SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 27, 2015) - Franklin Templeton Investments today announced the expansion of its institutional sales, relationship management and consultant relations team with three key hires to address growing and distinct opportunities in the US institutional marketplace.

"We are thrilled to welcome three multi-year veterans, with such deep understanding of the institutional marketplace, and feel confident that they will be instrumental in expanding our footprint in this very important space," said Tom Regner, president of Franklin Templeton Institutional, who oversees the firm's institutional business in North America. "We have built our institutional business over four decades, and this most recent expansion of our team supports our ongoing commitment to best servicing our institutional clients and their consultants, and allows us to deepen our focus on the US institutional defined contribution investment only (DCIO) space."

Elizabeth Murphy, Senior Vice President, Institutional Sales

Elizabeth Murphy has joined the firm as senior vice president, Institutional Sales. In this role, she will manage and deepen key relationships with large institutional clients, primarily in the Northeast, including endowments, foundations, corporations and public funds.

"Elizabeth Murphy is a seasoned professional, and we are excited to bring her on board and leverage her 18 years of expertise in institutional sales in servicing our highly valued distribution relationships," said Scott Lee, head of Institutional - US. Murphy reports to Lee and is based in Stamford, CT.

Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Murphy was a director at BlackRock for nine years, where she was primarily responsible for developing and broadening relationships with the firm's largest clients and consultants. Prior to that, Murphy was a director at Deutsche Asset Management, tasked with improving and growing the firm's relationship with institutional clients.

Mary Beth Glotzbach, Vice President, Institutional DCIO

Also joining Lee's team is Mary Beth Glotzbach as vice president, Institutional DCIO. She will focus on developing and broadening the firm's products and solutions for institutional 401(k) plans. Glotzbach is based in San Mateo, CA and reports to Drew Carrington, senior vice president, head of Institutional DCIO.

"Mary Beth Glotzbach brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial and defined contribution industry. Her deep knowledge of recordkeepers, data and participant communications will be invaluable as we deepen our presence in the large plan space," said Carrington.

Glotzbach most recently served as senior vice president of Retirement Solutions at Morningstar, Inc., where she implemented Morningstar's retirement strategy across institutional software product groups, targeting solutions for advisors, consultants and asset managers. Glotzbach is also a board member for the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA).

Christina Manonian, Vice President, Consultant Relations

Christina Manonian, a 12-year Franklin Templeton veteran, is assuming the role of vice president, Consultant Relations, reporting to Dennis Rothe, senior vice president and head of the Consultant and Investment Research Group - North America.

Manonian most recently served as director of Global Consultants and Financial Institutions, where she was instrumental in strengthening Franklin Templeton's cross-border distribution across Asia and Australia. In her new role, she will manage strategic relationships with consultants across the West Coast. Manonian has relocated from Melbourne to the firm's headquarters in San Mateo, CA.

"As the strategic engagement and servicing of consultants continues to evolve, Christina Manonian's experience working with global and regional consultants across Asia combined with her extensive knowledge of Franklin Templeton's broad product range will help position the firm for continued success with consulting firms located on the West Coast," said Rothe.

About Franklin Templeton Investments

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN) is a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management to retail, institutional and sovereign wealth clients in over 150 countries. Through specialized teams, the company has expertise across all asset classes -- including equity, fixed income, alternative and custom solutions. The company's more than 600 investment professionals are supported by its integrated, worldwide team of risk management professionals and global trading desk network. With offices in 35 countries, the California-based company has more than 65 years of investment experience and over $880 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2014. For more information, please visit ftinstitutional.com.

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