The latest moves and appointments for senior roles for Asia-Pacific wealth management.

Franklin Templeton
Franklin Templeton has appointed Oliver Lee as senior vice president, senior client portfolio manager at Templeton Global Investments (TGI), effective 18 June. The firm has also appointed William Chang to the newly-created role of senior client portfolio manager at Franklin Equity Group (FEG), effective 1 August.

TGI represents the combined businesses of Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity (FTEME) and Templeton Global Equity Group (TGEG) under a single umbrella.

Lee (pictured) is responsible for representing TGI’s strategies in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, working closely with the firm’s distribution partners and clients to accelerate growth, deepen relationships and strengthen the its market position in these key regions. Lee is based in Singapore and reports to Anu Sawhney, managing director and head of business development at TGI.

Lee has more than 20 years of experience across investment banking and asset management in Europe and Asia. Prior to Franklin Templeton, he most recently served as a client portfolio manager representing Japan equities at Eastspring Investments. He has also worked at Jupiter Asset Management, Schroders, Sloane Robinson, Goldman Sachs and UBS. Lee holds a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Lee is taking over from William Chang, who will still be based in Singapore, reporting to Evan Davis, head of business development at the Franklin Equity Group. Chang will lead business development efforts in the APAC region to expand on Franklin Equity Group’s diverse range of public and private growth, innovation, and sector-focused investment and portfolio solutions.

Chang has nearly 20 years of experience in the asset management industry. Immediately before joining Franklin Templeton in 2021, Chang was a vice president with the client solutions team with Goldman Sachs Asset Management in New York. Chang holds a bachelor of science in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell University.

Synpulse
Synpulse, a global professional services provider to major banking and insurance institutions, has appointed Joel Lim as partner and head of insurance APAC, based in Hong Kong.

Formerly CEO Asia at Coherent and Technology Consulting Partner at EY Consulting, Lim has over 25 years of extensive experience in digital and emerging technologies within the financial services industry. He brings invaluable insights to Synpulse, the firm said in a statement, and will be focusing on enhancing insurance and banking propositions in the APAC region, including digital transformation, legacy modernisation, embedded insurance, and data and AI.

Lim's career is marked by a "unique blend of expertise across financial services," deploying advanced technology solutions that drive high-value outcomes for distinct client/sector issues and market opportunities, leveraging digital, AI and emerging technologies to develop new business models and cross sector convergence. His expertise spans the entire consulting lifecycle, from business strategy to cutting-edge technology solutions and implementation.

"His experience and success in leading consultancies and fintech firms will greatly contribute to our mission of delivering tailored solutions to our clients in the APAC market," Silvan Stüssi, managing partner and global head insurance, Synpulse, said.

"Joel is recognised in the market for leading turnkey digital transformation projects that include building digital insurers and virtual banks. His achievements span prestigious banks and even Hong Kong's provident fund," Salomon Wettstein, managing partner and head Synpulse North Asia, Synpulse, added.

Lim will be based in Hong Kong and his appointment is part of Synpulse’s ‘Diamond Strategy,’ a group-wide strategy aimed at taking the firm to the next level by expanding its consulting, technology, and managed platform offerings, and growing its team to deliver sustainable value and expertise to its clients in the APAC landscape.

Synpulse operates from eight offices across the APAC region, with a team of over 700 professionals.

PGIM
PGIM Private Alternatives, part of PGIM, has appointed former MLC Asset Management senior figure Daniel Greyling to the newly-created role of vice president, Asia-Pacific business development.

Greyling, who is based in Sydney, Australia, will be responsible for developing and managing PGIM Private Alternatives’ institutional client relationships across APAC, with a particular focus on Australia and South East Asia. 

In his role, Greyling will report to Eduard Wehry, head of Asia-Pacific business development, PGIM Private Alternatives, the firm said. 

At MLC, Greyling was director of institutional sales. Before this, he spent 12 years at Russell Investments.

In September 2023, PGIM formed PGIM Private Alternatives, which brings together the firm’s private alternatives capabilities. It manages $320.5 billion (as of 31 March 2024) in private alternative strategies across private credit, real estate equity and debt, private equity, and agriculture.