Franklin Templeton names local country head

Franklin Templeton has named Felicity Walsh head of its Australia and New Zealand business.

In her new role, Walsh,  currently head of sales, will join the regional leadership team, supporting Tariq Ahmad and Matt Harrison, who runst he Asia Pacific operation.

Commenting  on the opportunity to drive the future growth of the local business, Walsh confirmed the importance of Australia as an essential market for Franklin Templeton since its "size, maturity and transparency make it a global leader in many ways."

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead our well-established and experienced team," she said.

"We are well positioned to meet a variety of challenges in our industry through our breadth of world-class specialised investment managers with expertise across asset classes, geographies, and investment vehicles."

Walsh has worked at Franklin Templeton for seven years - initially as managing director at K2 Advisors -  a hedge fund specialist  - within the firm.

Before that, she spent eleven years at Willis Towers Watson as an investment consultant working with pension funds and superannuation funds in the UK and Australia.