![Gaurav Bathija](https://www.theasset.com/storage/Image/2024/Jun/1718077874GauravBathijaMUG.jpg)
Franklin Templeton has appointed Gaurav Bathija to the newly created role of head of private banks and family offices, effective May 27.
He will be based in Singapore and report to Christian Bucaro, head of wealth for Asia.
Bathija will have regional responsibilities to accelerate the growth of the firm’s private banking and family office network across Asia, working closely with local teams in key markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
He will focus on deepening the firm’s engagement with existing clients and developing new relationships with global and regional private banks, and other high-net-worth channels.
Bathija has over 25 years of experience across capital markets, private equity and private banking. Prior to Franklin Templeton, he most recently served as managing director of BNP Paribas Wealth Management, focusing on the family office segment in Southeast Asia.
Having worked across the United States and the United Kingdom previously, Bathija moved to Singapore in 2011 with J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he covered both financial sponsors and family offices. He led Citi Private Bank’s family office effort in Southeast Asia between 2019 to 2021.
Bathija holds an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York.