Sekhon (pictured) will oversee the emerging markets equity teams which are made up of more than 80 professionals across 20 offices worldwide. The teams represent more than $45bn (£32bn) in assets under management worldwide.
Reporting to Franklin Templeton’s head of equities Stephen Dover, he will be based in the Singapore office.
Sekhon joins from a Singapore-based asset manager, Fullerton Fund Management, where he was chief executive, CIO and director. During his time there, he was responsible for driving the strategy and growth of the business globally as well as overseeing all investment capabilities.
Prior to this, he also served as director and head of international equities at Henderson Global Investors, where he led a team managing Global and EAFE (Europe, Australasia & Far East) portfolios.
With more than 20 years in global investments, Sekhon has managed portfolios on behalf of pension plans, sovereign wealth, endowments, insurance, family offices and private wealth clients.
Dover said: “Manraj Sekhon brings more than two decades of industry experience in emerging markets and is a proven global investment leader.
“As part of the next phase in the evolution of our emerging markets teams, we are pleased to bring on a leader who I am confident will best leverage the breadth of our investment talent across emerging markets equities to deliver the high-quality investment strategies and performance that our clients expect.”
Sekhon said: “Templeton is known as a pioneer in emerging markets investing. I am honoured and excited by this opportunity to join the firm to build on the legacy of renowned investors John Templeton and Mark Mobius.
“The emerging markets expertise that Franklin Templeton has built, with a deep bench of experienced investment professionals embedded across the countries they research and invest in, is renowned in the industry. I am privileged to be leading this talented group.”
Franklin Templeton said the investment philosophies and approaches within EM will remain intact.
The news comes as executive chairman Mark Mobius, as of today, has retired fom the firm after three decades of service.
