Tag: Manulife

Singapore – Financial services company Manulife Singapore is encouraging Singaporeans to share their recovery stories in its latest social media campaign. The initiative aims to nurture a supportive community, helping others persevere amidst recovery from serious illnesses.

The ‘Journey to Better SG’ campaign invites survivors, caregivers, family members or friends of a patient to share stories of healing. 

These stories can be posted on their Facebook or Instagram accounts including the hashtag ‘#JourneyToBetterSG’ to join the contest. Participants can also post on Manulife Singapore’s social contest post to join until March 16, 2025.

Manulife Singapore is awarding shopping vouchers to selected participants who shared the most inspiring stories.

“Manulife Singapore wants to use ‘Journey To Better’ to start a conversation on health and longevity in Singapore. As a leading global insurer, Manulife wants to support our customers not just in financial health but also physical and mental wellbeing. ‘Journey To Better’ is a celebration of resilience and the remarkable strength found in community support. By sharing these journeys of recovery, we aim to inspire hope and remind everyone that they are not alone in their battles,” Mark Czajkowski, chief marketing officer of Manulife Singapore, said.

Manila, Philippines – Manulife Philippines, a financial services provider, has launched the ‘Manulife Stories’ video series celebrating its customers’ achievements. The campaign, which tells the inspiring stories of six customers, reinforces Manulife’s ‘Where will better take you’ strategy and tagline.

Within the three-episode series, Manulife customers including Filipino celebrity and brand ambassador Anne Curtis share their personal stories of investing in themselves.

In the campaign, Curtis shares how she managed her pregnancy during the pandemic with the security of insurance. Marielle Malaga and Yvonne Reyes also shared how they were able to continue pursuing their dreams despite financial and emotional challenges. 

‘Manulife Stories’ can be viewed via the company’s YouTube channel.

“At the core of every insurance policy is a very human story. No matter the situation, we want our customers to feel supported and know we are looking after their dreams and those of their families,” Sonali Verma, chief marketing officer at Manulife Philippines, said. 

“It is heartwarming to hear our customers talk about how the Manulife team gave them the support and encouragement when they needed it most. Through ‘Manulife Stories,’ we hope to inspire more Filipinos to take proactive steps toward their financial security, knowing that Manulife will be their trusted partner in securing a better future,” Verma added.

Manulife recently unveiled its ‘Where will better take you’ brand strategy to reflect its mission of ‘Decisions Made Easier. Lives Made Better.’

Singapore – Global insurance company Manulife has unveiled a new global brand strategy with the new tagline ‘Where will better take you’. This strategic initiative is designed to unite Manulife’s global brand resonance across the world and underscore its mission of ‘Decisions Made Easier. Lives Made Better.’

To mark the launch of the new Global Brand Strategy and tagline, Manulife has rolled out a series of eye-catching advertisements in Hong Kong, which includes wrap advertisements at key locations such as the Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong taxis featuring body wrap advertisements, digital panel ads at the Hong Kong International Airport Baggage Reclaim Network, and a bus shelter domination at Statue Square in Central as well as bus shelters across the city.

In tandem with this, Manulife also supports the core programme at the façade of M+, one of the most prominent landmarks in Hong Kong’s iconic skyline. Starting from June 21, 2024, audiences can enjoy a selection of brand-new animated videos showcasing numerous museum objects, alongside moving image works, between 6-7pm and 9-10pm.

Manulife’s new brand strategy alongside the new tagline focuses on its key pillars of offering, including Health, Life, Investment Management, Retirement Planning—MPF, and Retirement Planning—Saving.

This new tagline by the company also coincides with Manulife’s ongoing Investor Day, held in Hong Kong and Indonesia, highlighting how the company is uniquely positioned to achieve their financial targets and reinforce the attractive opportunities and strong momentum across their global businesses.

“Our new global tagline reflects our ongoing and steadfast commitment to creating better opportunities for everyone. This tagline is a clear reflection of our mission to make decisions easier and lives better for people around the world. With the worldwide launch of campaigns, it helps connect our mission to our understanding of customers’ needs and provides relevance to them. We look forward to generating value and creating sustainable business growth as our customers’ partner that drives progress and hope,” Manulife told MARKETECH APAC.

Singapore – Manulife in Asia has appointed Phil Witherington, most recently the group chief financial officer, as its new chief executive officer. Through this role, the current Manulife Asia CEO Damien Green will now chair the Manulife Financial Asia board.

Witherington will continue reporting to Roy Gori, president and CEO of Manulife, and remain on Manulife’s executive leadership team.

Before joining Manulife in 2014, Mr. Witherington was the Asia-Pacific head of finance for retail banking and wealth management at HSBC. He also held finance roles at AIA and was a financial services specialist at KPMG.

Speaking on the new leadership team changes, Gori said, “Phil has helped strengthen our solid financial foundation as we enter the next stage of our journey. We have bold ambitions for Asia and Phil’s deep appreciation of our team, market, and opportunity across the region will help accelerate our growth agenda for this critical part of our business.”

