Manulife Financial Corp. announced on Monday that its President and CEO Roy Gori will retire in May of next year. Phil Witherington, current president and CEO of Manulife Asia, will succeed Gori and will join the Board of Directors upon assuming his role.
Witherington has served as part of Manulife’s executive leadership team since 2017, having previously worked as the company’s chief financial officer for five years before taking on his present role as president and CEO. He has also held positions at HSBC and AIA prior to joining Manulife in 2014, and earlier in his career, worked at KPMG in London and Hong Kong.
“The Board is unanimous in our support for Phil’s appointment,” Don Lindsay, chair of the Board of Manulife said. “As both our chief financial officer and now as CEO of the Asia Segment he has consistently demonstrated the ability to navigate complexity, deliver on commitments and drive change and highly engaged teams through his authentic leadership.”
Witherington obtained a degree in geography from the University of Durham and a master’s degree jointly awarded by the University of Edinburgh Management School and the École nationale des ponts et chaussées. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
“It has been a privilege to work closely with Roy and the entire Executive Leadership Team in recent years, and I’m excited by the opportunity we have to build on our momentum, delivering high-quality sustainable growth for the benefit of our customers, colleagues, investors and the communities we operate in around the world,” Witherington said.
Despite announcing his retirement for May 8, 2025, Gori will remain at Manulife as an advisor until August 31, 2025, to support the transition. Witherington will continue his current role at Manulife and will name his successor in the coming months.
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