Speakers
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Ben Meng Executive Vice President & Chairman of Asia Pacific, Franklin Templeton
Ben is Executive Vice President and Chairman of Asia Pacific for Franklin Templeton. In this role, Ben is responsible for expanding the firm's investment offerings and client research in the Asia Pacific region, with a particular focus on leading private equity, venture capital and other alternative asset investment capabilities.
Additionally, Ben leads Franklin Templeton's China business, including our joint ventures and Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise. He also supports efforts to expand the reach of Franklin Templeton’s tailored solutions for the firm’s institutional client globally. Ben reports to the CEO and is a member of Franklin Templeton’s Executive Committee, a small group of the company’s top leaders responsible for shaping the firm’s overall strategy.
Ben has more than two decades of experience working in the global finance industry across three continents, including extensive experience in Asia Pacific, as well as a strong track record for delivering results across a broad range of asset classes. He has served in top investment roles at two of the largest asset owners in the world. Previously, Ben was Chief Investment Officer for the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and Deputy Chief Investment Officer at the State Administration for Foreign Exchange (SAFE). Most recently, he served as Director of Eight Sequoias LLC, an independent firm providing consulting services to the financial industry.
Ben holds a Master of Financial Engineering degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Davis. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Investment Management and frequently teaches at top business schools globally such as the Haas School of Business, where he received the 2014 Cheit Award of Excellence in Teaching. He is the Citi Visiting Chair in Internal Business at the Schwarzman College. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relation and the Committee of 100.
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Dean Heaney Head of UK Institutional
Dean joined Franklin Templeton in 2020 as head of the UK institutional business. He joined from Invesco where he was Head of Government & Strategic Institutions in the UK and Ireland. With over 18 years’ experience working with institutional investors, Dean’s role at Franklin Templeton is to work in partnership with institutional clients to deliver better client outcomes. He is also responsible for developing new relationships with pension funds, insurance companies and investment consultants.
Dean started his career at Fidelity International in 2003 and has worked in institutional sales and consultant relations roles at Royal London Asset Management and Pioneer Investments (now Amundi).
Dean has a BA in International Business and holds the Investment Management Certificate.
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Christoph Butz Director, Consultant Relations
Chris is part of a dedicated team responsible for developing and enhancing the firm’s working relationships with investment consulting firms. This encompasses working closely with business development, product management, and relationship management teams as they interact with the consultant community.
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton in January 2018, Chris held similar positions at Aviva Investors (2015-2018) and Wellington Management (2010-2015). Prior to that, Chris worked at AXA Rosenberg (2006-2010) as an assistant portfolio manager.
Christoph received his master’s degree (German-French double diploma) in business administration from Hochschule fur Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes, Germany and Universite de Metz, France (2006). Additionally, he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
