounting 
policy) and page 134 (financial disclosures). 

The Group has capitalised significant amounts as client 
relationship intangibles, including both those purchased 
individually (initially recognised at cost) and those acquired as 
part of a business combination (initially recognised at fair value). 

The risk – Accounting application in relation to impairment  
of client relationship intangibles 
–  For client relationship intangibles acquired as part of a 

business combination, the Group assesses whether there is an 
indication of impairment considering a range of impairment 
triggers. Where such an indication exists, the Group considers 
whether the ongoing benefits offered by the capitalised client 
relationship intangibles are greater than their carrying value 
and, if not, an impairment provision is recorded. There is a  
risk that a client relationship intangible was impaired but the 
Group did not record an impairment provision, because the 
impairment trigger remained undetected. 

–  For client relationship intangibles purchased individually, the 
Group assesses whether there is an indication of impairment 
by considering if the remaining economic benefits expected 
to be received is greater than the carrying value and, if not, an 
impairment provision is recorded. There is a risk that a client 
relationship intangible was impaired but the Group did not 
record an impairment provision. 

–  The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk assessment, 

we determined that impairment of client relationship 
intangibles has a high degree of estimation uncertainty,  
with a potential range of reasonable outcomes greater  
than our materiality for the financial statements as a whole. 

Our response  
In this area our procedures included:  

Accounting application in relation to impairment of client  
relationship intangibles 
–  Independent re-performance: For the element of the client 
relationship intangibles previously capitalised under IFRS 3 
Business Combinations we have critically assessed the 
Group’s review of the client relationship intangibles against 
impairment triggers. We have assessed and re-performed the 
Group’s impairment calculation and verified the data inputs 
such as value of funds under management and number of 
client accounts. 

–  Tests of details: In considering the adequacy of the 
impairment assessment performed by the Group to  
support the carrying value of client relationship intangibles 
previously capitalised, we assessed the population for closed 
client accounts or non-income generating clients to assess 
whether they were appropriately derecognised. We inspected 
client attrition rates and funds under management for 
evidence of impairment. 

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Independent auditor’s report to the members of Rathbone Brothers Plc continued 

2  Key audit matters: including our assessment  
of risks of material misstatement continued 

Assessing transparency: 
We have evaluated the appropriateness of the related disclosures 
in note 22 to the financial statements. 

Our results – We found the carrying value of client relationship 
intangibles to be acceptable. 

Following the implementation of IFRS 15, which introduces 
guidance on capitalisation of contract costs, we have not 
assessed recognition of client relationship intangibles as  
one of the most significant risks in our current year audit  
and, therefore, it is not included as part of this key audit  
matter in this year’s report. 

Valuation of defined benefit pension obligation £146.5 
million (2017: £164.1 million) 
Risk vs 2017: ◄► 
Refer to page 71 (audit committee report), page 114 (accounting 
policy) and page 138 (financial disclosures). 

The risk – Subjective valuation 
The Group and parent company have recognised a  
defined benefit pension obligation of £146.5 million  
as at 31 December 2018. 

–  The valuation of the defined benefit pension obligation 
depends on a number of judgemental assumptions and 
estimates, including: the discount rate used to calculate the 
current value of the future payments the Group expects to  
pay pensioners, the rate of inflation that must be incorporated 
in the estimate of the future pension payments and the life 
expectancy of pension scheme members. The valuation is an 
important judgment as this balance is volatile and impacts the 
parent company’s distributable reserves.  
Uncertainty arises as a result of estimates made in respect  
of long term trends and market conditions to determine  
the value based on the Group’s expectations of the future.  
As a result, the defined benefit pension obligation recognised 
by the Group on the balance sheet might be significantly 
different than the actual liability of the Group, since small 
changes to the assumptions used in the calculation materially 
affect the valuation. 
The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk 
assessment, we determined that valuation of defined  
benefit pension obligation has a high degree of estimation 
uncertainty, with a potential range of reasonable outcomes 
greater than our materiality for the financial statements as  
a whole.  

Our response – Our procedures include: 
–  Our actuarial expertise: We used our own actuarial specialists 

to challenge key assumptions and estimates used in the 
calculation of the pension deficit. The key assumptions and 
estimates we tested included the discount rate, RPI inflation, 
and life expectancy that were applied to the valuation. 
–  Benchmarking assumptions: We performed a comparison  
of key assumptions against externally derived data and our 
benchmark ranges for similar schemes. 

–  Methodology choice: We considered Group’s judgement  
in selecting its assumptions and whether there were any 
indicators of management bias. 

–  Assessing transparency: We considered the adequacy of the 
Group’s disclosure in respect of the defined benefit pension 
deficit and the assumptions used which is set out in note  
28 to the financial statements. 

Our results – We found the valuation of the defined benefit 
pension obligation to be acceptable. 

We continue to perform procedures over measurement of 
onerous lease provision. However, during the year Group 
completed assignment of its leases on surplus property, hence 
we have not assessed this as one of the significant risks in our 
current year audit and, therefore, it is not separately identified  
in our report this year. 

3  Our application of materiality and an 
overview of the scope of our audit  

Materiality for the Group financial statements as a whole was set  
at £3.8 million (2017: £3.6 million), determined with reference to a 
benchmark of Group profit before tax, normalised to exclude the 
acquisition and integration related costs of £3.6 million (refer  
note 9), the current year charge of the contingent and earn-out 
consideration payable to vendors and employees of Speirs & 
Jeffrey Ltd amounting to £14.7 million (refer note 9) and the  
credit related to the assignment of the onerous lease £3.7 million 
(refer note 10). These expenses do not form part of the normal, 
continuing operations of the Group and are not considered to be 
part of the normalised profit before tax. Materiality represents 5% 
(2017: 5%) of the normalised Group profit before tax. 

Materiality for the parent company financial statements as a whole 
was set at £3.0 million (2017: £2.9 million). This is lower than the 
materiality we would otherwise have determined by reference to 
net assets, and represents 1.0% of the parent company’s net assets 
(2017: 1.4%).  

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We agreed to report to the audit committee any corrected or 
uncorrected identified misstatements exceeding £190,000  
(2017: £180,000), in addition to other identified misstatements  
that warranted reporting on qualitative grounds. 

Of the Group's nine (2017: eight) reporting components, we 
subjected nine (2017: eight) to full scope audits for Group purposes. 
The audit work for eight (2017: eight) was performed by the Group 
team and one (2017: Nil) was performed by a component team to 
materiality levels set individually for each entity which ranged 
from £0.02 million to £3.0 million (2017: £0.03 million to £2.9 
million), having regard to the mix of size and risk profile of the 
Group across the components. 

The Group team performed procedures on the items excluded 
from normalised Group profit before tax.  

The components scoped in for Group reporting purposes 
accounted for 100% of total Group revenue, Group profit before  
tax and total Group assets.   

Normalised Group profit before tax 

£76.86m
(2017: £72.2m)

Normalised Group PBT

Group materiality

£3.8m
Group Materiality
(2017: £3.6m)

£3.0m
Range of materiality 
at nine components
(£0.02m-£3.0m)
(2017: £0.3m to £2.9m)

£0.19m
Misstatements reported 
to the audit commitee
(2017: £0.18m)

4  We have nothing to report on going concern 

The Directors have prepared the financial statements on the going 
concern basis as they do not intend to liquidate the company or the 
Group or to cease its operations, and as they have concluded that 
the company’s and the Group’s financial position means that this is 
realistic. They have also concluded that there are no material 
uncertainties that could have cast significant doubt over its ability 
to continue as a going concern for at least a year from the date of 
approval of the financial statements (“the going concern period”). 

Our responsibility is to conclude on the appropriateness of the 
directors’ conclusions and, had there been a material uncertainty 
related to going concern, to make reference to that in this audit 
report. However, as we cannot predict all future events or 
conditions and as subsequent events may result in outcomes  
that are inconsistent with judgements that were reasonable at  
the time they were made, the absence of reference to a material 
uncertainty in this auditor's report is not a guarantee that the 
Group and company will continue in operation. 

In our evaluation of the directors’ conclusions, we considered  
the inherent risks to the Group’s and company’s business model, 
including the impact of Brexit, and analysed how those risks might 
affect the company’s financial resources or ability to continue 
operations over the going concern period. We evaluated those 
risks and concluded that they were not significant enough to 
require us to perform additional audit procedures. 

Based on this work, we are required to report to you if:  

–  we have anything material to add or draw attention to in 

relation to the directors’ statement in note 1.5 to the financial 
statements on the use of the going concern basis of 
accounting with no material uncertainties that may cast 
significant doubt over the company’s use of that basis for a 
period of at least twelve months from the date of approval  
of the financial statements; or 

–  the related statement under the Listing Rules set out on  

page 93 is materially inconsistent with our audit knowledge. 

We have nothing to report in these respects, and we did not 
identify going concern as a key audit matter. 

5  We have nothing to report on the other 

information in the Annual Report and 
accounts  

The directors are responsible for the other information presented 
in the Annual Report together with the financial statements.  
Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the  
other information and, accordingly, we do not express an  
audit opinion or, except as explicitly stated below, any form  
of assurance conclusion thereon.  

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in  
doing so, consider whether, based on our financial statements 
audit work, the information therein is materially misstated  
or inconsistent with the financial statements or our audit 
knowledge. Based solely on that work we have not identified 
material misstatements in the other information.  

Strategic report and directors’ report  
Based solely on our work on the other information: 

–  we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic 

report and the directors’ report; 

–  in our opinion the information given in those reports for the 
financial year is consistent with the financial statements; and 

–  in our opinion those reports have been prepared in 

accordance with the Companies Act 2006.  

Directors’ remuneration report 
In our opinion the part of the directors’ remuneration report to  
be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the 
Companies Act 2006.  

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Independent auditor’s report to the members of Rathbone Brothers Plc continued 

5  We have nothing to report on the other 
information in the Annual Report and 
accounts continued 

Disclosures of principal risks and longer-term viability 
Based on the knowledge we acquired during our financial 
statements audit, we have nothing material to add or draw 
attention to in relation to: 

–  the directors’ confirmation within viability statement on page 
40 that they have carried out a robust assessment of the 
principal risks facing the Group, including those that would 
threaten its business model, future performance, solvency  
and liquidity; 

–  the risk management disclosures describing these risks and 
explaining how they are being managed and mitigated; and  

–  the directors’ explanation in the viability statement of how 
they have assessed the prospects of the Group, over what 
period they have done so and why they considered that  
period to be appropriate, and their statement as to whether 
they have a reasonable expectation that the Group will be  
able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they  
fall due over the period of their assessment, including any 
related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary 
qualifications or assumptions. 

Under the Listing Rules we are required to review the viability 
statement. We have nothing to report in this respect.  

Our work is limited to assessing these matters in the context of 
only the knowledge acquired during our financial statements 
audit. As we cannot predict all future events or conditions and as 
subsequent events may result in outcomes that are inconsistent 
with judgments that were reasonable at the time they were made, 
the absence of anything to report on these statements is not a 
guarantee as to the Group’s and company’s longer-term viability. 

Corporate governance disclosures  
We are required to report to you if:  

–  we have identified material inconsistencies between the 
knowledge we acquired during our financial statements  
audit and the directors’ statement that they consider that the 
annual report and financial statements taken as a whole is fair, 
balanced and understandable and provides the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s position and 
performance, business model and strategy; or 

–  the section of the annual report describing the work of the 
audit committee does not appropriately address matters 
communicated by us to the audit committee.  

We are required to report to you if the corporate governance 
report does not properly disclose a departure from the eleven 
provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code specified by 
the Listing Rules for our review.  

We have nothing to report in these respects.  

6  We have nothing to report on the other 

matters on which we are required to report 
by exception  

Under the Companies Act 2006, we are required to report to  
you if, in our opinion: 

–  adequate accounting records have not been kept by the 
parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have  
not been received from branches not visited by us; or 
–  the parent company financial statements and the part of  
the directors’ remuneration report to be audited are not  
in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or 
–  certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by  

law are not made; or 

–  we have not received all the information and explanations  

we require for our audit.  

We have nothing to report in these respects. 

7  Respective responsibilities  

Directors’ responsibilities  
As explained more fully in their statement set out on page 95  
the directors are responsible for: the preparation of the financial 
statements including being satisfied that they give a true and  
fair view; such internal control as they determine is necessary  
to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from 
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; assessing the 
Group and parent company’s ability to continue as a going 
concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern; 
and using the going concern basis of accounting unless they either 
intend to liquidate the Group or the parent company or to cease 
operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. 

Auditor’s responsibilities  
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether 
the financial statements as a whole are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud, other irregularities, or  
error, and to issue our opinion in an auditor’s report. Reasonable 
assurance is a high level of assurance, but does not guarantee 
that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always 
detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements 
can arise from fraud, other irregularities or error and are 
considered material if, individually or in aggregate, they could 
reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions  
of users taken on the basis of the financial statements. 

A fuller description of our responsibilities is provided on the 
FRC’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities.  

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8  The purpose of our audit work and to whom 

we owe our responsibilities  

This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, 
in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 
2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might 
state to the company’s members those matters we are required 
to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. 
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or 
assume responsibility to anyone other than the company  
and the company’s members, as a body, for our audit work,  
for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.  

Nicholas Edmonds (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf 
of KPMG LLP, Statutory Auditor Chartered Accountants  

15 Canada Square 
London  
E14 5GL 

20 February 2019  

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Irregularities – ability to detect  
We identified relevant areas of laws and regulations that could 
have a material effect on the financial statements from our 
general commercial and sector experience, through discussion 
with the directors and other management (as required by 
auditing standards), from inspection of the Group’s regulatory 
correspondence and discussed with the directors and other 
management the policies and procedures regarding compliance 
with laws and regulations. We communicated identified laws  
and regulations throughout our team and remained alert to  
any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit. This 
included communication from the Group to component audit 
teams of relevant laws and regulations identified at Group level. 

The potential effect of these laws and regulations on the financial 
statements varies considerably. 

Firstly, the Group is subject to laws and regulations that directly 
affect the financial statements including financial reporting 
legislation (including related companies legislation) and taxation 
legislation and we assessed the extent of compliance with these 
laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related 
financial statement items. 

Secondly, the Group is subject to many other laws and regulations 
where the consequences of non-compliance could have a material 
effect on amounts or disclosures in the financial statements, for 
instance through the imposition of fines or litigation or the loss of 
the Group’s licence to operate. We identified the following areas  
as those most likely to have such an effect: regulatory capital and 
liquidity, conduct, financial crime including money laundering, 
sanctions list and market abuse regulations recognising the 
financial and regulated nature of the Group’s activities. Auditing 
standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-
compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the 
directors and other management and inspection of regulatory  
and legal correspondence, if any. These limited procedures did  
not identify actual or suspected non-compliance. 

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an 
unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material 
misstatements in the financial statements, even though we  
have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance 
with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-
compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the 
events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the 
less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing 
standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there 
remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as  
these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, 
misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are 
not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be 
expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations. 

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Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 
for the year ended 31 December 2018 

 Interest and similar income 
 Interest expense and similar charges 
  Net interest income 
 Fee and commission income 
 Fee and commission expense 
  Net fee and commission income 
 Net trading income 
 Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension schemes 
 Other operating income 
  Operating income 
 Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill 
 Acquisition-related costs 
 Head office relocation costs 
 Other operating expenses 
  Operating expenses 
  Profit before tax  
 Taxation 
  Profit after tax  
  Profit for the year attributable to equity holders of the company 

  Other comprehensive income: 
 Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss 
 Net remeasurement of defined benefit liability 
 Deferred tax relating to net remeasurement of defined benefit liability 

 Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss 
 Revaluation of available for sale investment securities: 
 –  net gain from changes in fair value 
 –  net profit on disposal transferred to profit or loss during the year

 Deferred tax relating to revaluation of available for sale investment securities 
  Other comprehensive income net of tax  
Total comprehensive income for the year net of tax attributable to equity holders of the 

company 

 Dividends paid and proposed for the year per ordinary share  
 Dividends paid and proposed for the year  

 Earnings per share for the year attributable to equity holders of the company: 
 –  basic 
 –  diluted 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Note 

5 

6 
7 
28 
7 

8 
9 
10 

8 

12 

28 
21 

18 

21 

13 

14 

2018 
£’000 
20,968 
(5,647)
15,321 
314,013 
(22,903)
291,110 
3,405 
–
2,127 
311,963 
(13,188)
(19,925)
2,861 
(220,405)
(250,657)
61,306 
(15,137)
46,169 
46,169 

2017
£’000 
13,501 
(1,907)
11,594 
292,034 
(22,715)
269,319 
3,071 
5,523
2,065 
291,572 
(11,716)
(6,178)
(16,248)
(198,529)
(232,671)
58,901 
(12,072)
46,829 
46,829 

1,219 
(207)

17,288 
(2,939)

– 
– 

–
– 
1,012 

163 
(43)

120
(20)
14,449 

47,181 

61,278 

66.0p 
35,204 

61.0p 
30,429 

88.7p 
86.2p 

92.7p 
91.9p 

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Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 

for the year ended 31 December 2018 

Consolidated statement of changes in equity 
for the year ended 31 December 2018 

 Interest and similar income 

 Interest expense and similar charges 

  Net interest income 

 Fee and commission income 

 Fee and commission expense 

  Net fee and commission income 

 Net trading income 

 Other operating income 

  Operating income 

 Acquisition-related costs 

 Head office relocation costs 

 Other operating expenses 

  Operating expenses 

  Profit before tax  

 Taxation 

  Profit after tax  

 Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension schemes 

 Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill 

  Profit for the year attributable to equity holders of the company 

  Other comprehensive income: 

 Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss 

 Net remeasurement of defined benefit liability 

 Deferred tax relating to net remeasurement of defined benefit liability 

 Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss 

 Revaluation of available for sale investment securities: 

 –  net gain from changes in fair value 

 –  net profit on disposal transferred to profit or loss during the year

 Deferred tax relating to revaluation of available for sale investment securities 

  Other comprehensive income net of tax  

Total comprehensive income for the year net of tax attributable to equity holders of the 

 Dividends paid and proposed for the year per ordinary share  

 Dividends paid and proposed for the year  

 Earnings per share for the year attributable to equity holders of the company: 

company 

 –  basic 

 –  diluted 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Note 

5 

6 

7 

28 

7 

8 

9 

10 

2018 

£’000 

20,968 

(5,647)

15,321 

2017

£’000 

13,501 

(1,907)

11,594 

314,013 

292,034 

(22,903)

(22,715)

291,110 

269,319 

3,405 

–

2,127 

3,071 

5,523

2,065 

311,963 

291,572 

(13,188)

(19,925)

(11,716)

(6,178)

2,861 

(16,248)

(220,405)

(198,529)

8 

(250,657)

(232,671)

61,306 

58,901 

12 

(15,137)

(12,072)

46,169 

46,169 

46,829 

46,829 

28 

21 

1,219 

(207)

17,288 

(2,939)

18 

21 

13 

14 

– 

– 

–

– 

163 

(43)

120

(20)

1,012 

14,449 

47,181 

61,278 

66.0p 

35,204 

61.0p 

30,429 

88.7p 

86.2p 

92.7p 

91.9p 

 At 1 January 2017 
 Profit for the year 
Net remeasurement of defined benefit 

liability 

Revaluation of available for sale 

investment securities: 

net gain from changes in fair value 
net profit on disposal transferred to profit 

or loss during the year 

Deferred tax relating to components of 

other comprehensive income 

 Other comprehensive income net of tax 

 Dividends paid 
 Issue of share capital 
 Share-based payments: 
 –  value of employee services 
 –  cost of own shares acquired 
 –  cost of own shares vesting 
 –  own shares sold 
 –  tax on share-based payments 
  At 31 December 2017 
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 9 

(net of tax) 

Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 

15 (net of tax) 

  Adjusted balance at 1 January 2018 
 Profit for the year 
Net remeasurement of defined benefit 

liability 

Deferred tax relating to components of 

other comprehensive income 

 Other comprehensive income net of tax 

 Dividends paid 
 Issue of share capital 
 Share-based payments: 
 –  value of employee services 
 –  cost of own shares acquired 
 –  cost of own shares vesting 
 –  tax on share-based payments 
  At 31 December 2018 

Note 

28 

18 

21 

13 
29 

30 
30 
30 

28 

21 

13 
29 

30 
30 

Share
capital
£’000  

Merger
reserve
£’000  
2,535  139,991  31,835 

Share
premium
£’000  

– 

– 

– 

31 

3,098 

Available for 
sale reserve 
£’000  
150 

163 

(43) 

(20) 

100 

2,566  143,089  31,835 

250 

Own 
shares 
£’000  

Retained
earnings
£’000  

Total
equity
£’000  
(6,243) 156,545  324,813 
   46,829  46,829 

   17,288  17,288 

163 

(43)

(2,939)

(2,959)

–  14,349  14,449 

(29,420)

(29,420)
3,129 

3,591 

(441)
1,820 

3,591 
(441)
– 
– 
328 
(4,864) 190,402  363,278 

(1,820)

328 

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(250) 

102 

(148)

2,566  143,089  31,835 

– 

8,443 
8,443 
(4,864) 198,947  371,573 
   46,169  46,169 

1,219 

1,219 

(207)

(207)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

1,012 

1,012 

194  87,134 

(32,691) (32,691)
87,328 

2,760  230,223  31,835 

– 

(29,888)
2,015 

20,279  20,279 
(29,888)
– 
358 
(32,737) 232,059  464,140 

(2,015)
358 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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Consolidated balance sheet 
as at 31 December 2018 

Assets 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Investment securities: 
–  fair value through profit or loss 
–  amortised cost 
–  available for sale 
–  held to maturity 
Prepayments, accrued income and other assets 
Property, plant and equipment 
Net deferred tax asset 
Intangible assets 
Total assets 
Liabilities 
Deposits by banks 
Settlement balances 
Due to customers 
Accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities 
Current tax liabilities 
Net deferred tax liability 
Subordinated loan notes 
Retirement benefit obligations 
Total liabilities 
Equity 
Share capital 
Share premium 
Merger reserve 
Available for sale reserve 
Own shares 
Retained earnings 
Total equity 
Total liabilities and equity 

Note 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

15  1,198,479  1,375,382 
46,784 
117,253 
126,213 

39,754 
166,200 
138,959 

16 
17 

18 
18 
18 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 

79,797 
907,225 
– 
– 
81,552 
16,838 
– 
238,918 

– 
– 
109,312 
701,966 
74,445 
16,457 
9,061 
161,977 
   2,867,722  2,738,850 

23 

491 
36,692 

1,338 
54,452 
24  2,225,536  2,170,498 
108,391 
25 
5,598 
– 
19,695 
15,600 
   2,403,582  2,375,572 

103,393 
5,985 
481 
19,807 
11,197 

21 
27 
28 

29 
29 

30 

2,760 
230,223 
31,835 
– 
(32,737)
232,059 
464,140 

2,566 
143,089 
31,835 
250 
(4,864)
190,402 
363,278 
   2,867,722  2,738,850 

The financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 20 February 2019 and were signed on 
their behalf by: 

Philip Howell 
Chief Executive 

Company registered number: 01000403 

Paul Stockton
Finance Director 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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Consolidated balance sheet 

as at 31 December 2018 

Consolidated statement of cash flows 
for the year ended 31 December 2018 

Accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities 

Assets 

Cash and balances with central banks 

Settlement balances 

Loans and advances to banks 

Loans and advances to customers 

Investment securities: 

–  fair value through profit or loss 

–  amortised cost 

–  available for sale 

–  held to maturity 

Prepayments, accrued income and other assets 

Property, plant and equipment 

Net deferred tax asset 

Intangible assets 

Total assets 

Liabilities 

Deposits by banks 

Settlement balances 

Due to customers 

Current tax liabilities 

Net deferred tax liability 

Subordinated loan notes 

Retirement benefit obligations 

Total liabilities 

Equity 

Share capital 

Share premium 

Merger reserve 

Available for sale reserve 

Own shares 

Retained earnings 

Total equity 

Total liabilities and equity 

their behalf by: 

Philip Howell 

Chief Executive 

Note 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

15  1,198,479  1,375,382 

39,754 

166,200 

138,959 

46,784 

117,253 

126,213 

16 

17 

18 

18 

18 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

21 

27 

28 

29 

29 

79,797 

907,225 

– 

– 

– 

81,552 

16,838 

– 

– 

109,312 

701,966 

74,445 

16,457 

9,061 

238,918 

161,977 

   2,867,722  2,738,850 

491 

36,692 

1,338 

54,452 

24  2,225,536  2,170,498 

25 

103,393 

108,391 

5,985 

481 

19,807 

11,197 

5,598 

– 

19,695 

15,600 

   2,403,582  2,375,572 

2,760 

2,566 

230,223 

143,089 

31,835 

31,835 

– 

250 

30 

(32,737)

(4,864)

232,059 

464,140 

190,402 

363,278 

   2,867,722  2,738,850 

Cash flows from operating activities 
Profit before tax 
Net profit on disposal of available for sale investment securities 
Change in fair value through profit or loss 
Net interest income 
Impairment losses on financial instruments 
Net (credit)/charge for provisions 
Loss/(profit) on disposal of property, plant and equipment 
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 
Foreign exchange movements 
Defined benefit pension scheme charges  
Defined benefit pension contributions paid 
Share-based payment charges 
Interest paid 
Interest received 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities: 
–  net increase in loans and advances to banks and customers
–  net decrease/(increase) in settlement balance debtors
–  net increase in prepayments, accrued income and other assets
–  net increase in amounts due to customers and deposits by banks
–  net (decrease)/increase in settlement balance creditors
–  net (decrease)/increase in accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities
Cash generated from operations 
Tax paid 
Net cash inflow from operating activities 
Cash flows from investing activities 
Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired 
Purchase of property, plant, equipment and intangible assets 
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 
Purchase of investment securities 
Proceeds from sale and redemption of investment securities 
Net cash used in investing activities 
Cash flows from financing activities 
Issue of ordinary shares 
Dividends paid 
Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities 
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements. 

The financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 20 February 2019 and were signed on 

Company registered number: 01000403 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Paul Stockton

Finance Director 

Note 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

32 
26 

18 
28 
28 

61,306 
– 
185
(15,321)
44 
(1,498)
1 
21,673 
(2,297)
491 
(3,673)
19,838 
(5,175)
21,362 
96,936 

(10,482)
7,030 
(3,887)
54,191 
(17,760)
(222)
125,806 
(14,697)
111,109 

58,901 
(43)
–
(11,594)
1 
16,728 
– 
19,415 
1,480 
(2,948)
(3,619)
3,871 
(1,663)
13,084 
93,613 

(16,643)
(8,997)
(8,318)
282,647 
15,163 
8,146 
365,611 
(14,087)
351,524 

(72,914)
(18,338)
– 
18  (1,051,150)
847,323 
18 
(295,079)

– 
(16,123)
– 
(746,566)
742,581 
(20,108)

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13 

57,440 
(32,691)
24,749 
(159,221)

2,688 
(29,420)
(26,732)
304,684 
   1,567,758  1,263,074 
38  1,408,537  1,567,758 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

1 

Principal accounting policies 

Rathbone Brothers Plc (‘the company’) is a public company 
incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales under the 
Companies Act 2006. 

1.1  Basis of preparation 
The consolidated and company financial statements have been 
prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU. The company financial 
statements are presented on pages 169 to 189.  

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical 
cost basis, except for certain financial instruments that are 
measured at fair value (notes 1.12 and 1.16). The principal 
accounting policies adopted are set out in this note and, unless 
otherwise stated, have been applied consistently to all periods 
presented in the consolidated financial statements. 

1.2  Basis of consolidation 
The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial 
statements of the company and entities controlled by the 
company (its subsidiaries), together ‘the group’, made up  
to 31 December each year. 

The group controls an entity when it is exposed to, or has rights 
to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and  
has the ability to affect those returns through its power over  
the entity. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date  
on which control is obtained, and no longer consolidated from 
the date that control ceases; their results are included in the 
consolidated financial statements up to the date that control 
ceases. Intercompany transactions and balances between  
group companies are eliminated on consolidation. 

1.3  Developments in reporting standards 

and interpretations  

Standards and interpretations affecting the reported results or the 
financial position 
This is the first set of the group’s financial statements where IFRS 
9 and IFRS 15 have been applied. These new standards were 
adopted from 1 January 2018. Under the transition methods 
chosen, comparative information is not restated. Changes to 
significant accounting policies are described in note 2. 

The following amendments to standards have also been adopted 
in the current period, but have not had a significant impact on 
the amounts reported in these financial statements: 

–  Classification and Measurement of Share-based Payment 

Transactions (Amendments to IFRS 2). 

Future new standards and interpretations 
A number of new standards are effective for annual periods 
beginning after 1 January 2018 and earlier application is 
permitted; however, the group has not early adopted the  
new or amended standards in preparing these consolidated 
financial statements. 

Of those standards that are not yet effective, IFRS 16 is expected 
to have a material impact on the group’s financial statements in 
the period of initial application. 

IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ 
IFRS 16 is effective for periods commencing on or after 1 January 
2019 and replaces existing lease guidance, including IAS 17 
Leases, IFRIC 4 Determining whether an arrangement contains a 
Lease, SIC-15 Operating Lease – Incentives and SIC-27 Evaluating 
the Substance of Transactions Involving the Legal Form of a 
Lease. The standard was endorsed by the EU during 2017. The 
group has not adopted this standard early.  

IFRS 16 eliminates the classification of leases as either operating 
leases or finance leases for lessees. The group will be required to 
recognise all leases with a term of more than 12 months as a 
right-of-use lease asset on its balance sheet; the group will also 
recognise a financial liability representing its obligation to make 
future lease payments. 

Transition 
The group plans to apply IFRS 16 initially with effect from 1 
January 2019, using the modified retrospective approach. 
Therefore, the cumulative effect of adopting IFRS 16 will be 
recognised as an adjustment to the opening balance sheet at  
1 January 2019, with no restatement of comparative information. 

The group plans to apply the practical expedient to grandfather 
the definition of a lease on transition. This means that it will 
apply IFRS 16 to all contracts entered into before 1 January 2019 
and identified as leases in accordance with IAS 17. 

Lessee accounting 
The group has assessed the impact of adopting the new 
standard, based on its existing lease contracts. 

The group’s total assets and total liabilities will be increased  
by the recognition of lease assets and liabilities. The lease assets 
will be depreciated over the shorter of the expected life of the 
asset and the lease term. The lease liability will be reduced by 
lease payments, offset by the unwinding of the liability over  
the lease term, which will be recognised in interest expense  
and similar charges in the consolidated statement of 
comprehensive income. 

The most significant impact is in respect of its London head 
office premises. Based on the information currently available,  
the group estimates that it will recognise lease liabilities of 
approximately £63 million to £67 million as at 1 January 2019  
and related right-of-use assets with a value of approximately  
£50 million to £55 million, reflecting the impact of accrued  
rent free periods up to 31 December 2018. We do not expect  
any impact on the group’s equity at the date of adoption. 

On the group’s statement of comprehensive income, the profile 
of lease costs will be front-loaded, at least individually, as the 
interest charge is higher in the early years of a lease term as the 
discount rate unwinds. The total cost of the lease over the lease 
term is expected to be unchanged. 

In addition to the above impacts, recognition of lease assets  
will increase the group’s regulatory capital requirement.  

Lessor accounting 
The group is not required to make any adjustments for leases in 
which it is a lessor except where it is an intermediate lessor in a 
sub-lease. Based on the work completed by the group, it expects 
to reclassify one sub-lease as a finance lease. This results in 
recognition of a finance lease receivable of approximately  
£1 million to £2 million as at 1 January 2019. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

1 

Principal accounting policies 

IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ 

Rathbone Brothers Plc (‘the company’) is a public company 

incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales under the 

Companies Act 2006. 

1.1  Basis of preparation 

The consolidated and company financial statements have been 

prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting 

Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU. The company financial 

statements are presented on pages 169 to 189.  

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical 

cost basis, except for certain financial instruments that are 

measured at fair value (notes 1.12 and 1.16). The principal 

accounting policies adopted are set out in this note and, unless 

otherwise stated, have been applied consistently to all periods 

presented in the consolidated financial statements. 

1.2  Basis of consolidation 

The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial 

statements of the company and entities controlled by the 

company (its subsidiaries), together ‘the group’, made up  

to 31 December each year. 

The group controls an entity when it is exposed to, or has rights 

to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and  

has the ability to affect those returns through its power over  

the entity. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date  

on which control is obtained, and no longer consolidated from 

the date that control ceases; their results are included in the 

consolidated financial statements up to the date that control 

ceases. Intercompany transactions and balances between  

group companies are eliminated on consolidation. 

1.3  Developments in reporting standards 

and interpretations  

Standards and interpretations affecting the reported results or the 

financial position 

This is the first set of the group’s financial statements where IFRS 

9 and IFRS 15 have been applied. These new standards were 

adopted from 1 January 2018. Under the transition methods 

chosen, comparative information is not restated. Changes to 

significant accounting policies are described in note 2. 

The following amendments to standards have also been adopted 

in the current period, but have not had a significant impact on 

the amounts reported in these financial statements: 

–  Classification and Measurement of Share-based Payment 

Transactions (Amendments to IFRS 2). 

Future new standards and interpretations 

A number of new standards are effective for annual periods 

beginning after 1 January 2018 and earlier application is 

permitted; however, the group has not early adopted the  

new or amended standards in preparing these consolidated 

financial statements. 

Of those standards that are not yet effective, IFRS 16 is expected 

to have a material impact on the group’s financial statements in 

the period of initial application. 

IFRS 16 is effective for periods commencing on or after 1 January 

2019 and replaces existing lease guidance, including IAS 17 

Leases, IFRIC 4 Determining whether an arrangement contains a 

Lease, SIC-15 Operating Lease – Incentives and SIC-27 Evaluating 

the Substance of Transactions Involving the Legal Form of a 

Lease. The standard was endorsed by the EU during 2017. The 

group has not adopted this standard early.  

IFRS 16 eliminates the classification of leases as either operating 

leases or finance leases for lessees. The group will be required to 

recognise all leases with a term of more than 12 months as a 

right-of-use lease asset on its balance sheet; the group will also 

recognise a financial liability representing its obligation to make 

future lease payments. 

Transition 

The group plans to apply IFRS 16 initially with effect from 1 

January 2019, using the modified retrospective approach. 

Therefore, the cumulative effect of adopting IFRS 16 will be 

recognised as an adjustment to the opening balance sheet at  

1 January 2019, with no restatement of comparative information. 

The group plans to apply the practical expedient to grandfather 

the definition of a lease on transition. This means that it will 

apply IFRS 16 to all contracts entered into before 1 January 2019 

and identified as leases in accordance with IAS 17. 

Lessee accounting 

The group has assessed the impact of adopting the new 

standard, based on its existing lease contracts. 

The group’s total assets and total liabilities will be increased  

by the recognition of lease assets and liabilities. The lease assets 

will be depreciated over the shorter of the expected life of the 

asset and the lease term. The lease liability will be reduced by 

lease payments, offset by the unwinding of the liability over  

the lease term, which will be recognised in interest expense  

and similar charges in the consolidated statement of 

comprehensive income. 

The most significant impact is in respect of its London head 

office premises. Based on the information currently available,  

the group estimates that it will recognise lease liabilities of 

approximately £63 million to £67 million as at 1 January 2019  

and related right-of-use assets with a value of approximately  

£50 million to £55 million, reflecting the impact of accrued  

rent free periods up to 31 December 2018. We do not expect  

any impact on the group’s equity at the date of adoption. 

On the group’s statement of comprehensive income, the profile 

of lease costs will be front-loaded, at least individually, as the 

interest charge is higher in the early years of a lease term as the 

discount rate unwinds. The total cost of the lease over the lease 

term is expected to be unchanged. 

In addition to the above impacts, recognition of lease assets  

will increase the group’s regulatory capital requirement.  

Lessor accounting 

The group is not required to make any adjustments for leases in 

which it is a lessor except where it is an intermediate lessor in a 

sub-lease. Based on the work completed by the group, it expects 

to reclassify one sub-lease as a finance lease. This results in 

recognition of a finance lease receivable of approximately  

£1 million to £2 million as at 1 January 2019. 

1.4  Business combinations 
Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition 
method. The consideration for each acquisition is measured  
at the aggregate of the fair values (at the date of exchange)  
of assets acquired, liabilities assumed and equity instruments 
issued by the group in exchange for control of the acquiree. 
Acquisition-related costs are recognised in profit or loss 
as incurred. 

Where applicable, the consideration for the acquisition includes 
any asset or liability resulting from a contingent consideration 
arrangement, measured at its acquisition date fair value. 
Subsequent changes in such fair values may arise as a result of 
additional information obtained after this date about facts and 
circumstances that existed at the acquisition date. Provided  
they arise within 12 months of the acquisition date, these 
changes are measurement period adjustments and are reflected 
against the cost of acquisition. Changes in the fair value of 
contingent consideration resulting from events occurring  
after the acquisition date are charged to profit or loss or other 
comprehensive income, except for obligations that are  
classified as equity, which are not remeasured. Such changes  
are irrespective of the 12 month period from acquisition. 

1.5  Going concern 
The directors have, at the time of approving the financial 
statements, a reasonable expectation that the company and  
the group have adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence. In forming this view, the directors have considered  
the company’s and the group’s prospects for a period exceeding 
12 months. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis 
of accounting in preparing the financial statements. 

1.6  Foreign currencies 
The functional and presentational currency of the company and 
its subsidiaries is sterling.  

Transactions in currencies other than the relevant group  
entity’s functional currency are recorded at the rates of exchange 
prevailing on the dates of the transactions. At each balance sheet 
date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in 
foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the 
balance sheet date. Gains and losses arising on retranslation are 
included in profit or loss for the year. 

Income 

1.7 
The group has initially applied IFRS 15 from 1 January 2018. 

Net interest income 
Interest income or expense are recognised within net interest 
income using the effective interest method.  

The effective interest method is the method of calculating the 
amortised cost of a financial asset or liability (or group of assets 
and liabilities) and of allocating the interest income or interest 
expense over the relevant period. The effective interest rate is 
the rate that exactly discounts the expected future cash 
payments or receipts through the expected life of the  
financial instrument, or when appropriate, a shorter period, to  

–  the gross carrying amount of the financial asset; or 
–  the amortised cost of the financial liability. 

The application of the method has the effect of recognising 
income (or expense) receivable (or payable) on the instrument 
evenly in proportion to the amount outstanding over the period 
to maturity or repayment. In calculating effective interest, the 
group estimates cash flows considering all contractual terms  
of the financial instrument but excluding the impact of future 
credit losses. 

Dividends received from money market funds are included  
in net interest income when received. 

Net fee and commission income 
Portfolio or investment management fees, commissions 
receivable or payable and fees from advisory services are 
recognised on a continuous basis over the period that the  
related service is provided. 

Commission charges for executing transactions on behalf  
of clients are recognised when the transaction is dealt.  

Initial charges receivable from the sale of unit holdings in the 
group’s collective investment schemes and related rebates are 
recognised at the point of sale. 

Net trading income 
Net trading income comprises net dealing profits on the sale and 
redemption of units in the Unit Trusts business and is recognised 
when received. 

Dividend income 
Dividend income from final dividends on equity securities is 
accounted for on the date the security becomes ex-dividend. 
Interim dividends are recognised when received. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

1 

Principal accounting policies continued 

1.8  Operating leases 
Lease agreements which do not transfer substantially all of  
the risks and rewards of ownership of the leased assets to the 
group are classified as operating leases. Payments made under 
operating leases are recognised in profit or loss on a straight  
line basis over the term of the lease. The impact of any lease 
incentives is spread over the term of the lease. 

1.9  Share-based payments 
The group engages in equity-settled and cash-settled share-
based payment transactions in respect of services received  
from its employees.  

Equity-settled awards 
For equity-settled share-based payments, the fair value of the 
award is measured by reference to the fair value of the shares  
or share options granted on the grant date. The cost of the 
employee services received in respect of the shares or share 
options granted is recognised in profit or loss over the vesting 
period, with a corresponding credit to equity. 

The fair value of the awards or options granted is determined 
using a binomial pricing model, which takes into account the 
current share price, the risk-free interest rate, the expected 
volatility of the company’s share price over the life of the  
option or award, any applicable exercise price and other relevant 
factors. Only those vesting conditions that include terms related 
to market conditions are taken into account in estimating fair 
value. Non-market vesting conditions are taken into account  
by adjusting the number of shares or share options included 
in the measurement of the cost of employee services so that, 
ultimately, the amount recognised in profit or loss reflects the 
number of vested shares or share options, with a corresponding 
adjustment to equity. Where vesting conditions are related to 
market conditions, the charges for the services received are 
recognised regardless of whether or not the market-related 
vesting condition is met, provided that any non-market  
vesting conditions are also met. Shares purchased and  
issued are charged directly to equity. 

Cash-settled awards 
For cash-settled share-based payments, a liability is recognised 
for the services received to the balance sheet date, measured  
at the fair value of the liability. At each subsequent balance sheet 
date and at the date on which the liability is settled, the fair value 
of the liability is remeasured with any changes in fair value 
recognised in profit or loss. 

