Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE: BEN], a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton, today announced the appointment of Leeor P. Avigdor as Senior Vice President, Global Treasurer and Head of M&A. Avigdor will continue to be based in Franklin Templeton’s New York office and will report to Matthew Nicholls, EVP, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

“Our Treasury function is essential to Franklin Templeton’s financial foundation and goes hand in hand with leveraging our balance sheet to make investments in support of organic growth and strategic acquisitions as part of the company’s long-term growth plans,” said Nicholls. “Over the past several years, we have been particularly deliberate in further diversifying our investment capabilities and solutions for clients through organic investments and acquisitions. Leeor has proven to be invaluable in our recent expansion and related acquisitions in alternative asset management and is well suited to take on this important leadership role.”

“Franklin Templeton is well positioned with a strong balance sheet and has a track record of investing for long-term growth,” said Avigdor. “I look forward to working with our leadership team on optimizing our capital allocation strategy and M&A execution.”

Avigdor has spent the past eight years at Benefit Street Partners (BSP), Franklin Templeton’s alternative credit specialist investment manager, where he was a Managing Director and Head of Strategic Development. He has 20 years of experience in capital markets, M&A, risk management, investor relations and general corporate strategy. Prior to joining BSP, he worked in the investment banking groups at Barclays and UBS where he focused on capital markets and M&A transactions for asset managers and other financial services companies. Avigdor received a BS in Operations Research and Information Engineering from Cornell University.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE: BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 155 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives, and multi-asset solutions. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has 75 years of investment experience and approximately $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of January 31, 2023. For more information, please visit franklinresources.com.

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