Dr. Meng Brings 20 Years of Investment Expertise to Accelerate Franklin Templeton’s Growth Strategy in Asia Pacific Region

Franklin Templeton today announced the appointment of Dr. Yu (Ben) Meng as Executive Vice President and Chairman of Asia Pacific, effective July 15, 2021. In this newly created role, Dr. Meng will help drive Franklin Templeton’s Asia Pacific and global growth strategy in partnership with the firm’s existing leadership. He will report to President and CEO Jenny Johnson and serve on the firm’s Executive Committee.

Dr. Meng’s appointment builds on Franklin Templeton’s strategy to expand the reach and breadth of its investment offerings in the Asia Pacific region, with a particular focus in private equity, venture capital and other alternative asset capabilities. He will also leverage his expertise gained from serving in top investment roles at two of the largest asset owners in the world to help expand the reach of Franklin Templeton’s tailored solutions it provides to institutional clients globally.

“Expanding our alternative asset business and deepening our overall commitment to the Asia Pacific region are key strategic priorities for Franklin Templeton, and Ben is uniquely experienced and positioned to lead important initiatives in the region,” said Ms. Johnson. “He brings to Franklin Templeton a strong track record for delivering results across a broad range of asset classes and extensive experience and knowledge of the region. His approach to asset and risk allocation, along with his belief in active investment, align well with our investment philosophy, and we are thrilled to welcome Ben to the Franklin Templeton family.”

“I have long respected Franklin Templeton’s business, its long-term focus, and its collaborative, client-first culture and global reach. I am excited to build upon the firm’s nearly 75-year history and to be part of its next phase of growth in the Asia Pacific region,” said Dr. Meng. “I look forward to working closely with Jenny and the Franklin Templeton team to execute upon the firm’s strategic priorities across the region.”

Dr. Meng previously served as Chief Investment Officer for the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), where he oversaw investment strategies for its over USD $460 billion¹ multi-asset class portfolio. He also served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer for the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), which manages over USD $3 trillion,² including investments in real estate, infrastructure, private equity and private credit.

Dr. Meng holds a Master of Financial Engineering degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Davis. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Investment Management (JOIM) and frequently teaches at top business schools globally. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Committee of 100.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN], is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 165 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company brings extensive capabilities in equity, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternatives. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has over 70 years of investment experience and approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of May 31, 2021. For more information, please visit franklinresources.com.

1. CalPERS AUM - https://www.calpers.ca.gov/page/investments
2. SAFE AUM - http://www.safe.gov.cn/en/ - click on "Data Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency" at the bottom right, then click on "05" (the month of May) at the bottom left to download an Excel file with the size of reserve as USD $3.36 trillion as of May 31, 2021.

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