Vivek Kudva retires from Franklin Templeton; firm appoints two co-heads of APAC

Global investment firm Franklin Templeton on Wednesday announced that its head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) distribution Vivek Kudva would be retiring on 28 July 2022, after 16 years at the firm.

According to the company, Vivek is based in India, where the retirement age is typically 60.

“When Vivek turned 60 in July 2019, the firm made the decision to extend his employment for an additional three years, through 28 July 2022. Vivek is now retiring, pursuant to that plan,” Franklin Templeton spokesperson said.

Kudva has a career spanning more than 35 years in investment management and banking.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, Franklin Templeton also announced that it has appointed Matthew Harrison and Tariq Ahmad as co-heads of APAC, effective 1 August 2022.

Harrison is currently the managing director, Australia, and Tariq Ahmad is the head of Asia distribution.

According to Franklin Templeton, Harrison and Ahmad will have joint ownership and accountability of APAC strategy to best serve the firm’s clients and drive growth in the region.

The new co-heads of APAC will report to Adam Spector, executive vice-president–global advisory services and will jointly develop and execute the overall APAC strategy.

“The Asia Pacific region is critical to the growth strategy for Franklin Templeton. Both Tariq and Matt (Harrison) are industry veterans with successful track records of leading investment management businesses. Their appointment will allow us to capture rapid growth opportunities in the backdrop of shifting market dynamics. Given the strengths of both leaders, we are confident that they will meaningfully accelerate the firm’s growth in the region,” said Spector.

“Vivek Kudva has led our distribution efforts in both APAC and EMEA over his dedicated career at the firm. We would like to thank him for his important contribution over the years and wish him well in his retirement,” he added.