WINNER: Private Asset Investment Provider of the Year

Franklin Templeton Investments

https://www.facebook.com/nourprivatewealth/

@nour_private_wealth

@transalta

@mldwealthmanagementgroup5617

@blackfishfinance

Dennis Tew

Head of Sales and Business Strategy

Leveraging more than 30 years of experience in the investment fund industry, Dennis Tew is responsible for the overall strategic direction of all retail and institutional distribution initiatives, including servicing the financial advisor channel and directing product development in Canada. Dennis also partners closely with other global distribution channel leads to ensure a seamless and integrated approach to servicing the largest global financial institutions. He currently serves on the boards of Franklin Templeton Investments, Fiduciary Trust Company of Canada, and FTC Investor Services, responsible for governing and overseeing fund management, investment management, and fund distribution. As former president and CEO of FTC Investor Services, Dennis oversaw the strategy and operations of Franklin Templeton’s mutual fund dealership. He also completed two three-year terms on the board of the Canadian ETF Association.

Dennis Tew

Head of Sales and Business Strategy

Building access and understanding in private markets Franklin Templeton, named Private Asset Investment Provider of the Year, on pairing institutional-grade private market strategies with advisor education Franklin Templeton was named Private Asset Investment Provider of the Year at the 2026 Wealth Professional Awards. Its private markets work over 2025 rested on a straightforward idea: access to private assets counts for little if advisors do not understand what they are recommending. The firm expanded its platform through the year, adding institutional-quality capabilities across real estate and private equity and drawing on specialist managers to do so. On the product side, Franklin Templeton broadened its private markets platform during the year, extending institutional-quality access across major private asset classes, including real estate and private equity, through specialist investment expertise. Further capabilities are in development, indicating that the expansion was the start of a sustained build rather than a one-time addition. Access was only half of it. Franklin Templeton put real effort into helping advisors use what it offered. It built an alternatives education platform with six accredited online modules, continuing-education-eligible webinars, and a mix of in-person and hybrid events. The accreditation is a practical hook: advisors earn CE credit for the same material that prepares them to discuss alternatives with clients. Alongside the coursework, a digital Alternatives Hub gathered research, insights, and product resources in one place, so an advisor new to the field had somewhere to begin instead of piecing the picture together from scattered sources. The firm also kept up a steady output of content, publishing dozens of alternatives-focused pieces on franklintempleton.ca over the year, from market outlooks to portfolio-construction guidance. The cadence mattered as much as any single piece; a complex topic stayed in front of advisors month after month rather than surfacing once and going quiet. And it favoured face-to-face contact where it could: conference sponsorships, panels, curated advisor roundtables, and due diligence sessions that put advisors across the table from senior investment leaders. Those sessions did work the written material could not, letting advisors press investment leaders directly on strategy, sourcing, and risk before putting anything in front of a client. Tony Davidow, Senior Alternatives Investment Strategist at the Franklin Templeton Institute, hosts the monthly Alternative Allocations podcast, now over 30 episodes, and speaks widely across the industry. He gives the firm a steady, recognizable voice on a subject many advisors are still working to master. The through-line is a channel strategy that treats distribution and education as a single task. Franklin Templeton is selling private market products, but it is also answering the questions advisors ask before they commit: how these strategies work, where they fit in a portfolio, and how to explain them to clients.