John Hancock Mutual Funds Expands Institutional Sales Team With Hire of Douglas H. Thompson

BOSTON, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Funds is continuing the expansion of its institutional sales team with the recent hire of Douglas H. Thompson. Mr. Thompson joined the firm on September 12 as a Managing Director. He will focus on bank trust departments, and will report to Todd J. Cassler, Senior Managing Director and head of Institutional Sales.

Mr. Thompson fills a new role at John Hancock Funds which reflects a new channel focus for the firm. He joins team member Chip Saltz, also a Managing Director who formerly focused on consultants and banks at John Hancock Funds but who will devote all his time going forward to the new channel along with Mr. Thompson.

"Doug's experience and knowledge will be very beneficial as we build out our bank trust distribution, an important element in our distribution strategy," said Mr. Cassler. "We are confident that our strong John Hancock brand and best of breed investment platform will lead to new successes in the bank trust channel."

Most recently, Mr. Thompson spent four years as Director, Consultant Relations, with The Hartford's Institutional Mutual Funds, where he marketed institutional mutual funds to consultants and bank/trust wealth management platforms. Prior to that he served in client relations, marketing and client services roles for Whitecap Advisors, Shaker Investments, and Schuylkill Capital Management. He is a graduate of Kenyon College.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds manages more than $71.5 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors as at June 30, 2011.  

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 21 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$481 billion (US$498 billion) as at June 30, 2011.  

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial may be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com. The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at www.johnhancock.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Mutual Funds