Franklin Templeton announced the appointment of Dr. Yu (Ben) Meng as Executive Vice President and Chairman of Asia Pacific, effective July 15, 2021. In this newly created role, Dr. Meng will help drive Franklin Templeton’s Asia Pacific and global growth strategy in partnership with the firm’s existing leadership. He will report to President and CEO Jenny Johnson and serve on the firm’s Executive Committee. Dr. Meng’s appointment builds on Franklin Templeton’s strategy to expand the reach and breadth of its investment offerings in the Asia Pacific region, with a particular focus in private equity, venture capital and other alternative asset capabilities. He will also leverage his expertise gained from serving in top investment roles at two of the largest asset owners in the world to help expand the reach of Franklin Templeton’s tailored solutions it provides to institutional clients globally.