1.10  Taxation 
Current tax 
Current tax is the expected tax payable or receivable on net 
taxable income for the year. Current tax is calculated using  
tax rates enacted or substantively enacted by the balance  
sheet date, together with any adjustment to tax payable or 
receivable in respect of previous years. 

Deferred tax 
Deferred tax is accounted for under the balance sheet liability 
method in respect of temporary differences using tax rates (and 
laws) that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the 
balance sheet date and are expected to apply when the liability  
is settled or when the asset is realised. Deferred tax liabilities are 
recognised for all temporary differences and deferred tax assets 
are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits 
will be available against which deductible temporary differences 
may be utilised, except where the temporary difference arises: 

–  from the initial recognition of goodwill;  
–  from the initial recognition of other assets and liabilities in a 

transaction, which affects neither the tax profit nor the 
accounting profit, other than in a business combination; or 
–  in relation to investments in subsidiaries and associates, where 

the group is able to control the reversal of the temporary 
difference and it is the group’s intention not to reverse the 
temporary difference in the foreseeable future. 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when they relate  
to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the 
group intends to settle its current tax assets and liabilities on  
a net basis. 

1.11  Cash and cash equivalents 
Cash comprises cash in hand. 

Cash equivalents comprise money market funds which are 
realisable on demand and loans and advances to banks with a 
maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition. 

For the purposes of the consolidated statement of cash flows, 
cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and cash equivalents 
as defined above, net of outstanding bank overdrafts. 

1.12  Financial assets 
Initial recognition and measurement 
Financial assets, excluding trade receivables, are initially 
recognised when the group becomes party to the contractual 
provisions of the asset. Trade receivables are recognised when 
cash is advanced to the borrowers. 

Financial assets are initially recognised at fair value plus 
transaction costs that are directly attributable to its acquisition. 
Trade receivables without a significant financing component  
are initially measured at the transaction price. 

Financial assets are not reclassified subsequent to their initial 
recognition unless the group changes its business model for 
managing financial assets, in which case all affected financial 
assets are reclassified on the first day of the first reporting  
period following the change in the business model. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

1 

Principal accounting policies continued 

Deferred tax 

1.8  Operating leases 

Lease agreements which do not transfer substantially all of  

the risks and rewards of ownership of the leased assets to the 

group are classified as operating leases. Payments made under 

operating leases are recognised in profit or loss on a straight  

line basis over the term of the lease. The impact of any lease 

incentives is spread over the term of the lease. 

1.9  Share-based payments 

The group engages in equity-settled and cash-settled share-

based payment transactions in respect of services received  

from its employees.  

Equity-settled awards 

For equity-settled share-based payments, the fair value of the 

award is measured by reference to the fair value of the shares  

or share options granted on the grant date. The cost of the 

employee services received in respect of the shares or share 

options granted is recognised in profit or loss over the vesting 

period, with a corresponding credit to equity. 

The fair value of the awards or options granted is determined 

using a binomial pricing model, which takes into account the 

current share price, the risk-free interest rate, the expected 

volatility of the company’s share price over the life of the  

option or award, any applicable exercise price and other relevant 

factors. Only those vesting conditions that include terms related 

to market conditions are taken into account in estimating fair 

value. Non-market vesting conditions are taken into account  

by adjusting the number of shares or share options included 

in the measurement of the cost of employee services so that, 

ultimately, the amount recognised in profit or loss reflects the 

number of vested shares or share options, with a corresponding 

adjustment to equity. Where vesting conditions are related to 

market conditions, the charges for the services received are 

recognised regardless of whether or not the market-related 

vesting condition is met, provided that any non-market  

vesting conditions are also met. Shares purchased and  

issued are charged directly to equity. 

Cash-settled awards 

For cash-settled share-based payments, a liability is recognised 

for the services received to the balance sheet date, measured  

at the fair value of the liability. At each subsequent balance sheet 

date and at the date on which the liability is settled, the fair value 

of the liability is remeasured with any changes in fair value 

recognised in profit or loss. 

1.10  Taxation 

Current tax 

Current tax is the expected tax payable or receivable on net 

taxable income for the year. Current tax is calculated using  

tax rates enacted or substantively enacted by the balance  

sheet date, together with any adjustment to tax payable or 

receivable in respect of previous years. 

Deferred tax is accounted for under the balance sheet liability 

method in respect of temporary differences using tax rates (and 

laws) that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the 

balance sheet date and are expected to apply when the liability  

is settled or when the asset is realised. Deferred tax liabilities are 

recognised for all temporary differences and deferred tax assets 

are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits 

will be available against which deductible temporary differences 

may be utilised, except where the temporary difference arises: 

–  from the initial recognition of goodwill;  

–  from the initial recognition of other assets and liabilities in a 

transaction, which affects neither the tax profit nor the 

accounting profit, other than in a business combination; or 

–  in relation to investments in subsidiaries and associates, where 

the group is able to control the reversal of the temporary 

difference and it is the group’s intention not to reverse the 

temporary difference in the foreseeable future. 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when they relate  

to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the 

group intends to settle its current tax assets and liabilities on  

a net basis. 

1.11  Cash and cash equivalents 

Cash comprises cash in hand. 

Cash equivalents comprise money market funds which are 

realisable on demand and loans and advances to banks with a 

maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition. 

For the purposes of the consolidated statement of cash flows, 

cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and cash equivalents 

as defined above, net of outstanding bank overdrafts. 

1.12  Financial assets 

Initial recognition and measurement 

Financial assets, excluding trade receivables, are initially 

recognised when the group becomes party to the contractual 

provisions of the asset. Trade receivables are recognised when 

cash is advanced to the borrowers. 

Financial assets are initially recognised at fair value plus 

transaction costs that are directly attributable to its acquisition. 

Trade receivables without a significant financing component  

are initially measured at the transaction price. 

Financial assets are not reclassified subsequent to their initial 

recognition unless the group changes its business model for 

managing financial assets, in which case all affected financial 

assets are reclassified on the first day of the first reporting  

period following the change in the business model. 

Classification and subsequent measurement 
Financial assets are classified and measured in the  
following categories: 

–  amortised cost 

Financial assets are measured at amortised cost if its 
contractual terms give rise to cash flows that are solely 
payments of principal and interest on the principal amount 
outstanding and it is held within a business model whose 
objective is to hold assets to collect contractual cash flows. 

Assets are measured at amortised cost using the effective 
interest rate method (note 1.7), less any impairment losses. 
Interest income, foreign exchange gains and losses and 
impairment are recognised in profit or loss. Any gain or  
loss on derecognition is recognised in profit or loss. 

–  at fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI) 
Debt instruments are measured at FVOCI if its contractual 
terms give rise to cash flows that are solely payments of 
principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding 
and it is held within a business model whose objective is  
both to hold assets to collect contractual cash flows and  
sell the assets. 

For debt instruments, interest income is calculated using  
the effective interest method. For equity instruments, 
dividends are recognised as income in profit or loss unless  
the dividend clearly represents a recovery of part of the cost  
of the investment. All other gains and losses on assets at 
FVOCI are recognised in OCI. 

–  at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) 

All equity instruments are measured at FVTPL unless, 
provided the instrument is not held for trading, the group 
irrevocably elects to measure the instrument at FVOCI. This 
election is made on an investment-by-investment basis. 

All financial assets not classified as measured at amortised 
cost or FVOCI as described above are measured at FVTPL.  
On initial recognition, the Group may irrevocably designate  
a financial asset that otherwise meets the requirements to  
be measured at amortised cost or FVOCI at FVTPL if doing  
so eliminates or significantly reduces an accounting 
mismatch that would otherwise arise. 

Net gains and losses, including any interest or dividend 
income, are recognised in profit or loss. 

Business model assessment 
The Group assesses the objective of the business model in  
which a financial asset is held at a portfolio level. The information 
considered includes: 

–  the objectives for the portfolio and how those tie in to  

the current and future strategy of the group; 

–  how the performance of the portfolio is evaluated and 

reported to the Group’s management; 

–  the risks that affect the performance of the business model 
(and the financial assets held within that business model)  
and how those risks are managed; 

–  how group employees are compensated e.g. whether 
compensation is based on the fair value of the assets  
managed or the contractual cash flows collected; and 
–  the frequency, volume and timing of sales of financial  
assets in prior periods, the reasons for such sales and 
expectations about future sales activity. 

Payments of principal and interest criterion 
In assessing whether the contractual cash flows are solely 
payments of principal and interest, the Group considers: 

–  the contractual terms of the instrument, checking consistency 

with a basic lending criteria; 

–  the impact of the time value of money; 
–  features that would change the amount or timing of 

contractual cash flows; 

–  other factors, such as prepayment or extension features. 

Derecognition 
Financial assets are derecognised when the contractual rights  
to receive cash flows have expired or the group has transferred 
substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership. 

Impairment of financial assets 
The Group recognises loss allowances for expected credit losses 
(ECLs) on financial assets measured at amortised cost and FVOCI 
and loan commitments held off balance sheet. 

A financial asset will attract a loss allowance equal to either: 

–  12 month expected credit losses (losses resulting from  

possible defaults within the next 12 months); or 

–  lifetime expected credit losses (losses resulting from possible 

defaults over the remaining life of the financial asset). 

The latter applies if there has been a significant deterioration in 
the credit quality of the asset, albeit lifetime ECLs will always be 
recognised for assets without a significant financing component. 

The maximum period considered when estimating ECLs is the 
maximum contractual period over which the group is exposed  
to credit risk. 

The Group measures loss allowances at an amount equal  
to lifetime ECLs, except for treasury book and investment 
management loan book exposures for which credit risk has  
not increased significantly since initial recognition, which are 
measured at 12-month ECLs. 

Loss allowances for trust and financial planning debtors are 
always measured at an amount equal to lifetime ECLs. 

When assessing whether the credit risk of a financial asset has 
increased significantly between the reporting date and initial 
recognition, quantitative and qualitative indicators are used. 
More detail can be found at note 32. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

1 

Principal accounting policies continued 

Measurement of ECLs 

Treasury book and investment management loan book 
The group has developed a detailed model for calculating  
ECLs on its treasury book and investment management loan 
book (which includes loan commitments held off balance sheet). 
The group has applied considerable judgment in developing 
three different economic scenarios: a base case, an upside and  
a downside. 

The base case is assigned a 60% probability of occurring  
with the upside and downside each assigned a 20% probability  
of occurring. 

The economic scenarios are based on the projections of GDP, 
inflation, unemployment rates, house price indices, financial 
markets and interest rates as set out in the banking system  
stress testing scenario published annually by the PRA.  

Management adjust the projections for the economic variables  
in arriving at the upside and downside scenarios. 

Under each resultant scenario, an expected credit loss is  
forecast for each exposure in the treasury book and investment 
management loan book. The expected credit loss is calculated 
based on management’s estimate of the probability of default, 
the loss given default and the exposure at default of each 
exposure taking into account industry credit loss data, the 
group’s own credit loss experience, the expected repayment 
profiles of the exposures and the level of collateral held. Industry 
credit loss information is drawn from data on credit defaults for 
different categories of exposure published by the Council of 
Mortgage Lenders and Standard & Poor’s. 

The model adopts a staging allocation methodology, primarily 
based on changes in the internal and/or external credit rating  
of exposures to identify significant increases in credit risk since 
inception of the exposure.  

The group has not rebutted the presumption that if an exposure 
is more than 30 days past due, the associated credit risk has 
significantly increased. 

More detail on the group’s staging criteria is provided in note 32.  

ECLs are discounted back to the balance sheet date at the 
effective interest rate of the asset. 

Trust and financial planning debtors 
The group’s trust and financial planning debtors are generally 
short term and do not contain significant financing components. 
Therefore, the group has applied a practical expedient by using  
a provision matrix to calculate lifetime expected credit losses 
based on actual credit loss experience over the past four years. 

Credit-impaired financial assets 
At each reporting date, the group assesses whether financial 
assets carried at amortised cost and FVOCI are credit-impaired.  
A financial asset is ‘credit-impaired’ when one or more events 
that have a detrimental impact on the estimated future cash 
flows of the financial asset have occurred. The group’s definition 
of default is given in note 32. 

Presentation of impairment 
Loss allowances for financial assets measured at amortised  
cost and FVOCI are deducted from the gross carrying amount  
of the assets. 

Impairment losses related to the group’s treasury book and 
investment management loan book are presented in ‘interest 
expense and similar charges’ and those related to all other 
financial assets (including trust and financial planning debtors) 
are presented under ‘other operating expenses’. No losses are 
presented separately on the statement of the comprehensive 
income and there have been no reclassifications of amounts 
previously recognised under IAS 39. 

1.13  Property, plant and equipment 

All property, plant and equipment is stated at historical cost, 
which includes directly attributable acquisition costs, less 
accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Depreciation 
is charged so as to write off the cost of assets to their estimated 
residual value over their estimated useful lives, using the straight 
line method, on the following bases: 

–  leasehold improvements: over the lease term 
–  plant, equipment and computer hardware:over three  

to 10 years 

The assets’ residual lives are reviewed, and adjusted if 
appropriate, at each balance sheet date. Gains and losses  
on disposals are determined by comparing proceeds with  
the carrying amount and these are included in profit or loss. 

1.14  Intangible assets 

Goodwill 
Goodwill arises through business combinations and represents 
the excess of the cost of acquisition over the group’s interest in 
the fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent 
liabilities of a business at the date of acquisition. 

Goodwill is recognised as an asset and measured at cost less 
accumulated impairment losses, It is allocated to groups of  
cash generating units. Cash generating units are identified  
as the smallest identifiable group of assets that generates cash 
inflows that are largely independent of the cash inflows from 
other assets or groups of assets and are no larger than the  
group’s operating segments, as set in note 4. 

On disposal of a subsidiary the attributed amount of goodwill 
that has not been subject to impairment is included in the 
determination of the profit or loss on disposal. 

Goodwill arising on acquisitions before 1 January 2004, being 
the date of the group’s transition to IFRS, has been retained  
at the previous UK GAAP carrying amounts and is tested for 
impairment annually. 

Client relationships 
Client relationships acquired as part of a business combination 
are initially recognised at fair value (note 1.4). Determining 
whether a transaction that involves the purchase of client 
relationships is treated as a business combination or a separate 
purchase of intangible assets requires judgement. The factors 
that the group takes into consideration in making this judgement 
are set out in note 3.1. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

1 

Principal accounting policies continued 

Measurement of ECLs 

Treasury book and investment management loan book 

The group has developed a detailed model for calculating  

ECLs on its treasury book and investment management loan 

book (which includes loan commitments held off balance sheet). 

The group has applied considerable judgment in developing 

three different economic scenarios: a base case, an upside and  

a downside. 

of occurring. 

The base case is assigned a 60% probability of occurring  

with the upside and downside each assigned a 20% probability  

The economic scenarios are based on the projections of GDP, 

inflation, unemployment rates, house price indices, financial 

markets and interest rates as set out in the banking system  

stress testing scenario published annually by the PRA.  

Impairment losses related to the group’s treasury book and 

investment management loan book are presented in ‘interest 

expense and similar charges’ and those related to all other 

financial assets (including trust and financial planning debtors) 

are presented under ‘other operating expenses’. No losses are 

presented separately on the statement of the comprehensive 

income and there have been no reclassifications of amounts 

previously recognised under IAS 39. 

1.13  Property, plant and equipment 

All property, plant and equipment is stated at historical cost, 

which includes directly attributable acquisition costs, less 

accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Depreciation 

is charged so as to write off the cost of assets to their estimated 

residual value over their estimated useful lives, using the straight 

line method, on the following bases: 

–  leasehold improvements: over the lease term 

Management adjust the projections for the economic variables  

–  plant, equipment and computer hardware:over three  

in arriving at the upside and downside scenarios. 

to 10 years 

Under each resultant scenario, an expected credit loss is  

forecast for each exposure in the treasury book and investment 

management loan book. The expected credit loss is calculated 

based on management’s estimate of the probability of default, 

the loss given default and the exposure at default of each 

exposure taking into account industry credit loss data, the 

group’s own credit loss experience, the expected repayment 

profiles of the exposures and the level of collateral held. Industry 

credit loss information is drawn from data on credit defaults for 

different categories of exposure published by the Council of 

Mortgage Lenders and Standard & Poor’s. 

The model adopts a staging allocation methodology, primarily 

based on changes in the internal and/or external credit rating  

of exposures to identify significant increases in credit risk since 

inception of the exposure.  

The group has not rebutted the presumption that if an exposure 

is more than 30 days past due, the associated credit risk has 

significantly increased. 

More detail on the group’s staging criteria is provided in note 32.  

ECLs are discounted back to the balance sheet date at the 

effective interest rate of the asset. 

Trust and financial planning debtors 

The group’s trust and financial planning debtors are generally 

short term and do not contain significant financing components. 

Therefore, the group has applied a practical expedient by using  

a provision matrix to calculate lifetime expected credit losses 

based on actual credit loss experience over the past four years. 

Credit-impaired financial assets 

At each reporting date, the group assesses whether financial 

assets carried at amortised cost and FVOCI are credit-impaired.  

A financial asset is ‘credit-impaired’ when one or more events 

that have a detrimental impact on the estimated future cash 

flows of the financial asset have occurred. The group’s definition 

of default is given in note 32. 

Presentation of impairment 

Loss allowances for financial assets measured at amortised  

cost and FVOCI are deducted from the gross carrying amount  

of the assets. 

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The assets’ residual lives are reviewed, and adjusted if 

appropriate, at each balance sheet date. Gains and losses  

on disposals are determined by comparing proceeds with  

the carrying amount and these are included in profit or loss. 

1.14  Intangible assets 

Goodwill 

Goodwill arises through business combinations and represents 

the excess of the cost of acquisition over the group’s interest in 

the fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent 

liabilities of a business at the date of acquisition. 

Goodwill is recognised as an asset and measured at cost less 

accumulated impairment losses, It is allocated to groups of  

cash generating units. Cash generating units are identified  

as the smallest identifiable group of assets that generates cash 

inflows that are largely independent of the cash inflows from 

other assets or groups of assets and are no larger than the  

group’s operating segments, as set in note 4. 

On disposal of a subsidiary the attributed amount of goodwill 

that has not been subject to impairment is included in the 

determination of the profit or loss on disposal. 

Goodwill arising on acquisitions before 1 January 2004, being 

the date of the group’s transition to IFRS, has been retained  

at the previous UK GAAP carrying amounts and is tested for 

impairment annually. 

Client relationships 

Client relationships acquired as part of a business combination 

are initially recognised at fair value (note 1.4). Determining 

whether a transaction that involves the purchase of client 

relationships is treated as a business combination or a separate 

purchase of intangible assets requires judgement. The factors 

that the group takes into consideration in making this judgement 

are set out in note 3.1. 

Individually purchased client relationships are initially 
recognised at cost. Where a transaction to acquire client 
relationship intangibles includes an element of variable  
deferred consideration, an estimate is made of the value of 
consideration that will ultimately be paid. The client relationship 
intangible recognised on the balance sheet is adjusted for any 
subsequent change in the value of deferred consideration. Note 
3.1 sets out the approach taken by the group where judgement  
is required to determine whether payments made for the 
introduction of client relationships should be capitalised  
as intangible assets or charged to profit or loss. 

Client relationships are subsequently carried at the amount 
initially recognised less accumulated amortisation, which is 
calculated using the straight line method over their estimated 
useful lives (normally 10 to 15 years, but not more than 15 years).  

Computer software and software development costs 
Costs incurred to acquire and bring to use computer software 
licences are capitalised and amortised through profit or loss  
over their expected useful lives (three to four years). 

Costs that are directly associated with the production of 
identifiable and unique software products controlled by the 
group are recognised as intangible assets when the group is 
expected to benefit from future use of the software and the  
costs are reliably measurable. Other costs of producing software 
are charged to profit or loss as incurred. Computer software 
development costs recognised as assets are amortised using  
the straight line method over their useful lives (not exceeding 
four years).  

1.15  Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets 
At each balance sheet date, the group reviews the carrying 
amounts of its intangible assets to determine whether there  
is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment 
loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of  
the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the 
impairment loss (if any). Where the asset does not generate  
cash flows that are independent from other assets, the group 
estimates the recoverable amount of the cash generating unit  
to which the asset belongs. The recoverable amount is the higher 
of fair value less costs to sell and value-in-use. In assessing value-
in-use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their 
present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current 
market assessments of the time value of money.  

Goodwill is tested for impairment at least annually. For the 
purposes of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to the 
group’s cash generating units. The carrying amount of each cash 
generating unit is compared to its value-in-use, calculated using  
a discounted cash flow method. If the recoverable amount of  
the cash generating unit is less than the carrying amount of the 
unit, the impairment loss is allocated first to reduce the carrying 
amount of the goodwill allocated to that unit and then to the 
other assets of the unit pro-rata on the basis of the carrying 
amount of each asset in the unit. 

Client relationship intangibles are tested for impairment by 
comparing the fair value of funds under management and 
administration for each individually acquired client relationship 
(or, for client relationships acquired with a business combination, 
each acquired portfolio of clients) with their associated 
amortised value. An example of evidence of impairment  
would be lost client relationships. In determining whether  
a client relationship is lost, the group considers factors such as 
the level of funds withdrawn and the existence of other retained 
family relationships. When client relationships are lost, the full 
amount of unamortised cost is recognised immediately in profit 
or loss and the intangible asset is derecognised. 

If the recoverable amount of any asset other than goodwill,  
client relationships is estimated to be less than its carrying 
amount, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its 
recoverable amount. 

Any impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss. 

1.16  Financial liabilities  
Initial recognition and measurement 
Financial liabilities are initially recognised at fair value plus 
transaction costs that are directly attributable to its issue. 

Classification and subsequent measurement 
Financial liabilities are classified as measured at amortised  
cost or at fair value through profit or loss. 

The group has not designated any liabilities as fair value through 
profit or loss and holds no liabilities as held for trading. Financial 
liabilities are measured at amortised cost using the effective 
interest method (note 1.7). Amortised cost is calculated by taking 
into account any issue costs and any discounts or premiums on 
settlement. Interest expense and foreign exchange gains and 
losses are recognised in profit or loss. Any gain or loss on 
derecognition is also recognised in profit or loss. 

Derecognition 
The group derecognises financial liabilities when its contractual 
obligations are discharged or cancelled, or expire. 

1.17  Provisions and contingent liabilities 
Provisions are recognised when the group has a present 
obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past event  
and it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits, that  
can be reliably estimated, will occur. Provisions are measured at 
the present value of the expenditures expected to be required to 
settle the obligation, discounted using a pre-tax rate that reflects 
current market assessments of the time value of money and the 
risks specific to the obligation. 

Contingent liabilities are possible obligations that depend on  
the outcome of uncertain future events or those present 
obligations where the outflows of resources are uncertain  
or cannot be measured reliably. Contingent liabilities are  
not recognised in the financial statements but are disclosed 
unless the likelihood of crystallisation is judged to be remote. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

1.20  Fiduciary activities 
The group commonly acts as trustee and in other fiduciary 
capacities that result in the holding or placing of assets on  
behalf of individuals, trusts, retirement benefit plans and  
other institutions. Such assets and income arising thereon  
are excluded from these financial statements, as they are not  
assets of the group. Largely as a result of cash and settlement 
processing, the group holds money on behalf of some clients  
in accordance with the Client Money Rules of the Financial 
Conduct Authority, the Jersey Financial Services Commission 
and the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules issued by the Solicitors 
Regulation Authority, as applicable. Such monies and the 
corresponding amounts due to clients are not shown on  
the face of the balance sheet as the group is not beneficially 
entitled to them. 

1.21  Financial guarantees 
The group provides a limited number of financial guarantees, 
which are backed by assets in clients’ portfolios. Financial 
guarantees are initially recognised in the balance sheet at fair 
value. Guarantees are subsequently measured at the higher  
of the best estimate of any amount to be paid to settle the 
guarantee and the amount initially recognised less cumulative 
amortisation, which is recognised over the life of the guarantee. 

1.22  Fair value measurement 
The fair values of quoted financial instruments in active markets 
are based on current bid prices. If an active market for a financial 
asset does not exist, the group establishes fair value by using 
valuation techniques. These include the use of recent arm’s 
length transactions, discounted cash flow analysis, option  
pricing models and other valuation techniques commonly  
used by market participants. 

The group recognises transfers between levels of the fair value 
hierarchy at the end of the reporting period during which the 
change has occurred. 

1 

Principal accounting policies continued  

1.18  Retirement benefit obligations on retirement 

benefit schemes 

The group’s net liability in respect of defined benefit pension 
plans is calculated separately for each plan by estimating the 
amount of future benefit that employees have earned in return 
for their service in the current and prior years; that benefit is 
discounted to determine its present value, and the fair value of 
any plan assets (at bid price) are deducted. Any asset resulting 
from this calculation is limited to the present value of available 
refunds and reductions in future contributions to the plan. 

The cost of providing benefits under defined benefit plans  
is determined using the projected unit credit method, with 
actuarial valuations being carried out at each balance sheet  
date. Net remeasurements of the defined benefit liability are 
recognised in full in the period in which they occur in other 
comprehensive income. 

Past service costs or gains are recognised immediately in the 
period of a plan amendment.  

The amount recognised in the balance sheet for death in service 
benefits represents the present value of the estimated obligation, 
reduced by the extent to which any future liabilities will be met 
by insurance policies. 

The company determines the net interest on the net defined 
benefit liability for the year by applying the discount rate used  
to measure the defined benefit obligation at the beginning of  
the year to the net defined benefit liability. 

Contributions to defined contribution retirement benefit 
schemes are charged to profit or loss as an expense as they  
fall due. 

1.19  Segmental reporting 
The group determines and presents operating segments  
based on the information that is provided internally to  
the group executive committee, which is the group’s chief 
operating decision maker. Operating segments are organised 
around the services provided to clients; a description of the 
services provided by each segment is given in note 4. No 
operating segments have been aggregated in the group’s 
financial statements.  

Transactions between operating segments are reported within 
the income or expenses for those segments; intra-segment 
income and expenditure is eliminated at group level. Indirect 
costs are allocated between segments in proportion to the 
principal cost driver for each category of indirect costs that  
is generated by each segment. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

The group commonly acts as trustee and in other fiduciary 

capacities that result in the holding or placing of assets on  

behalf of individuals, trusts, retirement benefit plans and  

other institutions. Such assets and income arising thereon  

are excluded from these financial statements, as they are not  

assets of the group. Largely as a result of cash and settlement 

processing, the group holds money on behalf of some clients  

in accordance with the Client Money Rules of the Financial 

Conduct Authority, the Jersey Financial Services Commission 

and the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules issued by the Solicitors 

Regulation Authority, as applicable. Such monies and the 

corresponding amounts due to clients are not shown on  

the face of the balance sheet as the group is not beneficially 

entitled to them. 

1.21  Financial guarantees 

The group provides a limited number of financial guarantees, 

which are backed by assets in clients’ portfolios. Financial 

guarantees are initially recognised in the balance sheet at fair 

value. Guarantees are subsequently measured at the higher  

of the best estimate of any amount to be paid to settle the 

guarantee and the amount initially recognised less cumulative 

amortisation, which is recognised over the life of the guarantee. 

1.22  Fair value measurement 

The fair values of quoted financial instruments in active markets 

are based on current bid prices. If an active market for a financial 

asset does not exist, the group establishes fair value by using 

valuation techniques. These include the use of recent arm’s 

length transactions, discounted cash flow analysis, option  

pricing models and other valuation techniques commonly  

used by market participants. 

The group recognises transfers between levels of the fair value 

hierarchy at the end of the reporting period during which the 

change has occurred. 

1.18  Retirement benefit obligations on retirement 

benefit schemes 

The group’s net liability in respect of defined benefit pension 

plans is calculated separately for each plan by estimating the 

amount of future benefit that employees have earned in return 

for their service in the current and prior years; that benefit is 

discounted to determine its present value, and the fair value of 

any plan assets (at bid price) are deducted. Any asset resulting 

from this calculation is limited to the present value of available 

refunds and reductions in future contributions to the plan. 

The cost of providing benefits under defined benefit plans  

is determined using the projected unit credit method, with 

actuarial valuations being carried out at each balance sheet  

date. Net remeasurements of the defined benefit liability are 

recognised in full in the period in which they occur in other 

comprehensive income. 

Past service costs or gains are recognised immediately in the 

period of a plan amendment.  

The amount recognised in the balance sheet for death in service 

benefits represents the present value of the estimated obligation, 

reduced by the extent to which any future liabilities will be met 

by insurance policies. 

The company determines the net interest on the net defined 

benefit liability for the year by applying the discount rate used  

to measure the defined benefit obligation at the beginning of  

the year to the net defined benefit liability. 

Contributions to defined contribution retirement benefit 

schemes are charged to profit or loss as an expense as they  

fall due. 

1.19  Segmental reporting 

The group determines and presents operating segments  

based on the information that is provided internally to  

the group executive committee, which is the group’s chief 

operating decision maker. Operating segments are organised 

around the services provided to clients; a description of the 

services provided by each segment is given in note 4. No 

operating segments have been aggregated in the group’s 

financial statements.  

Transactions between operating segments are reported within 

the income or expenses for those segments; intra-segment 

income and expenditure is eliminated at group level. Indirect 

costs are allocated between segments in proportion to the 

principal cost driver for each category of indirect costs that  

is generated by each segment. 

1 

Principal accounting policies continued  

1.20  Fiduciary activities 

2  Changes in significant accounting policies 

The group has adopted IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’ and IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ from 1 January 2018.  

The effect of applying these standards is mainly attributed to the following: 

–  an increase in impairment losses recognised on financial assets (IFRS 9); 
–  an increase in client relationship intangibles in respect of the additional capitalisation of payments made to investment managers 

(IFRS 15); and 

–  earlier recognition of revenue in Rathbone Trust Company Limited (IFRS 15).  

IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’ 
IFRS 9 governs the accounting treatment for the classification and measurement of financial instruments and the timing and extent  
of credit provisioning. The standard replaces IAS 39. 

Transition 
The group has taken advantage of the exemption from restating comparative information for prior periods with respect to 
classification and measurement (including impairment) requirements. Differences in the carrying amounts of financial assets  
and financial liabilities resulting from the adoption of IFRS 9 are recognised in retained earnings and reserves as at 1 January 2018. 
Accordingly, the information presented for 2017 does not generally reflect the requirements of IFRS 9 but rather those of IAS 39. 

Under the requirements of IFRS 9, the following assessments have been made on the basis of the facts and circumstances that existed 
at the date of initial application. 

–  The nature of the business model under which a financial asset is managed. 
–  Whether the SPPI (solely payments of principal and interest) criterion is met. 
–  The designation of certain financial assets as measured at fair value through profit or loss. 
–  If an investment in a debt instrument had a low credit risk (e.g. ‘investment grade’ credit rating) at the date of initial application  
of IFRS 9, then the group assumes that the credit risk on the asset has not increased significantly since its initial recognition. 

The following table summarises the impact, net of tax, of transition to IFRS 9 on the opening balance of reserves and retained earnings: 

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Recycle to retained earnings of available for sale reserve 
Recognition of expected credit losses under IFRS 9 
Impact at 1 January 2018 

Impact of adopting IFRS 9 on opening balance 

Available for sale reserve
£'000 
(250)
– 
(250)

Retained earnings
£'000 
250 
(148)
102 

The recognition of expected credit losses under IFRS 9 in opening retained earnings of £148,000 is split out by balance sheet line item 
in the table below. 

The hedge accounting requirements of IFRS 9 have not been applied, as the group was not party to any hedging relationships as at  
1 January 2018. 

Classification and measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities 
The basis of classification for financial assets under IFRS 9 is different from that under IAS 39. Financial assets are classified into one  
of three categories: amortised cost, fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) or fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI). 
The held to maturity, loans and receivables and available for sale categories available under IAS 39 have been removed. 

The classification criteria for allocating financial assets between categories under IFRS 9 require the group to document the business 
models under which its assets are managed and review contractual terms and conditions. 

All of the group’s financial assets as at 1 January 2018 were managed within business models whose objective is solely to collect 
contractual cash flows, except equity securities and money market funds, which are equity instruments not held for trading and  
were classified as fair value through profit or loss. 

The following table explains the original measurement categories under IAS 39 and the new measurement categories under IFRS 9  
for each class of the group’s financial assets as at 1 January 2018. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

2  Changes in significant accounting policies continued 

Financial assets 
Note  Original classification under IAS 39 
Cash and balances with central banks  15  Loans and receivables 
16  Loans and receivables 
Loans and advances to banks 
17  Loans and receivables 
Loans and advances to customers 
18  Available for sale 
Equity securities 
18  Available for sale 
Money market funds 
Debt securities 
18  Held to maturity 
Other financial assets 
Total financial assets 

   Loans and receivables 

Original carrying 
amount under 
IAS 39
£'000  New classification under IFRS 9 

1,375,382  Amortised cost 
117,253  Amortised cost 
126,213  Amortised cost 

2,565  Fair value through profit or loss 
106,747  Fair value through profit or loss 
701,966  Amortised cost 
112,483  Amortised cost 

   2,542,609 

New carrying amount 
under IFRS 9 
£'000 
1,375,290 
117,250 
126,191 
2,565 
106,747 
701,935 
112,483 
2,542,461 

The effect of adopting IFRS 9 on the carrying amounts of financial assets at 1 January 2018 relates solely to the new impairment 
requirements, as described in note 1.12. 

The basis of classification for financial liabilities under IFRS 9 remains unchanged from under IAS 39. All financial liabilities continue  
to be classified as amortised cost, with no financial liabilities designated at fair value through profit or loss. There was no change to 
carrying value of financial liabilities at 1 January 2018. 

Impairment of financial assets 
Under IFRS 9, an expected credit loss (ECL) model replaces the incurred loss model, meaning there no longer needs to be a triggering 
event in order to recognise impairment losses. A credit loss provision must be made for the amount of any loss expected to arise, 
whereas under IAS 39, credit losses are recognised when they are incurred. See note 1.12 for more detail on the ECL model. 

Impact of the new impairment model 
The initial application of IFRS 9’s impairment requirements at 1 January 2018 resulted in an additional impairment provision as follows: 

 Loss provision at 31 December 2017 under IAS 39 
 Additional impairment recognised at 1 January 2018 on: 
 treasury book: 
 –  cash and balances with central banks 
 –  loans and advances to banks 
 –  debt securities 
 loans and advances to customers: 
 –  investment management loan book 
 –  trust and financial planning debtors 

  Loss provision at 1 January 2018 under IFRS 9 

£'000
66 

92 
3 
31 

1 
21 

148 
214 

Additional impairment recognised at 1 January 2018 relate to financial assets classified and measured at amortised cost. 

IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ 
IFRS 15 changes how and when revenue is recognised from contracts with customers and the treatment of the costs of obtaining  
a contract with a customer. The standard requires that the recognition of revenue is linked to the fulfilment of identified performance 
obligations that are enshrined in the customer contract. It also requires that the incremental cost of obtaining a customer contract 
should be capitalised if that cost is expected to be recovered. The standard replaces existing revenue recognition guidance, in  
particular under IAS 18. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

2  Changes in significant accounting policies continued 

Original carrying 

amount under 

IAS 39

Financial assets 

Note  Original classification under IAS 39 

£'000  New classification under IFRS 9 

Cash and balances with central banks  15  Loans and receivables 

1,375,382  Amortised cost 

Loans and advances to banks 

16  Loans and receivables 

117,253  Amortised cost 

Loans and advances to customers 

17  Loans and receivables 

126,213  Amortised cost 

Equity securities 

Money market funds 

Debt securities 

Other financial assets 

Total financial assets 

18  Available for sale 

18  Available for sale 

18  Held to maturity 

2,565  Fair value through profit or loss 

106,747  Fair value through profit or loss 

701,966  Amortised cost 

   Loans and receivables 

112,483  Amortised cost 

   2,542,609 

New carrying amount 

under IFRS 9 

£'000 

1,375,290 

117,250 

126,191 

2,565 

106,747 

701,935 

112,483 

2,542,461 

The effect of adopting IFRS 9 on the carrying amounts of financial assets at 1 January 2018 relates solely to the new impairment 

requirements, as described in note 1.12. 

The basis of classification for financial liabilities under IFRS 9 remains unchanged from under IAS 39. All financial liabilities continue  

to be classified as amortised cost, with no financial liabilities designated at fair value through profit or loss. There was no change to 

carrying value of financial liabilities at 1 January 2018. 

Impairment of financial assets 

Under IFRS 9, an expected credit loss (ECL) model replaces the incurred loss model, meaning there no longer needs to be a triggering 

event in order to recognise impairment losses. A credit loss provision must be made for the amount of any loss expected to arise, 

whereas under IAS 39, credit losses are recognised when they are incurred. See note 1.12 for more detail on the ECL model. 

Impact of the new impairment model 

The initial application of IFRS 9’s impairment requirements at 1 January 2018 resulted in an additional impairment provision as follows: 

 Loss provision at 31 December 2017 under IAS 39 

 Additional impairment recognised at 1 January 2018 on: 

 treasury book: 

 –  cash and balances with central banks 

 –  loans and advances to banks 

 –  debt securities 

 loans and advances to customers: 

 –  investment management loan book 

 –  trust and financial planning debtors 

  Loss provision at 1 January 2018 under IFRS 9 

Additional impairment recognised at 1 January 2018 relate to financial assets classified and measured at amortised cost. 

IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ 

IFRS 15 changes how and when revenue is recognised from contracts with customers and the treatment of the costs of obtaining  

a contract with a customer. The standard requires that the recognition of revenue is linked to the fulfilment of identified performance 

obligations that are enshrined in the customer contract. It also requires that the incremental cost of obtaining a customer contract 

should be capitalised if that cost is expected to be recovered. The standard replaces existing revenue recognition guidance, in  

particular under IAS 18. 

£'000

66 

92 

3 

31 

1 

21 

148 

214 

Transition 
The group has adopted IFRS 15 using the cumulative effect method, with the effect of applying the standard recognised at the date  
of adoption, with no restatement of the comparative period. The following table summarises the impact, net of tax, of transition to  
IFRS 15 on retained earnings at 1 January 2018. 

Retained earnings 
Net recognition of intangible assets under IFRS 15 
Reduction in accruals 
Recognition of provisions 
Impact of changes to timing of recognition of certain time-based fees 
Related tax 
Impact at 1 January 2018 

Impact of adopting IFRS 15 on opening balance
£'000 

8,268 
4,011 
(4,075)
296 
(57)
8,443 

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The impact on transition is primarily due to a change in policy for capitalising contract costs under IFRS 15 (see below). Client 
relationship intangible assets with a carrying value of £8,268,000 were recognised as a result of additional costs capitalised  
under the new policy. There is also a reclassification between accruals and provisions for amounts payable as at 1 January 2018  
under these contracts.  

Impact on financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2018 
The group has considered the impact of adopting the standard, on its existing revenue streams, as well as on its policy of capitalising 
the cost of obtaining customer contracts. 

Net fee and commission income 
Included within net fee and commission income are initial fees, charged by a number of group companies in relation to certain 
business activities. Under IFRS 15, the group has made an assessment as to whether the work performed to earn such fees constitutes 
the transfer of services and, therefore, fulfils any performance obligation(s). If so, then these fees can be recognised when the relevant 
performance obligation has been satisfied; if not, then the fees can only be recognised in the period in which the services are provided.  

The adoption of IFRS 15 has not had a significant impact on the group’s accounting policies for revenue recognition, as the application 
of the new requirements does not change the treatment under previous guidance, in particular IAS 18, apart from a small change in 
how we recognise certain fees in Rathbone Trust Company. 

A breakdown of the timing of revenue recognition can be found in note 4. 

Contract costs 
Under the group’s previous policy under IAS 18 for capitalising contract costs, incremental payments that were made to secure 
investment management contracts were capitalised as client relationship intangibles if they were separable, reliably measurable  
and expected to be recovered. The period during which such payments are capitalised was typically the 12 months following the  
end of any non-compete period. 

Under IFRS 15, the scope requirements are broader such that costs to obtain any contract with a customer should be capitalised  
if those costs are incremental and the entity expects to recover them. 

The group has assessed its previous policy and has removed the 12 month limit on capitalisation of payments to newly recruited 
investment managers under the new standard. The policy is unchanged in all other respects. 

The group has also identified a number of other remuneration schemes where awards are linked to obtaining client contracts and has 
considered whether any meet the new criteria for capitalising costs under IFRS 15. The group has determined that the adoption of the 
new standard has not resulted in any awards made under these schemes being capitalised. The costs of these awards continue to be 
expensed through staff costs. 

