The departure of head of UK distribution Martyn Gilbey comes just a few weeks after Aberdeen announced plans to merge with fellow Scottish giant Standard Life.
A Franklin Templeton spokesperson said the firm first entered talks with Gilbey before the merger was announced.
He is moving to Franklin Templeton to serve as UK country head, to “further develop” the US firm’s retail and institutional businesses in the UK and offshore territories.
He will begin his new role, working at the firm’s London offices, effective 1 August 2017.
Aberdeen recently announced it was to cut 800 jobs once its merger with Standard Life was finalised.
Gilbey leaves after a three-year career as Aberdeen’s head of UK distribution, managing a team of 40 looking after £200bn of client assets across all major classes.
Prior to that, he worked as the head of wholesale distribution at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership and as global chief marketing officer for Mirae Asset Management in Hong Kong and London.
At Franklin Templeton, he will report to EMEA and India managing director Vivek Kudva.
Kudva said: “With over 24 years of financial services experience, 18 of which have been in investment management specifically, Martyn brings a wealth of expertise to grow our retail and institutional presence.
“I look forward to welcoming Martyn on board and working closely with him on further expanding our business in the UK market.”
