San Mateo, Calif.-based Franklin Resources, Inc., operating as Franklin Templeton Investments, has hired Manraj Sekhon as chief investment officer (CIO) of emerging markets equity, overseeing the emerging markets equity teams across the organization.
Sekhon will join the firm on Feb. 19, and will be based in the firm’s Singapore office. He will report to Stephen Dover, head of equities for Franklin Templeton, the company says in a news release.
Earlier in January, emerging markets fund manager Mark Mobius has announced his plans to retire from Franklin Templeton on Jan. 31.
In the course of his more than 20-year career in global investment, Sekhon has managed portfolios on behalf of pension plans, sovereign wealth, endowments, insurance, family offices and private wealth clients.
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Sekhon served as the chief executive, CIO and director of Fullerton Fund Management, a Singapore-based asset manager. Prior to that, he served as director and head of international equities at Henderson Global Investors, where he led a team managing global and Europe, Australasia and Far East portfolios for clients around the world.
Sekhon will oversee Franklin Templeton’s more than 80 emerging markets equity investment professionals based in 20 offices around the world and representing over US$45 billion in assets under management.
“As part of the next phase in the evolution of our emerging markets teams, we are pleased to bring on a leader who I am confident will best leverage the breadth of our investment talent across emerging markets equities to deliver the high quality investment strategies and performance that our clients expect, says Dover in a statement.