This week, Franklin Templeton announced it has made four new leadership appointments within the US$1.4 trillion global asset manager’s global distribution team.
According to Franklin Templeton, the appointments will support the firm’s continued expansion and position it to benefit from future distribution opportunities.
“Over the last several years, we have been purposefully transforming and strategically expanding our firm,” said Adam Spector, executive vice-president and head of global distribution at Franklin Templeton.
“In crucial markets including UK, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC), we have made significant strides in growing our distribution channels. Building on this momentum, it is important for us to evolve our leadership talent as we focus on delivering long-term value to our clients.”
As part of the new appointments, Matt Harrison has been named as head of Europe and UK distribution. In this role, he will be responsible for developing Franklin Templeton’s distribution strategy and further expanding its business in the region.
Mr Harrison previously served as co-head of APAC at Franklin Templeton based in Sydney. He joined the firm in 2018 following senior roles at Colonial First State, Commonwealth Bank, and ING. He has amassed more than 25 years of experience in the industry and has developed client relationships across markets including the Asia-Pacific, India, Japan, and the UK.
Franklin Templeton’s distribution leaders in Europe and the UK will report to Mr Harrison, who will relocate to London in the coming months and report to Mr Spector.
In light of Mr Harrison’s new role, Franklin Templeton confirmed that it has expanded Tariq Ahmad’s responsibilities. He has been named as the sole head of APAC distribution and will report to Mr Spector in the new role.
Mr Ahmad will have ownership and accountability of the firm’s APAC strategy to best serve clients in a region that Franklin Templeton sees as critical to its global growth strategy.
Based in Singapore, Mr Ahmad was previously Franklin Templeton’s co-head of APAC distribution and has over 20 years of experience in the asset management industry.
Meanwhile, Dubai-based Sandeep Singh has been appointed head of CEEMEA and India distribution and will also report to Mr Spector.
Mr Singh was formerly head of CEEMEA distribution overseeing the leadership and development of the firm’s retail and institutional business in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEEMEA).
In his new role, Mr Singh’s responsibilities will be expanded to oversee the Indian market. He has held several leadership roles within Franklin Templeton in India and Malaysia and has over 25 years of experience within the asset management industry.
With their new appointments, Mr Harrison and Mr Singh take over the distribution responsibilities held by former head of EMEA distribution Julian Ide, who has been named as vice-chair, EMEA, reporting to Franklin Templeton president and chief executive officer Jenny Johnson.
In this new role, Mr Ide will engage with senior decisionmakers at the largest global financial institutions in the EMEA region to cultivate mutually beneficial long-term partnerships.
“Harrison, Singh, and Ahmad are seasoned and proven leaders and I am thrilled to work closely with them to further expand our distribution footprint at this exciting time,” said Mr Spector.
“In addition, I would like to thank Julian for his efforts and dedication as head of EMEA distribution and look forward to partnering with him in his new role as vice-chair EMEA.”
