Team size: 13 

First, can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently? 

Over the last two years, the team has been playing a key role in the acquisition and integration of Legg Mason, Lexington Partners, Alcentra and most recently Putnam Investments into various Franklin Templeton EMEA platforms in terms of management and distribution of funds 

The team has been instrumental in the implementation of an end-to-end SFDR/Taxonomy governance and monitoring framework at the level of the central and strategic Luxembourg management company, applied to all Franklin Templeton European based funds, covering circa 100 article 8 and article 9 SFDR funds. 

The team has piloted the European side of a global transfer out of transfer agency activities historically performed in house to FIS Global  

The team is managing, registering, and overseeing the most widely distributed SICAV in the world, i.e. franklin Templeton Investment Funds. 

What particular industry trends are you seeing in the legal sector in Luxembourg? 

ESG and SFDR are increasingly tainting our Luxembourg and European regulatory environment with expected additional significant changes in the medium to long term. 

European version of value for money is expected to intensify the level of transparency and exacerbate reporting obligations for the entire asset management industry. 

New technology, notably linked to management and distribution of financial products is a real game changer and huge disrupter for traditional firms which will have to adapt at a pace never experienced before.   

What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about, and why? 

Mental health of asset management employees that are required to adapt to a fast-evolving environment and profound change of paradigms, with associated pressure, principally driven by technology and sustainable development priorities. 

Increasing production of European and (fragmented) national legislation which in certain instances lead to higher regulatory uncertainty and higher operating costs for the asset management industry 

A challenging trifocal agenda of growth, operating effectiveness, and productivity, to simultaneously (i) be innovative to capture new growth, (ii) harness the opportunity to develop more agile business model(s) and (iii) be able to address customisation and scale for investors.