The US firm said that it sees "immense" opportunities in Southeast Asia.

Franklin Templeton has named Dora Seow as country head for Singapore following the pending departure of Adam Quaife, regional head for Southeast Asia, who will be relocating to Australia in December.

On 1 October, Seow will assume the new position of country head for Singapore while continuing to oversee the firm’s business in Thailand, the Philippines, and Brunei.  Seow joined Franklin Templeton in 2001 and has held various leadership positions, including a tenure as head of the portfolio administration group in Asia, and head of the institutional distribution channel for Southeast Asia. In the latter position, she established and developed the region’s institutional business.

Avi Satwalekar remains as the country head for Malaysia and chairman of Franklin Templeton’s joint venture in Vietnam (Vietcombank Fund Management). Satwalekar joined Franklin Templeton in 1996 and has been part of the firm’s investment team in the US for 16 years. Prior to his move to the international distribution business, Satwalekar was a member of the Franklin Small Cap Growth portfolio management team and was the lead manager for the private small cap accounts for Franklin Portfolio Advisors (FPA).

Both new appointees will report to Mark Browning, managing director for Asia Pacific.

“We continue to see immense, untapped opportunities across Southeast Asia as a key engine within global emerging markets and believe these changes will position us well for the future," Browning said.