The following tables summarise the impacts of adopting IFRS 15 on the group’s consolidated statement of comprehensive income  
for the year ended 31 December 2018 and its consolidated balance sheet as at that date for each of the line items affected. There was 
no impact on the group’s consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 December 2018. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

2  Changes in significant accounting policies continued 

Impact on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (extract) 

Operating income 
Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill 
Other operating expenses 
Operating expenses 
Profit before tax 
Taxation 
Profit for the period attributable to equity holders of the company 
Other comprehensive income net of tax  
Total comprehensive income for the period net of tax attributable to equity holders 

As reported 
Year to 
31 December 2018 
£’000 
311,963 
(13,188) 
(220,405) 
(250,657) 
61,306 
(15,137) 
46,169 
1,012 

Adjustments
£’000 
579 
836 
(160)
676 
1,255 
(238)
1,017 
– 

Amounts without
adoption of IFRS 15
£’000 
312,542 
(12,352)
(220,565)
(249,981)
62,561 
(15,375)
47,186 
1,012 

of the company 

47,181 

1,017 

48,198 

The adjustments to the consolidated statement of comprehensive income primarily relate to amortisation charged on the additional 
client relationship intangibles recognised under the new policy for capitalising contract costs (see below) and decrease in revenue in 
Rathbone Trust Company as a result of the revised treatment under IFRS 15. 

Impact on the consolidated balance sheet (extract) 

Assets 
Prepayments, accrued income and other assets 
Intangible assets 
Total assets 
Liabilities 
Accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities 
Current tax liabilities 
Total liabilities 
Equity 
Retained earnings 
Total equity 
Total liabilities and equity 

As reported  
31 December 2018 
£’000 

Adjustments
£’000 

Amounts without
adoption of IFRS 15
£’000 

81,552 
238,918 
2,867,722 

103,393 
5,985 
2,403,582 

232,059 
464,140 
2,867,722 

81,835 
283 
(7,641)
231,277 
(7,358) 2,860,364 

103,383 
(10)
181 
6,166 
171  2,403,753 

224,530 
(7,529)
(7,529)
456,611 
(7,358) 2,860,364 

The adjustments to the consolidated balance sheet reflect the initial and subsequent application of the new policy for capitalising 
contract costs under IFRS 15. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

2  Changes in significant accounting policies continued 

Impact on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (extract) 

Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill 

Operating income 

Other operating expenses 

Operating expenses 

Profit before tax 

Taxation 

31 December 2018 

Adjustments

adoption of IFRS 15

Amounts without

As reported 

Year to 

£’000 

311,963 

(13,188) 

(220,405) 

(250,657) 

61,306 

(15,137) 

46,169 

1,012 

£’000 

579 

836 

(160)

676 

1,255 

(238)

1,017 

– 

£’000 

312,542 

(12,352)

(220,565)

(249,981)

62,561 

(15,375)

47,186 

1,012 

As reported  

Amounts without

31 December 2018 

Adjustments

adoption of IFRS 15

£’000 

£’000 

£’000 

81,552 

238,918 

283 

(7,641)

81,835 

231,277 

2,867,722 

(7,358) 2,860,364 

103,393 

5,985 

2,403,582 

(10)

181 

103,383 

6,166 

171  2,403,753 

232,059 

464,140 

(7,529)

(7,529)

224,530 

456,611 

2,867,722 

(7,358) 2,860,364 

Profit for the period attributable to equity holders of the company 

Other comprehensive income net of tax  

Total comprehensive income for the period net of tax attributable to equity holders 

of the company 

47,181 

1,017 

48,198 

The adjustments to the consolidated statement of comprehensive income primarily relate to amortisation charged on the additional 

client relationship intangibles recognised under the new policy for capitalising contract costs (see below) and decrease in revenue in 

Rathbone Trust Company as a result of the revised treatment under IFRS 15. 

Impact on the consolidated balance sheet (extract) 

Prepayments, accrued income and other assets 

Accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities 

Assets 

Intangible assets 

Total assets 

Liabilities 

Current tax liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Equity 

Retained earnings 

Total equity 

Total liabilities and equity 

contract costs under IFRS 15. 

The adjustments to the consolidated balance sheet reflect the initial and subsequent application of the new policy for capitalising 

Amortisation of client relationship intangibles 
The group makes estimates as to the expected duration of  
client relationships to determine the period over which related 
intangible assets are amortised. The amortisation period is 
estimated with reference to historical data on account closure 
rates and expectations that these will continue in the future. 
During the year, client relationship intangible assets were 
amortised over a 10 to 15 year period. Amortisation of 
£12,919,000 (2017: £11,433,000) was charged during the year, 
which includes the amortisation on the recently acquired  
Speirs & Jeffrey client relationship intangible. A reduction in  
the average amortisation period of one year would increase  
the amortisation charge by approximately £1,303,000 (2017: 
£1,076,000). At 31 December 2018, the carrying value of client 
relationship intangibles was £134,556,000 (2017: £88,511,000). 

3.2  Retirement benefit obligations (note 28) 
The group makes estimates about a range of long term trends 
and market conditions to determine the value of the surplus or 
deficit on its retirement benefit schemes, based on the group’s 
expectations of the future and advice taken from qualified 
actuaries. Long term forecasts and estimates are necessarily 
highly judgemental and subject to risk that actual events may  
be significantly different to those forecast. If actual events 
deviate from the assumptions made by the group then the 
reported surplus or deficit in respect of retirement benefit 
obligations may be materially different.  

The principal assumptions underlying the reported deficit  
of £11,197,000 (2017: £15,600,000 deficit) and information on  
the sensitivity of the retirement benefit obligations to changes  
in underlying estimates are set out in note 28. 

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3  Critical accounting judgements and key 

sources of estimation and uncertainty  

The group makes judgements and estimates that affect the 
application of the group’s accounting policies and reported 
amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses within  
the next financial year. Estimates and assumptions are 
continually evaluated and are based on historical experience  
and other factors, including expectations of future events that 
are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. 

Both judgements and estimates are made in the following  
areas in applying accounting policies, and care has been  
taken to distinguish between the two. 

3.1  Client relationship intangibles (note 22) 
Client relationship intangibles purchased through  
corporate transactions 
When the group purchases client relationships through 
transactions with other corporate entities, a judgement is  
made as to whether the transaction should be accounted for  
as a business combination or as a separate purchase of intangible 
assets. In making this judgement, the group assesses the assets, 
liabilities, operations and processes that were the subject of the 
transaction against the definition of a business combination in 
IFRS 3. In particular, consideration is given to the scale of the 
operations subject to the transaction and whether ownership  
of a corporate entity has been acquired, among other factors. 

Payments to newly recruited investment managers 
The group assesses whether payments made to newly recruited 
investment managers under contractual agreements represent 
payments for the acquisition of client relationship intangibles  
or remuneration for ongoing services provided to the group. If 
these payments are incremental costs of acquiring investment 
management contracts and are deemed to be recoverable (i.e. 
through future revenues earned from the funds that transfer), 
they are capitalised as client relationship intangibles. Otherwise, 
they are judged to be in relation to the provision of ongoing 
services and are expensed in the period in which they are 
incurred. Upfront payments made to investment managers  
upon joining are expensed as they are not judged to be 
incremental costs for acquiring the client relationships. 

Under the broader scope requirements of IFRS 15, judgement  
is no longer required over the suitable period during which 
awards accruing to new investment managers are capitalised. 
Instead, payments are capitalised for the duration of the 
contractual agreement. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

3  Critical accounting judgements and key 

sources of estimation and uncertainty 
continued 

3.3  Business combinations (note 35) 
During the year, the group acquired the entire share capital  
of Speirs & Jeffrey (“S&J”). The group has accounted for the 
transaction as a business combination, as set out in note 35. 

Treatment and fair value of consideration transferred 
The purchase price payable in respect of the acquisition is split 
into a number of different components. The payment of certain 
elements has been deferred; the timing and value of these are 
contingent on certain employment conditions and operational 
and financial targets being met. 

The proportion of the deferred payments that are contingent  
on selling shareholders remaining employees of the group for  
a specific period are accounted for as remuneration for ongoing 
services in employment. The group’s estimate of the amounts 
ultimately payable will be expensed over the deferral period. 

Those deferred payments accounted for as additional 
consideration were assessed against the operational targets  
to which they are subject. Based on performance against the 
operational targets to date, the group has made an assessment  
of the amount and timing of these payments. A provision for 
contingent consideration has been made for the amount 
expected to be paid. 

Identification of assets acquired and liabilities assumed 
As at 31 August 2018, the date of acquisition, Speirs & Jeffrey’s 
identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities have  
been recognised at their fair value. 

In accordance with the process described in note 3.1, the group 
has recognised a client relationship intangible of £54,337,000, 
arising from Speirs & Jeffrey’s relationship with clients whose 
assets are managed by the business. Further detail on the 
sources of estimation in the valuation is provided in note 35. 

Goodwill of £28,087,000 has been recognised in accordance  
with note 1.14. 

Carrying value of assets acquired 
As at 31 December 2018, the carrying value for the client 
relationship intangible arising from Speirs & Jeffrey was 
£53,129,000 (2017: £nil). Amortisation in the year ended 31 
December 2018 in relation to the client relationship intangible 
was £1,207,000 (2017: £nil). A reduction in the amortisation 
period by 1 year would increase the amortisation charge for  
the year by approximately £87,000 (2017: £nil). 

The carrying value of £28,087,000 for goodwill remains 
unchanged at 31 December 2018 compared to the acquisition date.  

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued 

3  Critical accounting judgements and key 

sources of estimation and uncertainty 

continued 

3.3  Business combinations (note 35) 

During the year, the group acquired the entire share capital  

of Speirs & Jeffrey (“S&J”). The group has accounted for the 

transaction as a business combination, as set out in note 35. 

Treatment and fair value of consideration transferred 

The purchase price payable in respect of the acquisition is split 

into a number of different components. The payment of certain 

elements has been deferred; the timing and value of these are 

contingent on certain employment conditions and operational 

and financial targets being met. 

The proportion of the deferred payments that are contingent  

on selling shareholders remaining employees of the group for  

a specific period are accounted for as remuneration for ongoing 

services in employment. The group’s estimate of the amounts 

ultimately payable will be expensed over the deferral period. 

Those deferred payments accounted for as additional 

consideration were assessed against the operational targets  

to which they are subject. Based on performance against the 

operational targets to date, the group has made an assessment  

of the amount and timing of these payments. A provision for 

contingent consideration has been made for the amount 

expected to be paid. 

Identification of assets acquired and liabilities assumed 

As at 31 August 2018, the date of acquisition, Speirs & Jeffrey’s 

identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities have  

been recognised at their fair value. 

In accordance with the process described in note 3.1, the group 

has recognised a client relationship intangible of £54,337,000, 

arising from Speirs & Jeffrey’s relationship with clients whose 

assets are managed by the business. Further detail on the 

sources of estimation in the valuation is provided in note 35. 

Goodwill of £28,087,000 has been recognised in accordance  

with note 1.14. 

Carrying value of assets acquired 

As at 31 December 2018, the carrying value for the client 

relationship intangible arising from Speirs & Jeffrey was 

£53,129,000 (2017: £nil). Amortisation in the year ended 31 

December 2018 in relation to the client relationship intangible 

was £1,207,000 (2017: £nil). A reduction in the amortisation 

period by 1 year would increase the amortisation charge for  

the year by approximately £87,000 (2017: £nil). 

The carrying value of £28,087,000 for goodwill remains 

unchanged at 31 December 2018 compared to the acquisition date.  

4 

Segmental information 

For management purposes, the group is organised into two operating divisions: Investment Management and Unit Trusts. Centrally 
incurred indirect expenses are allocated to these operating segments on the basis of the cost drivers that generate the expenditure; 
principally, the headcount of staff directly involved in providing those services from which the segment earns revenues, the value  
of funds under management and administration and the segment's total revenue. The allocation of these costs is shown in a separate 
column in the table below, alongside the information presented for internal reporting to the group executive committee, which is the 
group’s chief operating decision maker. 

31 December 2018 
Net investment management fee income 
Net commission income 
Net interest income 
Fees from advisory services and other income 
Underlying operating income 

Staff costs – fixed 
Staff costs – variable 
Total staff costs 
Other direct expenses 
Allocation of indirect expenses 
Underlying operating expenses 
Underlying profit before tax 
Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 
Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 
Segment profit before tax 
Head office relocation costs (note 10) 
Profit before tax attributable to equity holders of the company 
Taxation (note 12) 
Profit for the year attributable to equity holders of the company 

Segment total assets 
Unallocated assets 
Total assets 

Investment 
Management 
£’000 
200,530 
41,439 
15,321 
18,019 
275,309 

(66,512)
(37,736)
(104,248)
(27,629)
(64,596)
(196,473)
78,836 
(13,188)
(16,228)
49,420 

Unit Trusts 
£’000 
32,865 
– 
– 
3,789 
36,654 

Indirect expenses 
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

(3,300) 
(7,552) 
(10,852) 
(6,950) 
(6,130) 
(23,932) 
12,722 
– 
– 
12,722 

(26,152)
(9,806)
(35,958)
(34,768)
70,726 
– 
– 
– 
(3,697)
(3,697)

Total 
£’000 
233,395 
41,439 
15,321 
21,808 
311,963 

(95,964)
(55,094)
(151,058)
(69,347)
– 
(220,405)
91,558 
(13,188)
(19,925)
58,445 
2,861 
61,306 
(15,137)
46,169 

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Management 
£’000 
2,786,718 

Unit Trusts 
£’000 
81,004 

Total 
£’000 
   2,867,722 
– 
   2,867,722 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

4 

Segmental information continued  

31 December 2017 
Net investment management fee income 
Net commission income 
Net interest income 
Fees from advisory services and other income 
Underlying operating income 

Staff costs – fixed 
Staff costs – variable 
Total staff costs 
Other direct expenses 
Allocation of indirect expenses 
Underlying operating expenses 
Underlying profit before tax 
Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 
Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 
Segment profit before tax 
Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension schemes (note 28) 
Head office relocation costs (note 10) 
Profit before tax attributable to equity holders of the company 
Taxation (note 12) 
Profit for the year attributable to equity holders of the company 

Investment 
Management
£’000 
189,465 
38,729 
11,594 
14,831 
254,619 

(59,457)
(40,240)
(99,697)
(21,893)
(56,188)
(177,778)
76,841 
(11,716)
(1,273)
63,852 

Unit Trusts 
£’000 
28,020 
– 
– 
3,410 
31,430 

Indirect expenses
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

(3,040) 
(7,246) 
(10,286) 
(4,415) 
(6,050) 
(20,751) 
10,679 
– 
–  
10,679 

(25,294)
(5,843)
(31,137)
(31,101)
62,238 
– 
– 
– 
(4,905)
(4,905)

Total
£’000 
217,485 
38,729 
11,594 
18,241 
286,049 

(87,791)
(53,329)
(141,120)
(57,409)
– 
(198,529)
87,520 
(11,716)
(6,178)
69,626 
5,523 
(16,248)
58,901 
(12,072)
46,829 

Segment total assets 
Unallocated assets 
Total assets 

Investment 
Management
£’000 
2,659,723 

Unit Trusts 
£’000 
74,672 

The following table reconciles underlying operating income to operating income: 

Underlying operating income 
Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension schemes (note 28) 
Operating income 

The following table reconciles underlying operating expenses to operating expenses: 

Underlying operating expenses 
Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 
Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 
Head office relocation costs (note 10) 
Operating expenses 

Total
£’000 
   2,734,395 
4,455 
   2,738,850 

2018 
£’000 
311,963 
– 
311,963 

2018 
£’000 
220,405 
13,188 
19,925 
(2,861)
250,657 

2017
£’000 
286,049 
5,523 
291,572 

2017
£’000 
198,529 
11,716 
6,178 
16,248 
232,671 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

4 

Segmental information continued  

31 December 2017 

Net investment management fee income 

Net commission income 

Net interest income 

Fees from advisory services and other income 

Underlying operating income 

Staff costs – fixed 

Staff costs – variable 

Total staff costs 

Other direct expenses 

Allocation of indirect expenses 

Underlying operating expenses 

Underlying profit before tax 

Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 

Segment profit before tax 

Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 

Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension schemes (note 28) 

Head office relocation costs (note 10) 

Profit before tax attributable to equity holders of the company 

Taxation (note 12) 

Profit for the year attributable to equity holders of the company 

Segment total assets 

Unallocated assets 

Total assets 

The following table reconciles underlying operating income to operating income: 

Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension schemes (note 28) 

Underlying operating income 

Operating income 

The following table reconciles underlying operating expenses to operating expenses: 

Underlying operating expenses 

Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 

Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 

Head office relocation costs (note 10) 

Operating expenses 

Investment 

Management

£’000 

189,465 

38,729 

11,594 

14,831 

254,619 

(59,457)

(40,240)

(99,697)

(21,893)

(56,188)

(177,778)

76,841 

(11,716)

(1,273)

63,852 

Unit Trusts 

Indirect expenses

£’000 

£’000 

28,020 

– 

– 

3,410 

31,430 

(3,040) 

(7,246) 

(10,286) 

(4,415) 

(6,050) 

(20,751) 

10,679 

– 

–  

10,679 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(25,294)

(5,843)

(31,137)

(31,101)

62,238 

(4,905)

(4,905)

Total

£’000 

217,485 

38,729 

11,594 

18,241 

286,049 

(87,791)

(53,329)

(141,120)

(57,409)

– 

(198,529)

87,520 

(11,716)

(6,178)

69,626 

5,523 

(16,248)

58,901 

(12,072)

46,829 

Investment 

Management

£’000 

2,659,723 

Unit Trusts 

£’000 

74,672 

Total

£’000 

   2,734,395 

4,455 

   2,738,850 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

311,963 

286,049 

– 

5,523 

311,963 

291,572 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

220,405 

198,529 

13,188 

19,925 

(2,861)

11,716 

6,178 

16,248 

250,657 

232,671 

Geographic analysis 
The following table presents operating income analysed by the geographical location of the group entity providing the service: 

United Kingdom 
Jersey 
Operating income 

2018 
£’000 
301,029 
10,934 
311,963 

2017
£’000 
280,892 
10,680 
291,572 

The following is an analysis of the carrying amount of non-current assets analysed by the geographical location of the assets: 

United Kingdom 
Jersey 
Non-current assets 

2018 
£’000 
251,429 
4,327 
255,756 

2017
£’000 
173,496 
4,938 
178,434 

Timing of revenue recognition 
The following table presents operating income analysed by the timing of revenue recognition of the operating segment providing  
the service: 

Products and services transferred at a point in time 
Products and services transferred over time 
Underlying operating income 

2018 

2017 

Investment 
Management 
£’000 
44,392 
230,917 
275,309 

Unit Trusts 
£’000 
3,431 
33,223 
36,654 

Investment 
Management
£’000 
42,036 
212,583 
254,619 

Unit Trusts
£’000 
3,104 
28,326 
31,430 

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Major clients 
The group is not reliant on any one client or group of connected clients for generation of revenues. 

5  Net interest income 

Interest income 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Fair value through profit or loss investment securities 
Amortised cost investment securities 
Held to maturity investment securities 
Available for sale investment securities 
Loans and advances to banks  
Loans and advances to customers 

Interest expense 
Banks and customers 
Subordinated loan notes (see note 27) 
Credit impairment charges 

Net interest income 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

7,634 
958 
6,503 
–
–
2,353 
3,520 
20,968 

(4,323)
(1,283)
(41)
(5,647)
15,321 

3,963 
– 
– 
4,242
808
1,409 
3,079 
13,501 

(631)
(1,276)
– 
(1,907)
11,594 

With the exception of credit impairment charges, which are calculated as described in note 32, all net interest income is calculated 
using the effective interest method (note 1.7). 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

6  Net fee and commission income 

Fee and commission income 
Investment Management 
Unit Trusts 

Fee and commission expense 
Investment Management 
Unit Trusts 

Net fee and commission income 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

272,700 
41,313 
314,013 

256,476 
35,558 
292,034 

(16,987)
(5,916)
(22,903)
291,110 

(17,293)
(5,422)
(22,715)
269,319 

7  Net trading and other operating income 

Net trading income 
Net trading income of £3,405,000 (2017: £3,071,000) comprises Unit Trust net dealing profits. 

Other operating income 
Other operating income of £2,127,000 (2017: £2,065,000) comprises dividend income from fair value through profit or loss equity 
securities, rental income from sub-leases on certain properties leased by group companies and sundry income. 

8  Operating expenses 

Staff costs (note 11) 
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 
Amortisation of internally generated intangible assets (note 22) 
Amortisation of purchased software (note 22) 
Auditor's remuneration (see below) 
Impairment charges on loans and advances to customers (note 32) 
Operating lease rentals 
Other 
Other operating expenses 
Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 
Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 
Head office relocation costs (note 10) 
Total operating expenses 

A more detailed analysis of auditor's remuneration is provided below: 

Fees payable to the company’s auditor for the audit of the company’s annual financial statements 
Fees payable to the company’s auditor and their associates for other services to the group: 
–  audit of the company’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislation
–  audit-related assurance services 
–  tax compliance services 
–  other services 

Of the above, audit-related services for the year totalled £731,000 (2017: £713,000). 

2018 
£’000 
151,059 
3,817 
686 
3,983 
793 
33 
8,952 
51,082 
220,405 
13,188 
19,925 
(2,861)
250,657 

2018 
£’000 
118 

314
299 
23 
39 
793 

2017
£’000 
141,120 
3,619 
492 
2,809 
857 
1 
8,221 
41,410 
198,529 
11,716 
6,178 
16,248 
232,671 

2017
£’000 
136 

280 
297 
25 
119 
857 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

6  Net fee and commission income 

Fee and commission income 

Investment Management 

Unit Trusts 

Fee and commission expense 

Investment Management 

Unit Trusts 

Net fee and commission income 

Net trading income 

Other operating income 

8  Operating expenses 

7  Net trading and other operating income 

Net trading income of £3,405,000 (2017: £3,071,000) comprises Unit Trust net dealing profits. 

Other operating income of £2,127,000 (2017: £2,065,000) comprises dividend income from fair value through profit or loss equity 

securities, rental income from sub-leases on certain properties leased by group companies and sundry income. 

Staff costs (note 11) 

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 

Amortisation of internally generated intangible assets (note 22) 

Amortisation of purchased software (note 22) 

Auditor's remuneration (see below) 

Impairment charges on loans and advances to customers (note 32) 

Operating lease rentals 

Other 

Other operating expenses 

Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 

Head office relocation costs (note 10) 

Total operating expenses 

Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 

A more detailed analysis of auditor's remuneration is provided below: 

Fees payable to the company’s auditor for the audit of the company’s annual financial statements 

Fees payable to the company’s auditor and their associates for other services to the group: 

–  audit of the company’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislation

–  audit-related assurance services 

–  tax compliance services 

–  other services 

Of the above, audit-related services for the year totalled £731,000 (2017: £713,000). 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

272,700 

41,313 

314,013 

256,476 

35,558 

292,034 

(16,987)

(5,916)

(22,903)

291,110 

(17,293)

(5,422)

(22,715)

269,319 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

151,059 

141,120 

220,405 

198,529 

250,657 

232,671 

3,817 

686 

3,983 

793 

33 

8,952 

51,082 

13,188 

19,925 

(2,861)

2018 

£’000 

118 

314

299 

23 

39 

793 

3,619 

492 

2,809 

857 

1 

8,221 

41,410 

11,716 

6,178 

16,248 

2017

£’000 

136 

280 

297 

25 

119 

857 

Fees payable for the audit of the company's annual financial statements include £19,000 (2017: £39,000) relating to prior year audit work. 

Fees for audit-related assurance services include £208,000 for the provision of assurance reports to our regulators and review of the 
interim statement (2017: £208,000). Fees for other services include advice in relation to the pension schemes, a qualified intermediary 
compliance review and work related to the merger discussions. 

9  Acquisition-related costs 

Acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey 
Acquisition of Vision and Castle 
Merger discussions with Smith & Williamson 
Acquisition-related costs 

2018 
£’000 
18,411 
1,514 
– 
19,925 

2017
£’000 
– 
1,273 
4,905 
6,178 

Costs relating to the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey 
On 31 August 2018, the group completed the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Speirs & Jeffrey. The group incurred £18,411,000 
for the year ended 31 December 2018 in relation to the acquisition, which is made up as follows. 

Acquisition costs: 
–  Staff costs (note 35) 
–  Legal and advisory fees 
–  Stamp duty 
Integration costs 

2018 
£’000 

14,714 
2,465 
653 
579 
18,411 

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Costs relating to the acquisition of Vision Independent Financial Planning and Castle Investment Solutions 
The group has incurred the following costs in relation to the 2015 acquisition of Vision Independent Financial Planning and Castle 
Investment Solutions, summarised by the classification with the income statement. 

Staff costs 
Interest expense 
Legal and advisory fees 

2018 
£’000 
1,074 
440 
– 
1,514 

2017
£’000 
1,026 
247 
– 
1,273 

Amounts reported in staff costs relate to deferred payments to previous owners who remain in employment with the acquired 
companies. The payment is due to be settled at the end of 2019 (see note 26) and the total cost is being charged to profit and loss  
over the deferral period.  

Costs relating to merger discussions with Smith & Williamson 
In 2017, the group incurred professional services costs of £4,905,000 in relation to the merger discussions with Smith & Williamson.  
On 31 August 2017, the group announced that these discussions had been terminated. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

10  Head office relocation 

On 6 June 2018, the group completed the assignment of its leases on surplus property at 1 Curzon Street. The completion  
of the deal triggered a release of £3,726,000 from the onerous lease provision held over the property (see note 26). 

During the year ended 31 December 2018, a credit of £2,861,000 (2017: costs of £16,248,000 were incurred) was incurred. This 
incremental credit was as follows: 

Rental costs for 8 Finsbury Circus prior to occupancy 
Accelerated depreciation charge for 1 Curzon Street 
Provision for dilapidations 
(Credit)/charge in relation to onerous lease provision (note 26) 
Interest charge in relation to onerous lease provision 
Release of rent free period and landlord contribution on recognition of the onerous lease provision 
Professional and other costs 

11  Staff costs 

 Wages and salaries 
 Social security costs 
 Equity-settled share-based payments 
 Cash-settled share-based payments 
 Pension costs (note 28): 
 –  defined benefit schemes 
 –  defined contribution schemes 

The average number of employees, on a full time equivalent basis, during the year was as follows: 

Investment Management: 
–  investment management services 
–  advisory services 
Unit Trusts 
Shared services 

12 

Income tax expense 

Current tax: 
–  charge for the year 
–  adjustments in respect of prior years 
Deferred tax (note 21): 
–  credit for the year 
–  adjustments in respect of prior years 

2018 
£’000 
– 
– 
492 
(3,726)
75 
– 
298 
(2,861)

2017
£’000 
536 
779 
248 
16,064 
201 
(2,148)
568 
16,248 

2018 
£’000 
120,241 
15,446 
6,886 
– 

2017
£’000 
113,719 
14,695 
4,120 
(249)

491 
7,995 

2,575 
6,260 

8,486 
151,059 

8,835 
141,120 

2018 

2017 

855 
107 
33 
334 
1,329 

734 
92 
28 
293 
1,147 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

16,830 
(1,599)

(1,049)
955 
15,137 

13,466 
(303)

(1,034)
(57)
12,072 

The tax charge is calculated based on our best estimate of the amount payable as at the balance sheet date. Any subsequent differences 
between these estimates and the actual amounts paid are recorded as adjustments in respect of prior years. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

10  Head office relocation 

On 6 June 2018, the group completed the assignment of its leases on surplus property at 1 Curzon Street. The completion  

of the deal triggered a release of £3,726,000 from the onerous lease provision held over the property (see note 26). 

During the year ended 31 December 2018, a credit of £2,861,000 (2017: costs of £16,248,000 were incurred) was incurred. This 

incremental credit was as follows: 

Rental costs for 8 Finsbury Circus prior to occupancy 

Accelerated depreciation charge for 1 Curzon Street 

Provision for dilapidations 

(Credit)/charge in relation to onerous lease provision (note 26) 

Interest charge in relation to onerous lease provision 

Release of rent free period and landlord contribution on recognition of the onerous lease provision 

The average number of employees, on a full time equivalent basis, during the year was as follows: 

Professional and other costs 

11  Staff costs 

 Wages and salaries 

 Social security costs 

 Equity-settled share-based payments 

 Cash-settled share-based payments 

 Pension costs (note 28): 

 –  defined benefit schemes 

 –  defined contribution schemes 

Investment Management: 

–  investment management services 

–  advisory services 

Unit Trusts 

Shared services 

12 

Income tax expense 

–  adjustments in respect of prior years 

Current tax: 

–  charge for the year 

Deferred tax (note 21): 

–  credit for the year 

–  adjustments in respect of prior years 

2018 

£’000 

– 

– 

492 

(3,726)

75 

– 

298 

(2,861)

2018 

£’000 

120,241 

15,446 

6,886 

– 

491 

7,995 

8,486 

2017

£’000 

536 

779 

248 

16,064 

201 

(2,148)

568 

16,248 

2017

£’000 

113,719 

14,695 

4,120 

(249)

2,575 

6,260 

8,835 

151,059 

141,120 

2018 

2017 

855 

107 

33 

334 

1,329 

734 

92 

28 

293 

1,147 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

16,830 

(1,599)

(1,049)

955 

15,137 

13,466 

(303)

(1,034)

(57)

12,072 

The tax charge on profit for the year is higher (2017: higher) than the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 19.0% (2017: 19.2%). 
The differences are explained below. 

Tax on profit from ordinary activities at the standard rate of 19.0% (2017: 19.2%)
Effects of: 
–  disallowable expenses 
–  share-based payments 
–  tax on overseas earnings 
–  adjustments in respect of prior year 
–  deferred payments to previous owners of acquired companies (note 9)
–  other 
Effect of change in corporation tax rate on deferred tax 

2018 
£’000 
11,650

1,210
211
(190)
(644)
2,904
(36)
32 
15,137 

2017
£’000 
11,338

1,045
(79)
(230)
(360)
247
(28)
139 
12,072 

The effect of disallowable expenses relate to certain operating expenses, which are not deductible for tax purposes. The most 
significant of these expenses relate to legal and professional fees associated with the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey (tax impact  
of £575,000) and client entertaining (tax impact of £307,000). 

13  Dividends 

Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders in the year: 
–  final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2017 of 39.0p (2016: 36.0p) per share 
–  interim dividend for the year ended 31 December 2018 of 24.0p (2017: 22.0p) per share
Dividends paid in the year of 63.0p (2017: 58.0p) per share 
Proposed final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2018 of 42.0p (2017: 39.0p) per share 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

19,858 
12,833 
32,691 
22,371 

18,236 
11,184 
29,420 
19,245 

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An interim dividend of 24.0p per share was paid on 2 October 2018 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on  
7 September 2018 (2017: 22.0p). 

A final dividend declared of 42.0p per share (2017: 39.0p) is payable on 14 May 2019 to shareholders on the register at the close of 
business on 20 April 2019. The final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on 9 May 2019  
and has not been included as a liability in these financial statements. 

14  Earnings per share 

Earnings used to calculate earnings per share on the bases reported in these financial statements were: 

Underlying profit attributable to shareholders 
Gain on plan amendment of defined benefit pension schemes 

(note 28) 

Charges in relation to client relationships and goodwill (note 22) 
Acquisition-related costs (note 9) 
Head office relocation costs (note 10) 
Profit attributable to shareholders 

2018 
Taxation 
£’000 

Pre-tax 
£’000 

Pre-tax 
£’000 
91,558  (17,388) 74,170  87,520 

Post-tax 
£’000 

– 

– 

– 
(13,188)
(19,925)
2,861 

5,523 
2,506  (10,682)  (11,716)
(6,178)
(16,248)
61,306  (15,137) 46,169  58,901 

289  (19,636) 
2,317 
(544)

2017 

Taxation
£’000 

Post-tax
£’000 
(17,426) 70,094 

(1,063)
2,255 
944 
3,218 

4,460 
(9,461)
(5,234)
(13,030)
(12,072) 46,829 

The tax charge is calculated based on our best estimate of the amount payable as at the balance sheet date. Any subsequent differences 

between these estimates and the actual amounts paid are recorded as adjustments in respect of prior years. 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year – basic 
Effect of ordinary share options/Save As You Earn 
Effect of dilutive shares issuable under the Share Incentive Plan 
Effect of contingently issuable shares under the Executive Incentive Plan 
Effect of contingently issuable shares under S&J contingent consideration (note 35) 
Diluted ordinary shares 

2018 

2017 
52,050,979  50,493,984 
188,549 
59,030 
228,702 
–
53,582,298  50,970,265 

148,564 
474 
375,759 
1,006,522

126 

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 

rathbones.com 
rathbones.com

127  
127

Basic earnings per share has been calculated by dividing profit attributable to shareholders by the weighted average number of shares 
in issue throughout the year, excluding own shares, of 52,050,979 (2017: 50,493,984). 

Diluted earnings per share is the basic earnings per share, adjusted for the effect of contingently issuable shares under the Executive 
Incentive Plan, employee share options remaining capable of exercise and any dilutive shares to be issued under the Share Incentive 
Plan, all weighted for the relevant period: 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

14  Earnings per share continued 

Earnings per share for the year attributable to equity holders of the company: 
–  basic 
–  diluted 
Underlying earnings per share for the year attributable to equity holders of the company: 
–  basic 
–  diluted 

15  Cash and balances with central banks 

2018 

2017 

88.7p 
86.2p 

92.7p 
91.9p 

142.5p 
138.4p 

138.8p 
137.5p 

Cash in hand  
Balances with central banks 
Less impairment loss allowance 

The fair value of balances with central banks is not materially different from their carrying amount. 

Repayable: 
–  on demand 
–  1 year or less but over 3 months 
Less impairment loss allowance 

Amounts include balances with: 
–  variable interest rates 
–  non-interest-bearing 
Less impairment loss allowance 

2018 
£’000 
1 

2017
£’000 
2 
1,198,600  1,375,380 
– 
1,198,479  1,375,382 

(122)

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

1,197,001  1,374,002 
1,380 
– 
1,198,479  1,375,382 

1,600 
(122)

1,197,001  1,374,000 
1,382 
– 
   1,198,479  1,375,382 

1,600 
(122)

The group’s exposure to credit risk arising from cash and balances with central banks is described in note 32. 

16  Loans and advances to banks 

Current accounts 
Fixed term deposits 
Less impairment loss allowance 

2018 
£’000 
126,203 
40,000 
(3)
166,200 

2017
£’000 
76,070 
41,183 
– 
117,253 

128 
128

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 
Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

14  Earnings per share continued 

Earnings per share for the year attributable to equity holders of the company: 

Underlying earnings per share for the year attributable to equity holders of the company: 

–  basic 

–  diluted 

–  basic 

–  diluted 

15  Cash and balances with central banks 

The fair value of balances with central banks is not materially different from their carrying amount. 

Cash in hand  

Balances with central banks 

Less impairment loss allowance 

Repayable: 

–  on demand 

–  1 year or less but over 3 months 

Less impairment loss allowance 

Amounts include balances with: 

–  variable interest rates 

–  non-interest-bearing 

Less impairment loss allowance 

16  Loans and advances to banks 

Current accounts 

Fixed term deposits 

Less impairment loss allowance 

2018 

2017 

88.7p 

86.2p 

92.7p 

91.9p 

142.5p 

138.4p 

138.8p 

137.5p 

2018 

£’000 

1 

(122)

1,198,600  1,375,380 

1,198,479  1,375,382 

2017

£’000 

2 

– 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

1,197,001  1,374,002 

1,600 

(122)

1,380 

– 

1,198,479  1,375,382 

1,197,001  1,374,000 

1,600 

(122)

1,382 

– 

   1,198,479  1,375,382 

2018 

£’000 

126,203 

40,000 

(3)

2017

£’000 

76,070 

41,183 

– 

166,200 

117,253 

Repayable: 
–  on demand 
–  3 months or less excluding on demand 
–  1 year or less but over 3 months 
Less impairment loss allowance 

Amounts include loans and advances with: 
–  variable interest rates 
–  fixed interest rates 
–  non-interest-bearing 
Less impairment loss allowance 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

126,072 
10,131 
30,000 
(3)
166,200 

125,855 
40,000 
348 
(3)
166,200 

75,826 
11,183 
30,244 
– 
117,253 

75,734 
41,183 
336 
– 
117,253 

The fair value of loans and advances is not materially different to their carrying amount. Fair value has been calculated as the 
discounted amount of estimated future cash flows expected to be received using current market rates. 

Loans and advances to banks included in cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2018 were £136,203,000 (note 38)  
(2017: £87,009,000). 

The group’s exposure to credit risk arising from loans and advances to banks is described in note 32. 

17  Loans and advances to customers 

Overdrafts 
Investment management loan book 
Trust and financial planning debtors 
Other debtors 
Less impairment loss allowance 

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2018 
£’000 
6,096 
131,741 
1,196 
29 
(103)
138,959 

2017
£’000 
4,621 
120,509 
1,114 
35 
(66)
126,213 

The group’s exposure to credit risk arising from cash and balances with central banks is described in note 32. 

The fair value of loans and advances to customers is not materially different to their carrying amount. Fair value has been calculated  
as the discounted amount of estimated future cash flows expected to be received using current market rates. Debtors arising from the 
trust and financial planning businesses are non-interest-bearing. 

Repayable: 
–  on demand 
–  3 months or less excluding on demand 
–  1 year or less but over 3 months 
–  5 years or less but over 1 year 
Less impairment loss allowance 

Amounts include loans and advances with: 
–  variable interest rates 
–  non-interest-bearing 
Less impairment loss allowance 

The group’s exposure to credit risk arising from loans and advances to customers is described in note 32. 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

6,796 
21,587 
50,232 
60,447 
(103)
138,959 

137,812 
1,250 
(103)
138,959 

4,732 
13,312 
42,519 
65,716 
(66)
126,213 

125,112 
1,167 
(66)
126,213 

128 

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 

rathbones.com 
rathbones.com

129  
129

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

18 

Investment securities  

Fair value through profit or loss 

Equity securities: 
–  listed 
–  unlisted 
Money market funds: 
–  unlisted 

* Fair value through profit or loss investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as available for sale securities 

Amortised cost 

Debt securities: 
–  unlisted 
Less impairment loss allowance 

2018 
£’000 

3,205 
1,259

2017*
£’000 

2,565 
–

75,333 
79,797 

106,747 
109,312 

2018 
£’000 

2017*
£’000 

907,259 
(34)
907,225 

701,966 
– 
701,966 

* Amortised cost investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as held to maturity 

All debt securities are due to mature within one year (2017: all). 

Fair value through profit or loss securities include money market funds and direct holdings in equity securities. Equity securities 
comprises units in Rathbone Unit Trust Management managed funds and Euroclear shares. Equity securities do not bear interest. 
Money market funds, which declare daily dividends that are in the nature of interest at a variable rate and which are realisable on 
demand, have been included within cash equivalents (note 38).  

The fair value of debt securities is disclosed in note 32. 

The change in the group's holdings of investment securities in the year is summarised below. 

At 1 January 2017 
Additions 
Disposals (sales and redemptions) 
Foreign exchange movements 
Gain from changes in fair value 
At 1 January 2018 
Additions 
Acquired through business combination 
Disposals (sales and redemptions) 
Foreign exchange movements 
Loss from changes in fair value 
Less impairment loss allowance 
At 31 December 2018 

Fair value 
through 
profit or loss* 
£’000 
105,421 
36,248 
(27,416) 
(5,104) 
163 
109,312 

Amortised
Total
cost**
£’000 
£’000 
805,421 
700,000 
782,115 
745,867 
(769,837)
(742,421)
(6,584)
(1,480)
163 
– 
811,278 
701,966 
18,580  1,050,084  1,068,664 
1,254 
(897,923)
3,968 
(185)
(34)
987,022 

– 
(847,088)
2,297 
– 
(34)
907,225 

1,254 
(50,835) 
1,671 
(185) 
– 
79,797 

*  Fair value through profit or loss investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as available for sale securities 

** Amortised cost investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as held to maturity 

Included within amortised cost are additions of £1,066,000 (2017: £699,000) and £235,000 (2017: £160,000) of disposals of financial 
instruments that are not classified as cash and cash equivalents. 

130 
130

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 
Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

* Fair value through profit or loss investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as available for sale securities 

* Amortised cost investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as held to maturity 

All debt securities are due to mature within one year (2017: all). 

Fair value through profit or loss securities include money market funds and direct holdings in equity securities. Equity securities 

comprises units in Rathbone Unit Trust Management managed funds and Euroclear shares. Equity securities do not bear interest. 

Money market funds, which declare daily dividends that are in the nature of interest at a variable rate and which are realisable on 

demand, have been included within cash equivalents (note 38).  

The fair value of debt securities is disclosed in note 32. 

The change in the group's holdings of investment securities in the year is summarised below. 

18 

Investment securities  

Fair value through profit or loss 

Equity securities: 

–  listed 

–  unlisted 

–  unlisted 

Money market funds: 

Amortised cost 

Debt securities: 

–  unlisted 

Less impairment loss allowance 

At 1 January 2017 

Additions 

Disposals (sales and redemptions) 

Foreign exchange movements 

Gain from changes in fair value 

At 1 January 2018 

Additions 

Acquired through business combination 

Disposals (sales and redemptions) 

Foreign exchange movements 

Loss from changes in fair value 

Less impairment loss allowance 

At 31 December 2018 

2018 

£’000 

3,205 

1,259

2017*

£’000 

2,565 

–

75,333 

79,797 

106,747 

109,312 

2018 

£’000 

2017*

£’000 

907,259 

701,966 

(34)

– 

907,225 

701,966 

Fair value 

through 

profit or loss* 

£’000 

105,421 

36,248 

Amortised

cost**

£’000 

700,000 

745,867 

(5,104) 

(1,480)

163 

(27,416) 

(742,421)

(769,837)

109,312 

701,966 

811,278 

18,580  1,050,084  1,068,664 

(50,835) 

(847,088)

(897,923)

Total

£’000 

805,421 

782,115 

(6,584)

163 

1,254 

3,968 

(185)

(34)

– 

– 

– 

2,297 

(34)

1,254 

1,671 

(185) 

– 

79,797 

907,225 

987,022 

*  Fair value through profit or loss investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as available for sale securities 

** Amortised cost investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as held to maturity 

Included within amortised cost are additions of £1,066,000 (2017: £699,000) and £235,000 (2017: £160,000) of disposals of financial 

instruments that are not classified as cash and cash equivalents. 

