Manulife appoints Roy Gori as Head of Asia Division

Succeeds Robert Cook who is retiring

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK:945

TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife today announced that Roy Gori has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Asia, effective March 1, 2015. Mr. Gori will report directly to Manulife President and Chief Executive Officer, Donald A. Guloien, and will become a member of the Company's Executive Committee.  Mr. Gori succeeds Robert Cook who is retiring after a 36-year career at Manulife, the last seven years as Head of Asia Division.

Mr. Gori joins Manulife from Citi, where he was most recently Head of Consumer Banking, North Asia and Australia, and Regional Head of Retail Banking, Asia Pacific, which included responsibility for Citi's insurance and wealth management businesses. Previous roles included CEO of Citibank Australia, and overseeing various credit card and consumer loans businesses across Asia.

"Roy has a deep knowledge of Asia, a highly strategic bent, a wide range of experience gained through a number of diverse assignments, and proven leadership capabilities," said Mr. Guloien. "He also shares our values at Manulife and will be a strong cultural fit."

Mr. Gori has held various roles at Citi, including finance, operations, and marketing.  He has worked and lived in Sydney, Singapore and Thailand.  In his new role, he will be located in Hong Kong.

Mr. Gori has an Economics and Finance degree from the University of New South Wales and an MBA from the University of Technology, Sydney. He is married with three children.

Manulife has operated in Asia since 1897, and today operates in twelve territories: Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.  Today, Manulife Asia has more than 9,600 employees and 53,000 agents, and accounts for roughly one-third of Manulife's earnings.

About Manulife

Manulife is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. We operate as John Hancock in the U.S. and as Manulife in other parts of the world. We provide strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for our customers' significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were approximately C$663 billion (US$591 billion) as at September 30, 2014.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation