Franklin Templeton Launches Investment Institute and Announces Senior Leadership Appointments

Franklin Templeton announced the launch of its new Investment Institute, an innovative hub for research and knowledge sharing that will unlock the firm’s competitive advantage as a source of global market insights. Stephen Dover, currently Head of Equities, has been named Chief Market Strategist and Head of the Investment Institute. Terrence Murphy, CEO of ClearBridge Investments, will take on an expanded leadership role as Head of Equities for Franklin Templeton.

“With these appointments and the launch of the Investment Institute, we are doubling down on what sets our firm apart—unmatched insight and research from experts on the ground in over 70 offices around the globe,” said Jenny Johnson, President and CEO of Franklin Templeton. “In this time of significant uncertainty, we are uniquely positioned to help clients find signal amid the noise. Whatever the issue, whatever the region, we will marshal diverse perspectives and proprietary analysis to best serve our clients. I am thrilled to have Stephen Dover leading this new effort.”

She continued, “Terrence Murphy has done a phenomenal job at ClearBridge, and I know he will be very effective in this expanded role. More broadly, this appointment demonstrates our commitment to propelling the business forward by harnessing the great talent across our organization.”

Dover and Murphy will begin their new roles on February 1, 2021. Both will report to Johnson.

Franklin Templeton Investment Institute Formation

The Franklin Templeton Investment Institute will serve as a center of excellence to harness the firm’s global investment expertise and extensive in-house research capabilities.

In his new role as Chief Market Strategist, Head of Franklin Templeton Investment Institute, Dover will continue to provide market insights for the firm and will also lead the Investment Institute’s operations. He will actively facilitate the sharing of research through multiple channels, including bespoke data analysis, proprietary content and academic partnerships.

“The Franklin Templeton Investment Institute brings together our deep research capabilities and global insights to create a hub for knowledge-sharing across the firm’s multiple autonomous specialist investment managers,” said Dover. “The ultimate mission of the Investment Institute is to provide research and data-driven insights for our clients to help them navigate the financial markets, armed with the power of our diverse investment expertise.”

Head of Equities Appointment

Murphy will retain his existing role as CEO at ClearBridge, an autonomous specialist investment organization within Franklin Templeton, as he takes on this expanded role. He will join the Franklin Templeton Executive Committee and will focus on setting strategy and driving organizational growth for the collective Franklin Templeton equities business.

Murphy will oversee Franklin Equity, Franklin Mutual Series, Templeton Global Equity and Edinburgh Partners, Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity, and the Local Asset Management Developed Markets Equity teams, which collectively include over 250 investment professionals managing a broad variety of equity strategies for both retail and institutional clients globally. While these teams will continue to maintain their individual investment processes and autonomy, he will facilitate collaboration across the equities business to drive results. This expanded role for Murphy does not change his role as CEO of ClearBridge or its operations or the businesses of any of the other autonomous specialist investment management organizations.

“I look forward to working with Franklin Templeton’s equity specialist investment managers to optimize our business for the future,” said Murphy. “In a changing industry, my focus will be on expanding distribution for the equities business and ensuring the investment teams have the right talent pipeline and resources to support future growth and meet client needs.”

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 December 31, 2020. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

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