19  Prepayments, accrued income and other assets 

Work in progress 
Prepayments and other assets 
Accrued income 

20  Property, plant and equipment 

Cost 
At 1 January 2017 
Additions 
Disposals 
At 1 January 2018 
Additions 
Acquisitions through business combinations 
Disposals 
At 31 December 2018 
Depreciation 
At 1 January 2017 
Charge for the year 
Disposals 
At 1 January 2018 
Charge for the year 
Acquisitions through business combinations 
Disposals 
At 31 December 2018 
Carrying amount at 31 December 2018 
Carrying amount at 31 December 2017 
Carrying amount at 1 January 2017 

2018 
£’000 
2,738 
18,733 
60,081 
81,552 

Plant and
equipment
£’000 

17,361 
2,325 
(1,970)
17,716 
1,879 
2,162 
(656)
21,101 

13,675 
1,962 
(1,970)
13,667 
2,127 
1,949 
(655)
17,088 
4,013 
4,049 
3,686 

2017
£’000 
1,461 
12,396 
60,588 
74,445 

Total
£’000 

40,126 
4,265 
(1,970)
42,421 
3,255 
3,604 
(6,687)
42,593 

23,536 
4,398 
(1,970)
25,964 
3,817 
2,660 
(6,686)
25,755 
16,838 
16,457 
16,590 

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Short term 
leasehold 
improvements 
£’000 

22,765 
1,940 
– 
24,705 
1,376 
1,442 
(6,031) 
21,492 

9,861 
2,436 
– 
12,297 
1,690 
711 
(6,031) 
8,667 
12,825 
12,408 
12,904 

130 

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 

rathbones.com 
rathbones.com

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131

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

21  Net deferred tax liability 

The Finance Bill 2016 contained legislation to reduce the UK corporation tax rate to 17.0% in April 2020 and was substantively  
enacted in September 2016. Deferred income taxes are calculated on all temporary differences under the liability method using  
the rate expected to apply when the relevant timing differences are forecast to unwind. 

The movement on the deferred tax account is as follows: 

As at 1 January 2018 
Recognised in profit or loss in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total 

Recognised in other comprehensive 

income in respect of: 

–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total 

Recognised in equity in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total 

Acquisitions 
–  business combinations 

Deferred 
capital 
allowances 
£’000 
1,284 

121 
(29)
(13)
79 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

(44)

Pensions 
£’000 
2,650 

(605)
– 
64 
(541)

(231)
– 
24 
(207)

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

Share-based 
payments 
£’000 
1,539 

Staff- 
related 
costs 
£’000 
4,331 

Fair value 
through 
profit or loss 
£’000 
(50) 

400 
(29)
– 
371

807 
(844)
(85)
(122)

33 
(53) 
12 
(8) 

Intangible 
assets 
£’000 
(693)

325 
– 
(10)
315 

– 
– 
– 
– 

80 
(108)
– 
(28)

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

(96) 

(9,261)

(9,401)

Total 
£’000 
9,061 

1,081 
(955)
(32)
94 

(231)
– 
24 
(207)

80 
(108)
– 
(28)

As at 31 December 2018 

1,319 

1,902 

1,882 

4,209 

(154) 

(9,639)

(481)

Deferred tax assets 
Deferred tax liabilities 
As at 31 December 2018 

Deferred 
capital 
allowances 
£’000 
1,319 
– 
1,319 

Pensions 
£’000 
1,902 
– 
1,902 

Share-based 
payments 
£’000 
1,882 
– 
1,882 

Staff- 
related 
costs 
£’000 
4,209 
– 
4,209 

Fair value 
through 
profit or loss 
£’000 
– 
(154) 
(154) 

Intangible 
assets 
£’000 
– 
(9,639)
(9,639)

Total 
£’000 
9,312 
(9,793)
(481)

132 
132

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 
Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
As at 1 January 2017 
Recognised in profit or loss in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total 

Recognised in other comprehensive 

income in respect of: 

–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total 

Recognised in equity in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total 

Deferred
capital
allowances
£’000 
1,122 

(38)
196 
4 
162 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Pensions
£’000 
6,705 

(1,264)
– 
148 
(1,116)

(3,327)
– 
388 
(2,939)

– 
– 
– 
– 

Share-based
payments
£’000 
1,264 

(57)
– 
4 
(53)

– 
– 
– 
– 

318 
10 
– 
328 

Staff-
related
costs
£’000 
2,320 

2,434 
(139)
(284)
2,011 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Available 
for sale 
securities 
£’000 
(30) 

– 
– 
– 
– 

(23) 
– 
3 
(20) 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Intangible
assets
£’000 
(780)

99 
– 
(12)
87 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Total
£’000 
10,601 

1,174 
57 
(140)
1,091 

(3,350)
– 
391 
(2,959)

318 
10 
– 
328 

s
t
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Recognised in equity in respect of: 

As at 31 December 2017 

1,284 

2,650 

1,539 

4,331 

(50) 

(693)

9,061 

Deferred tax assets 
Deferred tax liabilities 
As at 31 December 2017 

Deferred
capital
allowances
£’000 
1,284 
– 
1,284 

Pensions
£’000 
2,650 
– 
2,650 

Share-based
payments
£’000 
1,539 
– 
1,539 

Staff-
related
costs
£’000 
4,331 
– 
4,331 

Available 
for sale 
securities 
£’000 
– 
(50) 
(50) 

Intangible
assets
£’000 
– 
(693)
(693)

Total
£’000 
9,804 
(743)
9,061 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

21  Net deferred tax liability 

The Finance Bill 2016 contained legislation to reduce the UK corporation tax rate to 17.0% in April 2020 and was substantively  

enacted in September 2016. Deferred income taxes are calculated on all temporary differences under the liability method using  

the rate expected to apply when the relevant timing differences are forecast to unwind. 

The movement on the deferred tax account is as follows: 

Share-based 

payments 

£’000 

1,539 

400 

(29)

– 

371

Staff- 

related 

costs 

£’000 

4,331 

807 

(844)

(85)

(122)

Fair value 

through 

profit or loss 

£’000 

(50) 

33 

(53) 

12 

(8) 

Intangible 

assets 

£’000 

(693)

325 

– 

(10)

315 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

80 

(108)

– 

(28)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(96) 

(9,261)

(9,401)

Total 

£’000 

9,061 

1,081 

(955)

(32)

94 

(231)

– 

24 

(207)

80 

(108)

– 

(28)

As at 1 January 2018 

Recognised in profit or loss in respect of: 

Recognised in other comprehensive 

income in respect of: 

–  current year 

–  prior year 

–  change in rate 

Total 

–  current year 

–  prior year 

–  change in rate 

Total 

–  current year 

–  prior year 

–  change in rate 

Total 

Acquisitions 

–  business combinations 

Deferred tax assets 

Deferred tax liabilities 

As at 31 December 2018 

Pensions 

£’000 

2,650 

(605)

– 

64 

(541)

(231)

– 

24 

(207)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Deferred 

capital 

allowances 

£’000 

1,284 

121 

(29)

(13)

79 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(44)

Deferred 

capital 

allowances 

£’000 

1,319 

– 

As at 31 December 2018 

1,319 

1,902 

1,882 

4,209 

(154) 

(9,639)

(481)

Pensions 

£’000 

1,902 

– 

Share-based 

payments 

£’000 

1,882 

– 

Staff- 

related 

costs 

£’000 

4,209 

– 

Fair value 

through 

profit or loss 

£’000 

– 

(154) 

(154) 

Intangible 

assets 

£’000 

– 

(9,639)

(9,639)

Total 

£’000 

9,312 

(9,793)

(481)

1,319 

1,902 

1,882 

4,209 

132 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

22 

Intangible assets 

Goodwill 
Other intangible assets 

2018 
£’000 
91,000 
147,918 
238,918 

2017
£’000 
63,182 
98,795 
161,977 

Goodwill 
Goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated, at acquisition, to the cash generating units (CGUs) that are expected to 
benefit from that business combination. The carrying amount of goodwill has been allocated as follows: 

Cost 
At 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2018 
Acquired through business combinations (note 35) 
At 31 December 2018 

Impairment 
At 1 January 2017  
Charge in the year 
At 1 January 2018  
Charge in the year 
At 31 December 2018 
Carrying amount at 31 December 2018 
Carrying amount at 31 December 2017 
Carrying amount at 1 January 2017 

Investment 
management 
£’000 

62,091 
28,087 
90,178 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
90,178 
62,091 
62,091 

Trust and 
tax 
£’000 

1,954 
– 
1,954 

807 
283 
1,090 
269 
1,359 
595 
864 
1,147 

Rooper & 
Whately 
£’000 

227 
– 
227 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
227 
227 
227 

Total 
£’000 

64,272 
28,087 
92,359 

807 
283 
1,090 
269 
1,359 
91,000 
63,182 
63,465 

Goodwill acquired through business combinations in 2018 comprises goodwill arising on the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. The 
goodwill has been allocated to the investment management CGU (see note 35). 

The recoverable amounts of the CGUs to which goodwill is allocated are assessed using value-in-use calculations. The group prepares 
cash flow forecasts derived from the most recent financial budgets approved by the board, covering the forthcoming and future years. 
The key assumptions underlying the budgets are that organic growth rates, revenue margins and profit margins are in line with recent 
historical rates and equity markets will not change significantly in the forthcoming year. Budgets are extrapolated for up to 10 years 
based on annual revenue growth for each CGU (see table below); as well as the group's expectation of future industry growth rates.  
A 10 year extrapolation period is chosen based on the group's assessment of the likely associated duration of client relationships.  
The group estimates discount rates using pre-tax rates that reflect current market assessments of the time value of money and  
the risks specific to the CGUs. 

The pre-tax rate used to discount the forecast cash flows for each CGU is shown in the table below; these are based on a risk-adjusted 
weighted average cost of capital. The group judges that these discount rates appropriately reflect the markets in which the CGUs 
operate and, in particular, the relatively small size of the trust and tax CGU. 

At 31 December 
Discount rate 
Annual revenue growth rate 

 Investment management 

2018 
12.3% 
5.0% 

2017 
11.1% 
5.0% 

 Trust and tax 
2018 
14.3% 
(1.0)%

2017 
13.1% 
(1.0)% 

 Rooper & Whately 

2018 
12.3% 
0.0% 

2017 
11.1% 
0.0% 

At 30 June 2018, the group recognised an impairment charge of £269,000 in relation to goodwill allocated to the trust and tax CGU.  
An impairment was recognised, as the recoverable amount of the CGU at 30 June 2018 was £595,000, which was lower than the 
carrying value of £864,000 at 31 December 2017. The recoverable amount was calculated based on forecast earnings for 2018, 
extrapolated over 10 years based on a decrease in revenues of 1.0% per annum. The pre-tax rate used to discount the forecast  
cash flows was 15.0%. The impairment was recognised in the Investment Management segment in the segmental analysis. No  
further impairment was recognised at 31 December 2018. 

Based on the assumptions in the table above, the calculated recoverable amount of the trust and tax CGU at 31 December 2018 was 
£1,729,000; this was higher than its carrying value of £595,000. Reducing the assumed growth rate for income in the trust and tax CGU 
by one percentage point would reduce the calculated recoverable amount of the CGU to £828,000. No reasonably foreseeable changes 
to the assumptions used in the value-in-use calculation for the investment management CGU, including management’s assessment of 
the impact of Brexit, would result in an impairment of the goodwill allocated to it. 

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Goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated, at acquisition, to the cash generating units (CGUs) that are expected to 

benefit from that business combination. The carrying amount of goodwill has been allocated as follows: 

22 

Intangible assets 

Goodwill 

Other intangible assets 

Goodwill 

Cost 

At 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2018 

Acquired through business combinations (note 35) 

At 31 December 2018 

Impairment 

At 1 January 2017  

Charge in the year 

At 1 January 2018  

Charge in the year 

At 31 December 2018 

Carrying amount at 31 December 2018 

Carrying amount at 31 December 2017 

Carrying amount at 1 January 2017 

2018 

£’000 

91,000 

147,918 

238,918 

2017

£’000 

63,182 

98,795 

161,977 

Investment 

management 

£’000 

62,091 

28,087 

90,178 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

90,178 

62,091 

62,091 

Trust and 

tax 

£’000 

1,954 

– 

1,954 

807 

283 

1,090 

269 

1,359 

595 

864 

1,147 

Rooper & 

Whately 

£’000 

227 

– 

227 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

227 

227 

227 

Total 

£’000 

64,272 

28,087 

92,359 

807 

283 

1,090 

269 

1,359 

91,000 

63,182 

63,465 

Goodwill acquired through business combinations in 2018 comprises goodwill arising on the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. The 

goodwill has been allocated to the investment management CGU (see note 35). 

The recoverable amounts of the CGUs to which goodwill is allocated are assessed using value-in-use calculations. The group prepares 

cash flow forecasts derived from the most recent financial budgets approved by the board, covering the forthcoming and future years. 

The key assumptions underlying the budgets are that organic growth rates, revenue margins and profit margins are in line with recent 

historical rates and equity markets will not change significantly in the forthcoming year. Budgets are extrapolated for up to 10 years 

based on annual revenue growth for each CGU (see table below); as well as the group's expectation of future industry growth rates.  

A 10 year extrapolation period is chosen based on the group's assessment of the likely associated duration of client relationships.  

The group estimates discount rates using pre-tax rates that reflect current market assessments of the time value of money and  

the risks specific to the CGUs. 

The pre-tax rate used to discount the forecast cash flows for each CGU is shown in the table below; these are based on a risk-adjusted 

weighted average cost of capital. The group judges that these discount rates appropriately reflect the markets in which the CGUs 

operate and, in particular, the relatively small size of the trust and tax CGU. 

At 31 December 

Discount rate 

Annual revenue growth rate 

 Investment management 

 Trust and tax 

 Rooper & Whately 

2018 

12.3% 

5.0% 

2017 

11.1% 

5.0% 

2018 

14.3% 

(1.0)%

2017 

13.1% 

(1.0)% 

2018 

12.3% 

0.0% 

2017 

11.1% 

0.0% 

At 30 June 2018, the group recognised an impairment charge of £269,000 in relation to goodwill allocated to the trust and tax CGU.  

An impairment was recognised, as the recoverable amount of the CGU at 30 June 2018 was £595,000, which was lower than the 

carrying value of £864,000 at 31 December 2017. The recoverable amount was calculated based on forecast earnings for 2018, 

extrapolated over 10 years based on a decrease in revenues of 1.0% per annum. The pre-tax rate used to discount the forecast  

cash flows was 15.0%. The impairment was recognised in the Investment Management segment in the segmental analysis. No  

further impairment was recognised at 31 December 2018. 

Based on the assumptions in the table above, the calculated recoverable amount of the trust and tax CGU at 31 December 2018 was 

£1,729,000; this was higher than its carrying value of £595,000. Reducing the assumed growth rate for income in the trust and tax CGU 

by one percentage point would reduce the calculated recoverable amount of the CGU to £828,000. No reasonably foreseeable changes 

to the assumptions used in the value-in-use calculation for the investment management CGU, including management’s assessment of 

the impact of Brexit, would result in an impairment of the goodwill allocated to it. 

Other intangible assets 

Cost 
At 1 January 2017 
Internally developed in the year 
Purchased in the year 
Disposals 
At 31 December 2017 
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (note 2) 
At 1 January 2018 
Internally developed in the year 
Acquired through business combinations (note 35) 
Purchased in the year 
Disposals 
Revaluation of assets 
At 31 December 2018 
Amortisation 
At 1 January 2017 
Charge for the year 
Disposals 
At 31 December 2017 
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (note 2) 
At 1 January 2018 
Charge for the year 
Disposals 
At 31 December 2018 
Carrying amount at 31 December 2018 
Carrying amount at 31 December 2017 
Carrying amount at 1 January 2017 

Client
relationships
£’000 

144,652 
– 
2,743 
(1,983)
145,412 
9,691 
155,103 
– 
54,337 
1,298 
(2,182)
(4,939)
203,617 

47,451 
11,433 
(1,983)
56,901 
1,423 
58,324 
12,919 
(2,182)
69,061 
134,556 
88,511 
97,201 

Software 
development 
costs 
£’000 

4,922 
837 
– 
– 
5,759 
– 
5,759 
1,450 
– 
– 
– 
– 
7,209 

4,037 
492 
– 
4,529 
– 
4,529 
686 
– 
5,215 
1,994 
1,230 
885 

Purchased
software
£’000 

24,368 
– 
6,222 
– 
30,590 
– 
30,590 
– 
– 
6,297 
– 
– 
36,887 

18,727 
2,809 
– 
21,536 
– 
21,536 
3,983 
– 
25,519 
11,368 
9,054 
5,641 

Total
£’000 

173,942 
837 
8,965 
(1,983)
181,761 
9,691 
191,452 
1,450 
54,337 
7,595 
(2,182)
(4,939)
247,713 

70,215 
14,734 
(1,983)
82,966 
1,423 
84,389 
17,588 
(2,182)
99,795 
147,918 
98,795 
103,727 

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Client relationships acquired through business combinations in 2018 relate to the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey (note 35). 

Purchases of client relationships in the year relate to payments made to investment managers and third parties for the introduction  
of client relationships. 

The total amount charged to profit or loss in the year, in relation to goodwill and client relationships, was £13,188,000 (2017: £11,716,000).  

The value of certain awards related to client relationships were reduced by £4,939,000 during the year as not all performance 
conditions were ultimately met. 

Purchased software with a cost of £18,769,000 (2017: £18,069,000) has been fully amortised but is still in use. 

23  Deposits by banks 

On 31 December 2018, deposits by banks included overnight cash book overdraft balances of £491,000 (2017: £1,338,000). 

The fair value of deposits by banks was not materially different to their carrying value. Fair value has been calculated as  
the discounted amount of estimated future cash flows expected to be paid using current market rates. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

24  Due to customers 

Repayable: 
–  on demand 
–  3 months or less excluding on demand 
–  1 year or less but over 3 months 

Amounts include balances with: 
–  variable interest rates 
–  fixed interest rates 
–  non-interest-bearing 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

2,065,029  2,081,788 
83,425 
5,285 
2,225,536  2,170,498 

153,127 
7,380 

2,064,814  2,060,565 
83,908 
26,025 
2,225,536  2,170,498 

131,327 
29,395 

The fair value of amounts due to customers was not materially different from their carrying value. The estimated fair value of deposits 
with no stated maturity, which include non-interest-bearing deposits, is the amount at which deposits could be transferred to a third 
party at the measurement date. The estimated fair value of fixed-interest-bearing deposits is based on discounted cash flows using 
interest rates for new debts with similar remaining maturity. 

25  Accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities 

Trade creditors 
Other creditors 
Accruals and deferred income 
Other provisions (note 26) 

26  Other provisions 

 At 1 January 2017 
Charged to profit or loss 
Unused amount credited to profit or loss 
 Net charge to profit or loss  
 Other movements 
 Utilised/paid during the year 
 At 31 December 2017 
 Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (note 2) 
  At 1 January 2018 
 Charged to profit or loss 
 Unused amount credited to profit or loss 
 Net credit to profit or loss  
 Other movements 
 Utilised/paid during the year 
  At 31 December 2018 
 Of which: 
 –  Payable within 1 year 
 –  Payable after 1 year 

2018 
£’000 
2,513 
20,395 
68,701 
11,784 
103,393 

2017
£’000 
2,259 
18,294 
64,126 
23,712 
108,391 

Deferred,
variable costs
to acquire client
relationship
intangibles
£’000 
10,212 
– 
– 
– 
2,743 
(4,883)
8,072 
4,075
12,147 
– 
– 
– 
(3,641)
(7,445)
1,061 

511 
550 
1,061 

Deferred and
contingent
consideration
in business
combinations
£’000 
1,136 
– 
– 
– 
84 
– 
1,220 
–
1,220 
– 
– 
– 
3,158 
(2,000)
2,378 

2,378 
– 
2,378 

Legal and 
compensation 
£’000 
598 
248 
(54) 
194 
– 
(115) 
677 
– 
677 
449 
(57) 
392 
– 
(260) 
809 

809 
– 
809 

Property-
related
£’000 
2,798 
16,534 
– 
16,534 
– 
(5,589)
13,743 
–
13,743 
1,836 
(3,726)
(1,890)
600 
(4,917)
7,536 

5,953 
1,583 
7,536 

Total
£’000 
14,744 
16,782 
(54)
16,728 
2,827 
(10,587)
23,712 
4,075
27,787 
2,285 
(3,783)
(1,498)
117 
(14,622)
11,784 

9,651 
2,133 
11,784 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

The fair value of amounts due to customers was not materially different from their carrying value. The estimated fair value of deposits 

with no stated maturity, which include non-interest-bearing deposits, is the amount at which deposits could be transferred to a third 

party at the measurement date. The estimated fair value of fixed-interest-bearing deposits is based on discounted cash flows using 

interest rates for new debts with similar remaining maturity. 

25  Accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities 

24  Due to customers 

Repayable: 

–  on demand 

–  3 months or less excluding on demand 

–  1 year or less but over 3 months 

Amounts include balances with: 

–  variable interest rates 

–  fixed interest rates 

–  non-interest-bearing 

Trade creditors 

Other creditors 

Accruals and deferred income 

Other provisions (note 26) 

26  Other provisions 

 At 1 January 2017 

Charged to profit or loss 

Unused amount credited to profit or loss 

 Net charge to profit or loss  

 Other movements 

 Utilised/paid during the year 

 At 31 December 2017 

 Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (note 2) 

  At 1 January 2018 

 Charged to profit or loss 

 Unused amount credited to profit or loss 

 Net credit to profit or loss  

 Other movements 

 Utilised/paid during the year 

  At 31 December 2018 

 Of which: 

 –  Payable within 1 year 

 –  Payable after 1 year 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

2,065,029  2,081,788 

153,127 

7,380 

83,425 

5,285 

2,225,536  2,170,498 

2,064,814  2,060,565 

131,327 

29,395 

83,908 

26,025 

2,225,536  2,170,498 

2018 

£’000 

2,513 

20,395 

68,701 

11,784 

2017

£’000 

2,259 

18,294 

64,126 

23,712 

103,393 

108,391 

Deferred,

variable costs

to acquire client

relationship

intangibles

£’000 

10,212 

Deferred and

contingent

consideration

in business

combinations

£’000 

1,136 

Legal and 

compensation 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

2,743 

(4,883)

8,072 

4,075

12,147 

(3,641)

(7,445)

1,061 

511 

550 

1,061 

84 

1,220 

1,220 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

– 

3,158 

(2,000)

2,378 

2,378 

– 

2,378 

£’000 

598 

248 

(54) 

194 

(115) 

677 

– 

– 

677 

449 

(57) 

392 

– 

(260) 

809 

809 

– 

809 

Property-

related

£’000 

2,798 

16,534 

16,534 

(5,589)

13,743 

– 

– 

–

13,743 

1,836 

(3,726)

(1,890)

600 

(4,917)

7,536 

5,953 

1,583 

7,536 

Total

£’000 

14,744 

16,782 

(54)

16,728 

2,827 

(10,587)

23,712 

4,075

27,787 

2,285 

(3,783)

(1,498)

117 

(14,622)

11,784 

9,651 

2,133 

11,784 

Deferred, variable costs to acquire client relationship intangibles 
Other movements in provisions relate to deferred payments to investment managers and third parties for the introduction of client 
relationships, which have been capitalised in the year. In 2018, there was a net release of £3,641,000 (2017: net increase of £2,743,000)  
in relation to the value of certain payments where not all performance conditions were ultimately met (note 22). 

Deferred and contingent consideration in business combinations 
Deferred and contingent consideration includes £1,050,000 (2017: £nil) payable to vendors following the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 
The payment is contingent on certain operational targets being met (see note 35). It also includes £1,328,000 (2017: £1,220,000) which  
is the present value of amounts payable at the end of 2019 in respect of the acquisition of Vision Independent Financial Planning and 
Castle Investment Solutions. 

Legal and compensation 
During the ordinary course of business the group may, from time-to-time, be subject to complaints, as well as threatened and actual 
legal proceedings (which may include lawsuits brought on behalf of clients or other third parties) both in the UK and overseas. Any 
such material matters are periodically reassessed, with the assistance of external professional advisers where appropriate, to determine 
the likelihood of the group incurring a liability. In those instances where it is concluded that it is more likely than not that a payment 
will be made, a provision is established to the group’s best estimate of the amount required to settle the obligation at the relevant 
balance sheet date. The timing of settlement of provisions for client compensation or litigation is dependent, in part, on the duration  
of negotiations with third parties. 

Property-related 
Property-related provisions of £7,536,000 relate to dilapidation and onerous lease provisions expected to arise on leasehold premises 
held by the group (2017: £13,743,000). 

On 6 June 2018, the group completed assignment of its leases on surplus property at 1 Curzon Street, which triggered a release of 
£3,726,000 from the onerous lease provision held over the property. The timing of cash flows from the group relating to monies  
due under the contract with the assignee are subject to the level of rent paid by the assignee following the rent review that was  
due in the third quarter of 2018 but remains outstanding. 

Dilapidation provisions are calculated using a discounted cash flow model; during the year ended 31 December 2018, dilapidation 
provisions increased by £1,449,000 (2017: decreased by £533,000). The group utilised £912,000 (2017: £802,000) of the dilapidations 
provision held for the surplus property at 1 Curzon Street during the year. During the year, management have reviewed the potential 
cost and timing of dilapidation provisions, which has resulted in an increase in provisions of £1,636,000 (2017: £nil). The impact of 
discounting led to an additional £125,000 (2017: £82,000) being provided for over the year. The acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey led  
to £600,000 being added to the dilapidations provision during the year for floors leased in George House, Glasgow (note 35). 

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Amounts payable after one year 
Property-related provisions of £1,583,000 are expected to be settled within 15 years of the balance sheet date, which corresponds to  
the longest lease for which a dilapidations provision is being held. Remaining provisions payable after one year are expected to be 
settled within two years of the balance sheet date. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

27  Subordinated loan notes 

Subordinated loan notes 
–  face value 
–  carrying value 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

20,000 
19,807 

20,000 
19,695 

Subordinated loan notes consist of 10-year Tier 2 notes ('Notes'), which are repayable in August 2025, with a call option in August 2020 
and annually thereafter. Interest is payable at a fixed rate of 5.856% until the first call option date and at a fixed margin of 4.375% over  
6 month LIBOR thereafter. An interest expense of £1,283,000 (2017: £1,276,000) was recognised in the year (see note 5). 

28  Long-term employee benefits 

Defined contribution pension scheme 
The group operates a defined contribution group personal pension scheme and contributes to various other personal pension 
arrangements for certain directors and employees. The total of contributions made to these schemes during the year was £7,959,000 
(2017: £6,213,000). The group also operates a defined contribution scheme for overseas employees, for which the total contributions 
were £36,000 (2017: £47,000). 

Defined benefit pension schemes 
The group operates two defined benefit pension schemes that operate within the UK legal and regulatory framework; the Rathbone 
1987 Scheme and the Laurence Keen Retirement Benefit Scheme. The schemes are currently both clients of Rathbone Investment 
Management, with investments managed on a discretionary basis, in accordance with the statements of investment principles  
agreed by the trustees. Scheme assets are held separately from those of the group. 

The trustees of the schemes are required to act in the best interest of the schemes' beneficiaries. The appointment of trustees is 
determined by the schemes’ trust documentation and legislation. The group has a policy that one third of all trustees should be 
nominated by members of the schemes. 

Following a recent high court ruling, the cost of equalising pension benefits for the impact of unequal Guaranteed Minimum Pensions 
(GMP) has been recognised. Only the Laurence Keen Scheme is impacted. The Rathbone 1987 Scheme was never contracted out, 
meaning there are no GMP benefits in this scheme. Ahead of a specific method for equalisation being agreed with the scheme  
trustees, the cost has been estimated using a method consistent with that deemed by the high court to be the minimum necessary 
requirements to achieve equality. This has resulted in a plan amendment loss of £125,000 being recognised in staff costs. 

The Laurence Keen Scheme was closed to new entrants and future accrual with effect from 30 September 1999. Past service benefits 
continue to be calculated by reference to final pensionable salaries. From 1 October 1999, all the active members of the Laurence Keen 
Scheme were included under the Rathbone 1987 Scheme for accrual of retirement benefits for further service. The Rathbone 1987 
Scheme was closed to new entrants with effect from 31 March 2002 and to future accrual from 30 June 2017. This resulted in a plan 
amendment gain of £5,523,000 being recognised in operating income on that date. 

The group provides death in service benefits to all employees through the Rathbone 1987 Scheme. Third party insurance is  
purchased for the benefits where possible and £913,000 of related insurance premiums were expensed to profit or loss in the  
year (2017: £1,167,000). The estimated present value of the uninsured death in service benefits is included in long term employee 
benefits liabilities. 

The schemes are valued by independent actuaries at least every three years using the projected unit credit method, which looks  
at the value of benefits accruing over the years following the valuation date based on projected salary to the date of termination  
of services, discounted to a present value using a rate that reflects the characteristics of the liability. The valuations are updated  
at each balance sheet date in between full valuations. The latest full actuarial valuations were carried out as at the following dates: 

Rathbone 1987 Scheme 
Laurence Keen Scheme 

31 December 2016 
31 December 2016 

The next triennial valuations of the two schemes will be carried out as at 31 December 2019, and are likely to result in changes to the 
funding commitments. 

The assumptions used by the actuaries, to estimate the schemes' liabilities, are the best estimates chosen from a range of possible 
actuarial assumptions. Due to the timescale covered by the liability, these assumptions may not necessarily be borne out in practice. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

27  Subordinated loan notes 

Subordinated loan notes 

–  face value 

–  carrying value 

28  Long-term employee benefits 

Defined contribution pension scheme 

were £36,000 (2017: £47,000). 

Defined benefit pension schemes 

Subordinated loan notes consist of 10-year Tier 2 notes ('Notes'), which are repayable in August 2025, with a call option in August 2020 

and annually thereafter. Interest is payable at a fixed rate of 5.856% until the first call option date and at a fixed margin of 4.375% over  

6 month LIBOR thereafter. An interest expense of £1,283,000 (2017: £1,276,000) was recognised in the year (see note 5). 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

20,000 

19,807 

20,000 

19,695 

The group operates a defined contribution group personal pension scheme and contributes to various other personal pension 

arrangements for certain directors and employees. The total of contributions made to these schemes during the year was £7,959,000 

(2017: £6,213,000). The group also operates a defined contribution scheme for overseas employees, for which the total contributions 

The group operates two defined benefit pension schemes that operate within the UK legal and regulatory framework; the Rathbone 

1987 Scheme and the Laurence Keen Retirement Benefit Scheme. The schemes are currently both clients of Rathbone Investment 

Management, with investments managed on a discretionary basis, in accordance with the statements of investment principles  

agreed by the trustees. Scheme assets are held separately from those of the group. 

The trustees of the schemes are required to act in the best interest of the schemes' beneficiaries. The appointment of trustees is 

determined by the schemes’ trust documentation and legislation. The group has a policy that one third of all trustees should be 

nominated by members of the schemes. 

Following a recent high court ruling, the cost of equalising pension benefits for the impact of unequal Guaranteed Minimum Pensions 

(GMP) has been recognised. Only the Laurence Keen Scheme is impacted. The Rathbone 1987 Scheme was never contracted out, 

meaning there are no GMP benefits in this scheme. Ahead of a specific method for equalisation being agreed with the scheme  

trustees, the cost has been estimated using a method consistent with that deemed by the high court to be the minimum necessary 

requirements to achieve equality. This has resulted in a plan amendment loss of £125,000 being recognised in staff costs. 

The Laurence Keen Scheme was closed to new entrants and future accrual with effect from 30 September 1999. Past service benefits 

continue to be calculated by reference to final pensionable salaries. From 1 October 1999, all the active members of the Laurence Keen 

Scheme were included under the Rathbone 1987 Scheme for accrual of retirement benefits for further service. The Rathbone 1987 

Scheme was closed to new entrants with effect from 31 March 2002 and to future accrual from 30 June 2017. This resulted in a plan 

amendment gain of £5,523,000 being recognised in operating income on that date. 

The group provides death in service benefits to all employees through the Rathbone 1987 Scheme. Third party insurance is  

purchased for the benefits where possible and £913,000 of related insurance premiums were expensed to profit or loss in the  

year (2017: £1,167,000). The estimated present value of the uninsured death in service benefits is included in long term employee 

benefits liabilities. 

The schemes are valued by independent actuaries at least every three years using the projected unit credit method, which looks  

at the value of benefits accruing over the years following the valuation date based on projected salary to the date of termination  

of services, discounted to a present value using a rate that reflects the characteristics of the liability. The valuations are updated  

at each balance sheet date in between full valuations. The latest full actuarial valuations were carried out as at the following dates: 

Rathbone 1987 Scheme 

Laurence Keen Scheme 

31 December 2016 

31 December 2016 

The next triennial valuations of the two schemes will be carried out as at 31 December 2019, and are likely to result in changes to the 

funding commitments. 

The assumptions used by the actuaries, to estimate the schemes' liabilities, are the best estimates chosen from a range of possible 

actuarial assumptions. Due to the timescale covered by the liability, these assumptions may not necessarily be borne out in practice. 

The principal actuarial assumptions used, which reflect the different membership profiles of the schemes, were: 

Rate of increase of salaries 
Rate of increase of pensions in payment 
Rate of increase of deferred pensions 
Discount rate 
Inflation* 
Percentage of members transferring out of the schemes per annum 
Average age of members at date of transferring out (years) 

*  Inflation assumptions are based on the Retail Price Index 

Laurence Keen Scheme 

Rathbone 1987 Scheme 

2018 
% 
(unless stated) 
n/a 
3.60 
3.40 
2.85 
3.40 
3.00 
52.5 

2017 
% 
(unless stated) 
n/a 
3.60 
3.50 
2.65 
3.50 
3.00 
52.5 

2018 
% 
(unless stated) 
n/a 
3.30 
3.40 
2.85 
3.40 
3.00 
52.5 

2017
%
(unless stated) 
n/a 
3.40 
3.50 
2.65 
3.50 
3.00 
52.5 

Over the year, the financial assumptions have been amended to reflect changes in market conditions. Specifically: 

1.  the discount rate has been increased by 0.2% to reflect an increase in the yields available on AA-rated Corporate Bonds; 
2.  the assumed rate of future inflation has decreased by 0.1% and reflects expectations of long-term inflation as implied by changes  

in the fixed-interest and index-linked gilts market;  

3.  the assumed rates of future increases to pensions in payment have decreased by 0.1% for the 1987 Scheme and remained level  

for the Laurence Keen Scheme, consistent with the assumed rate of future inflation. 

Over the year the demographic assumptions adopted remain unchanged, other than updating the CMI model used to project future 
improvements in mortality from the 2016 version to the 2017 version. 

The assumed duration of the liabilities for the Laurence Keen Scheme is 17 years (2017: 16 years) and the assumed duration for the 
Rathbone 1987 Scheme is 21 years (2016: 20 years). 

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The normal retirement age for members of the Laurence Keen Scheme is 65 (60 for certain former directors). The normal retirement 
age for members of the Rathbone 1987 Scheme is 60 for service prior to 1 July 2009 and 65 thereafter, following the introduction of 
pension benefits based on Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) from that date. The assumed life expectancy for the membership 
of both schemes is based on the S2NA actuarial tables (2017: S2NA tables). The assumed life expectations on retirement were: 

Retiring today:  

Retiring in 20 years:  

–  aged 60 
–  aged 65 
–  aged 60 
–  aged 65 

2018 

2017 

Males (Years)
28.4 
23.6 
30.3 
25.3 

Females (Years) 
30.5 
25.6 
32.3 
27.3 

Males (Years)
28.5 
23.7 
30.4 
25.4 

Females (Years)
30.6 
25.6 
32.4 
27.4 

The amount included in the balance sheet arising from the group’s assets in respect of the schemes is as follows: 

Present value of defined benefit obligations 
Fair value of scheme assets 
Net defined benefit liability 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
(12,383)
11,624 
(759)

2018 

Rathbone 
1987 Scheme 
£’000 
(134,150)
123,712 
(10,438)

Total 
£’000 
(146,533)
135,336 
(11,197)

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
(12,980) 
12,278 
(702) 

2017 

Rathbone
1987 Scheme
£’000 
(151,133)
136,235 
(14,898)

Total
£’000 
(164,113)
148,513 
(15,600)

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

28  Long-term employee benefits continued 

The amounts recognised in profit or loss, within operating expenses, are as follows: 

Current service cost 
Net interest on net liability 
Loss/(gain) on plan amendment 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
– 
14 
125 
139 

2018 

Rathbone 
1987 Scheme 
£’000 
– 
352 
– 
352 

Total 
£’000 
– 
366 
125 
491 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
– 
59 
(305) 
(246) 

2017 

Rathbone
1987 Scheme
£’000 
1,559 
957 
(5,218)
(2,702)

Total
£’000 
1,559 
1,016 
(5,523)
(2,948)

Remeasurements of the net defined benefit liability have been reported in other comprehensive income. The actual return on  
scheme assets was a fall in value of £280,000 (2017: £1,170,000 rise) for the Laurence Keen Scheme and a fall in value of £6,279,000 
(2017: £13,558,000 rise) for the Rathbone 1987 Scheme. 

Movements in the present value of defined benefit obligations were as follows: 

At 1 January 
Service cost (employer’s part) 
Interest cost 
Contributions from members 
Actuarial experience gains 
Actuarial (gains)/losses arising from: 
–  demographic assumptions 
–  financial assumptions 
Loss/(gain) on plan amendment 
Benefits paid 
At 31 December 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
12,980 
– 
334 
– 
106 

103 
(487)
125 
(778)
12,383 

Movements in the fair value of scheme assets were as follows: 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
12,278 

2018 

Rathbone 
1987 Scheme 
£’000 
151,133 
– 
3,879 
– 
(5,446)

1,817 
(7,720)
– 
(9,513)
134,150 

2018 

Rathbone 
1987 Scheme 
£’000 
136,235 

Total 
£’000 
164,113 
– 
4,213 
– 
(5,340)

1,920 
(8,207)
125 
(10,291)
146,533 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
16,203 
– 
412 
– 
(214) 

(494) 
369 
(305) 
(2,991) 
12,980 

Total 
£’000 
148,513 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 
£’000 
14,099 

2017 

Rathbone
1987 Scheme
£’000 
216,238 
1,559 
5,219 
314 
(4,489)

(7,786)
5,439 
(5,218)
(60,143)
151,133 

2017 

Rathbone
1987 Scheme
£’000 
178,887 

Total
£’000 
232,441 
1,559 
5,631 
314 
(4,703)

(8,280)
5,808 
(5,523)
(63,134)
164,113 

Total
£’000 
192,986 

At 1 January 
Remeasurement of net defined benefit 

liability: 

–  interest income 
–  return on scheme assets (excluding 

amounts included in interest income) 

Contributions from the sponsoring 

companies 

Contributions from scheme members 
Benefits paid 
At 31 December 

320 

3,527 

3,847 

(600)

(9,806)

(10,406)

353 

817 

4,262 

4,615 

9,296 

10,113 

404 
– 
(778)
11,624 

3,269 
– 
(9,513)
123,712 

3,673 
– 
(10,291)
135,336 

– 
– 
(2,991) 
12,278 

3,619 
314 
(60,143)
136,235 

3,619 
314 
(63,134)
148,513 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

28  Long-term employee benefits continued 

The amounts recognised in profit or loss, within operating expenses, are as follows: 

Current service cost 

Net interest on net liability 

Loss/(gain) on plan amendment 

Laurence Keen 

Laurence Keen 

2018 

Rathbone 

1987 Scheme 

£’000 

352 

– 

– 

352 

Scheme 

£’000 

– 

14 

125 

139 

Total 

£’000 

– 

366 

125 

491 

2017 

Rathbone

1987 Scheme

£’000 

1,559 

957 

(5,218)

(2,702)

Scheme 

£’000 

– 

59 

(305) 

(246) 

Total

£’000 

1,559 

1,016 

(5,523)

(2,948)

Remeasurements of the net defined benefit liability have been reported in other comprehensive income. The actual return on  

scheme assets was a fall in value of £280,000 (2017: £1,170,000 rise) for the Laurence Keen Scheme and a fall in value of £6,279,000 

(2017: £13,558,000 rise) for the Rathbone 1987 Scheme. 

