Franklin Templeton Hires for Asia Real Estate

Wenning Jung has joined Franklin Templeton Realteam and keep an ear to the ground for new
Estate Advisors in California to lead the team'sopportunities. She would not say how much of
Asia business. She joins from the California Publicthe firm's investments involve Asia-Pacific deals.
Employee's Retirement System (Calpers), theShe does note that certain Asian investments can
largest public pension fund in the United States,provide different risk/return profiles than most
where she had served as an investment officer inreal-estate portfolios. Unlike the United States, the
its real-estate department.markets of India, China and Southeast Asia are
While at Calpers she had implemented a newimmature and can generate greater returns, but
investment strategy into Asia and managed aat greater risk. The firm wants to increase its
portfolio of seven international commingled andbusiness in global real estate as it provides
separate account funds.diversification and steady income for clients.
Hers is a new role at Franklin Templeton, designedFranklin Templeton Real Estate Advisors manages
to help the firm boost its investments intostrategies in private and public real-estate
Asia-based real-estate managers. The firmmarkets, for institutional and retail clients. It is an
manages $2.5 billion of real-estate investments asarm of Franklin Templeton Institutional.
funds of funds. She could not say whether theThe firm has also just promoted four of its senior
firm is preparing to introduce new products or if itexecutives to managing directorships. Jack Foster,
is enhancing the existing offering.Raymond Jacobs, Glenn Uren and Marc Weidner
Jung's role will be to identify third-party real-estatenow comprise its management committee, and
managers in Asia, conduct due diligence, run herJung reports to all of them.