Franklin Templeton expands Australian investments team

Franklin Templeton Investments has announced a number of executive appointments in an effort to grow its Australian division.

Joining the company as director - advisory service, Jim McKay will be responsible for developing Franklin Templeton's retail business strategy by building a dedicated retail team to drive sales and better position the company's products and services.

McKay has served as Challenger's managing director - Garrisons Group, and also Goldman Sachs JB Were's head of retail business and group product management. He was most recently ING Investment Management's head of distribution.

Juliana Howard has been appointed Franklin Templeton client services manager with responsibility for institutional clients across all asset classes. Howard was previously a fixed income portfolio manager with UBS Asset Management and most recently headed up institutional client services and consultant relations at Invesco Asset Management.

Appointed to Franklin Templeton's Melbourne office, Matthew Sund will step into the position of director of fund administration and focus on accounting and unit pricing for financial products. Sund has over 15 years experience in financial services, including eight years spent in a similar accounting capacity at Vanguard Investments Australia.

Commenting on the appointments, Franklin Templeton Investments Australia managing director Maria Wilton said the company had continued to build its presence in the Australian market.

The expansion of its senior team, the acquisition of Balanced Equity Management in July and the subsequent launch of Australian Equity Fund in November have reinforced Franklin Templeton's commitment to the region, she added.

The senior changes at Franklin Templeton come amid the appointments of Justin Levi and Gareth D'Cunha as equity analysts with Balanced Equity Management.