Movements in the present value of defined benefit obligations were as follows: 

At 1 January 

Interest cost 

Service cost (employer’s part) 

Contributions from members 

Actuarial experience gains 

Actuarial (gains)/losses arising from: 

–  demographic assumptions 

–  financial assumptions 

Loss/(gain) on plan amendment 

Benefits paid 

At 31 December 

Remeasurement of net defined benefit 

At 1 January 

liability: 

–  interest income 

–  return on scheme assets (excluding 

amounts included in interest income) 

Contributions from the sponsoring 

Contributions from scheme members 

companies 

Benefits paid 

At 31 December 

12,980 

151,133 

164,113 

16,203 

216,238 

232,441 

Total 

£’000 

Laurence Keen 

Scheme 

£’000 

– 

– 

412 

– 

– 

2017 

Rathbone

1987 Scheme

£’000 

1,559 

5,219 

314 

Total

£’000 

1,559 

5,631 

314 

3,879 

4,213 

106 

(5,446)

(5,340)

(214) 

(4,489)

(4,703)

Laurence Keen 

Scheme 

£’000 

2018 

Rathbone 

1987 Scheme 

£’000 

334 

– 

– 

103 

(487)

125 

(778)

– 

– 

– 

1,817 

(7,720)

(9,513)

12,383 

134,150 

1,920 

(8,207)

125 

(10,291)

146,533 

(494) 

369 

(305) 

(7,786)

5,439 

(5,218)

(2,991) 

12,980 

(60,143)

151,133 

(8,280)

5,808 

(5,523)

(63,134)

164,113 

Laurence Keen 

Scheme 

£’000 

2018 

Rathbone 

1987 Scheme 

£’000 

Total 

£’000 

Laurence Keen 

Scheme 

£’000 

2017 

Rathbone

1987 Scheme

£’000 

Total

£’000 

12,278 

136,235 

148,513 

14,099 

178,887 

192,986 

320 

3,527 

3,847 

4,262 

4,615 

(600)

(9,806)

(10,406)

9,296 

10,113 

404 

– 

(778)

3,269 

– 

(9,513)

11,624 

123,712 

3,673 

– 

(10,291)

135,336 

3,619 

314 

3,619 

314 

(63,134)

148,513 

(2,991) 

12,278 

(60,143)

136,235 

353 

817 

– 

– 

Movements in the fair value of scheme assets were as follows: 

The statements of investment principles set by the trustees of both schemes were revised in 2015. They require that the assets of  
the schemes are invested in a diversified portfolio of assets, split between growth assets (primarily equities) and safer assets (gilts, 
index-linked gilts, corporate bonds and other fixed income investments) with a switch to a greater percentage of safer assets over  
time as the schemes mature.  

In the Rathbone 1987 Scheme, the target date for the 100% allocation to safer assets is 31 December 2048. The scheme also seeks  
to hedge around 50% of its interest rate and inflation risk by using Liability Driven Investment (LDI) strategies. 

In the Laurence Keen Scheme the target date for the 100% allocation to safer assets is 31 December 2040.  

The expected asset allocations at 31 December 2018 as set out in the statements of investment principles are as follows: 

Target asset allocation at 31 December 2018 
Benchmark 
Safer assets 
Growth assets 
Range 
Safer assets 
Growth assets 

The analysis of the scheme assets, measured at bid prices, at the balance sheet date was as follows: 

Laurence Keen Scheme 
Equity instruments: 
–  United Kingdom 
–  Eurozone 
–  North America 
–  Other 

Debt instruments: 
–  United Kingdom government bonds 
–  United Kingdom corporate bonds 

Cash 
Other 
At 31 December 

2018 
Fair 
value 
£’000 

3,007 
377 
588 
734 
4,706 

4,475 
1,993 
6,468 
84 
366 
11,624 

2017 
Fair 
value 
£’000 

3,722 
409 
755 
558 
5,444 

4,482 
1,686 
6,168 
283 
383 
12,278 

Laurence Keen 
Scheme 

Rathbone 
1987 Scheme 

52% 
48% 

40% 
60% 

46% – 58%  32% – 44% 
42% – 54%  54% – 66% 

2018 
Current 
allocation 
% 

2017
Current
allocation
% 

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45 

56 
1 
3 
100 

50 
2 
3 
100 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

28  Long-term employee benefits continued 

Rathbone 1987 Scheme 
Equity instruments: 
–  United Kingdom 
–  Eurozone 
–  North America 
–  Other 

Debt instruments: 
–  United Kingdom government bonds 
–  Overseas government bonds 
–  United Kingdom corporate bonds 
–  Overseas corporate bonds 

Derivatives: 
–  Interest rate swap funds 

Cash 
Other 
At 31 December 

2018 
Fair 
value 
£’000 

34,367 
6,110 
8,958 
7,081 
56,516 

36,055 
2,042 
8,809 
– 
46,906 

41,736 
6,016 
9,422 
7,168 
64,342 

36,069 
1,973 
10,100 
– 
48,142 

15,734 
15,734 
4,556 
– 
123,712 

20,222 
20,222 
3,529 
– 
136,235 

2017 
Fair 
value 
£’000 

2018 
Current 
allocation 
% 

2017
Current
allocation
% 

45 

47 

38 

35 

13 
4 
– 
100 

15 
3 
– 
100 

During 2018, the Rathbone 1987 Scheme held shares in real time inflation-linked interest rate swap funds, which had a fair value  
of £15,734,000 at the year end (2017: £20,222,000). The value of these investments is expected to increase when the value of the 
scheme's liabilities increase (and vice versa). They therefore act to reduce the group's exposure to changes in net defined benefit 
pension obligations arising from changes in interest rates and inflation. The funds are selected so that their average duration is 
intended to broadly align with the duration of the scheme's liabilities. 

All equity and debt instruments have quoted prices in active markets. The majority of government bonds are issued by governments 
of the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Germany all of which are rated AAA, AA+ or AA, based on credit ratings 
awarded by Fitch Ratings Limited (Fitch) or Moody’s Corporation (Moody’s) as at the balance sheet date. Other scheme assets 
comprise commodities and property funds, both of which also have quoted prices in active markets. 

The key assumptions affecting the results of the valuation are the discount rate, future inflation, mortality, the rate of members 
transferring out and the average age at the time of transferring out. In order to demonstrate the sensitivity of the results to these 
assumptions, the actuary has recalculated the defined benefit obligations for each scheme by varying each of these assumptions in 
isolation whilst leaving the other assumptions unchanged. For example, in order to demonstrate the sensitivity of the results to the 
discount rate, the actuary has recalculated the defined benefit obligations for each scheme using a discount rate that is 0.5% higher 
than used for calculating the disclosed figures. A similar approach has been taken to demonstrate the sensitivity of the results to the 
other key assumptions. A summary of the sensitivities in respect of the total of the two schemes’ defined benefit obligations are set  
out below. 

0.5% increase in: 
–  discount rate 
–  rate of inflation 
Reduce allowance for future transfers to nil 
1 year increase to: 
–  longevity at 60 
–  average age of members at the time of transferring out

Combined impact on schemes' liabilities
(Decrease)/increase
£'000 

(Decrease)/increase
% 

(13,717)
8,603 
1,289 

5,645 
642 

(9.4)
5.9 
0.9 

3.9 
0.4 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

28  Long-term employee benefits continued 

Rathbone 1987 Scheme 

Equity instruments: 

–  United Kingdom 

–  Eurozone 

–  North America 

–  Other 

Debt instruments: 

–  United Kingdom government bonds 

–  Overseas government bonds 

–  United Kingdom corporate bonds 

–  Overseas corporate bonds 

Derivatives: 

–  Interest rate swap funds 

Cash 

Other 

At 31 December 

2017 

Fair 

value 

£’000 

2018 

Current 

allocation 

% 

2017

Current

allocation

% 

34,367 

41,736 

56,516 

64,342 

45 

47 

2018 

Fair 

value 

£’000 

6,110 

8,958 

7,081 

36,055 

2,042 

8,809 

– 

15,734 

15,734 

4,556 

– 

6,016 

9,422 

7,168 

36,069 

1,973 

10,100 

– 

20,222 

20,222 

3,529 

– 

46,906 

48,142 

38 

35 

123,712 

136,235 

13 

4 

– 

100 

15 

3 

– 

100 

During 2018, the Rathbone 1987 Scheme held shares in real time inflation-linked interest rate swap funds, which had a fair value  

of £15,734,000 at the year end (2017: £20,222,000). The value of these investments is expected to increase when the value of the 

scheme's liabilities increase (and vice versa). They therefore act to reduce the group's exposure to changes in net defined benefit 

pension obligations arising from changes in interest rates and inflation. The funds are selected so that their average duration is 

intended to broadly align with the duration of the scheme's liabilities. 

All equity and debt instruments have quoted prices in active markets. The majority of government bonds are issued by governments 

of the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Germany all of which are rated AAA, AA+ or AA, based on credit ratings 

awarded by Fitch Ratings Limited (Fitch) or Moody’s Corporation (Moody’s) as at the balance sheet date. Other scheme assets 

comprise commodities and property funds, both of which also have quoted prices in active markets. 

The key assumptions affecting the results of the valuation are the discount rate, future inflation, mortality, the rate of members 

transferring out and the average age at the time of transferring out. In order to demonstrate the sensitivity of the results to these 

assumptions, the actuary has recalculated the defined benefit obligations for each scheme by varying each of these assumptions in 

isolation whilst leaving the other assumptions unchanged. For example, in order to demonstrate the sensitivity of the results to the 

discount rate, the actuary has recalculated the defined benefit obligations for each scheme using a discount rate that is 0.5% higher 

than used for calculating the disclosed figures. A similar approach has been taken to demonstrate the sensitivity of the results to the 

other key assumptions. A summary of the sensitivities in respect of the total of the two schemes’ defined benefit obligations are set  

out below. 

0.5% increase in: 

–  discount rate 

–  rate of inflation 

1 year increase to: 

–  longevity at 60 

Reduce allowance for future transfers to nil 

–  average age of members at the time of transferring out

Combined impact on schemes' liabilities

(Decrease)/increase

(Decrease)/increase

£'000 

% 

(13,717)

8,603 

1,289 

5,645 

642 

(9.4)

5.9 

0.9 

3.9 

0.4 

The total contributions made by the group to the Rathbone 1987 Scheme during the year were £3,269,000 (2017: £3,694,000).  
Regular contribution to the Rathbone 1987 Scheme ceased with effect from 30 June 2017; in that year, regular contributions of 
£856,000 were made based on 20.3% of pensionable salaries and additional lump sum contributions of £2,838,000 were paid.  
The group has committed to pay deficit reducing contributions of £1,750,000 by 28 February each year from 2019 to 2022 (inclusive) 
and a further £1,000,000 by 31 August in each of those years, so long as that scheme remains in deficit. The deficit funding plan will  
be reviewed following the next triennial valuation, as at 31 December 2019. 

The total contributions made by the group to the Laurence Keen Scheme during the year were £404,000 (2017: £nil). The group has 
committed to pay deficit reducing contributions of £168,000 by 28 February each year from 2019 to 2021 (inclusive) and a further 
£168,000 by 31 August in each of those years, so long as that scheme remains in deficit. Regular contributions to the Laurence Keen 
Scheme stopped with effect from 1 January 2015. 

No allowance has been made for a minimum funding requirement under IFRIC 14. The funding plans only require further 
contributions if the schemes remain in deficit. 

29  Share capital and share premium 

The following movements in share capital occurred during the year: 

At 1 January 2017 
Shares issued: 
–  to Share Incentive Plan 
–  to Save As You Earn scheme 
–  to Employee Benefit Trust 
At 1 January 2018 
Shares issued: 
–  in relation to business combinations (note 35)
–  to Share Incentive Plan 
–  to Save As You Earn scheme 
–  to Employee Benefit Trust 
–  on placing 
At 31 December 2018 

Number of
shares 
50,682,679 

Exercise/
issue price
pence 

86,671  1,784.0 – 2,611.0 
984.0 – 1,648.0 
95,041 
437,683 
5.0 
51,302,074 

1,006,522 

2,484.0 
79,649  2,354.0 – 2,488.0 
149,340  1,106.0 – 1,648.0 
5.0 
269,372 
2,500.0 
2,400,000 
55,206,957 

Share 
capital 
£’000 
2,535 

4 
5 
22 
2,566 

50 
4 
7 
13 
120 
2,760 

Share
premium
£’000 
139,991 

1,725 
1,373 
– 
143,089 

24,950 
1,945 
2,050 
– 
58,189 
230,223 

Total
£’000 
142,526 

1,729 
1,378 
22 
145,655 

25,000 
1,949 
2,057 
13 
58,309 
232,983 

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The total number of issued and fully paid up ordinary shares at 31 December 2018 was 55,206,957 (2017: 51,302,074) with a par value  
of 5p per share. 

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared from time-to-time, and are entitled to one vote per  
share at meetings of the company. The ordinary shareholders are entitled to any residual assets on the winding up of the company. 

On 18 June 2018, the company issued 2,400,000 shares by way of a placing for cash consideration at £25.00 per share, which  
raised £58,309,000, net of £1,691,000 placing costs, offset against share premium arising on the issue. 

On 31 August 2018, the company issued 1,006,522 shares in respect of the initial share consideration from the acquisition of Speirs & 
Jeffrey (see note 35). These shares are being held in own shares (see note 30) until they vest on the third anniversary of issue. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

30  Own shares 

The following movements in own shares occurred during the year: 

At 1 January 2017 
Acquired in the year 
Released on vesting 
At 1 January 2018 
Acquired in the year 
Released on vesting 
At 31 December 2018 

Number of
shares 
336,987 
461,067 
(141,361)
656,693 
1,465,828 
(178,668)
1,943,853 

£’000 
6,243 
441 
(1,820)
4,864 
29,888 
(2,015)
32,737 

Own shares represent the cost of the company's own shares, either purchased in the market or issued by the company, that are held  
by the company or in an employee benefit trust to satisfy future awards under the group's share-based payment schemes (note 31). 
664,071 shares were held in the Employee Benefit Trust at 31 December 2018 (2017: 382,751) and 273,260 (2017: 273,942) shares were 
held by the trustees of the Share Incentive Plan but were not unconditionally gifted to employees. A further 1,006,552 (2017: nil) shares 
were held in nominee in respect of the initial share consideration for the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey (see note 29).  

31  Share-based payments 

Share Incentive Plan 
The group operates a Share Incentive Plan (SIP), which is available to all employees. Employees can contribute up to £150 per month  
to acquire partnership shares, which are purchased or allotted twice a year at the end of six month accumulation periods. The group 
currently matches employee contributions on a one-for-one basis to acquire matching shares. 

The group also provides performance-related free shares, with eligible employees receiving shares valued at the rate of £100 per 1%  
real increase in earnings per share up to a maximum of £3,000 per annum. 

For UK employees, SIP dividends are reinvested and used to purchase dividend shares, whilst for Jersey employees dividends are  
paid in cash. 

As at 31 December 2018, the trustees of the SIP held 1,086,261 (2017: 1,092,120) ordinary shares of 5p each in Rathbone Brothers Plc with 
a total market value of £25,440,000 (2017: £28,330,000). Of the total number of shares held by the trustees, 261,253 (2017: 263,165) have 
been conditionally gifted to employees and 12,007 (2017: 10,777) remain unallocated. Dividends on the unallocated shares have been 
waived by the trustees. 

Savings-related share option or Save As You Earn (SAYE) plan 
Under the SAYE plan, employees can contribute up to £500 per month to acquire shares at the end of a three or five year savings period. 

Options with an aggregate estimated fair value of £668,000, determined using a binomial valuation model including expected 
dividends, were granted on 20 April 2018 to directors and staff under the SAYE plan. The inputs into the binomial model for  
options granted during 2018, as at the date of issue, were as follows: 

Share price (pence) 
Exercise price (pence) 
Expected volatility 
Risk-free rate 
Expected dividend yield 

2018 
2,302 
1,977 
20% 
1.0% 
2.6% 

2017 
2,351 
1,899 
20% 
0.2% 
2.4% 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

The following movements in own shares occurred during the year: 

30  Own shares 

At 1 January 2017 

Acquired in the year 

Released on vesting 

At 1 January 2018 

Acquired in the year 

Released on vesting 

At 31 December 2018 

Own shares represent the cost of the company's own shares, either purchased in the market or issued by the company, that are held  

by the company or in an employee benefit trust to satisfy future awards under the group's share-based payment schemes (note 31). 

664,071 shares were held in the Employee Benefit Trust at 31 December 2018 (2017: 382,751) and 273,260 (2017: 273,942) shares were 

held by the trustees of the Share Incentive Plan but were not unconditionally gifted to employees. A further 1,006,552 (2017: nil) shares 

were held in nominee in respect of the initial share consideration for the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey (see note 29).  

31  Share-based payments 

Share Incentive Plan 

The group operates a Share Incentive Plan (SIP), which is available to all employees. Employees can contribute up to £150 per month  

to acquire partnership shares, which are purchased or allotted twice a year at the end of six month accumulation periods. The group 

currently matches employee contributions on a one-for-one basis to acquire matching shares. 

The group also provides performance-related free shares, with eligible employees receiving shares valued at the rate of £100 per 1%  

real increase in earnings per share up to a maximum of £3,000 per annum. 

For UK employees, SIP dividends are reinvested and used to purchase dividend shares, whilst for Jersey employees dividends are  

paid in cash. 

waived by the trustees. 

As at 31 December 2018, the trustees of the SIP held 1,086,261 (2017: 1,092,120) ordinary shares of 5p each in Rathbone Brothers Plc with 

a total market value of £25,440,000 (2017: £28,330,000). Of the total number of shares held by the trustees, 261,253 (2017: 263,165) have 

been conditionally gifted to employees and 12,007 (2017: 10,777) remain unallocated. Dividends on the unallocated shares have been 

Savings-related share option or Save As You Earn (SAYE) plan 

Under the SAYE plan, employees can contribute up to £500 per month to acquire shares at the end of a three or five year savings period. 

Options with an aggregate estimated fair value of £668,000, determined using a binomial valuation model including expected 

dividends, were granted on 20 April 2018 to directors and staff under the SAYE plan. The inputs into the binomial model for  

options granted during 2018, as at the date of issue, were as follows: 

Share price (pence) 

Exercise price (pence) 

Expected volatility 

Risk-free rate 

Expected dividend yield 

2018 

2,302 

1,977 

20% 

1.0% 

2.6% 

2017 

2,351 

1,899 

20% 

0.2% 

2.4% 

The number of share options outstanding for the SAYE plan at the end of the year, the period in which they were granted and the dates 
on which they may be exercised are given below. 

Number of

shares 

336,987 

461,067 

(141,361)

656,693 

1,465,828 

(178,668)

1,943,853 

£’000 

6,243 

441 

(1,820)

4,864 

29,888 

(2,015)

32,737 

Year of grant 
2012 
2013 
2014 
2015 
2016 
2017 
2018 
At 31 December 

Exercise price
pence 
984.0 
1,106.0 
1,556.0 
1,641.0 
1,648.0 
1,899.0 
1,977.0 

Exercise 
period 
2017 
2018 
2019 
2018 and 2020 
2019 and 2021 
2020 and 2022 
2021 and 2023 

2018 
Number 
of share 
options 
– 
– 
57,005 
48,828 
131,598 
117,202 
146,746
501,379 

Movements in the number of share options outstanding for the SAYE plan were as follows: 

At 1 January 
Granted in the year 
Forfeited in the year 
Exercised in the year 
At 31 December 

2018 

2017 

Number 
of share 
options 
525,891 
156,588 
(31,240)
(149,860)
501,379 

Weighted 
average 
exercise price 
pence 
 1,620.0  
 1,977.0  
 1,800.0  
 1,379.0  
 1,800.0  

Number
of share
options 
507,714 
130,745 
(17,520)
(95,048)
525,891 

2017
Number
of share
options 
– 
74,868 
59,415 
123,182 
141,034 
127,392 
–
525,891 

Weighted
average
exercise price
pence 
1,518.0 
1,899.0 
1,684.0 
1,450.0 
1,620.0 

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The weighted average share price at the dates of exercise for share options exercised during the year was £24.38 (2017: £25.72).  
The options outstanding at 31 December 2018 had a weighted average contractual life of 2.4 years (2017: 2.3 years) and a weighted 
average exercise price of £17.92 (2017: £16.20). 

Executive Incentive Plan 
Details of the general terms of this plan are set out in the remuneration committee report on pages 82 to 87. 

Under the remuneration policy, 40% of the total award will be given in cash with the remaining 60% of the award granted in shares. 
The group treats the cash element of the award as an employee benefit under IAS 19 and the share element of the award as an equity-
settled share-based payment under IFRS 2. 

Staff Equity Plan 
During 2018, the group launched a new remuneration scheme, Staff Equity Plan, for individuals within Rathbone Investment 
Management and Rathbone Investment Management International. The aim of the scheme is to promote increased equity interest  
in Rathbone Brothers Plc amongst employees.  

Participants are granted awards under the plan in the form of an option with an exercise price of £nil. The option awards are subject to 
certain service and performance conditions. Following the satisfaction of these performance conditions, the awards will vest (or lapse) 
and become exercisable on the fifth anniversary of the grant date. The awards will be exercisable from the vesting date until the tenth 
anniversary of the grant date.  

Other schemes 
The group operates a number of other plans for rewarding employees. Participants are granted awards under these plans in the form  
of options, which vest automatically on an anniversary of the grant date (generally between one and five years). As the intention is  
to settle the options in such plans in shares, the awards are treated as equity-settled share-based payments under IFRS 2. 

The group recognised total expenses of £6,886,000 in relation to share-based payment transactions in 2018 (2017: £3,871,000) 
(see note 11). 

Speirs & Jeffrey share-based payments 
Details of the general terms of share-based payments associated with the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey are set out in note 35.  

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management 

The group has identified the financial, business and operational risks arising from its activities and has established policies  
and procedures to manage these items in accordance with its risk appetite, as described in the group risk committee report  
on pages 66 to 68.  

The group categorises its financial risks into the following primary areas: 

liquidity risk;  

credit risk (which includes counterparty default risk); 

(i) 
(ii) 
(iii)  market risk (which includes fair value interest rate risk, cash flow interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk and price risk); and 
(iv)  pension risk. 
The group's exposures to pension risk are set out in note 28. 

The group’s financial risk management policies are designed to identify and analyse the financial risks that the group faces, to set 
appropriate risk tolerances, limits and controls and to monitor the financial risks and adherence to limits by means of reliable and  
up-to-date information systems. The group regularly reviews its financial risk management policies and systems to reflect changes  
in the business, counterparties, markets and the range of financial instruments that it utilises. 

The treasury department, reporting through the banking committee, has principal responsibility for monitoring exposure to credit risk, 
liquidity risk and market risk. Procedures and delegated authorities are documented in a group treasury manual and policy documents 
prescribe the management and monitoring of each type of risk. The primary objective of the group’s treasury policy is to manage short 
term liquidity requirements whilst maintaining an appropriate level of exposure to other financial risks in accordance with the group’s 
risk appetite. 

(i)  Credit risk 
The group takes on exposure to credit risk, which is the risk that a counterparty will be unable to pay amounts in full when due, 
through its banking, treasury, trust and financial planning activities. The principal source of credit risk arises from placing funds in  
the money market and holding interest-bearing securities. The group also has exposure to credit risk through its client loan book  
and guarantees given on clients’ behalf. 

It is the group’s policy to place funds generated internally and from deposits by clients with a range of high-quality financial  
institutions and the Bank of England. Investments with financial institutions are spread to avoid excessive exposure to any  
individual counterparty. Loans made to clients are secured against clients’ assets that are held and managed by group companies. 

Exposure to credit risk is managed through setting appropriate ratings requirements and lending limits. Limits are reviewed regularly, 
taking into account the ability of borrowers and potential borrowers to meet repayment obligations. 

The group categorises its exposures based on the long term ratings awarded to counterparties by Fitch or Moody’s. Each exposure  
is assessed individually, both at inception and in ongoing monitoring. In addition to formal external ratings, the banking committee 
also utilises market intelligence information to assist its ongoing monitoring. 

The group's financial assets are categorised as follows: 

Balances with central banks (note 15) 
The group has exposure to central banks through its deposits held with the Bank of England. 

Loans and advances to banks (note 16) and debt and other securities (note 18) 
The group has exposures to a wide range of financial institutions through its treasury portfolio, which includes bank deposits, 
certificates of deposit, money market funds and treasury bills. These exposures principally arise from the placement of clients'  
cash, where it is held under a banking relationship, and the group’s own reserves. 

Balances with central banks, loans and advances to banks and debt and other securities (excluding equity securities) are collectively 
referred to as the group’s treasury book.  

Treasury book 
Balances with central banks 
Loans and advances to banks – fixed deposits 
Unlisted debt securities 
Money market funds 
Gross amount 

2018 
£’000 
1,198,600 
40,000 
907,225 
75,333 
2,221,158 

2017
£’000 
1,375,380 
41,427 
701,966 
106,747 
2,225,520 

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32  Financial risk management 

The group has identified the financial, business and operational risks arising from its activities and has established policies  

and procedures to manage these items in accordance with its risk appetite, as described in the group risk committee report  

The group categorises its financial risks into the following primary areas: 

credit risk (which includes counterparty default risk); 

The group’s policy requires that all such exposures are only taken with counterparties that have been awarded a minimum long term 
rating of single A by Fitch or equivalent rating by Moody’s. Counterparty limits are also in place to limit exposure to an individual 
counterparty or connected group of counterparties. Counterparty exposures are monitored on a daily basis by the treasury department 
and reviewed by the banking committee on a monthly basis, or more frequently when necessary. The banking committee may 
suspend dealing in a particular counterparty, or liquidate specific holdings, in the light of adverse market information. 

Loans and advances to customers (note 17) 
The group provides loans to clients through its investment management operations ('the investment management loan book'). The 
group is also exposed to credit risk on overdrafts on clients' investment management accounts, trade debtors arising from the trust,  
tax and financial planning businesses ('trust and financial planning debtors') and other debtors. 

(iii)  market risk (which includes fair value interest rate risk, cash flow interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk and price risk); and 

(a)  Overdrafts 

Overdrafts on clients’ investment management accounts arise from time to time due to short term timing differences between 
the purchase and sale of assets on a client's behalf. Overdrafts are actively monitored and reported to the banking committee  
on a monthly basis. 

(b) 

Investment management loan book (“IM loan book”) 
Loans are provided as a service to investment management clients who are generally asset rich but have short to medium  
term cash requirements. Such loans are normally made on a fully secured basis against portfolios held in Rathbones’ nominee 
name, and some loans may be partially secured by property. Extensions to the initial loan period may be granted subject to  
credit criteria. 

At 31 December 2018, the total lending exposure limit for the investment management loan book was £200,000,000 (2017: 
£175,000,000), of which £131,071,000 had been advanced (2017: £120,433,000) and a further £32,854,000 had been committed 
(2017: £30,025,000). 

(c)  Trust and financial planning debtors 

Trust and financial planning debtors relate to fees which have been invoiced but not yet settled by clients. The collection and 
ageing of trust and financial planning debtors are reviewed on a monthly basis by the management committees of the group’s 
trust and financial planning businesses. 

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(d)  Other debtors 

Other loans and advances to customers relate to management fees receivable. 

Settlement balances 
Settlement risk arises in any situation where a payment in cash or transfer of a security is made in the expectation of a corresponding 
delivery of a security or receipt of cash. The majority of transactions are carried out on a delivery versus payment basis, which results 
in securities and cash being exchanged within a very close timeframe. Settlement balances outside standard terms are monitored  
on a daily basis. 

The Investment Management and Unit Trusts segments have exposure to market counterparties in the settlement of trades. 
Settlement balances arising in the Investment Management segment are primarily in relation to client trades and risk of non-
settlement is borne by clients. 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

on pages 66 to 68.  

(i) 

(ii) 

liquidity risk;  

(iv)  pension risk. 

risk appetite. 

(i)  Credit risk 

The group's exposures to pension risk are set out in note 28. 

The group’s financial risk management policies are designed to identify and analyse the financial risks that the group faces, to set 

appropriate risk tolerances, limits and controls and to monitor the financial risks and adherence to limits by means of reliable and  

up-to-date information systems. The group regularly reviews its financial risk management policies and systems to reflect changes  

in the business, counterparties, markets and the range of financial instruments that it utilises. 

The treasury department, reporting through the banking committee, has principal responsibility for monitoring exposure to credit risk, 

liquidity risk and market risk. Procedures and delegated authorities are documented in a group treasury manual and policy documents 

prescribe the management and monitoring of each type of risk. The primary objective of the group’s treasury policy is to manage short 

term liquidity requirements whilst maintaining an appropriate level of exposure to other financial risks in accordance with the group’s 

The group takes on exposure to credit risk, which is the risk that a counterparty will be unable to pay amounts in full when due, 

through its banking, treasury, trust and financial planning activities. The principal source of credit risk arises from placing funds in  

the money market and holding interest-bearing securities. The group also has exposure to credit risk through its client loan book  

and guarantees given on clients’ behalf. 

It is the group’s policy to place funds generated internally and from deposits by clients with a range of high-quality financial  

institutions and the Bank of England. Investments with financial institutions are spread to avoid excessive exposure to any  

individual counterparty. Loans made to clients are secured against clients’ assets that are held and managed by group companies. 

Exposure to credit risk is managed through setting appropriate ratings requirements and lending limits. Limits are reviewed regularly, 

taking into account the ability of borrowers and potential borrowers to meet repayment obligations. 

The group categorises its exposures based on the long term ratings awarded to counterparties by Fitch or Moody’s. Each exposure  

is assessed individually, both at inception and in ongoing monitoring. In addition to formal external ratings, the banking committee 

also utilises market intelligence information to assist its ongoing monitoring. 

The group's financial assets are categorised as follows: 

Balances with central banks (note 15) 

The group has exposure to central banks through its deposits held with the Bank of England. 

Loans and advances to banks (note 16) and debt and other securities (note 18) 

The group has exposures to a wide range of financial institutions through its treasury portfolio, which includes bank deposits, 

certificates of deposit, money market funds and treasury bills. These exposures principally arise from the placement of clients'  

cash, where it is held under a banking relationship, and the group’s own reserves. 

Balances with central banks, loans and advances to banks and debt and other securities (excluding equity securities) are collectively 

referred to as the group’s treasury book.  

Treasury book 

Balances with central banks 

Loans and advances to banks – fixed deposits 

Unlisted debt securities 

Money market funds 

Gross amount 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

1,198,600 

1,375,380 

40,000 

907,225 

75,333 

41,427 

701,966 

106,747 

2,221,158 

2,225,520 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(i)  Credit risk continued 

Maximum exposure to credit risk 

Credit risk relating to on-balance sheet exposures: 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers: 
–  overdrafts 
–  investment management loan book 
–  trust and financial planning debtors 
–  other debtors 
Investment securities: 
–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds 
Other financial assets 
Credit risk relating to off-balance sheet exposures: 
Loan commitments 
Financial guarantees (note 34) 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

1,198,602  1,375,380 
46,784 
117,253 

39,754 
166,203 

6,096 
131,741 
1,196 
29 

4,621 
120,509 
1,114 
35 

982,595 
74,990 

808,713 
71,562 

32,854 
117 

30,025 
117 
2,634,177  2,576,113 

The above table represents the group's gross credit risk exposure at 31 December 2018 and 2017, without taking account of any 
associated collateral held or other credit enhancements. For on-balance sheet assets, the exposures set out above are based on  
gross carrying amounts. 

11.6% of the total maximum exposure is derived from loans and advances to banks and customers (2017: 9.5%) and 37.3% represents 
investment securities (2017: 31.4%). 

The credit risk relating to off-balance sheet exposures for financial guarantees reflects the group's gross potential exposure of 
guarantees held on balance sheet (see note 1.21). 

Impairment of financial instruments 
The group’s accounting policy governing impairment of financial assets is given in note 1.12. Impairment losses on financial assets 
recognised in profit or loss were as follows. 

Impairment losses/(reversals) arising from: 
–  treasury book 
–  investment management loan book 
–  trust and pension debtors 

2018 
£'000 

33 
10 
23 
66 

2017
£'000 

– 
– 
(25)
(25)

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(i)  Credit risk continued 

Maximum exposure to credit risk 

Credit risk relating to on-balance sheet exposures: 

Cash and balances with central banks 

Settlement balances 

Loans and advances to banks 

Loans and advances to customers: 

–  overdrafts 

–  investment management loan book 

–  trust and financial planning debtors 

–  other debtors 

Investment securities: 

Other financial assets 

–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds 

Credit risk relating to off-balance sheet exposures: 

Loan commitments 

Financial guarantees (note 34) 

gross carrying amounts. 

investment securities (2017: 31.4%). 

guarantees held on balance sheet (see note 1.21). 

Impairment of financial instruments 

recognised in profit or loss were as follows. 

Impairment losses/(reversals) arising from: 

–  treasury book 

–  investment management loan book 

–  trust and pension debtors 

The above table represents the group's gross credit risk exposure at 31 December 2018 and 2017, without taking account of any 

associated collateral held or other credit enhancements. For on-balance sheet assets, the exposures set out above are based on  

11.6% of the total maximum exposure is derived from loans and advances to banks and customers (2017: 9.5%) and 37.3% represents 

The credit risk relating to off-balance sheet exposures for financial guarantees reflects the group's gross potential exposure of 

The group’s accounting policy governing impairment of financial assets is given in note 1.12. Impairment losses on financial assets 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

1,198,602  1,375,380 

39,754 

166,203 

46,784 

117,253 

6,096 

4,621 

131,741 

120,509 

1,196 

29 

1,114 

35 

982,595 

74,990 

808,713 

71,562 

32,854 

117 

30,025 

117 

2,634,177  2,576,113 

2018 

£'000 

33 

10 

23 

66 

2017

£'000 

– 

– 

(25)

(25)

Expected credit loss assessment 
At each reporting date, for both the treasury book and investment management loan book, the group assesses whether there has been 
a significant increase in credit risk of exposures since initial recognition, by comparing the change in the risk of a default occurring over 
the expected life of the instrument between the reporting date and the date of initial recognition. The following criteria are used to 
identify significant increases in credit risk and are monitored and reviewed periodically for appropriateness by the treasury team. 

Qualitative indicators 
The group periodically monitors its exposures and uses a set of defined criteria to flag any counterparties that may be experiencing 
financial difficulties. Such exposures are added to a watch list maintained by the treasury team. These are considered to have 
experienced a significant increase in credit risk and are classified as ‘Stage 2’ on which a lifetime ECL is recognised. 

Quantitative indicators 
The lifetime probability of default at the reporting date is compared to the original lifetime probability of default at initial recognition 
and if the difference exceeds a predefined threshold (for the current analysis this threshold is set at 50% of the value at initial 
recognition) the exposure is moved to stage 2. 

Probability of defaults used for identifying significant increases in credit risk for staging purposes are calculated using the same 
methodology and data used for estimating probability of defaults for the purpose of measuring expected credit losses. 

The 30 days past due backstop indicator has not been rebutted by the group, albeit it is not a significant driver of stage movements as 
the opportunity for a counterparty to miss payment is low due to the fact that over the life of exposure, any interest and or principal  
is directly debited from the counterparty’s investment balance and investment income which is in turn held as collateral under the 
bank’s custody. 

Materially all exposures in both the treasury book and IM loan book follow a bullet repayment structure; therefore, the exposure  
at any point in time reflects the outstanding balance of the instrument at that point in time. 

Definition of default 
The group considers an investment management loan book exposure to be in default when a client fails to respond to three sets of 
default notices (every 30 days for a period of 90 days). A treasury book exposure is deemed to be in default when a payment is past  
due by more than one working day (grace period). 

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Probability of default (PD) 
The group uses a lifetime PD for each exposure, which is the probability-weighted result of considering three economic scenarios;  
a base case, an upside and a downside scenario. These scenarios include the forecast of the macroeconomic factors that have been 
identified as relevant to the Bank’s exposures, namely GDP and UK unemployment rates, are incorporated into the estimation of 
lifetime PDs. 

The methodology for estimating lifetime PDs and adjustments for macroeconomic scenarios used for identifying significant increases 
in credit risk are as follows: 

Treasury book assessment 
The 12-month PD for each exposure is initially estimated as the historical 12-month PD sourced from Standard & Poors, by credit rating 
and country of exposure. In order to estimate the PDs occurring over the lifetime of an underlying exposure, the group applies its 
expectations of future progression in point in time (“PiT”) default probabilities, which inherently revolves around expectations of 
future development of macroeconomic factors relevant to treasury assets, namely UK GDP, UK unemployment rates, UK inflation  
and UK interest rates. 

Loss given default (LGD) for treasury book assets is dependent on the nature of the counterparty and the region in which the 
instrument was issued. For Sovereign exposures, the group applies a flat LGD rate, which is externally sourced from Moody’s most 
recent ‘Sovereign Default and Recovery Rates’ research statistics, by country of issuer. For unsecured Corporate exposures, a time 
series of historical corporate recovery rates is sourced from Moody’s annual publication on ‘Corporate Defaults and Recovery’ rates. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued  

(i)  Credit risk continued  
The following table presents an analysis of the credit quality of treasury book exposures at amortised cost and FVTPL (2017: held-to-
maturity, available-for-sale and loans and receivables). It indicates whether assets measured at amortised cost were subject to a 12-
month ECL or lifetime ECL allowance and, in the latter case, whether they were credit-impaired: 

2018 

2017 

AAA 
AA+ to AA- 
A+ to A- 
Gross carrying amounts 
Loss allowance 
Carrying amount 

Fair value through 
profit or loss 
£'000 
75,333 

12-month ECL 
£'000 
– 
–  1,655,155 
490,704 
– 
75,333  2,145,859 
(159)
75,333  2,145,700 

At amortised cost 
Lifetime ECL – not 
credit-impaired 
£'000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

Loans and 
receivables 
£'000 

Available-for-
sale
£'000 
–  106,747 

Lifetime ECL – 
Held-to-
credit-impaired 
maturity
£'000 
£'000 
– 
– 
–  1,375,380 
–  264,569 
– 
–  437,397 
41,183 
–  1,416,563  106,747  701,966 
– 
– 
–  1,416,563  106,747  701,966 

– 

– 

Cash and balances with central banks 
Loans and advances to banks 
Unlisted debt securities 
Money market funds 
Carrying amount 

–  1,198,478 
39,997 
– 
907,225 
– 
– 
75,333 
75,333  2,145,700 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

–  1,375,380 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
41,183 
– 
–  701,966 
– 
– 
– 
–  106,747 
–  1,416,563  106,747  701,966 

The movement in allowance for impairment for the treasury book during the year was as follows. Comparative amounts for 2017 
represents the allowance for impairment losses under IAS 39. 

Balance at 31 December 
IFRS 9 opening adjustment 
Balance at 1 January 
Net remeasurement of loss allowance 
Balance at 31 December 

Cash and balances with central banks 
Loans and advances to banks 
Unlisted debt securities 
ECL provision 

2018 

12-month ECL 
£'000 

Lifetime ECL – not 
credit-impaired 
£'000 

Lifetime ECL – 
credit-impaired 
£'000 

126 
33 
159 

122 
3 
34 
159 

– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Total ECL 
£'000 
– 
126 
126 
33 
159 

122 
3 
34 
159 

2017 

Impaired
£'000 

– 

– 

– 

The reason for the increase in the loss allowance during 2018 is that, despite the reduction in the gross amount held with the Bank  
of England, the 12-month PD increased during the year, driven by small changes in macroeconomic factors. 

IM loan book assessment 
Due to the lack of historical defaults within the IM loan book, the model (see note 1.12) uses publicly available default data for  
UK secured lending as a starting point in order to obtain an initial estimate for PD. The 12-month PD is estimated as the historical  
long term default rate on lending in the UK as sourced from the Council of Mortgage Lending (“CML”). 

In order to estimate the PDs occurring over the lifetime of an underlying exposure, the group develops its expectations of future 
progression in PiT default probabilities, which inherently revolves around expectations of future development of macroeconomic 
factors relevant to the Bank’s Lending portfolio, namely UK GDP (“GDP”) and UK unemployment rates (“UR”). 

150 
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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 
Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued  

(i)  Credit risk continued  

The following table presents an analysis of the credit quality of treasury book exposures at amortised cost and FVTPL (2017: held-to-

maturity, available-for-sale and loans and receivables). It indicates whether assets measured at amortised cost were subject to a 12-

month ECL or lifetime ECL allowance and, in the latter case, whether they were credit-impaired: 

2018 

At amortised cost 

2017 

Fair value through 

Lifetime ECL – not 

Lifetime ECL – 

Loans and 

Available-for-

profit or loss 

12-month ECL 

credit-impaired 

credit-impaired 

£'000 

£'000 

Gross carrying amounts 

75,333  2,145,859 

AAA 

AA+ to AA- 

A+ to A- 

Loss allowance 

Carrying amount 

Cash and balances with central banks 

Loans and advances to banks 

Unlisted debt securities 

Money market funds 

Carrying amount 

£'000 

75,333 

£'000 

– 

–  1,655,155 

– 

490,704 

(159)

75,333  2,145,700 

–  1,198,478 

– 

– 

39,997 

907,225 

75,333 

– 

75,333  2,145,700 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

receivables 

£'000 

sale

£'000 

–  106,747 

Held-to-

maturity

£'000 

–  1,375,380 

41,183 

–  264,569 

–  437,397 

–  1,416,563  106,747  701,966 

–  1,416,563  106,747  701,966 

–  1,375,380 

41,183 

–  701,966 

–  106,747 

–  1,416,563  106,747  701,966 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

The movement in allowance for impairment for the treasury book during the year was as follows. Comparative amounts for 2017 

represents the allowance for impairment losses under IAS 39. 

