Franklin names Robinson-Kok as Asia alternatives head
Franklin Templeton Investments has appointed Gregory Robinson-Kok as head of its alternative investments business in Asia. He is based in Singapore and reports to Kent Strazza, managing director of the alternative strategies group.
Robinson-Kok has spent the last four years as CEO of Vietcombank Fund Management (VCBF), a joint venture investment management firm between Franklin Templeton and Vietcombank. He will be replaced by Avinash Satwalekar, previously vice president, portfolio manager and research analyst for Franklin Portfolio Advisors.
A chartered accountant with 15 years of experience, Robinson-Kok was head of compliance for HSBC Bermuda and audit manager with Deloitte & Touche in South Africa before joining Franklin Templeton. In his new role, Robinson-Kok is based in Singapore and partners closely with Franklin Templeton's global advisory services distribution teams in Asia.
Approximately 10% of the firm's assets under management are currently from investors in the Asia Pacific region, and it maintains offices in Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and Singapore. The alternative investments platform includes a range of local asset management units, customized portfolio operations, property and real asset advisory, and Darby Private Equity, an emerging markets private equity and mezzanine finance provider.
Darby's second Asia mezzanine fund closed in October 2007 at $254 million and the firm hopes to raise a RMB2 billion ($317 million) private equity fund in association with the district government of Jiading in Shanghai. A KRW580 billion ($513 million) Korea infrastructure fund was raised in 2006 while an INR6.3 billion ($118 million) India fund closed in October 2008. The India fund's most recent deal was a INR450 million investment in Symbiotec Pharmalab last September.
Franklin Templeton said in March that it plans to raise $300 million for its fourth global emerging markets private equity fund, with the Asian tranche to be equally split between China, India and Southeast Asia.
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