BOSTON, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Manulife Asset Management said today that Chad Gross has been named Managing Director, Institutional Sales. Mr. Gross joined the firm on March 28th. Based in Denver, Colorado, he will report to Frank Saeli, Global Head of Sales and Relationship Management.

"We are delighted to welcome Chad to Manulife Asset Management," said Mr. Saeli. "Chad brings excellent work experience and character to our team. His qualifications are a great fit for us as we seek to expand our institutional sales presence in the Western part of the United States."

Mr. Gross has taken on a new position at the firm, and is responsible for institutional sales and business development on the West coast of the U.S. He joins from Janus Capital Group, where he spent more than five years in the sales organization, most recently as vice president of institutional sales responsible for new business development in the western U.S. for Janus, INTECH and Perkins.  Prior to that, Mr. Gross spent seven years as an aviation officer in the U.S. Army, where he was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing from Texas Tech University.

About Manulife Asset Management

Manulife Asset Management™ is the global asset management arm of Manulife Financial. Manulife Asset Management and its affiliates provide comprehensive asset management solutions for institutional investors and investment funds in key markets around the world. This investment expertise extends across a broad range of asset classes including equity, fixed income and alternative investments such as real estate, timber, farmland, as well as asset allocation strategies.

Manulife Asset Management has offices with full investment capabilities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In addition, it has a joint venture asset management business in China, Manulife TEDA. It also has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Uruguay. As at December 31, 2010, assets under management were Cdn$209 billion (US$210 billion). Additional information about Manulife Asset Management can be found at ManulifeAM.com. Prior to December 15, 2010, Manulife Asset Management was known as MFC Global Investment Management.

About Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group operating in 22 countries and territories worldwide. For more than 120 years, clients worldwide have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most 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 around the world. We provide asset management services to institutional customers worldwide as well as reinsurance solutions, specializing in life and property and casualty retrocession. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were $475 billion (US$478 billion) as at December 31, 2010. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com

SOURCE Manulife Asset Management