Balance at 31 December 

IFRS 9 opening adjustment 

Balance at 1 January 

Net remeasurement of loss allowance 

Balance at 31 December 

Cash and balances with central banks 

Loans and advances to banks 

Unlisted debt securities 

ECL provision 

2018 

Lifetime ECL – not 

Lifetime ECL – 

12-month ECL 

credit-impaired 

credit-impaired 

£'000 

£'000 

£'000 

Total ECL 

£'000 

2017 

Impaired

£'000 

126 

33 

159 

122 

3 

34 

159 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

126 

126 

33 

159 

122 

3 

34 

159 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

The reason for the increase in the loss allowance during 2018 is that, despite the reduction in the gross amount held with the Bank  

of England, the 12-month PD increased during the year, driven by small changes in macroeconomic factors. 

IM loan book assessment 

Due to the lack of historical defaults within the IM loan book, the model (see note 1.12) uses publicly available default data for  

UK secured lending as a starting point in order to obtain an initial estimate for PD. The 12-month PD is estimated as the historical  

long term default rate on lending in the UK as sourced from the Council of Mortgage Lending (“CML”). 

In order to estimate the PDs occurring over the lifetime of an underlying exposure, the group develops its expectations of future 

progression in PiT default probabilities, which inherently revolves around expectations of future development of macroeconomic 

factors relevant to the Bank’s Lending portfolio, namely UK GDP (“GDP”) and UK unemployment rates (“UR”). 

In order to develop and apply such forward looking expectations, a historical relationship between PD, GDP and UR is estimated 
statistically through a multi-factor regression analysis of past movements between these variables. The relationship resulting from  
this analysis reflects the relative quantitative behaviour of the regressed macroeconomic factors against PD. 

Using the calculated 12-month PiT PD as a starting point, conditional PDs for each future period within the period of exposure are 
estimated by applying the GDP and UR coefficients to the group’s forecasts of UK GDP and UK UR respectively, as sourced from 
International Monetary Fund (“IMF”) forecast data. This analysis forms the base case scenario for estimating lifetime PD’s. The  
same methodology is applied for separate upside and downside scenarios as required by the standard. 

The following table presents an analysis of the credit quality of IM loan book exposures at amortised cost (2017: loans and receivables). 
It indicates whether assets measured at amortised cost were subject to a 12-month ECL or lifetime ECL allowance and, in the latter case, 
whether they were credit-impaired. 

Very low 
Low 
Medium 
High 
Gross carrying amounts 
Loss allowance 
Carrying amount 

2018 
At amortised cost 

Lifetime ECL – not 
credit-impaired 
£'000 
– 
680 
– 
660 
1,340 
– 
1,340 

12-month ECL 
£'000 
16,730 
92,215 
20,743 
40 
129,728 
(11)
129,717 

Lifetime ECL – 
credit-impaired 
£'000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

2017 

Loans and 
receivables
£'000 

120,509 
– 
120,509 

The movement in allowance for impairment for the IM loan book during the year was as follows. Comparative amounts for 2017 
represents the allowance for impairment losses under IAS 39. 

Balance at 31 December 
IFRS 9 opening adjustment 
Balance at 1 January 
Net remeasurement of loss allowance 
Balance at 31 December 

12-month ECL 
£'000 

2018 
Lifetime ECL – not 
credit-impaired 
£'000 

Lifetime ECL –  
credit-impaired 
£'000 

1 
10 
11 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Total ECL 
£'000 
– 
1 
1 
10 
11 

2017 

Impaired
£'000 

– 

– 

Trust and financial planning debtors assessment 
The group uses a provision matrix to measure the ECLs of trust and financial planning debtors, which comprise a large number  
of small balances. For such debts, a normal settlement period of up to 30 days is expected. 

The following table provides information about the exposure to credit risk and ECLs for trust and financial planning debtors as at  
31 December 2018: 

Rathbone Trust Company 
Rathbone Trust & Legal Services 
Rathbone Financial Planning 
Gross carrying amounts (2017: amortised cost before impairment) 
Loss allowance 
Carrying amount 

2018 
£’000 
734 
415 
47 
1,196 
(92)
1,104 

2017
£’000 
804 
245 
65 
1,114 
(66)
1,048 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 

rathbones.com 
rathbones.com

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(i)  Credit risk continued 

Rathbone Trust Company 
<90 days overdue 
90-180 days overdue 
180-270 days overdue 
270-365 days overdue 
>365 days overdue 

Rathbone Trust & Legal Services 
<90 days overdue 
90-180 days overdue 
180-270 days overdue 
270-365 days overdue 
>365 days overdue 

Weighted average loss 
rate 
0.1% 
0.7% 
1.3% 
2.0% 
29.0% 

Gross carrying amount 
£’000 
485 
60 
71 
67 
51 
734 

Weighted average loss 
rate 
0.0% 
0.0% 
0.0% 
0.0% 
0.0% 

Gross carrying amount 
£’000 
389 
18 
5 
1 
2 
415 

Not credit impaired 
£’000 
(1)
– 
(1)
– 
(10)
(12)

Not credit impaired 
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

Loss allowance 

Credit impaired 
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
(62) 
(17) 
(79) 

Loss allowance 

Credit impaired 
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(1) 
(1) 

The movement in allowance for impairment in respect of trust and financial planning debtors during the year is set out below. 
Comparative amounts for 2017 represents the allowance for impairment losses under IAS 39. 

Movement in impairment provision during the year 
At 31 December 2017 
IFRS 9 opening adjustment 
At 1 January 2018 
Amounts written off 
Credit to profit or loss 
At 31 December 2018 

Total 
£’000) 
(1)
– 
(1)
(62)
(27)
(91)

Total 
£’000) 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(1)
(1)

Trust and
financial
planning
debtors
£’000 
66 
21
87 
(18)
23 
92 

152 
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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018 
Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(i)  Credit risk continued 

Rathbone Trust Company 

<90 days overdue 

90-180 days overdue 

180-270 days overdue 

270-365 days overdue 

>365 days overdue 

Rathbone Trust & Legal Services 

<90 days overdue 

90-180 days overdue 

180-270 days overdue 

270-365 days overdue 

>365 days overdue 

Weighted average loss 

Gross carrying amount 

Not credit impaired 

Credit impaired 

Loss allowance 

rate 

0.1% 

0.7% 

1.3% 

2.0% 

29.0% 

rate 

0.0% 

0.0% 

0.0% 

0.0% 

0.0% 

£’000 

485 

60 

71 

67 

51 

734 

£’000 

389 

18 

5 

1 

2 

415 

£’000 

(1)

(1)

– 

– 

(10)

(12)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

£’000 

– 

– 

– 

(62) 

(17) 

(79) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(1) 

(1) 

Weighted average loss 

Gross carrying amount 

Not credit impaired 

Credit impaired 

£’000 

£’000 

Loss allowance 

The movement in allowance for impairment in respect of trust and financial planning debtors during the year is set out below. 

Comparative amounts for 2017 represents the allowance for impairment losses under IAS 39. 

Movement in impairment provision during the year 

At 31 December 2017 

IFRS 9 opening adjustment 

At 1 January 2018 

Amounts written off 

Credit to profit or loss 

At 31 December 2018 

Total 

£’000) 

(1)

– 

(1)

(62)

(27)

(91)

Total 

£’000) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(1)

(1)

Trust and

financial

planning

debtors

£’000 

66 

21

87 

(18)

23 

92 

Concentration of credit risk 
The group has counterparty credit risk within its financial assets in that exposure is to a number of similar credit institutions. The 
banking committee actively monitors counterparties and may reduce risk by either suspending dealing or liquidating investments  
in light of adverse market information, for example in anticipation of or in response to any formal Fitch or Moody’s rating downgrade. 
This may happen in relation to specific banks or banks within a particular country or sector. 

(a)  Geographical sectors 

The following table analyses the group’s credit exposures, at their carrying amounts, by geographical region as at the balance 
sheet date. In this analysis, exposures are categorised based on the country of domicile of the counterparty. 

At 31 December 2018 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers: 
–  overdrafts 
–  investment management loan book 
–  trust and financial planning debtors 
–  other debtors 
Investment securities: 
–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds
Other financial assets 

At 31 December 2017 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers: 
overdrafts 
investment management loan book 
trust and financial planning debtors 
other debtors 
Investment securities: 
unlisted debt securities and money market funds 
Other financial assets 

United 
Kingdom 
£’000 
1,198,478 
35,781 
164,438 

5,529 
122,522 
1,104 
29 

Eurozone 
£’000 
– 
3,412 
1,754 

67 
191 
– 
– 

Rest of 
the World 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 
–  1,198,478 
39,754 
166,200 

561 
8 

500 
9,017 
– 
– 

6,096 
131,730 
1,104 
29 

159,991 
65,463 
1,753,335 

358,172 
2,058 
365,654 

464,395 
2,977 

982,558 
70,498 
477,458  2,596,447 

s
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United
Kingdom
£’000 
1,375,380 
43,688 
113,225 

4,295 
112,286 
1,048 
35 

Eurozone 
£’000 
– 
1,211 
4,028 

68 
269 
– 
– 

Rest of
the World
£’000 

1,885 
– 

Total
£’000 
–  1,375,380 
46,784 
117,253 

258 
7,954 
– 
– 

4,621 
120,509 
1,048 
35 

205,000 
63,238 
1,918,195 

306,751 
1,076 
313,403 

296,962 
1,385 

808,713 
65,699 
308,444  2,540,042 

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At 31 December 2018, materially all eurozone exposures were to counterparties based in the Netherlands, France, Finland,  
Ireland and Luxembourg (2017: Netherlands and France) and materially all rest of the world exposures were to counterparties 
based in Switzerland,  Sweden, Norway, Canada and Australia (2017: Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and Australia). At 31 December 
2018, the group had no exposure to sovereign debt  (2017: no exposure to sovereign debt). 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(i)  Credit risk continued 
Industry sectors 
(b) 
The group’s credit exposures at the balance sheet date, analysed by the primary industry sectors in which our counterparties 
operate, were: 

At 31 December 2018 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers: 
–  overdrafts 
–  investment management loan book 
–  trust and financial planning debtors 
–  other debtors 
Investment securities: 
–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds
Other financial assets 

At 31 December 2017 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers: 
–  overdrafts 
–  investment management loan book 
–  trust and financial planning debtors 
–  other debtors 
Investment securities: 
–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds
Other financial assets 

Public 
sector 
£’000 
1,198,477 
– 
– 

Financial 
institutions 
£’000 
1 
39,674 
166,200 

Clients 
and other 
corporates 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 
–  1,198,478 
39,754 
166,200 

80 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

6,096 
131,730 
1,104 
29 

6,096 
131,730 
1,104 
29 

– 
295 

982,558 
4,781 
1,198,772  1,193,214 

– 
65,422 

982,558 
70,498 
204,461  2,596,447 

Public
sector
£’000 
1,375,380 
– 
– 

Financial 
institutions 
£’000 
– 
46,784 
117,253 

Clients
and other
corporates
£’000 

Total
£’000 
–  1,375,380 
46,784 
– 
117,253 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

4,621 
120,509 
1,048 
35 

4,621 
120,509 
1,048 
35 

– 
1,138 
1,376,518 

808,713 
2,578 
975,328 

– 
61,983 

808,713 
65,699 
188,196  2,540,042 

(ii)  Liquidity risk 
Liquidity risk is the risk that the group will encounter difficulty in meeting obligations associated with financial liabilities that are 
settled by delivering cash or another financial asset. 

The primary objective of the group’s treasury policy is to manage short to medium term liquidity requirements. In addition to  
setting the treasury policy, Rathbone Investment Management ('the Bank') performs an annual assessment of liquidity adequacy  
in accordance with the regulatory requirements of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) (our Individual Liquidity Adequacy 
Assessment). The Bank faces two principal risks, namely that a significant proportion of client funds are withdrawn over a short  
period of time (retail funding risk) and the risk that marketable assets may not be capable of being realised in the time and at the  
value required (marketable assets risk). 

Retail funding risks are monitored by daily cash mismatch analyses and Basel Committee ratios using expected cash and asset 
maturity profiles and regular forecasting work. This is supported by stress tests which cover firm-specific idiosyncratic scenarios  
and/or the effects of unforeseen market wide stresses. Marketable assets risk is primarily managed by holding cash and marketable 
instruments which are realisable at short notice. The group operates strict criteria to ensure that investments are liquid and placed  
with high-quality counterparties. A minimum liquid assets buffer (to be held in eligible liquid assets) is set by the board at least 
annually in conjunction with an amount prescribed by the PRA. 

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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

The group’s credit exposures at the balance sheet date, analysed by the primary industry sectors in which our counterparties 

32  Financial risk management continued 

(i)  Credit risk continued 

(b) 

Industry sectors 

operate, were: 

At 31 December 2018 

Cash and balances with central banks 

Settlement balances 

Loans and advances to banks 

Loans and advances to customers: 

–  overdrafts 

–  investment management loan book 

–  trust and financial planning debtors 

–  other debtors 

Investment securities: 

Other financial assets 

–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds

At 31 December 2017 

Cash and balances with central banks 

Settlement balances 

Loans and advances to banks 

Loans and advances to customers: 

–  overdrafts 

–  investment management loan book 

–  trust and financial planning debtors 

–  other debtors 

Investment securities: 

Other financial assets 

–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds

Public 

sector 

£’000 

1,198,477 

Financial 

institutions 

£’000 

1 

39,674 

166,200 

Clients 

and other 

corporates 

£’000 

Total 

£’000 

–  1,198,478 

80 

– 

39,754 

166,200 

6,096 

6,096 

131,730 

131,730 

1,104 

29 

1,104 

29 

295 

982,558 

4,781 

– 

65,422 

982,558 

70,498 

1,198,772  1,193,214 

204,461  2,596,447 

Public

sector

£’000 

Financial 

institutions 

£’000 

Clients

and other

corporates

£’000 

1,375,380 

46,784 

117,253 

Total

£’000 

–  1,375,380 

– 

– 

46,784 

117,253 

4,621 

4,621 

120,509 

120,509 

1,048 

35 

1,048 

35 

1,138 

808,713 

2,578 

– 

61,983 

808,713 

65,699 

1,376,518 

975,328 

188,196  2,540,042 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(ii)  Liquidity risk 

Liquidity risk is the risk that the group will encounter difficulty in meeting obligations associated with financial liabilities that are 

settled by delivering cash or another financial asset. 

The primary objective of the group’s treasury policy is to manage short to medium term liquidity requirements. In addition to  

setting the treasury policy, Rathbone Investment Management ('the Bank') performs an annual assessment of liquidity adequacy  

in accordance with the regulatory requirements of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) (our Individual Liquidity Adequacy 

Assessment). The Bank faces two principal risks, namely that a significant proportion of client funds are withdrawn over a short  

period of time (retail funding risk) and the risk that marketable assets may not be capable of being realised in the time and at the  

value required (marketable assets risk). 

Retail funding risks are monitored by daily cash mismatch analyses and Basel Committee ratios using expected cash and asset 

maturity profiles and regular forecasting work. This is supported by stress tests which cover firm-specific idiosyncratic scenarios  

and/or the effects of unforeseen market wide stresses. Marketable assets risk is primarily managed by holding cash and marketable 

instruments which are realisable at short notice. The group operates strict criteria to ensure that investments are liquid and placed  

with high-quality counterparties. A minimum liquid assets buffer (to be held in eligible liquid assets) is set by the board at least 

annually in conjunction with an amount prescribed by the PRA. 

Non-derivative cash flows 
The table below presents the undiscounted cash flows receivable and payable by the group under non-derivative financial assets and 
liabilities analysed by the remaining contractual maturities at the balance sheet date. 

At 31 December 2018 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Debt securities and money market funds 
Other financial assets 
Cash flows arising from financial 

On 
demand 
£’000 
1,197,001 
– 
126,073 
6,796 
75,436 
406 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 
295 
39,754 
10,512 
21,638 
309,666 
59,090 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 
1,600 
– 
30,333 
51,097 
605,562 
3,871 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
64,582 
– 
4,348 

After 5 
years 
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
2,295 

No fixed 
maturity 
date 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 
–  1,198,896 
39,754 
– 
166,918 
– 
144,113 
– 
990,664 
– 
70,010 
– 

assets 

1,405,712 

440,955 

692,463 

68,930 

2,295 

–  2,610,355 

Deposits by banks 
Settlement balances 
Due to customers 
Subordinated loan notes 
Other financial liabilities 
Cash flows arising from financial 

liabilities 

Net liquidity gap 
Cumulative net liquidity gap 

491 
– 
2,065,029 
– 
139 

– 
36,692 
153,229 
586 
47,199 

– 
– 
7,422 
586 
7,803

– 
– 
– 
21,171 
28,682 

– 
– 
– 
– 
6,799 

491 
– 
– 
36,692 
–  2,225,680 
22,343 
– 
90,622 
– 

2,065,659 
(659,947)
(659,947)

237,706 
203,249 
(456,698)

15,811
676,652 
219,954 

49,853 
19,077 
239,031 

6,799 
(4,504) 
234,527 

–  2,375,828 
234,527 
– 
234,527 

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At 31 December 2017 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Debt securities and money market funds 
Other financial assets 
Cash flows arising from financial 

On
demand
£’000 
1,374,002 
– 
75,826 
4,733 
106,816 
110 

Not more
than
3 months
£’000 
1,138 
46,785 
11,490 
13,407 
263,385 
60,859 

After 3
months
but not
more than
1 year
£’000 
1,380 
– 
30,577 
43,304 
442,503 
640 

After 1
year but
not more
than
5 years
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
70,450 
– 
3,435 

After 5 
years 
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
2,819 

No fixed
maturity
date
£’000 

Total
£’000 
–  1,376,520 
46,785 
– 
117,893 
– 
131,894 
– 
812,704 
– 
67,863 
– 

assets 

1,561,487 

397,064 

518,404 

73,885 

2,819 

–  2,553,659 

Deposits by banks 
Settlement balances 
Due to customers 
Subordinated loan notes 
Other financial liabilities 
Cash flows arising from financial 

liabilities 

Net liquidity gap 
Cumulative net liquidity gap 

1,338 
– 
2,081,805 
– 
1,192 

– 
54,452 
83,469 
586 
52,612 

– 
– 
5,306 
586 
3,587 

– 
– 
– 
22,342 
38,023 

– 
– 
– 
– 
5,985 

1,338 
– 
54,452 
– 
–  2,170,580 
23,514 
– 
101,399 
– 

2,084,335 
(522,848)
(522,848)

191,119 
205,945 
(316,903)

9,479 
508,925 
192,022 

60,365 
13,520 
205,542 

5,985 
(3,166) 
202,376 

–  2,351,283 
202,376 
– 
202,376 

Included in ‘Other financial liabilities’ as at 31 December 2017 were cash flows for lease payments under the group’s agreement  
for leased space at 1 Curzon Street. These contractual payments comprised part of the onerous lease provision for that property  
(see note 26). 

154 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(ii)  Liquidity risk continued 

Liabilities which do not have a contractual maturity date are categorised as 'on demand'. Included within the amounts due to 
customers on demand are balances which historical experience shows are unlikely to be called in the short term. A prudent level  
of highly liquid assets is retained to cover reasonably foreseeable short term changes in client deposits. All debt securities are readily 
marketable and can be realised through disposals.  

The group holds £3,205,000 of equity investments (2017: £2,565,000) which are subject to liquidity risk but are not included in the table 
above. These assets are held as fair value through profit or loss securities and have no fixed maturity date; cash flows arise from receipt 
of dividends or through sale of the assets. 

(iii)  Market risk 
Off-balance sheet items 
Cash flows arising from the group’s off-balance sheet financial liabilities (note 34) are summarised in the table below. 

The contractual value of the group’s commitments to extend credit to clients and maximum potential value of financial guarantees  
are analysed by the duration of the commitment. Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are 
reported by their contractual payment dates. Capital commitments are summarised by the earliest expected date of payment. 

At 31 December 2018 
Loan commitments 
Financial guarantees 
Operating lease commitments 
Capital commitments 
Total off-balance sheet items 

At 31 December 2017 
Loan commitments 
Financial guarantees 
Operating lease commitments 
Capital commitments 
Total off-balance sheet items 

Total liquidity requirement 

At 31 December 2018 
Cash flows arising from financial liabilities 
Total off-balance sheet items 
Total liquidity requirement 

At 31 December 2017 
Cash flows arising from financial liabilities 
Total off-balance sheet items 
Total liquidity requirement 

On 
demand 
£’000 
2,065,659 
– 
2,065,659 

On
demand
£’000 
2,084,335 
– 
2,084,335 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 
32,854 
– 
2,037 
603 
35,494 

Not more
than
3 months
£’000 
30,025 
– 
712 
48 
30,785 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 
237,706 
35,494 
273,200 

Not more
than
3 months
£’000 
191,119 
30,785 
221,904 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 
– 
– 
6,216 
– 
6,216 

After 3
months
but not
more than
1 year
£’000 
– 
– 
3,817 
– 
3,817 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 
15,811 
6,216 
22,027 

After 3
months
but not
more than
1 year
£’000 
9,479 
3,817 
13,296 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
– 
117 
29,958 
– 
30,075 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
– 
117 
28,780 
– 
28,897 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
49,853 
30,075 
79,928 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
60,365 
28,897 
89,262 

After 
5 years 
£’000 
– 
– 
52,337 
– 
52,337 

After
5 years
£’000 
– 
– 
57,293 
– 
57,293 

Total 
£’000 
32,854 
117 
90,548 
603 
124,122 

Total
£’000 
30,025 
117 
90,602 
48 
120,792 

After 
5 years 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 
6,799  2,375,828 
52,337 
124,122 
59,136  2,499,950 

After
5 years
£’000 

Total
£’000 
5,985  2,351,283 
57,293 
120,792 
63,278  2,472,075 

156 
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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(ii)  Liquidity risk continued 

Liabilities which do not have a contractual maturity date are categorised as 'on demand'. Included within the amounts due to 

customers on demand are balances which historical experience shows are unlikely to be called in the short term. A prudent level  

of highly liquid assets is retained to cover reasonably foreseeable short term changes in client deposits. All debt securities are readily 

marketable and can be realised through disposals.  

The group holds £3,205,000 of equity investments (2017: £2,565,000) which are subject to liquidity risk but are not included in the table 

above. These assets are held as fair value through profit or loss securities and have no fixed maturity date; cash flows arise from receipt 

of dividends or through sale of the assets. 

(iii)  Market risk 

Off-balance sheet items 

Cash flows arising from the group’s off-balance sheet financial liabilities (note 34) are summarised in the table below. 

The contractual value of the group’s commitments to extend credit to clients and maximum potential value of financial guarantees  

are analysed by the duration of the commitment. Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are 

reported by their contractual payment dates. Capital commitments are summarised by the earliest expected date of payment. 

At 31 December 2018 

Loan commitments 

Financial guarantees 

Operating lease commitments 

Capital commitments 

Total off-balance sheet items 

At 31 December 2017 

Loan commitments 

Financial guarantees 

Operating lease commitments 

Capital commitments 

Total off-balance sheet items 

Total liquidity requirement 

At 31 December 2018 

Cash flows arising from financial liabilities 

2,065,659 

Total off-balance sheet items 

Total liquidity requirement 

At 31 December 2017 

Cash flows arising from financial liabilities 

2,084,335 

Total off-balance sheet items 

Total liquidity requirement 

On 

demand 

£’000 

– 

2,065,659 

On

demand

£’000 

– 

2,084,335 

6,216 

52,337 

6,216 

30,075 

52,337 

124,122 

3,817 

57,293 

30,785 

3,817 

28,897 

57,293 

120,792 

Not more 

than 

3 months 

£’000 

32,854 

– 

2,037 

603 

35,494 

Not more

than

3 months

£’000 

30,025 

– 

712 

48 

Not more 

than 

3 months 

£’000 

237,706 

35,494 

273,200 

Not more

than

3 months

£’000 

191,119 

30,785 

221,904 

After 3 

months 

but not 

more than 

1 year 

£’000 

After 3

months

but not

more than

1 year

£’000 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

After 3 

months 

but not 

more than 

1 year 

£’000 

15,811 

6,216 

22,027 

After 3

months

but not

more than

1 year

£’000 

9,479 

3,817 

13,296 

After 1 

year but 

not more 

than 

5 years 

£’000 

117 

29,958 

After 1 

year but 

not more 

than 

5 years 

£’000 

117 

28,780 

– 

– 

– 

– 

After 1 

year but 

not more 

than 

5 years 

£’000 

49,853 

30,075 

79,928 

After 1 

year but 

not more 

than 

5 years 

£’000 

60,365 

28,897 

89,262 

After 

5 years 

£’000 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

After

5 years

£’000 

Total 

£’000 

32,854 

117 

90,548 

603 

Total

£’000 

30,025 

117 

90,602 

48 

After 

5 years 

£’000 

Total 

£’000 

6,799  2,375,828 

52,337 

124,122 

59,136  2,499,950 

After

5 years

£’000 

Total

£’000 

5,985  2,351,283 

57,293 

120,792 

63,278  2,472,075 

Interest rate risk 
Cash flow interest rate risk is the risk that the future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market 
interest rates. Fair value interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market 
interest rates. 

The group’s principal exposure to cash flow interest rate risk arises from the mismatch between the repricing of its financial assets and 
liabilities. In particular, customer accounts and loan balances are repriced very shortly after changes in base rates, whereas the yield on 
the group’s interest-bearing assets is correlated to the future expectation of base rates and varies depending on the maturity profile of 
the group’s treasury portfolio. The average maturity mismatch is controlled by the banking committee, which generally lengthens the 
mismatch when the yield curve is rising and shortens it when the yield curve is falling. 

The table below shows the consolidated repricing profile of the group’s financial assets and liabilities, stated at their carrying amounts, 
categorised by the earlier of contractual repricing or maturity dates. 

At 31 December 2018 
Assets 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Investment securities: 
–  equity securities 
–  unlisted debt securities and money 

market funds 

Other financial assets 
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Deposits by banks 
Settlement balances 
Due to customers 
Subordinated loan notes 
Other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Interest rate repricing gap 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 

1,196,878 
– 
135,856 
137,803 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
6 months 
£’000 

– 
– 
9,999 
– 

After 6 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 

– 
– 
19,997 
– 

– 

– 

– 

382,589 
5,916 
1,859,042 

174,993 
– 
184,992 

424,976 
– 
444,973 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 

491 
– 
2,188,761 
– 
– 
2,189,252 
(330,210)

– 
– 
7,380 
– 
– 
7,380 
177,612 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
444,973 

– 
– 
– 
19,807 
– 
19,807 
(19,807)

After 
5 years 
£’000 

Non- 
interest- 
bearing 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

1,601  1,198,479 
39,754 
166,200 
138,959 

39,754 
348 
1,156 

4,464 

4,464 

– 
64,582 

982,558 
70,498 
111,905  2,600,912 

491 
– 
36,692 
36,692 
29,395  2,225,536 
19,807 
72,278 
138,365  2,354,804 
246,108 
(26,460)

– 
72,278 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(iii)  Market risk continued 

At 31 December 2017 
Assets 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Investment securities: 
–  equity securities 
–  unlisted debt securities and money 

market funds 

Other financial assets 
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Deposits by banks 
Settlement balances 
Due to customers 
Subordinated loan notes 
Other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Interest rate repricing gap 

Not more
than
3 months
£’000 

1,374,000 
– 
86,673 
125,046 

– 

After 3
months
but not
more than
6 months
£’000 

– 
– 
244 
– 

– 

After 6
months
but not
more than
1 year
£’000 

– 
– 
30,000 
– 

– 

368,708 
– 
1,954,427 

85,005 
– 
85,249 

355,000 
– 
385,000 

After 1
year but
not more
than
5 years
£’000 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 

After 
5 years 
£’000 

Non-
interest-
bearing
£’000 

Total
£’000 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 

1,382  1,375,382 
46,784 
117,253 
126,213 

46,784 
336 
1,167 

2,565 

2,565 

– 
65,699 

808,713 
65,699 
117,933  2,542,609 

1,338 
– 
2,139,188 
– 
– 
2,140,526 
(186,099)

– 
– 
5,285 
– 
– 
5,285 
79,964 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
385,000 

– 
– 
– 
19,695 
– 
19,695 
(19,695)

– 
– 
– 
– 
42 
42 
(42) 

1,338 
– 
54,452 
54,452 
26,025  2,170,498 
19,695 
81,736 
162,171  2,327,719 
214,890 
(44,238)

– 
81,694 

The banking committee has set an overall pre-tax interest rate exposure limit of £7,000,000 (2017: £6,000,000) for the total potential 
profit or loss resulting from an unexpected immediate and sustained 2% movement in sterling interest rates for the Bank, the principal 
operating subsidiary. The potential total profit or loss is calculated on the basis of the average number of days to repricing of the 
interest-bearing liabilities compared with the period to repricing on a corresponding amount of interest-bearing assets. 

At 31 December 2018, the Bank had a net present value sensitivity of £6,068,000 (2017: £4,310,000) for an upward 2% shift in rates. The 
group held no forward rate agreements at 31 December 2018 (2017: none).  

158 
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Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(iii)  Market risk continued 

At 31 December 2017 

Assets 

Cash and balances with central banks 

1,374,000 

Settlement balances 

Loans and advances to banks 

Loans and advances to customers 

86,673 

125,046 

244 

30,000 

Not more

than

3 months

£’000 

After 3

months

but not

more than

6 months

£’000 

After 6

months

but not

more than

1 year

£’000 

After 1

year but

not more

than

5 years

£’000 

After 

5 years 

£’000 

Non-

interest-

bearing

£’000 

Total

£’000 

368,708 

85,005 

355,000 

1,954,427 

85,249 

385,000 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

1,338 

2,139,188 

5,285 

2,140,526 

5,285 

54,452 

26,025  2,170,498 

– 

– 

1,338 

54,452 

19,695 

81,736 

42 

42 

81,694 

162,171  2,327,719 

19,695 

19,695 

1,382  1,375,382 

46,784 

336 

1,167 

46,784 

117,253 

126,213 

2,565 

2,565 

– 

808,713 

65,699 

65,699 

117,933  2,542,609 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–  unlisted debt securities and money 

Investment securities: 

–  equity securities 

market funds 

Other financial assets 

Total financial assets 

Liabilities 

Deposits by banks 

Settlement balances 

Due to customers 

Subordinated loan notes 

Other financial liabilities 

Total financial liabilities 

Interest rate repricing gap 

(186,099)

79,964 

385,000 

(19,695)

(42) 

(44,238)

214,890 

The banking committee has set an overall pre-tax interest rate exposure limit of £7,000,000 (2017: £6,000,000) for the total potential 

profit or loss resulting from an unexpected immediate and sustained 2% movement in sterling interest rates for the Bank, the principal 

operating subsidiary. The potential total profit or loss is calculated on the basis of the average number of days to repricing of the 

interest-bearing liabilities compared with the period to repricing on a corresponding amount of interest-bearing assets. 

At 31 December 2018, the Bank had a net present value sensitivity of £6,068,000 (2017: £4,310,000) for an upward 2% shift in rates. The 

group held no forward rate agreements at 31 December 2018 (2017: none).  

Foreign exchange risk 
The group is exposed to translational foreign exchange risk as it undertakes transactions in foreign currencies and is therefore  
exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. The group monitors its currency exposures that arise in the ordinary course of  
business on a daily basis and significant exposures are managed through the use of spot contracts, from time-to-time, so as to  
reduce any currency exposure to a minimal amount. The group has no structural foreign currency exposure.  

The group does not have any material exposure to transactional foreign exchange risk. The table below summarises the group’s 
exposure to foreign currency translation risk at 31 December 2018. Included in the table are the group’s financial assets and liabilities,  
at carrying amounts, categorised by currency. 

At 31 December 2018 
Assets 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Investment securities: 
–  equity securities 
–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds
Other financial assets 
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Deposits by banks 
Settlement balances 
Due to customers 
Subordinated loan notes 
Other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Net on-balance sheet position 
Loan commitments 

At 31 December 2017 
Assets 
Cash and balances with central banks 
Settlement balances 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Investment securities: 
–  equity securities 
–  unlisted debt securities and money market funds
Other financial assets 
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Deposits by banks 
Settlement balances 
Due to customers 
Subordinated loan notes 
Other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Net on-balance sheet position 
Loan commitments 

Sterling 
£’000 

US dollar 
£’000 

Euro 
£’000 

Other 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 

1,198,479 
38,860 
110,361 
130,580 

3,205 
907,967 
69,287 
2,458,739 

– 
35,818 
2,088,485 
19,807 
72,097 
2,216,207 
242,532 
32,854 

– 
592 
25,781 
5,128 

– 
74,591 
566 
106,658 

– 
432 
105,126 
– 
73 
105,631 
1,027 
– 

– 
100 
22,270 
3,231 

1,259 
– 
95 
26,955 

375 
7 
24,655 
– 
106 
25,143 
1,812 
– 

–  1,198,479 
39,754 
166,200 
138,959 

202 
7,788 
20 

– 
– 
550 

4,464 
982,558 
70,498 
8,560  2,600,912 

116 
435 

491 
36,692 
7,270  2,225,536 
19,807 
72,278 
7,823  2,354,804 
246,108 
32,854 

737 
– 

– 
2 

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Sterling
£’000 

US dollar
£’000 

Euro 
£’000 

Other
£’000 

Total
£’000 

1,375,382 
46,166 
80,727 
118,591 

2,565 
720,005 
65,242 
2,408,678 

1,338 
52,431 
2,039,156 
19,695 
81,580 
2,194,200 
214,478 
31,642 

– 
465 
15,363 
4,482 

– 
88,708 
341 
109,359 

– 
950 
109,453 
– 
26 
110,429 
(1,070)
– 

– 
– 
13,946 
3,140 

– 
– 
61 
17,147 

– 
958 
14,773 
– 
130 
15,861 
1,286 
– 

–  1,375,382 
46,784 
117,253 
126,213 

153 
7,217 
– 

– 
– 
55 

2,565 
808,713 
65,699 
7,425  2,542,609 

– 
113 

1,338 
54,452 
7,116  2,170,498 
19,695 
81,736 
7,229  2,327,719 
214,890 
31,642 

196 
– 

– 
– 

158 

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rathbones.com

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159

A 10% weakening of the US dollar against sterling, occurring on 31 December 2018, would have reduced equity and profit after tax  
by £83,000 (2017: reduced by £86,000). A 10% weakening of the euro against sterling, occurring on 31 December 2018, would have 
increased equity and profit after tax by £147,000 (2017: reduced by £104,000). A 10% strengthening of the US dollar or euro would have 
had an equal and opposite effect. This analysis assumes that all other variables, in particular other exchange rates, remain constant. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(iii)  Market risk continued 
Price risk 
Price risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market prices 
(other than those arising from interest rate risk or foreign exchange risk). The group is exposed to price risk through its holdings of 
equity investment securities, which are reported at their fair value (note 18). 

At 31 December 2018, the fair value of equity securities recognised on the balance sheet was £3,205,000 (2017: £2,565,000). A 10% fall  
in global equity markets would, in isolation, result in a pre-tax decrease to net assets of £133,000 (2017: £133,000);  there would be no 
impact on profit after tax. A 10% rise in global markets would have had an equal and opposite effect. 

Fair values 
The table below analyses financial instruments measured at fair value into a fair value hierarchy based on the valuation technique  
used to determine the fair value. 

–  Level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. 
–  Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly  

or indirectly. 

–  Level 3: inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data. 

At 31 December 2018 
Assets 
Fair value through profit or loss: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 

At 31 December 2017  
Assets 
Available for sale securities: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 

Level 1 
£’000 

Level 2 
£’000 

Level 3 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 

3,205 
– 
3,205 

Level 1
£’000 

– 
75,333 
75,333 

Level 2 
£’000 

1,259 
– 
1,259 

Level 3
£’000 

4,464 
75,333 
79,797 

Total
£’000 

2,565 
– 
2,565 

– 
106,747 
106,747 

– 
– 
– 

2,565 
106,747 
109,312 

The group recognises transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy at the end of the reporting period during which the change 
has occurred. There have been no transfers between levels during the year (2017: none). 

The fair value of listed equity securities is their quoted price. Money market funds are demand securities and changes to estimates  
of interest rates will not affect their fair value. The fair value of money market funds is their daily redemption value. 

The fair values of the group’s other financial assets and liabilities are not materially different from their carrying values, with the 
exception of the following: 

–  Investment debt securities measured at amortised cost (note 18) comprise bank and building society certificates of deposit, which 
have fixed coupons. The fair value of debt securities at 31 December 2018 was £911,190,000 (2017: £704,002,000) and the carrying 
value was £907,259,000 (2017: £701,966,000). Fair value of debt securities is based on market bid prices, and hence would be 
categorised as level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. 

–  Subordinated loan notes (note 27) comprise Tier 2 loan notes. The fair value of the loan notes at 31 December 2018 was £20,217,000 
(2017: £20,478,000) and the carrying value was £19,807,000 (2017: £19,695,000). Fair value of the loan notes is based on discounted 
future cash flows using current market rates for debts with similar remaining maturity, and hence would be categorised as level 2 in 
the fair value hierarchy. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

32  Financial risk management continued 

(iii)  Market risk continued 

Price risk 

Price risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market prices 

(other than those arising from interest rate risk or foreign exchange risk). The group is exposed to price risk through its holdings of 

equity investment securities, which are reported at their fair value (note 18). 

At 31 December 2018, the fair value of equity securities recognised on the balance sheet was £3,205,000 (2017: £2,565,000). A 10% fall  

in global equity markets would, in isolation, result in a pre-tax decrease to net assets of £133,000 (2017: £133,000);  there would be no 

impact on profit after tax. A 10% rise in global markets would have had an equal and opposite effect. 

Fair values 

used to determine the fair value. 

The table below analyses financial instruments measured at fair value into a fair value hierarchy based on the valuation technique  

–  Level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. 

–  Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly  

or indirectly. 

–  Level 3: inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data. 

At 31 December 2018 

Assets 

Fair value through profit or loss: 

–  equity securities 

–  money market funds 

At 31 December 2017  

Assets 

Available for sale securities: 

–  equity securities 

–  money market funds 

Level 1 

£’000 

Level 2 

£’000 

Level 3 

£’000 

Total 

£’000 

3,205 

– 

3,205 

Level 1

£’000 

– 

75,333 

75,333 

Level 2 

£’000 

1,259 

– 

1,259 

Level 3

£’000 

4,464 

75,333 

79,797 

Total

£’000 

2,565 

– 

2,565 

– 

106,747 

106,747 

– 

– 

– 

2,565 

106,747 

109,312 

The group recognises transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy at the end of the reporting period during which the change 

has occurred. There have been no transfers between levels during the year (2017: none). 

The fair value of listed equity securities is their quoted price. Money market funds are demand securities and changes to estimates  

of interest rates will not affect their fair value. The fair value of money market funds is their daily redemption value. 

The fair values of the group’s other financial assets and liabilities are not materially different from their carrying values, with the 

exception of the following: 

–  Investment debt securities measured at amortised cost (note 18) comprise bank and building society certificates of deposit, which 

have fixed coupons. The fair value of debt securities at 31 December 2018 was £911,190,000 (2017: £704,002,000) and the carrying 

value was £907,259,000 (2017: £701,966,000). Fair value of debt securities is based on market bid prices, and hence would be 

categorised as level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. 

–  Subordinated loan notes (note 27) comprise Tier 2 loan notes. The fair value of the loan notes at 31 December 2018 was £20,217,000 

(2017: £20,478,000) and the carrying value was £19,807,000 (2017: £19,695,000). Fair value of the loan notes is based on discounted 

future cash flows using current market rates for debts with similar remaining maturity, and hence would be categorised as level 2 in 

the fair value hierarchy. 

Level 3 financial instruments 

Fair value through profit or loss 
As part of the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey, the group acquired 1,809 shares in Euroclear Holdings SA, which are classed as level 3  
in the fair value hierarchy since no observable market data is available. The fair value of these shares is calculated by reference to  
the last buy back event on 23 May 2017, when shares were sold at €774. The valuation at the balance sheet date has been adjusted for 
movements in exchange rates since the acquisition date. A 10% weakening of the euro against sterling, occurring on 31 December 2018, 
would have reduced equity and profit after tax by £102,000 (2017: £nil). A 10% strengthening of the euro against sterling would have  
an equal and opposite effect. 

Changes in the fair values of financial instruments categorised as level 3 within the fair value hierarchy were as follows: 

At 1 January 
Acquired in the year (note 35) 
Total unrealised gains recognised in profit or loss 
At 31 December 

2018 
£’000 
– 
1,254 
5 
1,259 

2017
£’000 
– 
– 
– 
– 

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The gain relating to the fair value through profit or loss equity securities is included within ‘other operating income’ in the consolidated 
statement of comprehensive income. 

