Franklin Templeton Institutional has formed a new Global Consultant Relations Group, which will coordinate and leverage Franklin Templeton’s global sales, client service, product management, marketing, request for proposal (RFP), and investment teams to better serve the needs of investment consultants worldwide.
Dedicated to serving the consultant community, the Global Consultant Relations Group will be responsible for providing consultants with greater insight and transparency into Franklin Templeton’s range of investment capabilities, delivering information through all channels of communication, and otherwise ensuring that the company provides the highest quality service to consultants.
William Babtie, previously Franklin Templeton Institutional’s director of marketing for U.K., South Africa, and international marketing services, will lead the Global Consultant Relations Group, and report directly to William Yun, president of Franklin Templeton Institutional.
“We believe that establishing strong integration between our group and other institutional service and investment teams should significantly add value to the consultant relationship,” said Babtie. Citing the opportunity to make greater use of the organization’s extensive product management team, he said, “Many of our product managers have consulting firm experience, and are directly involved with our investment teams. They should provide a valuable dimension to consultants’ research efforts.”
The group will draw on a number of experienced professionals from within the Franklin Templeton Institutional organization to form the nucleus of the new group-Dennis Rothe and Michael Poremba of U.S. business development, Allison Shaw of product management, and Matthew Philpott of global RFP management-that will report to Babtie.
“Investment consultants play an increasingly influential role in the institutional marketplace, acting as gatekeepers for trillions of dollars in retirement and non-profit assets,” said Yun. “The Global Consultant Relations Group allows us to enhance our existing relationships with the consultant community while providing a higher level of support and service to meet consultants’ specialized needs across a full range of asset classes.”