Jennifer Morrow Johnson (born 1964) is an American business executive who is the current president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Franklin Templeton Investments, a company founded in 1947 by her grandfather, Rupert H. Johnson Sr.

In 2023, Johnson was ranked 61st on Forbes list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. ^[3] American Banker put Johnson as No. 4 on its 2023 Most Powerful Women in Finance list. ^[4]

Early life

Johnson was born in 1964 in Morristown, New Jersey. Her father Charles B. Johnson was CEO of Franklin Resources while her mother Ann Johnson was a physician who had graduated from Stanford University School Medicine. Johnson is a third generational member of the Johnson family that had founded and managed Franklin Templeton Investments. She had six siblings. ^{[2] [5] [6]}

Growing up, Johnson was the only one of the siblings who wanted to work in the family business. When she was 14, during school holidays she worked in the mailroom for a local fund company. ^[2]

Johnson attended University of California, Davis where she played on the school's women basketball team and was in Alpha Phi. She graduated in 1987 with a BA in Economics and Physical education. After graduation, her father encouraged her to move away from the family base near San Francisco to New York City to pursue a career in finance. ^{[1] [2] [7] [8]}

Career

In 1987, Johnson joined Drexel Burnham Lambert as a trainee. ^[2]

In 1988, Johnson moved back to San Francisco and started working for Franklin Templeton Investments. Her first job was working in a bank that it had acquired. ^{[2] [4] [7] [6]}

Over the next three decades, Johnson held various roles in different departments of Franklin Templeton Investments which included consumer lending, technology and operations, wealth management and alternative investments. Johnson became chief operating officer in 2010 and president in 2016. ^{[1] [2] [4] [7]}

In February 2020, Johnson became CEO of Franklin Templeton Investments taking over from her brother Greg Johnson who became Executive chairman. ^{[1] [2] [4] [7]}

During her time as CEO, Johnson oversaw a series of acquisitions by Franklin Templeton Investments which included Legg Mason, Lexington Partners and Putnam Investments. As a result, Franklin Templeton Investments' assets under management increased to over $1 trillion. ^{[4] [9]}

Personal life

Johnson was previously married to a tech entrepreneur and has divorced. She has two sons and three daughters. ^{[2] [6] [7] [10]}

Johnson is a keen horse rider and enjoys spending time with her children at her ranch in Montana. ^[2] She also plays soccer with her children. ^[7]

Johnson serves on a variety of boards which include International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the New York Stock Exchange board advisory council, Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer foundation, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Catalyst. ^{[1] [4] [7]}

Johnson currently lives in Florida. ^[7]

References