There were no other gains or losses arising from changes in the fair value of financial instruments categorised as level 3 within the fair 
value hierarchy. 

33  Capital management 

Rathbone Brothers Plc's capital is defined for accounting purposes as total equity. As at 31 December 2018 this totalled £464,140,000 
(2017: £363,278,000). 

Rathbone Investment Management has issued 10 year subordinated Tier 2 loan notes (note 27). As at 31 December 2018,  the carrying 
value of the notes was £19,675,000 (2017: £19,590,000). From time to time, the group also runs small overnight  overdraft balances as 
part of working capital. 

The group’s objectives when managing capital are to:  

–  safeguard the group’s ability to continue as a going concern so that it can continue to provide returns for shareholders and benefits 

for other stakeholders; 

–  maintain a strong capital base in a cost-efficient manner to be able to support the development of the business when required;  
–  optimise the distribution of capital across group companies, reflecting the requirements of each business; 
–  strive to make capital freely transferable across the group where possible; and 
–  comply with regulatory requirements at all times. 

Rathbones is classified for capital purposes as a banking group and performs an Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process 
(ICAAP), which is presented to the PRA on an annual basis. Regulatory capital resources for ICAAP purposes are calculated in 
accordance with published rules. These require certain adjustments to and certain deductions from accounting capital, the latter  
largely in respect of intangible assets. The ICAAP compares regulatory capital resources against regulatory capital requirements 
derived using the PRA’s Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 methodology. The group has adopted the standardised approach to calculating its  Pillar 1 
credit risk component and the basic indicator approach to calculating its operational risk component. Capital management policy and 
practices are applied at both group and entity level. 

At 31 December 2018 the group’s regulatory capital resources, including retained earnings for 2018, were £251,329,000 (2017: 
£216,838,000). The increase in reserves during 2018 is due an increase in the group's retained earnings on account of profits generated 
in the year and the gain on remeasurement of the defined benefit liabilities.  

In addition to a variety of stress tests performed as part of the ICAAP process, and daily reporting in respect of treasury activity,   
capital levels are monitored and forecast on a monthly basis to ensure that dividends and investment requirements are  appropriately 
managed and appropriate buffers are kept against adverse business conditions. 

No breaches were reported to the PRA during the financial years ended 31 December 2017 and 2018. 

The group has not applied transitional relief in recognising expected credit losses (ECLs) in regulatory capital resources. As such,  
there is no difference between accounting ECLs and regulatory capital ECLs.  

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

34  Contingent liabilities and commitments 

(a)  Capital expenditure authorised and contracted for at 31 December 2018 but not provided in the financial statements amounted to 

£603,000 (2017: £48,000). 

(b)  The contractual amounts of the group’s commitments to extend credit to its clients are as follows: 

Guarantees 
Undrawn commitments to lend of 1 year or less 
Undrawn commitments to lend of more than 1 year 

The fair value of the guarantees is £nil (2017: £nil). 

2018 
£’000 
117 
26,803 
6,051 
32,971 

2017
£’000 
117 
20,985 
9,040 
30,142 

(c)  The group leases various offices and other assets under non-cancellable operating lease agreements. The leases have varying 

terms and renewal rights. At 31 December 2018, the group’s agreements to lease space at 8 Finsbury Circus had remaining lease 
terms of 14 years; total payments due over this period are £74,134,000. The leases provide for rent reviews every 5 years. 

Payments under non-cancellable operating leases 
No later than 1 year 
Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years 
Later than 5 years 

2018 
£’000 
8,253 
29,958 
52,337 
90,548 

2017
£’000 
4,529 
28,780 
57,293 
90,602 

(d)  The arrangements put in place by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) to protect depositors and investors from 

loss in the event of failure of financial institutions has resulted in significant levies on the industry in recent years. The financial 
impact of unexpected FSCS levies is largely out of the group’s control as they result from other industry failures. 
There is uncertainty over the level of future FSCS levies as they depend on the ultimate cost to the FSCS of industry failures.  
The group contributes to the deposit class, investment fund management class and investment intermediation levy classes  
and accrues levy costs for future levy years when the obligation arises. 

35  Business combinations 

Speirs & Jeffrey 
On 31 August 2018, the group acquired 100% of the ordinary share capital of Speirs & Jeffrey Limited (‘Speirs & Jeffrey’). 

Speirs & Jeffrey has operated as an independent investment management firm for over a century and has established many long  
term client relationships, with nearly three quarters of clients having been with the company for over 10 years. All of Speirs & Jeffrey's 
current directors and investment managers have joined the group. 

The acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey will enable Rathbones to establish a much stronger presence in Scotland, with Glasgow becoming 
the group’s largest office after London following the transaction. In turn, Speirs & Jeffrey’s clients will benefit from access to Rathbones’ 
broader product and service offering including lending, financial planning and dedicated specialist offerings such as Rathbones’ 
charities team and ethical investment capability. 

The group expects to capture scale benefits from ongoing investment in technology and the management of regulatory change for  
the benefit of its clients, staff and shareholders. Meaningful revenue synergies are expected to be achieved over time by leveraging  
the strength of Rathbones’ brand and complementary product offering and aligning the Speirs & Jeffrey service proposition with that 
of Rathbones. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

34  Contingent liabilities and commitments 

(a)  Capital expenditure authorised and contracted for at 31 December 2018 but not provided in the financial statements amounted to 

£603,000 (2017: £48,000). 

(b)  The contractual amounts of the group’s commitments to extend credit to its clients are as follows: 

Guarantees 

Undrawn commitments to lend of 1 year or less 

Undrawn commitments to lend of more than 1 year 

The fair value of the guarantees is £nil (2017: £nil). 

Payments under non-cancellable operating leases 

No later than 1 year 

Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years 

Later than 5 years 

(c)  The group leases various offices and other assets under non-cancellable operating lease agreements. The leases have varying 

terms and renewal rights. At 31 December 2018, the group’s agreements to lease space at 8 Finsbury Circus had remaining lease 

terms of 14 years; total payments due over this period are £74,134,000. The leases provide for rent reviews every 5 years. 

2018 

£’000 

117 

26,803 

6,051 

32,971 

2017

£’000 

117 

20,985 

9,040 

30,142 

2018 

£’000 

8,253 

29,958 

52,337 

90,548 

2017

£’000 

4,529 

28,780 

57,293 

90,602 

(d)  The arrangements put in place by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) to protect depositors and investors from 

loss in the event of failure of financial institutions has resulted in significant levies on the industry in recent years. The financial 

impact of unexpected FSCS levies is largely out of the group’s control as they result from other industry failures. 

There is uncertainty over the level of future FSCS levies as they depend on the ultimate cost to the FSCS of industry failures.  

The group contributes to the deposit class, investment fund management class and investment intermediation levy classes  

and accrues levy costs for future levy years when the obligation arises. 

35  Business combinations 

Speirs & Jeffrey 

On 31 August 2018, the group acquired 100% of the ordinary share capital of Speirs & Jeffrey Limited (‘Speirs & Jeffrey’). 

Speirs & Jeffrey has operated as an independent investment management firm for over a century and has established many long  

term client relationships, with nearly three quarters of clients having been with the company for over 10 years. All of Speirs & Jeffrey's 

current directors and investment managers have joined the group. 

The acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey will enable Rathbones to establish a much stronger presence in Scotland, with Glasgow becoming 

the group’s largest office after London following the transaction. In turn, Speirs & Jeffrey’s clients will benefit from access to Rathbones’ 

broader product and service offering including lending, financial planning and dedicated specialist offerings such as Rathbones’ 

charities team and ethical investment capability. 

The group expects to capture scale benefits from ongoing investment in technology and the management of regulatory change for  

the benefit of its clients, staff and shareholders. Meaningful revenue synergies are expected to be achieved over time by leveraging  

the strength of Rathbones’ brand and complementary product offering and aligning the Speirs & Jeffrey service proposition with that 

of Rathbones. 

Consideration transferred 
The following table summarises the acquisition date fair value of each class of consideration transferred: 

Cash consideration 
Contingent consideration (see below) 
Total consideration 

£'000 
88,374 
1,050 
89,424 

Cash consideration comprises an initial cash payment of £78,725,000, paid on 31 August 2018, and a payment for regulatory capital 
surplus of £9,649,000, paid in two parts on 31 August 2018 and 25 October 2018. 

Contingent consideration 
Contingent consideration of £1,050,000 is payable during 2019 to vendors who are not required to remain in employment with the 
group. The payment is subject to performance against certain operational targets, and is either payable in full or not at all, dependent 
on whether the targets are met. The amount capitalised represents the maximum amount payable, as the group believe the targets will 
be met. 

As the payment is due within one year, the consideration has not been discounted. The contingent consideration payment will be 
made 100% in shares. 

Other deferred payments 
The sale and purchase agreement details other deferred and contingent payments to be made to vendors for the sale of the shares of 
Speirs and Jeffrey. However, these payments require the vendors to remain in employment with the group for the duration of the 
respective deferral periods. Hence, they are being treated as remuneration for post-combination services and the cost charged to profit 
and loss over the respective vesting periods. Details of each of these elements is as follows: 

Initial share consideration 
Contingent consideration 
Earn Out consideration 

Gross amount 
£'000 

Grant date 
25,000  31 August 2018 
13,950  31 August 2018 
16,320  31 August 2018 

Grant date fair value 
Expected vesting date 
£'000 
31 August 2021 
23,462  
14,036  
31 March 2019 
16,570   31 December 2020/21 

All of these payments are to be made 100% in shares and are being accounted for as equity-settled share-based payments under IFRS 2.  

–  Initial share consideration of £25,000,000 was payable on completion. However, although the shares were issued on the date of 
acquisition, they do not vest until the third anniversary of the acquisition date, subject to the vendors remaining employed until  
this date. 

–  Contingent consideration of £13,950,000 is payable subject to the performance against the same operational targets described  

above, as well as the vendors remaining in employment with the group until the targets are met. 

–  Earn Out consideration of £16,320,000 is payable in two parts in the third and fourth years following the acquisition date. Payment  
is subject to the delivery of certain operational and financial performance targets. The gross amount represents management’s best 
estimate as to the extent to which these targets will be achieved. The maximum amount payable under this element, which 
represents a considerable stretch against the targets, is £98,210,000. 

Incentive plans are also in place for non-sellers, which are subject to the same operational and financial performance targets as the earn 
out consideration for the vendors. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

35  Business combinations continued 

The charge recognised in profit or loss for the year ended 31 December 2018 for the above elements is as follows: 

Initial share consideration 
Contingent consideration 
Earn Out consideration and incentivisation awards 

£'000 
2,607 
8,021 
4,086 
14,714 

These costs are being reported as staff costs within acquisition-related costs (see note 9). 

Acquisition-related costs  
Costs of £2,465,000 for legal and advisory fees and £653,000 for stamp duty have been recognised in acquisition-related costs (note 9) 
in the year in relation to this transaction. 

Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed 
The acquired business' identifiable net assets at the acquisition date were as follows: 

31 August 2018 
Property, plant and equipment 
Trade and other receivables 
Intangible assets (note 22) 
Loans and advances to banks 
Loans and advances to customers 
Investment securities – fair value through profit or loss 
Trade and other payables 
Accruals and other liabilities 
Deferred tax liabilities (note 21) 
Contingent liabilities 
Total net assets acquired 

Carrying amounts 
£'000 
943 
3,318 
– 
15,462 
2,274 
1,254 
– 
(6,850) 
(140) 
– 
16,261 

Fair value 
adjustments 
£'000 
– 
– 
54,337 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(9,261)
– 
45,076 

Recognised values 
£'000 
943 
3,318 
54,337 
15,462 
2,274 
1,254 
– 
(6,850)
(9,401)
– 
61,337 

The fair value of acquired trade and other receivables and loans and advances to banks is equal to the contractual amounts receivable, 
all of which were expected to be collected at the acquisition date. 

The fair value of Speirs & Jeffrey’s client relationship intangible assets has been measured using a multi-period excess earnings  
method (note 22). The model uses estimates of client longevity, investment performance and the level of activity driving commission 
income to derive a forecast series of cash flows, which are discounted to a present value to determine the fair value of the client 
relationships acquired. 

The fair value of all other net assets acquired were equal to their carrying value. 

Goodwill  
Goodwill arising from the acquisition has been recognised as follows: 

Total consideration (see above) 
Fair value of identifiable net assets acquired (see above) 

£'000 
89,424 
(61,337)
28,087 

Goodwill of £28,087,000 arises as a result of the acquired workforce, expected future growth as well as operational and revenue 
synergies arising post integration. Any impairment of goodwill in future periods is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes. 

During the 4 months to 31 December 2018, Speirs & Jeffrey contributed to the group’s operating income of £8,682,000 and profit  
before tax of £2,846,000 to the group’s consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ended 31 December 2018. 

If the group had made the acquisition on 1 January 2018, the group operating income and profit before tax would have been 
£332,626,000 and £64,925,000 respectively. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

£'000 

2,607 

8,021 

4,086 

14,714 

£'000 

89,424 

(61,337)

28,087 

Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed 

The acquired business' identifiable net assets at the acquisition date were as follows: 

31 August 2018 

Property, plant and equipment 

Trade and other receivables 

Intangible assets (note 22) 

Loans and advances to banks 

Loans and advances to customers 

Trade and other payables 

Accruals and other liabilities 

Deferred tax liabilities (note 21) 

Contingent liabilities 

Total net assets acquired 

Investment securities – fair value through profit or loss 

Carrying amounts 

adjustments 

Recognised values 

Fair value 

£'000 

– 

54,337 

£'000 

943 

3,318 

15,462 

2,274 

1,254 

(6,850) 

(140) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(9,261)

£'000 

943 

3,318 

54,337 

15,462 

2,274 

1,254 

(6,850)

(9,401)

– 

– 

16,261 

45,076 

61,337 

The fair value of acquired trade and other receivables and loans and advances to banks is equal to the contractual amounts receivable, 

all of which were expected to be collected at the acquisition date. 

The fair value of Speirs & Jeffrey’s client relationship intangible assets has been measured using a multi-period excess earnings  

method (note 22). The model uses estimates of client longevity, investment performance and the level of activity driving commission 

income to derive a forecast series of cash flows, which are discounted to a present value to determine the fair value of the client 

relationships acquired. 

The fair value of all other net assets acquired were equal to their carrying value. 

Goodwill  

Goodwill arising from the acquisition has been recognised as follows: 

Total consideration (see above) 

Fair value of identifiable net assets acquired (see above) 

Goodwill of £28,087,000 arises as a result of the acquired workforce, expected future growth as well as operational and revenue 

synergies arising post integration. Any impairment of goodwill in future periods is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes. 

During the 4 months to 31 December 2018, Speirs & Jeffrey contributed to the group’s operating income of £8,682,000 and profit  

before tax of £2,846,000 to the group’s consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ended 31 December 2018. 

If the group had made the acquisition on 1 January 2018, the group operating income and profit before tax would have been 

£332,626,000 and £64,925,000 respectively. 

35  Business combinations continued 

36  Related party transactions 

The charge recognised in profit or loss for the year ended 31 December 2018 for the above elements is as follows: 

Initial share consideration 

Contingent consideration 

Earn Out consideration and incentivisation awards 

Transactions with key management personnel 
The remuneration of the key management personnel of the group, who are defined as the company’s directors and other members  
of senior management who are responsible for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the group, is set out below.  

Gains on options exercised by directors during the year totalled £19,000 (2017: £nil). Further information about the remuneration  
of individual directors is provided in the audited part of the directors' remuneration report on page 84. 

These costs are being reported as staff costs within acquisition-related costs (see note 9). 

Acquisition-related costs  

in the year in relation to this transaction. 

Costs of £2,465,000 for legal and advisory fees and £653,000 for stamp duty have been recognised in acquisition-related costs (note 9) 

Short term employee benefits 
Post-employment benefits 
Other long term benefits 
Share-based payments 

2018 
£’000 
12,434 
184 
2,934 
5,640 
21,192 

2017
£’000 
10,951 
327 
2,425 
2,187 
15,890 

Dividends totalling £247,000 were paid in the year (2017: £408,000) in respect of ordinary shares held by key management personnel 
and their close family members. 

As at 31 December 2018, the group had outstanding interest-free season ticket loans of £nil (2017: £6,000) issued to key management 
personnel. 

At 31 December 2018, key management personnel and their close family members had gross outstanding deposits of £778,000 (2017: 
£4,059,000) and gross outstanding banking loans of £nil (2017: £728,000), all of which (2017: all) were made on normal business terms. 
A number of the group's key management personnel and their close family members make use of the services provided by companies 
within the group. Charges for such services are made at various staff rates. 

Other related party transactions 
The group’s transactions with the pension funds are described in note 28. At 31 December 2018, no amounts were outstanding with 
either the Laurence Keen Scheme or the Rathbone 1987 Scheme (2017: £nil). 

One group subsidiary, Rathbone Unit Trust Management, has authority to manage the investments within a number of unit trusts. 
Another group company, Rathbone Investment Management International, acted as investment manager for a protected cell company 
offering unitised private client portfolio services. During 2018, the group managed 27 unit trusts, Sociétés d'Investissement à Capital 
Variable (SICAVs) and open-ended investment companies (OEICs) (together, 'collectives') (2017: 27 unit trusts and OEICs). 

The group charges each fund an annual management fee for these services, but does not earn any performance fees on the unit trusts. 
The management charges are calculated on the bases published in the individual fund prospectuses, which also state the terms and 
conditions of the management contract with the group. 

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The following transactions and balances relate to the group’s interest in the unit trusts: 

Year ended 31 December 
Total management fees  

As at 31 December 
Management fees owed to the group 
Holdings in unit trusts (note 18) 

2018 
£’000 
37,608 

2017
£’000 
35,525 

2018 
£’000
3,629 
3,205 
6,834 

2017
£’000
3,266 
2,565 
5,831 

Total management fees are included within 'fee and commission income' in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. 

Management fees owed to the group are included within 'accrued income' and holdings in unit trusts are classified as 'fair value 
through profit or loss equity securities' in the consolidated balance sheet. The maximum exposure to loss is limited to the carrying 
amount on the balance sheet as disclosed above. 

All amounts outstanding with related parties are unsecured and will be settled in cash. No guarantees have been given or received.  
No provisions have been made for doubtful debts in respect of the amounts owed by related parties. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

37 

Interest in unconsolidated structured entities 

As described in note 36, at 31 December 2018, the group owned units in collectives managed by Rathbone Unit Trust Management  
with a value of £3,205,000 (2017: £2,565,000), representing 0.06% (2017: 0.05%) of the total value of the collectives managed by the 
group. These assets are held to hedge the group's exposure to deferred remuneration schemes for employees of Unit Trusts. 

The group's primary risk associated with its interest in the unit trusts is from changes in fair value of its holdings in the funds. 

The group is not judged to control, and therefore does not consolidate, the collectives. Although the fund trustees have limited rights  
to remove Rathbone Unit Trust Management as manager, the group is exposed to very low variability of returns from its management 
and share of ownership of the funds and is therefore judged to act as an agent rather than having control under IFRS 10. 

38  Consolidated statement of cash flows 

For the purposes of the consolidated statement of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents comprise the following balances with less 
than three months until maturity from the date of acquisition: 

Cash and balances at central banks (note 15) 
Loans and advances to banks (note 16) 
Fair value through profit or loss investment securities (note 18) 
At 31 December 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 
1,197,001  1,374,002 
87,009 
106,747 
1,408,537  1,567,758 

136,203 
75,333 

Fair value thought profit or loss investment securities are amounts invested in money market funds, which are realisable on demand. 

Cash flows arising from issuing ordinary shares comprise: 

Share capital issued (note 29) 
Share premium on shares issued (note 29) 
Shares issued in relation to share-based schemes for which no cash consideration was received 

A reconciliation of the movements of liabilities to cash flows arising from financing activities were as follows: 

2018 
£’000 
194 
87,134 
(29,888)
57,440 

2017
£’000 
31 
3,098 
(441)
2,688 

Retained 
earnings 
£’000 
190,402 
102 
8,443 
198,947 

Total 
£’000 
382,973 
(148)
8,443 
391,268 

– 
(2,015)
(32,691)
(34,706)
– 
– 

87,328 
(29,888)
(32,691)
24,749 
– 
– 

Liabilities 
Subordinated 
loan notes 
£’000 
19,695 
– 
– 
19,695 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

Share capital/
premium
£’000 
145,655 
– 
– 
145,655 

87,328 
– 
– 
87,328 
– 
– 

Equity 

Reserves 
£’000 
27,221 
(250) 
– 
26,971 

– 
(27,873) 
– 
(27,873) 
– 
– 

1,283 
(1,171)
112 
– 
19,807 

– 
– 
– 
– 
232,983 

– 
– 
– 
– 
(902) 

– 
– 
– 
67,818 
232,059 

1,283 
(1,171)
112 
67,818 
483,947 

At 31 December 2017 
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 9 (net of tax) 
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (net of tax) 
At 1 January 2018 

Changes from financing cash flows 
Proceeds from issue of share capital 
Proceeds from sale of treasury shares 
Dividends paid  
Total changes from financing cash flows 
The effect of changes in foreign exchange rates 
Changes in fair value 
Other changes 
Liability-related 
Interest expense  
Interest paid 
Total liability-related changes 
Total equity-related other changes 
At 31 December 2018 

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At 1 January 2017 

Changes from financing cash flows 
Proceeds from issue of share capital 
Proceeds from sale of treasury shares 
Dividends paid  
Total changes from financing cash flows 
The effect of changes in foreign exchange rates 
Changes in fair value 
Other changes 
Liability-related 
Interest expense  
Interest paid 
Total liability-related changes 
Total equity-related other changes 
At 31 December 2017 

39  Events after the balance sheet date 

Liabilities
Subordinated loan 
notes
£’000 
19,590 

Share capital/
premium
£’000 
142,526 

Equity 

Reserves 
£’000 
25,742 

Retained
earnings
£’000 
156,545 

Total
£’000 
344,403 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

3,129 
– 
– 
3,129 
– 
– 

– 
1,379 
– 
1,379 
– 
– 

– 
(1,820)
(29,420)
(31,240)
– 
– 

3,129 
(441)
(29,420)
(26,732)
– 
– 

1,276 
(1,171)
105 
– 
19,695 

– 
– 
– 
– 
145,655 

– 
– 
– 
100 
27,221 

– 
– 
– 
65,097 
190,402 

1,276 
(1,171)
105 
65,197 
382,973 

There have been no material events occurring between the balance sheet date and the date of signing this report.

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37 

Interest in unconsolidated structured entities 

As described in note 36, at 31 December 2018, the group owned units in collectives managed by Rathbone Unit Trust Management  

with a value of £3,205,000 (2017: £2,565,000), representing 0.06% (2017: 0.05%) of the total value of the collectives managed by the 

group. These assets are held to hedge the group's exposure to deferred remuneration schemes for employees of Unit Trusts. 

The group's primary risk associated with its interest in the unit trusts is from changes in fair value of its holdings in the funds. 

The group is not judged to control, and therefore does not consolidate, the collectives. Although the fund trustees have limited rights  

to remove Rathbone Unit Trust Management as manager, the group is exposed to very low variability of returns from its management 

and share of ownership of the funds and is therefore judged to act as an agent rather than having control under IFRS 10. 

38  Consolidated statement of cash flows 

For the purposes of the consolidated statement of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents comprise the following balances with less 

than three months until maturity from the date of acquisition: 

Cash and balances at central banks (note 15) 

Loans and advances to banks (note 16) 

Fair value through profit or loss investment securities (note 18) 

At 31 December 

Cash flows arising from issuing ordinary shares comprise: 

Fair value thought profit or loss investment securities are amounts invested in money market funds, which are realisable on demand. 

Share capital issued (note 29) 

Share premium on shares issued (note 29) 

Shares issued in relation to share-based schemes for which no cash consideration was received 

A reconciliation of the movements of liabilities to cash flows arising from financing activities were as follows: 

At 31 December 2017 

Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 9 (net of tax) 

Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (net of tax) 

Liabilities 

Subordinated 

loan notes 

£’000 

19,695 

Share capital/

premium

£’000 

145,655 

Equity 

Reserves 

£’000 

27,221 

(250) 

– 

At 1 January 2018 

19,695 

145,655 

26,971 

198,947 

391,268 

2018 

£’000 

2017

£’000 

1,197,001  1,374,002 

136,203 

75,333 

87,009 

106,747 

1,408,537  1,567,758 

2018 

£’000 

194 

87,134 

(29,888)

57,440 

Retained 

earnings 

£’000 

102 

8,443 

2017

£’000 

31 

3,098 

(441)

2,688 

Total 

£’000 

(148)

8,443 

190,402 

382,973 

Changes from financing cash flows 

Proceeds from issue of share capital 

Proceeds from sale of treasury shares 

Dividends paid  

Total changes from financing cash flows 

The effect of changes in foreign exchange rates 

Changes in fair value 

Other changes 

Liability-related 

Interest expense  

Interest paid 

Total liability-related changes 

Total equity-related other changes 

At 31 December 2018 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

1,283 

(1,171)

112 

– 

87,328 

(27,873) 

87,328 

(27,873) 

(2,015)

(32,691)

(34,706)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

87,328 

(29,888)

(32,691)

24,749 

– 

– 

1,283 

(1,171)

112 

19,807 

232,983 

(902) 

67,818 

67,818 

232,059 

483,947 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

40  Country-by-country reporting 

Introduction 
HM Treasury has transposed the requirements set out under Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRD IV) and issued the  
Capital Requirements Country-by-Country Reporting Regulations 2013, effective 1 January 2014. The legislation requires  
Rathbone Brothers Plc (together with its subsidiaries, ‘the group’) to publish certain additional information, on a consolidated  
basis, for the year ended 31 December 2018. 

Basis of preparation: 

Country 

In most cases, we have determined the country by reference to the country of tax residence. Where 
an entity is not subject to tax (e.g. a partnership) we have considered the location of management  
or the jurisdiction in which the revenues are generated. In these cases it is possible that tax is paid  
in a different country to the one in which profits are reported. 

Nature of activities 

The nature of activities within the United Kingdom are described within our services on 
pages 4 to 5. Discretionary investment management is the sole activity which occurs in Jersey. 

Turnover 

Turnover is defined as operating income. As the consolidated results are split by country, there 
is an element of double counting when inter-jurisdictional transactions (for example, the payment  
of dividends) occur. The entries to eliminate this double counting are included at the bottom of the 
table to enable the disclosed figures to agree to the published consolidated accounts of the group. 

Profit/(loss) before 

taxation 

These are accounting profits. As with turnover some double counting may arise and again this 
has been eliminated at the bottom of the table. The majority of the total relates to the elimination  
of inter-jurisdictional dividends which are reflected as profits in the United Kingdom. 

Tax paid 

This column reflects corporation tax actually paid in the year. Note that it is rare that tax paid 
in any given year relates directly to the profits earned in the same period. 

Public subsidies received 

The group received no public subsidies in the year.

Number of employees 

The number of employees reported is the average number of full time employees who were 
permanently employed by the group, or one of its subsidiaries, during the year. Contractors  
are excluded. 

Subsidiaries 

A list of the subsidiaries of the group, including their main activity and country of incorporation, 
is shown within note 46. 

Country 
United Kingdom 
Jersey 
Sub-total 
Intergroup eliminations and other entries arising on consolidation 
Total 

Turnover 
£'000 
304,870 
11,081 
315,951 
(3,988)
311,963 

Profit/(loss) 
before 
taxation 
£'000 
63,208 
2,113 
65,321 
(4,015) 
61,306 

Tax paid 
£'000 
14,397 
300 
14,697 
– 
14,697 

Number of 
employees 
1,311 
18 
1,329 
– 
1,329 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued  

Company statement of changes in equity 
for the year ended 31 December 2018 

HM Treasury has transposed the requirements set out under Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRD IV) and issued the  

Capital Requirements Country-by-Country Reporting Regulations 2013, effective 1 January 2014. The legislation requires  

Rathbone Brothers Plc (together with its subsidiaries, ‘the group’) to publish certain additional information, on a consolidated  

40  Country-by-country reporting 

Introduction 

basis, for the year ended 31 December 2018. 

Basis of preparation: 

Country 

In most cases, we have determined the country by reference to the country of tax residence. Where 

an entity is not subject to tax (e.g. a partnership) we have considered the location of management  

or the jurisdiction in which the revenues are generated. In these cases it is possible that tax is paid  

in a different country to the one in which profits are reported. 

Nature of activities 

The nature of activities within the United Kingdom are described within our services on 

pages 4 to 5. Discretionary investment management is the sole activity which occurs in Jersey. 

Turnover 

Turnover is defined as operating income. As the consolidated results are split by country, there 

is an element of double counting when inter-jurisdictional transactions (for example, the payment  

of dividends) occur. The entries to eliminate this double counting are included at the bottom of the 

table to enable the disclosed figures to agree to the published consolidated accounts of the group. 

Profit/(loss) before 

taxation 

These are accounting profits. As with turnover some double counting may arise and again this 

has been eliminated at the bottom of the table. The majority of the total relates to the elimination  

of inter-jurisdictional dividends which are reflected as profits in the United Kingdom. 

Tax paid 

This column reflects corporation tax actually paid in the year. Note that it is rare that tax paid 

in any given year relates directly to the profits earned in the same period. 

Public subsidies received 

The group received no public subsidies in the year.

Number of employees 

The number of employees reported is the average number of full time employees who were 

permanently employed by the group, or one of its subsidiaries, during the year. Contractors  

Subsidiaries 

A list of the subsidiaries of the group, including their main activity and country of incorporation, 

are excluded. 

is shown within note 46. 

Country 

United Kingdom 

Jersey 

Sub-total 

Total 

Intergroup eliminations and other entries arising on consolidation 

Turnover 

£'000 

304,870 

11,081 

315,951 

(3,988)

311,963 

Profit/(loss) 

before 

taxation 

£'000 

63,208 

2,113 

65,321 

(4,015) 

61,306 

Tax paid 

£'000 

14,397 

300 

14,697 

– 

14,697 

Number of 

employees 

1,311 

18 

1,329 

– 

1,329 

 At 1 January 2017 
 Profit for the year 
Net remeasurement of defined benefit 

liability 

Revaluation of available for sale 

investment securities: 

Net gain from changes in fair value 
Net profit on disposal transferred to 

profit or loss during the year 

Deferred tax relating to components of 

other comprehensive income 

 Other comprehensive income net of tax 

 Dividends paid 
 Issue of share capital 
 Share-based payments: 
 –  value of employee services 
 –  cost of own shares acquired 
 –  cost of own shares vesting 
 –  tax on share-based payments 
  At 31 December 2017 
Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 

9 (net of tax) 

Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 

15 (net of tax) 

  Adjusted balance at 1 January 2018 
 Profit for the year 
Net remeasurement of defined benefit 

liability 

Deferred tax relating to components of 

other comprehensive income 

 Other comprehensive income net of tax 

 Dividends paid 
 Issue of share capital 
 Share-based payments: 
 –  value of employee services 
 –  cost of own shares acquired 
 –  cost of own shares vesting 
 –  tax on share-based payments 
  At 31 December 2018 

Note 

Share capital
£’000  
2,535 

Share premium
£’000  
139,991 

Available for sale 
reserve
£’000  
150 

Own shares 
£’000  
(6,243) 

Retained earnings
£’000  
48,906 
32,614 

Total equity
£’000  
185,339 
32,614 

17,288 

17,288 

163 

(43)

(20)
100 

163 

(43)

(2,939)
14,349 

(2,959)
14,449 

– 

– 

– 

31 

3,098 

(441) 
1,820 

2,566 

143,089 

250 

(4,864) 

(29,420)

3,591 

(1,820)
328 
68,548 

(29,420)
3,129 

3,591 
(441)
– 
328 
209,589 

(250)

250 

– 

2,566 

143,089 

– 

(4,864) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
68,798 
45,883 

– 
209,589 
45,883 

1,219 

1,219 

(207)
1,012 

(207)
1,012 

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87,134 

2,760 

230,223 

– 

(32,691)

20,279 

(29,888) 
2,015 

(2,015)
358 
(32,737)  101,624 

(32,691)
87,328 

20,279 
(29,888)
– 
358 
301,870 

52 

18 

49 

45 
53 

53 
53 

52 

49 

45 
53 

53 
53 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the company financial statements. 

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Company balance sheet 
As at 31 December 2018 

Non-current assets 
Investment in subsidiaries 
Other investments 
Deferred tax  

Current assets 
Trade and other receivables 
Current tax asset 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total assets 

Current liabilities 
Trade and other payables  
Current tax liability 
Provisions for liabilities and charges 

Net current assets 

Non-current liabilities 
Retirement benefit obligations 
Total liabilities 

Net assets 

Equity 
Share capital 
Share premium 
Available for sale reserve 
Own shares 
Retained earnings 
Equity shareholders' funds 

Note 

46 
47 
49 

48 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

273,055 
13,205 
4,067 
290,327 

180,503 
12,565 
4,455 
197,523 

102,440 
– 
5,386 
107,826 

114,597 
1,616 
7,400 
123,613 

398,153 

321,136 

50 

51 

(74,387)
(476)
(10,223)
(85,086)

(73,018)
–
(22,929)
(95,947)

22,740 

27,666 

52 

(11,197)
(96,283)

(15,600)
(111,547)

301,870 

209,589 

53 
53 

53 

2,760 
230,223 
– 
(32,737)
101,624 
301,870 

2,566 
143,089 
250 
(4,864)
68,548 
209,589 

The financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 20 February 2019 and were signed on 
their behalf by: 

Philip Howell 
Chief Executive 

Paul Stockton
Finance Director 

Company registered number: 01000403 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the company financial statements. 

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Company statement of cash flows 
for the year ended 31 December 2018 

Cash flows from operating activities 
Profit before tax 
Net profit on disposal of available for sale investment securities 
Change in fair value through profit or loss 
Net interest and dividends receivable 
Net charge for provisions 
Defined benefit pension scheme charges 
Defined benefit pension scheme contributions paid 
Share-based payment charges 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities: 
–  net decrease in prepayments, accrued income and other assets
–  net (decrease)/increase in accruals, deferred income, provisions and other liabilities
Cash generated from operations 
Tax received 
Net cash inflow from operating activities 
Cash flows from investing activities 
Interest received 
Interest paid 
Inter-company dividends received 
Acquisition of subsidiaries 
Disposal of subsidiary, net of cash transferred 
Investment in subsidiaries 
Purchase of other investments 
Proceeds from sale of investments 
Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities 
Cash flows from financing activities 
Issue of ordinary shares 
Dividends paid 
Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities 
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of the company financial statements.

Note 

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

46,980 
– 
189 
(58,818)
(1,936)
491 
(3,673)
19,838 
3,071 

12,407 
(9,297)
6,181 
1,535 
7,716 

79 
(182)
59,250 
(92,552)
5,205 
(5,205)
(1,065)
235 
(34,235)

57,440 
(32,691)
24,749 
(1,770)
7,156 
5,386 

30,390
(43)
–
(47,576)
16,523 
(2,948)
(3,619)
3,871 
(3,402)

16,712 
5,590 
18,900 
1,747 
20,647 

24 
(208)
48,000 
– 
–
(40,000)
(698)
160 
7,278 

2,688 
(29,420)
(26,732)
1,193 
5,963 
7,156 

51 
52 
52 
53 

46 

53 
45 

58 

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Notes to the company financial statements 

41  Significant accounting policies 

Statement of compliance 
The separate financial statements of the company are presented as required by the Companies Act 2006 and have been prepared  
in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as adopted by the European Union, and IAS 27 'Separate 
Financial Statements'. 

On publishing the parent company financial statements here together with the group financial statements, the company is taking 
advantage of the exemption in Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 not to present its individual statement of comprehensive 
income and related notes that form a part of these approved financial statements. 

Developments in reporting standards and interpretations  
This is the first set of the Company’s financial statements where IFRS 9 and IFRS 15 have been applied. These new standards were 
adopted from 1 January 2018. Under the transition methods chosen, comparative information is not restated. Changes to significant 
accounting policies are described in note 43. 

Other developments in reporting standards and interpretations are set out in note 1.3 to the consolidated financial statements. 

Principal accounting policies  
The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, except for the revaluation of certain financial instruments. 
The principal accounting policies adopted are as set out below. 

Investments in subsidiaries 
Investments in subsidiaries are stated at cost less, where appropriate, provision for impairment. 

Management charges 
Intra-group management charges arise in relation to staff costs and other administrative expenses that are initially borne by the 
company and then recharged to other group companies, when incurred. 

Accounting policies in relation to impairment, interest income, dividend income, operating leases, foreign currency, retirement benefit 
obligations, taxation, cash and cash equivalents and share-based payments are set out in note 1 to the consolidated financial statements. 

42  Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation and uncertainty 

The critical accounting judgement and key sources of estimation and uncertainty arise from the company's defined benefit pension 
schemes. These are described in note 3 to the consolidated financial statements. 

43  Changes in significant accounting policies 

The Company has adopted IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’ and IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ from 1 January 2018.  

The effect of applying these standards is mainly attributed to the following: 

–  a change in classification and measurement of certain financial assets (IFRS 9); and 
–  an increase in provisions for payments to acquire client relationship intangible assets (IFRS 15). 

IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’ 
IFRS 9 governs the accounting treatment for the classification and measurement of financial instruments and the timing and extent  
of credit provisioning. The standard replaces IAS 39. 

Transition 
The Company has taken advantage of the exemption from restating comparative information for prior periods with respect to 
classification and measurement (including impairment) requirements. Differences in the carrying amounts of financial assets  
and financial liabilities resulting from the adoption of IFRS 9 are recognised in retained earnings and reserves as at 1 January 2018. 
Accordingly, the information presented for 2017 does not generally reflect the requirements of IFRS 9 but rather those of IAS 39.

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Under the requirements of IFRS 9, the following assessments have been made on the basis of the facts and circumstances that existed 
at the date of initial application. 

–  The nature of the business model under which a financial asset is managed. 
–  Whether the SPPI (solely payments of principal and interest) criterion is met. 
–  The designation of certain financial assets as measured at fair value through profit or loss. 
–  If an investment in a debt instrument had a low credit risk at the date of initial application of IFRS 9, then the company assumes  

that the credit risk on the asset has not increased significantly since its initial recognition. 

The following table summarises the impact, net of tax, of transition to IFRS 9 on the opening balance of reserves and retained earnings: 

Recycle to retained earnings of available for sale reserve 
Impact at 1 January 2018 

Impact of adopting IFRS 9 on opening balance 

Available for sale reserve 
£'000 
(250)
(250)

Retained earnings 
£'000 
250 
250 

The hedge accounting requirements of IFRS 9 have not been applied, as the company was not party to any hedging relationships as  
at 1 January 2018. 

Classification and measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities 
The basis of classification for financial assets under IFRS 9 is different from that under IAS 39. Financial assets are classified into one of 
three categories: amortised cost, fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) or fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI). 
The held to maturity, loans and receivables and available for sale categories available under IAS 39 have been removed. 

The classification criteria for allocating financial assets between categories under IFRS 9 require the company to document the 
business models under which its assets are managed and review contractual terms and conditions. 

All of the company’s financial assets as at 1 January 2018 were managed within business models whose objective is solely to collect 
contractual cash flows, except money market funds, which are equity instruments not held for trading and were classified as fair  
value through profit or loss. 

The following table explains the original measurement categories under IAS 39 and the new measurement categories under IFRS 9  
for each class of the company’s financial assets as at 1 January 2018. 

Original classification under IAS 39 
Financial assets 
Available for sale 
Equity securities 
Available for sale 
Money market funds 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Loans and receivables 
Amounts owed by group undertakings  Loans and receivables 
Other financial assets 
Loans and receivables 
Total financial assets 

Original carrying 
amount under IAS 39

£'000  New classification under IFRS 9 

2,565  Fair value through profit or loss 
10,000  Fair value through profit or loss 

7,400  Amortised cost 
110,194  Amortised cost 
1,635  Amortised cost 

131,794 

New carrying amount 
under IFRS 9 
£'000 
2,565 
10,000 
7,400 
110,194 
1,635 
131,794 

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The basis of classification for financial liabilities under IFRS 9 remains unchanged from under IAS 39. 

Impairment of financial assets 
Under IFRS 9, an expected credit loss (ECL) model replaces the incurred loss model, meaning there no longer needs to be a triggering 
event in order to recognise impairment losses. A credit loss provision must be made for the amount of any loss expected to arise, 
whereas under IAS 39, credit losses are recognised when they are incurred. 

No additional impairment has been recognised under the new standard as at 1 January 2018. 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

43  Changes in significant accounting policies continued 

IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ 
IFRS 15 changes how and when revenue is recognised from contracts with customers and the treatment of the costs of obtaining a 
contract with a customer. The standard requires that the recognition of revenue is linked to the fulfilment of identified performance 
obligations that are enshrined in the customer contract. It also requires that the incremental cost of obtaining a customer contract 
should be capitalised if that cost is expected to be recovered. The standard replaces existing revenue recognition guidance, in particular 
under IAS 18. 

