Manulife Names Asia President and CEO

Steve Finch has been appointed President and CEO of Manulife Asia, effective May 9.

Finch succeeds Phil Witherington, who has been appointed Manulife’s president and CEO, also effective May 9.

Finch currently serves as Manulife’s chief actuary and has been a member of Manulife’s Executive Leadership team since 2016.

Previously, Finch served as the chief financial officer of John Hancock, Manulife’s US business, and prior to that, he served as the general manager of the company’s US Life Insurance business, leading the business to be the market leader in life insurance sales.

Finch has served in additional roles including in reinsurance, product development, and marketing across his tenure with Manulife. He is a graduate of Queen’s University and holds a bachelor’s degree in statistics. He is a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and a fellow of 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.”

The successor for Chief Actuary will be announced in “due course” and “Finch will work with that leader to ensure a seamless transition,” according to Manulife.