Franklin Templeton Expands Multi-Asset Solutions Business with Senior Hires

SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 14, 2017 -- Franklin Templeton Investments today announced the appointment of two senior hires to its Franklin Templeton Multi-Asset Solutions group. Gene Podkaminer will join as head of multi-asset research strategies and, as announced earlier this month, Wylie Tollette will rejoin Franklin Templeton as head of client investment solutions. Both will step into newly created roles that report to Ed Perks, EVP/CIO, Franklin Templeton Multi-Asset Solutions. Podkaminer and Tollette will join the company on January 8, 2018.

“Gene Podkaminer’s extensive experience across a broad spectrum of research functions, including manager and capital markets research, will be an invaluable addition to our growing multi-asset solutions business and for our clients,” said Perks. “In addition, returning employee Wylie Tollette, brings a wealth of knowledge in a variety of key areas, including client engagement, investment strategy, risk management and performance analytics. We are very excited to have them join the team.”

Jenny Johnson, president and COO of Franklin Templeton Investments, said, “The appointment of Ed Perks earlier this year to oversee Multi-Asset Solutions, combined with the addition of these new senior team members, underscores our firm’s commitment to the Multi-Asset Solutions business. Our focus is on building out our organizational structure to successfully combine investment and product expertise with a strong client engagement framework. Ed Perks and the Multi-Asset Solutions team will continue to look for opportunities to deepen our bench of talent to support our growth in this area and to deliver the best outcomes for our clients.”

Podkaminer will oversee multi-asset research strategies, including markets, asset class and manager research for the group. In this capacity, he will be a key contributor to the asset allocation strategy for investment solutions managed by the Multi-Asset Solutions team.

Podkaminer was most recently a senior vice president in Callan’s capital markets research group. In this role, he partnered with asset owners on strategic investment planning, including asset allocation and investment manager structure, and provided custom research on a variety of investment topics. Prior to joining Callan in 2010, he spent nearly a decade with Barclays Global Investors as a senior strategist in its client advisory group, where he advised some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated pension plans, non-profits, and sovereign wealth funds in the areas of strategic asset allocation, liability driven investing, manager structure optimization and risk budgeting. Podkaminer received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from Yale University. He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. Podkaminer is a frequent speaker on investment-related topics, and his research has been published in the Journal of Portfolio Management, the Journal of Investing and several CFA Institute publications.

Tollette’s responsibilities will include oversight of client investment solution development for Franklin Templeton’s Multi-Asset Solutions business. He will partner closely with the company’s global distribution groups on all solutions-related opportunities across a broad range of clients.

Tollette most recently served as chief operating investment officer for CalPERS. In this role, he led the investment performance and risk, private asset analytics, investment policy, investment manager engagement, operations, compliance and business planning areas of the CalPERS Investment Office. He brings close to 25 years of financial services experience—almost two decades of those years spent with Franklin Templeton. Prior to leaving in 2014, he served as head of Franklin Templeton’s Performance Analytics and Investment Risk group. Tollette earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Davis, and a master's degree from the University of London. He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a certified public accountant.

Franklin Templeton Multi-Asset Solutions has a team of 57 investment professionals, including portfolio managers, traders and a number of professionals who specialize in asset class research, manager research, and systematic strategies. The investment team is also supported by a group of specialized, independent risk analysts. The group has over $130 billion in assets under management as of November 30, 2017, and its global reach includes investment offices in Coral Gables, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, London, Milan, New York, San Mateo, Stamford and Toronto.

About Franklin Templeton Investments

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) is a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management to retail, institutional and sovereign wealth clients in over 170 countries. Through specialized teams, the company has expertise across all asset classes—including equity, fixed income, alternative and custom solutions. The company’s more than 650 investment professionals are supported by its integrated, worldwide team of risk management professionals and global trading desk network. With offices in over 30 countries, the California-based company has 70 years of investment experience and over $753 billion in assets under management as of November 30, 2017.

For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com. US institutional investors can visit ftiinstitutional.com. Connect with Franklin Templeton on Twitter (@FTI_US). Read the Beyond Bulls & Bears blog featuring perspectives from Franklin Templeton investment professionals around the world.

Copyright © 2017. Franklin Templeton Investments. All rights reserved.

From: 

Franklin Templeton Investments
Corporate Communications:
Craig Allen, (212) 632-4238, [email protected]
Becky Radosevich, (212) 632-3207, [email protected]
franklintempleton.com