Franklin Templeton has announced the appointment of Thakshi Wijesundara as a senior institutional business director.
Formerly leading distribution for Australia and New Zealand at Northern Trust, Wijesundara’s remit will include working closely with Franklin Templeton’s team of investment specialists to represent its equity, multi-asset, alternatives, and fixed income offerings in the Australian market.
She will be based in Melbourne in this role.
“Thakshi is widely respected in this market and has deep knowledge of the client base,” noted Felicity Walsh, Franklin Templeton’s managing director and head of Australia and New Zealand.
“She brings great experience in the institutional market, and we are excited to have her join the team to further build our institutional sales and client relationship efforts.”
Wijesundara said she was excited by the prospect of representing the range of investment strategies offered by one of the most respected names in the industry.
“Franklin Templeton’s welcoming, inclusive, and flexible culture across its global and diverse business is what really makes this firm stand out amongst peers in today’s environment,” she said.
Wijesundara has a decade of experience in business development and consultant relations.
Prior to Northern Trust, she spent two years at Dimensional Fund Advisors, including one year as regional director for institutional and wealth.
She has also held business development and research roles at BlackRock and IFM Investors.
Franklin Templeton was crowned this year’s Money Management Fund Manager of the Year at an awards ceremony held in June.
In July, Franklin Templeton appointed Chenelle de Rozario Harding as a senior alternatives specialist, also based in Melbourne, Australia.
Earlier this year, it welcomed Benjamin Abell as head of product and strategy for the Australian region, overseeing the firm’s investment product strategy with oversight across the current investment range and determining gaps in the market to bring new funds and capabilities to Australian investors.
