Former Aberdeen chief to lead Franklin Templeton Asia Pacific

Franklin Templeton’s incoming Asia Pacific chief has spent the past stretch on the other side of the table, assessing which wealth and asset managers were worth buying. From 21 September, he takes charge of Franklin Templeton’s own business in the region instead.

Rene Buehlmann’s most recent role was advising KKR on acquisition opportunities in wealth and asset management. He becomes head of Franklin Templeton Asia Pacific, subject to regulatory approval.

He brings more than 35 years in wealth management, asset management and banking, spent across Switzerland, the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore.

An acquirer’s eye on Franklin Templeton Asia Pacific

Buehlmann will oversee strategy, client engagement and business development across a region that spans Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea and Australia. He will be based in Hong Kong and Singapore and inherits a business that already employs more than 2,600 people in the region.

Before advising KKR, he was global chief executive of Aberdeen Investments, running its global investment business while also overseeing Asia Pacific.

Before that, he spent nearly three decades at UBS, including 15 years in the region, rising to Head of Asset Management Asia Pacific and a seat on the regional executive committee.

Globally, Franklin Templeton manages US$1.79 trillion in assets and employs more than 1,500 investment professionals, as of 30 June 2026.

Part of a bigger reshuffle

The appointment did not arrive alone. Franklin Templeton named it alongside several other senior hires as part of a wider rebuild of its Global Client Group, spanning product and ETF leadership as well as Asia Pacific, as reported by Family Wealth Report.

Buehlmann is the piece of that reshuffle aimed squarely at the region. He has spent his last stretch assessing, from a buyer’s perspective, which wealth and asset managers are worth acquiring. He now runs distribution and growth for Franklin Templeton Asia Pacific, one of the largest global managers in a market where that kind of consolidation keeps happening.

Two executives, one script

Daniel Gamba, Franklin Templeton’s co-president and chief commercial officer, framed the hire as a statement of intent.

“The appointment of Rene reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to growing our leadership team and investing in Asia Pacific,” he said.

“Rene is a highly respected industry leader with deep client relationships, extensive regional experience and a proven track record of building high-performing teams and delivering growth.”

In his own statement, Buehlmann pointed to the platform he is inheriting. “Franklin Templeton has built a highly differentiated global platform, further strengthened in recent years through the expansion of its ETF, private markets and digital asset capabilities,” he said.

“Asia Pacific offers tremendous growth opportunities, and I look forward to working with our talented teams to deepen client relationships.”

What advisers should watch

Advisers using Franklin Templeton’s platform in Australia will be watching whether the ETF and private markets expansion Buehlmann is inheriting shows up as more product on the ground and sharper pricing, or just a reorganised chart with the same coverage team calling on the same accounts.

Advisers will not read the difference in a press release. They will feel it over the next twelve months, in what actually lands on their desks: new product, better pricing, or simply a different name signing off on the same coverage plan.