Transition 
The company has adopted IFRS 15 using the cumulative effect method, with the effect of applying the standard recognised at the date 
of adoption, with no restatement of the comparative period. The following table summarises the impact, net of tax, of transition to IFRS 
15 on retained earnings at 1 January 2018. 

Retained earnings 
Reduction in amounts owed to group undertakings 
Recognition of provisions 
Impact at 1 January 2018 

Impact of adopting 
IFRS 15 on opening 
balance 
£'000 

(4,075)
4,075 
– 

The impact on transition is due to a change in the group’s accounting policy for capitalising contract costs under IFRS 15 (see note 2). 
There is an increase in provisions for amounts payable as at 1 January 2018 in respect of additional contract costs capitalised for the 
acquisition of client relationship intangible assets (recognised in a group undertaking to which the related costs of the earn out 
contracts are recharged). 

Impact on financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2018 
The company has considered the impact of adopting the standard, in particular the group’s policy of capitalising the cost of obtaining 
customer contracts, and expects provisions for costs to acquire client relationship intangible assets to increase as a result. Otherwise, 
there is no impact of adopting IFRS 15. 

44  Profit for the year 

As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 the company has elected not to present its own statement of comprehensive 
income for the year. Rathbone Brothers Plc reported a profit after tax for the financial year ended 31 December 2018 of £45,883,000 
(2017: £32,614,000). 

Auditor's remuneration for audit and other services to the company are set out in note 8 to the financial statements. 

The average number of employees, on a full time equivalent basis, during the year was as follows: 

Investment Management: 
–  investment management services 
–  advisory services 
Unit Trusts 
Shared services 

2018 

2017 

771 
107 
33 
334 
1,245 

715 
92 
28 
293 
1,128 

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45  Dividends 

Details of the company’s dividends paid and proposed for approval at the Annual General Meeting are set out in note 13 to the 
consolidated financial statements. 

The company's dividend policy is described in the directors’ report on page 92. 

Reserves available for distribution as at 31 December were comprised as follows: 

Net assets 
Less: 
–  share capital 
–  share premium 
Distributable reserves 

Movements in reserves available for distribution were as follows: 

As at 1 January 
Profit for the year 
Net remeasurement of defined benefit liability 
Net gain on revaluation of available for sale investment securities 
Dividends paid 
Other movements 
As at 31 December 

46  Investment in subsidiaries 

At 1 January 2017 
Additions 
Disposals 
At 1 January 2018 
Additions 
Disposals 
At 31 December 2018 

2018 
£’000 
301,870 

2017
£’000 
209,589 

(2,760)
(230,223)
68,887 

(2,566)
(143,089)
63,934 

2018 
£’000 
63,934 
45,883 
1,012 
– 
(32,691)
(9,251)
68,887 

Equities
£’000 
140,503 
40,000 
– 
180,503 
97,757 
(5,205)
273,055 

2017
£’000 
42,813 
32,614 
14,349 
100 
(29,420)
3,478 
63,934 

Total
£’000 
140,503 
40,000 
– 
180,503 
97,757 
(5,205)
273,055 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

46  Investment in subsidiaries continued 

Equities 
On 1 January 2018, 17,645 ordinary shares of 5p each in Vision Independent Financial Planning were issued to the company at a price  
of £295 per share in exchange for the company’s equity holding in Castle Investment Solutions. 

On 31 August 2018, the company acquired 100% of the share capital of Speirs & Jeffrey Limited, Speirs & Jeffrey Client Nominees 
Limited, Speirs & Jeffrey Fund Management Limited and Speirs & Jeffrey Portfolio Management Limited. 

The cost of the acquisition comprised the following: 

Cash consideration 
Directly attributable costs 

Further details of the acquisition are provided in note 35 to the consolidated financial statements. 

At 31 December 2018 the company's subsidiary undertakings were as follows: 

£’000 
89,424 
3,128 
92,552 

Subsidiary undertaking 
Rathbone Investment Management Limited 
Rathbone Investment Management International Limited* 
Rathbone Trust Company Limited 
Rathbone Unit Trust Management Limited* 
Arcticstar Limited 
Vision Independent Financial Planning Limited 
Castle Investment Solutions Limited 
Rathbone Trust Legal Services Limited* 
Speirs & Jeffrey Limited 
Laurence Keen Holdings Limited 
Rathbone Directors Limited* 
Rathbone Secretaries Limited* 
Laurence Keen Nominees Limited* 
Neilson Cobbold Client Nominees Limited* 
Rathbone Nominees Limited* 
Citywall Nominees Limited* 
Penchart Nominees Limited* 
Argus Nominee Limited 
Speirs & Jeffrey Client Nominees Limited* 
Speirs & Jeffrey Fund Management Limited* 
Speirs & Jeffrey Portfolio Management Limited* 
Rathbone Pension & Advisory Services Limited 
Rathbone Stockbrokers Limited* 
Dean River Asset Management Limited* 
R.M. Walkden & Co. Limited* 

*  Held by subsidiary undertaking 

Activity and operation 
Investment management and banking services 
Investment management 
Trust and tax services 
Unit trust management 
Introducer of private clients 
Financial planning services 
Investment support services 
Trust and legal services 
Investment management 
Intermediate holding company 
Corporate director services 
Corporate secretarial services 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Corporate nominee 
Non-trading 
Non-trading 
Non-trading 
Non-trading 

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The registered office for all subsidiary undertakings is 8 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2M 7AZ except for the following: 

Subsidiary undertaking 
Rathbone Investment Management Limited 
Rathbone Investment Management International Limited 
Vision Independent Financial Planning Limited 

Castle Investment Solutions Limited 

Speirs & Jeffrey Limited 
Speirs & Jeffrey Client Nominees Limited 
Speirs & Jeffrey Fund Management Limited 
Speirs & Jeffrey Portfolio Management Limited 

Registered office 
Port of Liverpool Building, Pier Head, Liverpool, L3 1NW 
26 Esplanade, St Helier, Jersey, JE1 2RB 
Vision House, Unit 6A Falmouth Business Park, Bickland Water 
Road, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4SZ 
Vision House, Unit 6A Falmouth Business Park, Bickland Water 
Road, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4SZ 
George House, 50 George Square, Glasgow, G2 1EH 
George House, 50 George Square, Glasgow, G2 1EH 
George House, 50 George Square, Glasgow, G2 1EH 
George House, 50 George Square, Glasgow, G2 1EH 

The company owns, directly or indirectly, 100% of the ordinary share capital of all subsidiary undertakings. 

47  Other investments 

Fair value through profit or loss securities 

Equity securities: 
–  listed 
Money market funds: 
–  unlisted 

* Fair value through profit or loss investments as at 31 December 2017 were classified under IAS 39 as available for sale securities 

48  Trade and other receivables 

Prepayments and other receivables 
Amounts owed by group undertakings 

Current  
Non-current 

2018 
£’000 

2017*
£’000

3,205 

2,565 

10,000 
13,205 

10,000 
12,565 

2018 
£’000 
11,833 
90,607 
102,440 

102,440 
– 
102,440 

2017
£’000 
4,403 
110,194 
114,597 

114,597 
– 
114,597 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

49  Deferred tax 

The Finance Bill 2016 contained legislation to reduce the UK corporation tax rate to 17.0% in April 2020 and was substantively  
enacted in September 2016. Deferred income taxes are calculated on all temporary differences under the liability method using  
the rate expected to apply when the relevant timing differences are forecast to unwind. 

The movement on the deferred tax account is as follows: 

As at 1 January 2018 
Recognised in profit or loss in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total recognised in profit or loss 

Recognised in other comprehensive income in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total recognised in other comprehensive income 

Recognised in equity in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total recognised in equity 

Pensions 
£’000 
2,650 

(605)
– 
64 
(541)

(231)
– 
24 
(207)

– 
– 
– 
– 

Share-based 
payments 
£’000 
1,539 

400 
(29)
– 
371 

– 
– 
– 
– 

80 
(108)
– 
(28)

Staff- 
related 
costs 
£’000 
316  

(7) 
(6) 
1  
(12) 

–  
–  
–  
–  

–  
–  
–  
–  

Fair value 
through 
profit or loss
£’000 
(50)

33 
– 
(4)
29 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Total 
£’000 
4,455 

(179)
(35)
61 
(153)

(231)
– 
24 
(207)

80 
(108)
– 
(28)

As at 31 December 2018 

1,902 

1,882 

304  

(21)

4,067 

Deferred tax assets 
Deferred tax liabilities 
As at 31 December 2018 

Pensions 
£’000 
1,902 
– 
1,902 

Share-based 
payments 
£’000 
1,882 
– 
1,882 

Staff- 
related 
costs 
£’000 
304  
–  
304  

Fair value 
through 
profit or loss 
£’000 
– 
(21)
(21)

Total 
£’000 
4,088 
(21)
4,067 

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As at 1 January 2017 
Recognised in profit or loss in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total recognised in profit or loss 

Recognised in other comprehensive income in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total recognised in other comprehensive income 

Recognised in equity in respect of: 
–  current year 
–  prior year 
–  change in rate 
Total recognised in equity 

Pensions
£’000 
6,705 

(1,264)
– 
148 
(1,116)

(3,327)
– 
388 
(2,939)

– 
– 
– 
– 

Share-based
payments
£’000 
1,264 

(57)
– 
4 
(53)

– 
– 
– 
– 

318 
10 
– 
328 

As at 31 December 2017 

2,650 

1,539 

Pensions
£’000 
2,650 
– 
2,650 

Share-based
payments
£’000 
1,539 
– 
1,539 

Deferred tax assets 
Deferred tax liabilities 
As at 31 December 2017 

50  Trade and other payables 

Trade creditors 
Accruals, deferred income and other creditors 
Amounts owed to group undertakings 
Other taxes and social security costs 

The fair value of trade and other payables is not materially different from their carrying amount. 

Staff- 
related 
costs 
£’000 
189  

144  
–  
(17) 
127  

–  
–  
–  
–  

–  
–  
–  
–  

316  

Staff- 
related 
costs 
£’000 
316  
–  
316  

Available
for sale
securities
£’000 
(30)

– 
– 
– 
– 

(23)
– 
3 
(20)

– 
– 
– 
– 

Total
£’000 
8,128 

(1,177)
– 
135 
(1,042)

(3,350)
– 
391 
(2,959)

318 
10 
– 
328 

(50)

4,455 

Available
for sale
securities
£’000 
– 
(50)
(50)

2018 
£’000
211 
66,633 
99 
7,444 
74,387 

Total
£’000 
4,505 
(50)
4,455 

2017
£’000
355 
64,672 
230 
7,761 
73,018 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

51  Provisions for liabilities and charges 

 As at 1 January 2017 
 Charged to profit or loss 
 Other movements 
 Utilised/paid during the year 
  At 31 December 2017 
 Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (note 43) 
  At 1 January 2018 
Charged to profit or loss 
Unused amount credited to profit or loss 

 Net credit to profit or loss  
 Other movements 
 Utilised/paid during the year 
  As at 31 December 2018 

 Payable within 1 year 
 Payable after 1 year 

Deferred,
variable costs
to acquire client
relationship
intangibles
£’000 
10,210 
– 
2,743 
(4,883)
8,070 
4,075 
12,145 
– 
– 

– 
(3,641)
(7,445)
1,059 

509 
550 
1,059 

Deferred and 
contingent 
consideration 
in business 
combinations 
£’000 
1,136  
–  
84  
–  
1,220  
–  
1,220  
–  
–  
–  
3,158  
(2,000) 
2,378  

2,378  
–  
2,378  

Property-
related
£’000 
2,705 
16,523 
– 
(5,589)
13,639 
– 
13,639 
1,790 
(3,726)

(1,936)
– 
(4,917)
6,786 

5,954 
832 
6,786 

Total
£’000 
14,051 
16,523 
2,827 
(10,472)
22,929 
4,075 
27,004 
1,790 
(3,726)

(1,936)
(483)
(14,362)
10,223 

8,841 
1,382 
10,223 

Other movements in provisions relate to deferred payments to investment managers and third parties for the introduction of client 
relationships, which have been capitalised in the year. The value of certain awards related to client relationships reduced during the 
year as not all performance conditions were ultimately met. There was a net release of £3,641,000 (2017: net increase of £2,743,000)  
in relation to other movements for deferred, variable costs to acquire client relationship intangibles  

Deferred and contingent consideration includes £1,050,000 (2017: £nil) payable to vendors following the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 
The payment is contingent on certain operational targets being met (see note 35). It also includes £1,328,000 (2017: £1,220,000) which  
is the present value of amounts payable at the end of 2019 in respect of the acquisition of Vision Independent Financial Planning and 
Castle Investment Solutions. 

Property-related provisions of £6,786,000 relate to dilapidation and onerous lease provisions expected to arise on leasehold premises 
held by the company (2017: £13,639,000). 

On 6 June 2018, the group completed assignment of its leases on surplus property at 1 Curzon Street, which triggered a release  
of £3,726,000 from the onerous lease provision held over the property. The timing of cash flows from the group relating to monies  
due under the contract with the assignee are subject to the level of rent paid by the assignee following the rent review that was due  
in the third quarter of 2018 but remains outstanding. 

Dilapidation provisions are calculated using a discounted cash flow model; during the year, provisions have increased by £803,000 
(2017: decreased by £544,000). The group utilised £912,000 (2017: £802,000) of the dilapidations provision held for the surplus 
property at 1 Curzon Street during the year. During the year, management have reviewed the potential cost and timing of dilapidation 
provisions, which has resulted in an increase in provisions of £1,588,000 (2017: £nil). The impact of discounting led to an additional 
£127,000 (2017: £71,000) being provided for over the year. 

Provisions payable after one year are expected to be settled within two years of the balance sheet date (2017: two years), except for the 
property-related provisions of £6,786,000 (2017: £7,845,000). These are expected to be settled within 15 years of the balance sheet date 
(2017: 19 years). 

52  Long term employee benefits 

Details of the defined benefit pension schemes operated by the company are provided in note 28 to the consolidated financial statements. 

53  Share capital, own shares and share-based payments 

Details of the share capital of the company and ordinary shares held by the company together with changes thereto are provided in 
notes 29 and 30 to the consolidated financial statements. Details of options on the company's shares and share-based payments are set 
out in note 31 to the consolidated financial statements. 

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51  Provisions for liabilities and charges 

54  Financial instruments 

The company's risk management policies and procedures are integrated with the wider Rathbones group's risk management  
process. The Rathbones group has identified the risks arising from all of its activities, including those of the company, and has 
established policies and procedures to manage these items in accordance with its risk appetite. The company categorises its  
financial risks into the following primary areas: 

(i)  credit risk; 
(ii)  liquidity risk;  
(iii)  market risk (which includes fair value interest rate risk, cash flow interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk and price risk); and 
(iv)  pension risk. 
The company's exposures to pension risk are set out in note 28 to the consolidated financial statements. 

The sections below outline the group risk appetite, as applicable to the company, and explain how the company defines and manages 
each category of financial risk. 

The company’s financial risk management policies are designed to identify and analyse the financial risks that the company faces, to 
set appropriate risk tolerances, limits and controls and to monitor the financial risks and adherence to limits by means of reliable and 
up-to-date information systems. The company regularly reviews its financial risk management policies and systems to reflect changes 
in the business and the wider industry. 

The company’s overall strategy and policies for monitoring and management of financial risk are set by the board of directors (the 
board). The board has embedded risk management within the business through the executive committee and senior management. 

(i)  Credit risk 
The company takes on exposure to credit risk, which is the risk that a counterparty will be unable to pay amounts in full when due, 
through its trading activities. The principal sources of credit risk arise from depositing funds with banks and through providing long 
term and working capital financing for subsidiaries.  

The company's financial assets are categorised as follows: 

Trade and other receivables 
Trade and other receivables relate to amounts placed with subsidiaries, amounts held in escrow following the assignment of leases  
on 1 Curzon Street and staff advances. 

The collection and ageing of trade and other receivables are reviewed on a periodic basis by management. 

The company places surplus funds with its banking subsidiary, which operates under the group's credit risk management policies. 
Group policy requires that funds are placed with a range of high-quality financial institutions. Investments are spread to avoid 
excessive exposure to any individual counterparty. 

For the purposes of financial reporting the company categorises its exposures based on the long term ratings awarded to counterparties 
by Fitch or Moody’s.  

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

 As at 1 January 2017 

 Charged to profit or loss 

 Other movements 

 Utilised/paid during the year 

  At 31 December 2017 

 Adjustment on initial application of IFRS 15 (note 43) 

  At 1 January 2018 

Charged to profit or loss 

Unused amount credited to profit or loss 

 Net credit to profit or loss  

 Other movements 

 Utilised/paid during the year 

  As at 31 December 2018 

 Payable within 1 year 

 Payable after 1 year 

Deferred,

variable costs

to acquire client

relationship

intangibles

£’000 

10,210 

– 

2,743 

(4,883)

8,070 

4,075 

12,145 

– 

– 

– 

(3,641)

(7,445)

1,059 

509 

550 

1,059 

Deferred and 

contingent 

consideration 

in business 

combinations 

£’000 

1,136  

–  

84  

–  

1,220  

1,220  

–  

–  

–  

–  

3,158  

(2,000) 

2,378  

2,378  

–  

2,378  

Property-

related

£’000 

2,705 

16,523 

(5,589)

13,639 

– 

– 

13,639 

1,790 

(3,726)

(1,936)

– 

(4,917)

6,786 

5,954 

832 

6,786 

Total

£’000 

14,051 

16,523 

2,827 

(10,472)

22,929 

4,075 

27,004 

1,790 

(3,726)

(1,936)

(483)

(14,362)

10,223 

8,841 

1,382 

10,223 

Other movements in provisions relate to deferred payments to investment managers and third parties for the introduction of client 

relationships, which have been capitalised in the year. The value of certain awards related to client relationships reduced during the 

year as not all performance conditions were ultimately met. There was a net release of £3,641,000 (2017: net increase of £2,743,000)  

in relation to other movements for deferred, variable costs to acquire client relationship intangibles  

Deferred and contingent consideration includes £1,050,000 (2017: £nil) payable to vendors following the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey. 

The payment is contingent on certain operational targets being met (see note 35). It also includes £1,328,000 (2017: £1,220,000) which  

is the present value of amounts payable at the end of 2019 in respect of the acquisition of Vision Independent Financial Planning and 

Castle Investment Solutions. 

held by the company (2017: £13,639,000). 

Property-related provisions of £6,786,000 relate to dilapidation and onerous lease provisions expected to arise on leasehold premises 

On 6 June 2018, the group completed assignment of its leases on surplus property at 1 Curzon Street, which triggered a release  

of £3,726,000 from the onerous lease provision held over the property. The timing of cash flows from the group relating to monies  

due under the contract with the assignee are subject to the level of rent paid by the assignee following the rent review that was due  

in the third quarter of 2018 but remains outstanding. 

Dilapidation provisions are calculated using a discounted cash flow model; during the year, provisions have increased by £803,000 

(2017: decreased by £544,000). The group utilised £912,000 (2017: £802,000) of the dilapidations provision held for the surplus 

property at 1 Curzon Street during the year. During the year, management have reviewed the potential cost and timing of dilapidation 

provisions, which has resulted in an increase in provisions of £1,588,000 (2017: £nil). The impact of discounting led to an additional 

£127,000 (2017: £71,000) being provided for over the year. 

Provisions payable after one year are expected to be settled within two years of the balance sheet date (2017: two years), except for the 

property-related provisions of £6,786,000 (2017: £7,845,000). These are expected to be settled within 15 years of the balance sheet date 

(2017: 19 years). 

52  Long term employee benefits 

Details of the defined benefit pension schemes operated by the company are provided in note 28 to the consolidated financial statements. 

53  Share capital, own shares and share-based payments 

Details of the share capital of the company and ordinary shares held by the company together with changes thereto are provided in 

notes 29 and 30 to the consolidated financial statements. Details of options on the company's shares and share-based payments are set 

out in note 31 to the consolidated financial statements. 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

54  Financial instruments continued 

(i)  Credit risk continued 
Cash and cash equivalents (balances at banks) 
The company has exposure to financial institutions through its bank deposits (reported within cash equivalents). 

Maximum exposure to credit risk 

Other investments: 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  

2018 
£’000 

2017
£’000 

10,005 

10,002 

90,607 
12,570 
5,386 
118,568 

110,194 
7,500 
7,400 
135,096 

The above table represents the gross credit risk exposure of the company at 31 December 2018 and 2017, without taking account of any 
collateral held or other credit enhancements attached. 

Other investments 
The table below presents an analysis of other investments by rating agency designation, as at 31 December 2018, based on Fitch  
or Moody’s long term rating designation. 

AAA 

2018 

2017 

Money 
market 
funds 
£’000 
10,000 

Total 
£’000 
10,000  

Money
market
funds
£’000 
10,000 

Total
£’000 
10,000 

Trade and other receivables 
No trade and other receivables have been written off or are credit impaired at the reporting date. 

Amounts owed by group undertakings do not have specific repayment dates and are paid down periodically as trading requires.  

Balances at banks  
The credit quality of balances at banks is analysed below by reference to the long term credit rating awarded by Fitch, or equivalent 
rating by Moody’s, as at the balance sheet date. 

A 
Other* 

*  Cash held within the Employee Benefit Trust 

2018 
£’000 
5,386 
– 
5,386 

2017
£’000 
5,733 
1,667 
7,400 

Concentration of credit risk 
The company has counterparty credit risk within its balances at banks in that the principal exposure is to its banking subsidiary.  
The board sets and monitors the group policy for the management of group funds, which include the placement of funds with  
a range of high-quality financial institutions. 

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(a)  Geographical sectors 

The following table analyses the company’s credit exposures, at their carrying amounts, by geographical region as at the balance sheet 
date. In this analysis, exposures are categorised based on the country of domicile of the counterparty. 

At 31 December 2018 
Other investments: 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  

At 31 December 2017 
Other investments: 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  

United 
Kingdom 
£'000  

Rest of 
the World 
£'000  

Total 
£'000  

10,000  

– 

10,000 

90,264  
7,609  
5,386  
113,259  

343 
469 
– 
812 

90,607 
8,078 
5,386 
114,071 

United 
Kingdom 
£'000  

Rest of
the World
£'000  

Total
£'000  

10,000  

– 

10,000 

109,906  
1,196  
7,400  
128,502  

288 
439 
– 
727 

110,194 
1,635 
7,400 
129,229 

At 31 December 2018, all rest of the world exposures were to counterparties based in Jersey and the United States of America (2017: 
Jersey and the United States of America). At 31 December 2018, the company had no exposure to sovereign debt (2017: none). 

Industry sectors 

(b) 
The company’s credit exposures at the balance sheet date, analysed by the primary industry sectors in which our counterparties 
operate, were: 

At 31 December 2018 
Other investments: 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  

At 31 December 2017 
Other investments: 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  

Financial 
institutions 
£'000  

Clients and other 
corporates 
£'000  

Total 
£'000  

10,000  

– 

10,000 

50,214  
5  
5,386  
65,605  

40,393 
8,073 
– 
48,466 

90,607 
8,078 
5,386 
114,071 

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Financial 
institutions 
£'000  

Clients and other
corporates
£'000  

Total
£'000  

10,000  

– 

10,000 

82,131  
2  
7,400  
99,533  

28,063 
1,633 
– 
29,696 

110,194 
1,635 
7,400 
129,229 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

54  Financial instruments continued 

(ii)  Liquidity risk 
Liquidity risk is the risk that the company will encounter difficulty in meeting obligations associated with financial liabilities that are 
settled by delivering cash or another financial asset. The company places its funds in short term or demand facilities with financial 
institutions to ensure liquidity. The company has no bank loans (2017: £nil) and does not rely on external funding for its activities. 

Non-derivative cash flows 
The table below presents the undiscounted cash flows receivable and payable by the company on its non-derivative financial assets 
and liabilities by remaining contractual maturities at the balance sheet date. 

assets 

105,877 

2,177 

3,871 

4,348 

2,295  

At 31 December 2018 
Other investments: 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  
Cash flows arising from financial 

Trade and other payables: 
–  amounts owed to group undertakings 
–  other financial liabilities 
Cash flows arising from financial 

liabilities 

Net liquidity gap 
Cumulative net liquidity gap 

At 31 December 2017 
Other investments: 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  
Cash flows arising from financial 

assets 

Trade and other payables: 
–  amounts owed to group undertakings 
–  other financial liabilities 
Cash flows arising from financial 

liabilities 

Net liquidity gap 
Cumulative net liquidity gap 

On 
demand 
£’000 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 

After 5 
years 
£’000 

No fixed 
maturity 
date 
£’000 

10,005 

– 

– 

– 

–  

90,607 
10 
5,255 

– 
2,046 
131 

– 
3,871 
– 

– 
4,348 
– 

–  
2,295  
–  

99 
131 

– 
35,627 

– 
4,921 

– 
27,853 

–  
6,028  

230 
105,647 
105,647 

35,627 
(33,450)
72,197 

4,921 
(1,050)
71,147 

27,853 
(23,505)
47,642 

6,028  
(3,733) 
43,909  

– 
– 
43,909 

After 3
months
but not
more than
1 year
£’000 

– 

– 
639 
244 

After 1
year but
not more
than
5 years
£’000 

After 5 
years 
£’000 

No fixed
maturity
date
£’000 

– 

–  

– 
3,435 
– 

–  
2,819  
–  

On
demand
£’000 

Not more
than
3 months
£’000 

10,002 

110,194 
7 
7,156 

127,359 

– 

– 
600 
– 

600 

883 

3,435 

2,819  

230 
244 

– 
42,858 

– 
3,404 

– 
37,746 

–  
5,873  

474 
126,885 
126,885 

42,858 
(42,258)
84,627 

3,404 
(2,521)
82,106 

37,746 
(34,311)
47,795 

5,873  
(3,054) 
44,741  

– 
– 
44,741 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

Total 
£’000 

10,005 

90,607 
12,570 
5,386 

118,568 

99 
74,560 

74,659 
43,909 

Total
£’000 

10,002 

110,194 
7,500 
7,400 

135,096 

230 
90,125 

90,355 
44,741 

Included within trade and other payables disclosed above are balances that are repayable on demand or that do not have a contractual 
maturity date, which historical experience shows are unlikely to be called in the short term. 

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Included within other financial liabilities disclosed above are cash flows for lease payments under the company’s agreement for leased 
space at 1 Curzon Street. These contractual payments comprise part of the onerous lease provision for that property (see note 26). 

The company holds £3,205,000 of equity investments (2017: £2,565,000) which are subject to liquidity risk but are not included in the 
table above. These assets are held as fair value through profit or loss securities and have no fixed maturity date; cash flows arise from 
receipt of dividends or through sale of the assets. 

Off-balance sheet items 
Cash flows arising from the company’s off-balance sheet financial liabilities arise solely from operating leases (note 56) and are 
summarised in the table below. Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are reported by their 
contractual payment dates. 

Operating lease commitments 
At 31 December 2018 
At 31 December 2017 

Total liquidity requirement 

At 31 December 2018 
Cash flows arising from financial liabilities 
Total off-balance sheet items 
Total liquidity requirement 

At 31 December 2017 
Cash flows arising from financial liabilities 
Total off-balance sheet items 
Total liquidity requirement 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 
1,884 
658 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 
35,627 
1,884 
37,511 

Not more
than
3 months
£’000 
42,858 
658 
43,516 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 
5,753 
3,651 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 
4,921 
5,753 
10,674 

After 3
months
but not
more than
1 year
£’000 
3,404 
3,651 
7,055 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
27,662  
27,973  

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
27,853  
27,662  
55,515  

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 
37,746  
27,973  
65,719  

After 5 
years 
£’000 
50,732 
57,002 

Total 
£’000 
86,031 
89,284 

After 5 
years 
£’000 
6,028 
50,732 
56,760 

After 5
years
£’000 
5,873 
57,002 
62,875 

Total 
£’000 
74,659 
86,031 
160,690 

Total
£’000 
90,355 
89,284 
179,639 

On 
demand 
£’000 
230 
– 
230 

On
demand
£’000 
474 
– 
474 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

54  Financial instruments continued  

(iii)  Market risk 
Interest rate risk 
Cash flow interest rate risk is the risk that the future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market 
interest rates. Fair value interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market 
interest rates. 

The company’s principal exposure to cash flow interest rate risk arises from the mismatch between the repricing of its financial assets 
and liabilities. 

The table below shows the repricing profile of the company’s financial assets and liabilities, stated at their carrying amounts, 
categorised by the earlier of contractual repricing or maturity dates. 

At 31 December 2018 
Assets 
Other investments: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Trade and other payables: 
–  amounts owed to group undertakings 
–  other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Interest rate repricing gap 

At 31 December 2017 
Assets 
Other investments: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Trade and other payables: 
–  amounts owed to group undertakings 
–  other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Interest rate repricing gap 

Not more 
than 
3 months 
£’000 

– 
10,000 

– 
5,916 
5,381 
21,297 

– 
– 
– 
21,297 

Not more
than
3 months
£’000 

– 
10,000 

– 
– 
7,150 
17,150 

– 
– 
– 
17,150 

After 3 
months 
but not 
more than 
6 months 
£’000 

After 6 
months 
but not 
more than 
1 year 
£’000 

After 1 
year but 
not more 
than 
5 years 
£’000 

After 
5 years 
£’000 

Non- 
interest- 
bearing 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

–  
–  

–  
–  
–  
–  

–  
–  
–  
–  

3,205 
– 

3,205 
10,000 

90,607 
2,162 
5 
95,979 

90,607 
8,078 
5,386 
117,276 

99 
56,325 
56,424 
39,555 

99 
56,325 
56,424 
60,852 

After 3
months
but not
more than
6 months
£’000 

After 6
months
but not
more than
1 year
£’000 

After 1
year but
not more
than
5 years
£’000 

After 
5 years 
£’000 

Non-
interest-
bearing
£’000 

Total
£’000 

– 
– 

– 
– 
244 
244 

– 
– 
– 
244 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

–  
–  

2,565 
– 

2,565 
10,000 

–   110,194 
1,635 
–  
–  
6 
–   114,400 

110,194 
1,635 
7,400 
131,794 

–  
–  
–  
–  

230 
70,520 
70,750 
43,650 

230 
70,520 
70,750 
61,044 

A 1% parallel increase/decrease in the sterling yield curve would have no impact on profit after tax or equity (2017: no impact). 

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Foreign exchange risk 
The company does not have any material exposure to transactional foreign exchange risk. The table below summarises the  
company’s exposure to foreign currency translation risk at 31 December 2018. Included in the table are the company’s financial  
assets and liabilities, at carrying amounts, categorised by currency. 

At 31 December 2018 
Assets 
Other investments: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Trade and other payables: 
–  amounts owed to group undertakings 
–  other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Net on-balance sheet position 

At 31 December 2017 
Assets 
Other investments: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 
Trade and other receivables: 
–  amounts owed by group undertakings 
–  other financial assets 
Balances at banks  
Total financial assets 
Liabilities 
Trade and other payables: 
–  amounts owed to group undertakings 
–  other financial liabilities 
Total financial liabilities 
Net on-balance sheet position 

Sterling 
£’000 

US dollar 
£’000 

Euro 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 

3,205 
10,000 

90,607 
7,794 
5,386 
116,992 

99 
56,325 
56,424 
60,568 

–  
–  

–  
284  
–  
284  

–  
–  
–  
284  

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

3,205 
10,000 

90,607 
8,078 
5,386 
117,276 

99 
56,325 
56,424 
60,852 

Sterling
£’000 

US dollar 
£’000 

Euro
£’000 

Total
£’000 

2,565 
10,000 

110,194 
1,383 
7,400 
131,542 

230 
70,520 
70,750 
60,792 

–  
–  

–  
252  
–  
252  

–  
–  
–  
252  

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

2,565 
10,000 

110,194 
1,635 
7,400 
131,794 

230 
70,520 
70,750 
61,044 

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A 10% weakening of the US dollar against sterling, occurring on 31 December 2018, would have reduced equity and profit after tax  
by £23,000 (2017: £20,000). A 10% strengthening of the US dollar would have had an equal and opposite effect. This analysis assumes 
that all other variables, in particular other exchange rates, remain constant. 

Price risk 
The group's exposure to price risk, all of which is through the company's holdings of equity investment securities, is described in 
note 32. 

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Notes to the company financial statements continued 

54  Financial instruments continued  

(iii)  Market risk continued 
Fair values 
The table below analyses financial instruments measured at fair value into a fair value hierarchy based on the valuation technique  
used to determine the fair value. 

–  Level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. 
–  Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. 
–  Level 3: inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data. 

At 31 December 2018 
Assets 
Fair value through profit or loss: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 

At 31 December 2017 
Assets 
Available for sale securities: 
–  equity securities 
–  money market funds 

Level 1 
£’000 

Level 2 
£’000 

Level 3 
£’000 

Total 
£’000 

3,205 
– 
3,205 

–  
10,000  
10,000  

– 
– 
– 

3,205 
10,000 
13,205 

 Level 1
£’000 

Level 2 
£’000 

Level 3
£’000 

Total
£’000 

2,565 
– 
2,565 

–  
10,000  
10,000  

– 
– 
– 

2,565 
10,000 
12,565 

The company recognises transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy at the end of the reporting period during which  
the change has occurred. There have been no transfers between levels during the year (2017: none). 

Details of the methods and assumptions used to determine the fair values of the financial assets in the above table, along with how 
reasonably possible changes to the assumptions affect these fair values, are provided in note 32 to the consolidated financial statements. 

The fair values of the company’s financial assets and liabilities are not materially different from their carrying values, with the 
exception of equity investments in subsidiaries, which are carried at historical cost (note 46). 

55  Capital management 

The company’s objectives when managing capital are to:  

–  safeguard the company’s ability to continue as a going concern so that it can continue to provide returns for shareholders and 

 benefits for other stakeholders; and  

–  maintain a strong capital base to support the development of its business. 

For monitoring purposes, the company defines capital as distributable reserves (see note 45). The company monitors the level of 
distributable reserves on a monthly basis and compares this to forecast dividends. Capital is distributed to the company from operating 
subsidiaries on a timely basis to ensure sufficient capital is maintained. The board of directors considers the level of capital held in 
relation to forecast performance, dividend payments and wider plans for the business, although formal quantitative targets are not set. 

There were no changes in the company’s approach to capital management during the year. 

56  Contingent liabilities and commitments 

The group leases various offices and other assets under non-cancellable operating lease agreements. The leases have varying terms 
and renewal rights. At 31 December 2018, the company’s agreements to lease space at 8 Finsbury Circus had remaining lease terms  
of 15 years; total payments due over this period are £74,134,000. The leases provide for rent reviews every five years. 

Payments under non-cancellable operating leases 
No later than 1 year 
Later than 1 year and no later than 5 years 
Later than 5 years 

2018 
£’000 
7,637 
27,662 
50,732 
86,031 

2017
£’000 
4,310 
27,973 
57,002 
89,285 

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57  Related party transactions 

Transactions with key management personnel 
The remuneration of the key management personnel of the company, who are defined as the company’s directors and other members 
of senior management who are responsible for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the company, is set out below.  

Short term employee benefits 
Post-employment benefits 
Other long term benefits 
Share-based payments 

2018 
£’000 
1,777 
– 
56 
1,017 
2,850 

2017
£’000 
1,569 
– 
– 
602 
2,171 

Dividends totalling £247,000 were paid in the year (2017: £408,000) in respect of ordinary shares held by key management personnel 
and their close family members. 

All amounts outstanding with related parties are unsecured and will be settled in cash. No guarantees have been given or received.  
No provisions have been made for doubtful debts in respect of the amounts owed by related parties. 

Other related party transactions 
During the year, the company entered into the following transactions with its subsidiaries: 

Interest 
Charges for management services 
Dividends received 

2018  

2017  

Receivable
£'000  
– 
157,217 
59,250 
216,467 

Payable 
£'000  
–  
–  
–  
–  

Receivable
£'000  
– 
152,708 
48,000 
200,708 

Payable
£'000  
– 
– 
– 
– 

The company's balances with fellow group companies at 31 December 2018 are set out in notes 48 and 50. 

The company’s transactions with the pension funds are described in note 52. At 31 December 2018, no amounts were due from  
the pension schemes (2017: £nil). 

All transactions and outstanding balances with fellow group companies are priced on an arm's length basis and are to be settled  
in cash. None of the balances are secured and no provisions have been made for doubtful debts for any amounts due from fellow  
group companies. 

58  Cash and cash equivalents 

For the purposes of the company statement of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents comprise the following balances with less than 
three months until maturity from the date of acquisition: 

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Cash at bank (excluding amounts held at employee benefit trust) 

2018 
£’000 
 5,386 

2017
£’000 
 7,156 

A reconciliation of the movements of liabilities to cash flows arising from financing activities is provided in note 38 to the consolidated 
financial statements. 

59  Events after the balance sheet date 

There have been no material events occurring between the balance sheet date and the date of signing this report. 

rathbones.com 
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Further 
information

190

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

Further information 

Five year record 

Underlying operating income 
Underlying profit before tax 
Profit before tax 
Profit after tax 
Equity dividends paid and proposed 
Basic earnings per share 
Diluted earnings per share 
Underlying earnings per share 
Dividends per ordinary share 
Equity shareholders' funds 
Total funds under management and administration 

2018 
£’000 
311,963 
91,558 
61,306 
46,169 
35,204 
88.7p 
86.2p 
142.5p 
66.0p 
464,140 
£44.1bn 

2017
£’000 
286,049 
87,520 
58,901 
46,829 
30,429 
92.7p 
91.9p 
138.8p 
61.0p 
363,278 
£39.1bn 

2016 
£’000 
251,283 
74,880 
50,129 
38,157 
28,267 
78.9p 
78.2p 
122.1p 
57.0p 
324,813 
£34.2bn 

2015
£’000 
229,178 
70,365 
58,632 
46,371 
26,305 
97.4p 
96.6p 
117.0p 
55.0p 
300,192 
£29.2bn 

2014
£’000 
200,803 
61,556 
45,710 
35,678 
24,863 
76.0p 
75.4p 
102.4p 
52.0p 
271,271 
£27.2bn 

Corporate information 

Principal trading names 

Offices 
Websites 

Investment Management 
Rathbone Investment Management 
Rathbone Investment Management 

International 

Rathbone Greenbank Investments 
Rathbone Trust Company   
Rathbone Trust Legal Services 
Vision Independent Financial Planning 
Castle Investment Solutions  
Speirs & Jeffrey 
16 
rathbones.com 
rathboneimi.com 
rathbonegreenbank.com 
speirsjeffrey.co.uk 

Unit Trusts 
Rathbone Unit Trust Management 

1 
rathbones.com  
rathbonefunds.com 

Company secretary and registered office 

Registrars and transfer office 

A Johnson 
Rathbone Brothers Plc 
8 Finsbury Circus 
London 
EC2M 7AZ 

Company No. 01000403 
rathbones.com 
ali.johnson@rathbones.com  

Equiniti  
Aspect House 
Spencer Road 
Lancing 
West Sussex  
BN99 6DA 
equiniti.com 

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191  
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Our offices

Head office 

8 Finsbury Circus 
London 
EC2M 7AZ 
+44 (0)20 7399 0000

Unit Trusts 

8 Finsbury Circus 
London 
EC2M 7AZ 
+44 (0)20 7399 0000

George House 
50 George Square 
Glasgow 
G2 1EH 
+44 (0)141 397 9900

26 Esplanade 
St Helier 
Jersey 
JE1 2RB 
Channel Islands 
+44 (0)1534 740500

The Stables 
Levens Hall 
Kendal 
Cumbria 
LA8 0PB 
+44 (0)1539 561 457

Port of Liverpool Building 
Pier Head 
Liverpool 
L3 1NW 
+44 (0)151 236 6666

48 High Street 
Lymington 
SO41 9AG 
+44 (0)1590 647 657

Earl Grey House 
75 – 85 Grey Street 
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE1 6EF 
+44 (0)191 255 1440

Fiennes House 
32 Southgate Street 
Winchester 
SO23 9EH 
+44 (0)1962 857 000

Investment 
Management

8 Finsbury Circus  
London 
EC2M 7AZ 
+44 (0)20 7399 0000

1 Albert Street 
Aberdeen 
AB25 1XX 
+44 (0)1224 218 180

Temple Point 
1 Temple Row 
Birmingham 
B2 5LG 
+44 (0)121 233 2626

10 Queen Square 
Bristol 
BS1 4NT 
+44 (0)117 929 1919

North Wing, City House 
126 – 130 Hills Road 
Cambridge 
CB2 1RE 
+44 (0)1223 229 229

1 Northgate 
Chichester 
West Sussex 
PO19 1AT 
+44 (0)1243 775 373

28 St Andrew Square 
Edinburgh 
EH2 1AF 
+44 (0)131 550 1350

The Senate 
Southernhay Gardens 
Exeter 
EX1 1UG 
+44 (0)1392 201 000

Vision House 
Unit 6A Falmouth 
Business Park 
Bickland Water Road 
Falmouth 
Cornwall 
TR11 4SZ 
+44 (0)1326 210904

192

Rathbone Brothers Plc Report and accounts 2018

 
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are environmentally sustainable. 
The paper is manufactured from 
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Once you have finished with 
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Rathbone Brothers Plc
8 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2M 7AZ

+44 (0)20 7399 0000 
rathbones.com