Franklin Templeton beefs up institutional representation

Franklin Templeton has recruited former Northern Trust executive, Thakshi Wijesundara as its Senior Institutional Business Director.

Wijesundara was head of distribution for Australia and New Zealand for the past three years.

Announcing the appointment, Franklin Templeton’s Managing Director and Head of Australia and New Zealand, Felicity Walsh said the appointment reflected the group’s focus on further cementing its presence in the institutional sector as its suite of offerings continued to gain traction.

“Thakshi is widely respected in this market and has deep knowledge of the client base. She will work closely with our team of investment specialists to represent our diverse equity, alternatives, multi-asset and fixed income offerings.

“She brings great experience in the institutional market, and we are excited to have her join the team to further build our institutional sales and client relationship efforts,” Walsh said.

Prior to her Northern Trust role Wijesundara held senior and institutional investment positions at Dimensional Fund Advisors, Blackrock and IFM Investors.