Franklin Templeton appoints Head of Malaysia
Nor Hanifah Hashim (Hanifah) has been appointed Head of Malaysia business for Franklin Templeton, replacing Avinash Satwalekar who has relocated to India to take on the position of President of Franklin Templeton’s India business.
In addition to her new role as Head of Malaysia, Hanifah will continue to be the lead manager supervising the firm’s Sukuk fund and mandates, including developing investment policies for the Malaysian market. She also works closely with the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income team in the Middle East on global Sukuk mandates and supports Franklin Templeton's global fixed income capabilities. Hanifah will continue to report to David Zahn, Head of Sustainable Fixed Income and Head of European Fixed Income, and will now also report to Tariq Ahmad, Head of Asia Distribution at Franklin Templeton.
Commenting on the new appointments, Tariq said, “We would like to thank Avinash for his immense contribution to growing the Malaysia business to where it is today. He brought valuable experience in roles across Franklin Templeton, both in the US and in Asia during his tenure in Malaysia and we are confident he will continue to do so in his new role.”
“Hanifah’s appointment further strengthens the company’s leadership team for future growth in Malaysia. Her extensive experience and strong track record in investment management, coupled with her in-depth knowledge of the local market, will be invaluable in elevating our existing Malaysia business to a stronger position and building synergies to better serve our clients across multiple distribution channels.”
Hanifah has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She will retain her role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. (FTGSC), a position that she has taken since 2017. During that period, she has been instrumental in increasing FTGSC’s market penetration in Malaysia. Hanifah first joined Franklin Templeton as the head of Malaysia Fixed Income and Sukuk in 2011 and oversaw the launch of Franklin Malaysia Sukuk Fund in November 2015. FTGSC is the shariah-compliant entity in Malaysia.
“I am excited with the additional role and the opportunity to build on the momentum of our achievements in Malaysia while continuing to focus on managing and growing our Sukuk strategies in the market,” said Hanifah. “I look forward to expanding our product offerings in-market to harness growth opportunities for our clients and distributors and working with the distribution team to continue delivering the exceptional results our clients expect from us.”
Completing the round of key appointments for Malaysia, Hanifah will be joined by Jackie Goh, Head of Institutional Sales, and David Jong as the Head of Retail Sales.
In her new role, Jackie will oversee the firm’s institutional sales channels for Malaysia and develop country-level strategies and partner with various product and distribution teams to generate new product solutions that meet the needs of the firm’s institutional clients in Malaysia.
David will spearhead the firm’s retail sales efforts across Malaysia, working closely with country teams to develop and implement product distribution strategies to support the growth of the firm’s retail business in Malaysia.
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