We recently hosted a group of global institutional clients from 23 different countries for an educational event in our San Mateo headquarters. This feature episode is a panel discussion that Tony moderated with Brooks Ritchey, chairman of K2 Advisors, and Peter Blue, head of Alternative Solutions at Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions. We hope you enjoy this special edition of our podcast series.

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Brooks Ritchey joined K2 Advisors (a hedged strategies division of Franklin Templeton) in 2005 and is currently a Portfolio Manager and Chairman. He is also a voting member of the K2 Investment Committee. Prior responsibilities at K2 include Co-Chief Investment Officer, Co-Head of Investment Research & Management, and Head of Portfolio Construction. Mr. Ritchey works with clients and investment management teams to analyze market and macroeconomic conditions, help determine asset allocation tilts, and manage absolute return and multi-asset hedged portfolios.

Mr. Ritchey began his investment career in 1982 as a proprietary trader for the NYSE Specialist Firm of Conklin, Cahill & Co. Since 1987, Mr. Ritchey has successfully managed multi-asset mutual fund and hedge fund portfolios for institutional and registered portfolios while located in New York and Paris. Prior employers include Steinhardt Partners, Citibank, Finch Asset Management, Paribas, AIG, and ING/Barings.

Mr. Ritchey graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in 1982 with a B.A. in Business Administration and is Series 3 NFA registered.

Peter Blue is the Head of Alternatives Solutions for Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions. He is responsible for the development and implementation of multi-asset alternatives capabilities for the Solutions team.  Most recently, he was a client portfolio manager, also for Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions. Mr. Blue focuses on designing, managing, and maintaining multi-asset investment solutions for institutional clients in the Americas.

Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Mr. Blue was an investment analyst at QS Investors, a quantitative multi-asset and equity manager, where he was responsible for leveraging the breadth of QS' capabilities in the creation of new and custom investment solutions. QS Investors combined with Franklin Templeton Multi-Asset Solutions in October 2020 to create Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions. Before QS Investors in 2019, Mr. Blue was an alternatives product specialist at Legg Mason. Previously, he held product development, business development, and investment analyst roles with Guggenheim Partners, AlphaMetrix and Cambridge Associates, respectively.

Mr. Blue holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Washington & Lee University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations. Mr. Blue is a member of the CFA Society New York and the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).