Franklin Templeton has confirmed two hires within its UK equity team and announced that manager and research analyst, Mark Hall, will retire after three decades at the firm.
Jo Rands and Courtney Westcarr have joined the company as senior research analyst/fund manager and research analyst associate, respectively.
Based in Leeds, both will report to head of the Franklin UK equity team, Colin Morton (pictured).
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Rands held positions at Rathbones, Hermes and HSBC, while Westcarr was previously an equity research analyst at Cardale Asset Management.
“We felt it was prudent to further expand the investment team on the UK equity fund range to reflect the steady growth in assets across the UK equity range and we are delighted to welcome Jo and Courtney to the team,” said Morton. “We have focused on hiring experienced team members who bring diverse perspectives, a fit with our investment culture, and have the ability to demonstrate depth in their analytical work, skill in stock selection and breadth of interest across the UK equity market.”
Meanwhile, Mark Hall will relinquish his portfolio manager responsibilities on the UK equity funds from 30 September and will continue in his role as an analyst until his retirement on 1 January 2022.
“Portfolio managers Richard Bullas, Dan Green and Marcus Tregoning have been working closely with Mark Hall, encouraging a smooth handover of responsibilities and retention of the team’s UK equity market investment expertise,” Morton said.
