Chetan Karkhanis is a Senior Vice President in the Franklin Innovation Research Strategies and Technology (FIRST) group covering the Asia Pacific Region. Based in Singapore, he is focused on innovative distribution, digital disruption, and thought leadership in the region to accelerate, scale and commercialize technology-enabled investment capabilities. The FIRST group works with various members of the fintech ecosystem to connect clients, FT business partners and fintechs in developing new products, capabilities and distribution channels.

Prior to this role, he led product management for various global equity platforms within Franklin Templeton, including the Templeton Global Equity Group, Franklin Global Growth, and Balanced Equity Management (Australia). Previously, Mr. Karkhanis led the Corporate Strategy function at Franklin Templeton as part of the Financial Strategies group. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton in 2014, he was a Vice President at JPMorgan Asset Management in Strategy and Development, based in New York City, and prior to that, held Strategy and Corporate Development positions in firms such as Moody’s and Charles Schwab. Mr. Karkhanis started his career in investment banking and
equity research, covering the telecom, media and communications sector.

Mr. Karkhanis holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Economics, and a Master of Science (M.Sc) degree in Management Sciences and Engineering, both from Stanford University, California