Manulife Names Steve Finch as President and CEO of Manulife Asia
TORONTO and HONG KONG, March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Manulife has announced the appointment of Steve Finch as President and CEO of Manulife Asia, effective May 9th. Finch, currently serving as the company’s Chief Actuary, will succeed Phil Witherington, who will become Manulife’s President and CEO, also effective May 9th.
Finch has been a member of Manulife’s Executive Leadership team since 2016. During his tenure, he has made significant contributions to Manulife’s transformation and financial performance. These include several major transactions that validated the strength of the company’s reserves and support for the transition to IFRS 17 and IFRS 9 accounting standards. His experience spans both functional and commercial areas of Manulife’s business.
Before his current role, Finch served as Chief Financial Officer of John Hancock, Manulife’s US business. Prior to that, he was General Manager of the company’s US Life Insurance business, leading it to a market-leading position in life insurance sales. Over his 32-year career with Manulife, Finch has also held roles in reinsurance, product development, and marketing. He is a graduate of Queen’s University with a B.ScH in Statistics and is a Fellow of both the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries.
“Steve has helped deliver our transformation and drive strong financial performance, reshaping our portfolio towards higher return and lower risk and validating the prudence of our reserves,” said Roy Gori, President and CEO of Manulife. “We have bold ambitions for Asia, and his deep appreciation of our business at a commercial and functional level, strong knowledge of our products and distribution channels across Asia, and passion for leading teams will help accelerate our growth agenda for this critical part of our business.”
Mr. Witherington commented, “Steve is a proven leader who has developed our actuarial talent globally into one of the best teams in the industry. He’ll bring that same approach to supporting our team in Asia, helping us drive high-quality, sustainable growth and achieve our ambition to be the number one choice for customers and contribute more than 50 percent of Manulife’s core earnings – a goal we’re well on track to achieve.” The successor for Chief Actuary will be announced in due course, and Finch will work with the new leader to ensure a smooth transition.
About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping its customers make decisions easier and lives better. With its global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, it operates as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice and insurance for individuals, groups, and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, the company offers global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. As of the end of 2024, Manulife had over 37,000 employees, over 109,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 36 million customers. Manulife trades as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ in Hong Kong. Note that not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions.
For additional information, please visit manulife.com.
