Alexander Barion

Head of Marketing Germany & Austria | Franklin Templeton

Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Area

About

• Over 30 years of experience in asset management, insurance, and banking • Over 20 years of leadership experience in European and local teams with a broad leadership remit • Europe-wide scope and above-average successes during all economic cycles • Project management and leadership of interdisciplinary teams in marketing, digitalisation, sales, business development, and product development • proven track record in digitalisation and client centricity (B2C, B2D, B2B + B2B2C) • Clear customer focus • Clear focus on profitability regarding all available resources --- The products, services, information and materials referenced in this site may not be available to residents in certain jurisdictions. Consult with your investment adviser or contact your local Franklin Templeton office for more information. This site and the information contained herein is not intended to constitute an offer to sell or an invitation or solicitation of an offer to buy any product or service by FT. FT is not responsible for, nor has it verified the accuracy of, content posted by third parties. Your personal data may be subject to our EU specific Privacy & Cookies Notice which you can read here (http://www.franklintempletonglobal.com/privacy),regardless of where the data originates.

Experience

  • Head of Marketing Germany & Austria at Franklin Templeton
    Oct 2025 - Present · 9 mos

  • Executive Director Marketing DACH & Digital Marketing Europe at Fidelity International
    Sep 2018 - Dec 2024 · 6 yrs 4 mos

    Main tasks and projects:  Product and market launches: o Development and launch of an in-house Robo Advisor "Fidelity Wealth Expert":  Launch as a minimum viable product (MVP) after just seven months  Development of a go-to-market strategy for German end customers  Continuous improvement of the product, client experience and marketing, incl. customer acquisition o Market launch of access to private markets & venture capital solutions for professional investors and banks together with the fintech platform Moonfare o Europe-wide product launch of the Fidelity active ETF range and Digital Assets (Bitcoin ETP) o Acquisition and support of partner programs in the end customer business  Development of digital marketing (initially in Germany and later in Europe) in the disciplines: o Analytics & Data Engineering o Web & UX o Marketing Automation o Performance & Programmatic Marketing o Social Media & Social Selling  Restructuring: o Management of the "Investment as a Service" transformation program in Europe:  Focus on individualized solutions plus services, such as marketing strategies, sales promotion programs, MarTech tools, customer leads programs, etc.  Implementation in all specialist areas o Merger of the previously separate areas of Marketing and Business Proposition along the segments and target groups to be served in order to create synergies Notable achievements:  Robo Advisor launch: o Acquired more than 2,000 new customers six months ahead of schedule o Secured over EUR 150 million in assets under management in the first year  Active ETF range launch: o Led the concerted Europe-wide (17 countries incl. UK) market launch o Generated EUR 1.4 billion in managed assets in six months  Received the German Fund Award 2020 for outstanding service quality  Honored with the German Brand Award 2021 for communication during a pandemic

  • Managing Director – Marketing & Business Development at Flossbach von Storch
    Apr 2017 - Aug 2018 · 1 yr 5 mos

    Directly subordinate areas: o Marketing (Europe-wide), incl. Distribution and Sales Promotion o Advertising & Campaign Management o Live & Digital Marketing o (Corporate) Communications & PR  Personnel responsibility: 28 employees Main tasks and projects:  Expansion, professionalization and realignment of Marketing & Digitalization from four to a total of 28 employees: o Establishment of the areas of Internationalization, Communication, Digital Marketing, Advertising & Campaigning o Development and implementation of the brand strategy for the group  Internationalization of the company: o Market entry in Italy (2018) o Expansion of activities in Spain, Belgium, France, Austria and Switzerland  Development and introduction of a new web strategy, incl. search-optimized websites, performance marketing, (re-)targeting strategies and engagement tools  Introduction of marketing automation (leads program, trigger marketing, newsletter)  Establishment of content marketing: o Newsroom (articles, blog, moving images, podcast) on the corporate site o Establishment of media cooperations (online and print)  Setup of the Flossbach von Storch Academy Notable achievements:  Increased traffic to the websites by 46% and the engagement score by 71%  Improved the click-through rate by 81% and open rates by 14% through the introduction of marketing automation

  • BlackRock (Full-time · 5 yrs 6 mos)
    • Chief Marketing Officer – Central & Eastern Europe
      Jan 2015 - Mar 2017 · 2 yrs 3 mos

       Responsible for all marketing activities in DACH and Eastern Europe as well as for Business Development in the EMEA region (BlackRock, iShares and Institutional Business)  Personnel responsibility: 29 employees Main tasks and projects:  Realignment of Business Development: o Synchronization of the BlackRock and iShares brands o Leveraging of synergies and more efficient customer service  Development and implementation of a digital business strategy, incl. relationship marketing & sales relationship management  Establishment of a new Content Marketing department Notable achievements:  Increased content placement and reach by 28% with the same budget  Enhanced brand relevance by 31% in the segment for independent financial advisors  Improved campaign follow-up by 44% through automated lead generation  Marketing support for the positioning and portfolio develop-ment of an EMEA pilot project in the FinTech sector in Germany resulting in an inflow of USD 130 million in four months in the retail segment  Awards: o Best Manager Award 2016 for outstanding achievements in the field of digitalization & communication o One BlackRock Award EMEA 2015 for the best interdisciplinary collaboration o Best financial website 2016 (Finanzennet.de)

    • Head of BlackRock Country Marketing EMEA
      Nov 2013 - Dec 2014 · 1 yr 2 mos

       Responsible for all marketing teams in EMEA, incl. Corporate Communications EMEA (excl. UK)  Personnel responsibility: 61 employees Main tasks and projects:  Reorganization of the divisional structure in the EMEA region, taking into account all country-specific requirements  Establishment of a new governance structure with greater local autonomy and significantly improved strategic orientation for the region as a whole  Restructuring of the content marketing processes: o Research & audit of all content development processes o Implementation of new procedures o Restructuring of the centrally operating units Notable achievements:  Increased productivity in central units by 42% and in content development by 27% thanks to new governance structure  Received the BlackRock Marketing Award 2014 for exceptional success in cooperation with Sales & Marketing

    • Head of Marketing BlackRock & iShares Germany & Austria
      Oct 2011 - Oct 2013 · 2 yrs 1 mo

       Responsible for the marketing activities of both brands in the DACH region  Also Head of Retail Investor Business during six months of restructuring  Personnel responsibility: 13 employees Projects and achievements:  Expansion of the local marketing team with a focus on co-marketing and partner marketing  Inflow of USD 740 million in six months through the development and implementation of partner programs for Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank  Receipt of the BlackRock Marketing Award 2013 for exceptional success in sales & marketing collaboration

  • Fidelity International (Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany)
    • Head of Marketing Germany & Austria
      Jan 2009 - Oct 2011 · 2 yrs 10 mos

       Responsible for Marketing, Corporate Communications & Local Product Development  Personnel responsibility: 19 employees Projects and achievements:  Management of all communications for the customer migration to the acquired Frankfurter Fondsbank  Inflow of USD 423 million in three months through the product launch of a China retail fund in EMEA and recognition with the Best of Business-to-Business Award 2011  Market launch of a guaranteed investment annuity (variable annuity product) in a JV with Canada Life with an insured sum of EUR 13.8 million in twelve months  Fidelity Emerging Markets product campaign awarded Best Case Study by Horizont (2010)

    • Head of Distribution Marketing
      Mar 2006 - Dec 2008 · 2 yrs 10 mos

       Personnel responsibility: 4 employees  Acquisition of USD 510 million in assets under management in three years through the establishment & expansion of the insurance marketing & sales unit