Editor's view: Hargreaves Lansdown takeover and adviser decline

The editor's Friday Night Takeaway from 9 August

Jen Frost
clock • 2 min read

Hargreaves Lansdown’s private equity (PE) takeover must be the story of the week, disrupting an otherwise sleepy Friday.

After a will-they won't-they series of delays, the PLC's board this morning accepted a £5.4bn bid from a consortium of investors. Results of a recent business review lay bare the scale of work to be done at the group, which has faced slowing growth and customer and colleague engagement challenges. The business has already committed to £225m of investment spend to drive improvements. Tech changes have been afoot, while CEO Dan Olley stepped into the hotseat last August. "We have not always kept pace with the competitive environment, the way customers consume marketing, the increasin...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

Wealth managers turn to private markets to offset geopolitical risks

Wealth managers turn to private markets to offset geopolitical risks

60% allocation in 2025

Patrick Brusnahan
clock 23 January 2026 • 1 min read
Copia launches smoothed managed portfolio range with Wesleyan

Copia launches smoothed managed portfolio range with Wesleyan

Copia Select Smoothed portfolios

Sahar Nazir
clock 22 January 2026 • 2 min read
Advertising watchdog upholds complaints against whiskey investment business

Advertising watchdog upholds complaints against whiskey investment business

Advertising watchdog upholds complaints against Whiskey & Wealth Club

Sahar Nazir
clock 21 January 2026 • 2 min read