He added, “I’d like to thank Damien for his leadership of Manulife Asia this past year and our Hong Kong business before that. Throughout his tenure, his commitment to our customers, team and agents has helped secure our competitive position across the region.”

With Witherington leaving his chief financial officer position, Manulife has also appointed Colin Simpson to take over said position. 

Hong Kong – Multinational insurance company Manulife in Hong Kong has announced new members of its leadership team namely Thaddeus Yu as chief strategy officer and Alice Li as chief communications officer. Together, the executives will report directly to Patrick Graham, chief executive officer of Manulife Hong Kong and Macau.

Yu succeeds Carrie Tong, who was recently appointed as chief operations officer for Hong Kong and Macau. 

In his new role, Yu is responsible for setting the overall strategic priorities of the Hong Kong and Macau business, ensuring prudent choices, and executing plans aligned with the company’s priorities. He is also in charge of assessing necessary and effective changes to the company’s business model to ensure the company stays on course in achieving its strategic objectives.

With over 15 years of experience in various local and regional positions at Cigna, AIA, and Bank of Montreal Insurance, Yu joined Manulife’s Asia strategy team in 2021. During his time in his previous position, he led strategy development, spearheaded critical business initiatives, and provided guidance on strategic projects while also managing the Asia CEO office.

Meanwhile, Li’s responsibilities include leading strategy development for external and internal communication goals, building corporate reputation and a culture of pride, and promoting the company’s global Impact Agenda, aligned with Manulife’s global communications team and strategy.

With more than two decades of experience in corporate and marketing communications, Li is a seasoned professional who joined Manulife in 2020. Since then, she has made significant strides in the company’s communication strategy and impact. Prior to Manulife, her career spanned diverse industries, including energy, telecommunications, IT, and insurance, as she held senior positions with global brands such as Shell, SmarTone-Vodafone, Microsoft, and AXA.

Speaking on the new appointments, Graham said, “With their extensive knowledge of our company’s strategic priorities and their functional expertise, I am confident that the talented new members of our senior management team will be pivotal in driving us towards achieving our ambitions in Hong Kong, Macau and the broader GBA markets as we embark on the next phase of our growth agenda. Their appointments also highlight our ongoing commitment to harnessing top talent through an active leadership development pipeline.”

Hong Kong – Global insurance company Manulife has appointed Patrick Graham as its new chief executive officer for Hong Kong and Macau. In his new role, Graham will become a member of Manulife’s Asia Division Executive Committee and Global Leadership Team, and will report directly to Damien Green, president and CEO of Manulife Asia.

Graham will assume his new role on January 1, 2023, subject to regulatory approval. An insurance leader with a track record of delivering results at scale, both regionally and in multiple geographies across Asia, he will bring to Manulife Hong Kong and Macau more than 25 years of leadership experience in the insurance and financial services industry.

He joins Manulife from healthcare and insurance company Cigna, where he covered eight markets including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea and Singapore in various senior leadership positions over the last decade with his most recent role as CEO, Asia Pacific. 

Prior to joining Cigna, Graham spent 14 years at GE Capital, which was then the financial services arm of General Electric. For the past three years, he has also been director and treasurer of the US ASEAN Business Council.

Speaking on the appointment role, Green said, “As the longest continuously operating life insurer in the city, Hong Kong has always been Manulife’s most important market in Asia with huge contributions to the Group over the past 125 years. The appointment of Graham really highlights our commitment to Hong Kong and our ambitions in this region.” 

He added, “With his outstanding leadership calibre and track record of delivering excellent results, Graham will lead our Manulife Hong Kong and Macau team to take our business to new heights and serve the health, protection, retirement and financial needs of the one in every three Hongkongers who are our customers. I am excited that he is joining our winning team.”

Following the new appointment, Pankaj Banerjee, who since late May has held dual roles as interim CEO for Manulife International Limited and chief distribution officer for Manulife Asia, will revert full time as chief distribution officer at Manulife Asia in January 2023.

“Thanks to Pankaj’s stewardship of Manulife Hong Kong and Macau’s business which demonstrated further resilience in the past few months. His contribution to growing our business from strength to strength is immense. I look forward to having him back to his regional role to drive the expansion of our multi distribution channels across Asia,” Green commented.

Hong Kong – Insurance company Manulife in Hong Kong has elevated HyounJoo Choe, former regional head of customer experience and design at Manulife Asia, to be its new chief customer officer for Hong Kong and Macau. 

As a member of the senior management team, Choe will now be leading all customer experience and strategic marketing functions including marketing, customer relationship management, advanced analytics, insights, and corporate communications. She will also play a pivotal role in driving Manulife Hong Kong’s branding and corporate social responsibility efforts.

In her previous role at Manulife Asia, Choe oversaw the CX transformation agenda, driving strong customer engagement and delivering strong results in the relationship and transactional CX scores. She also succeeded in leveraging human-centred design principles to drive CX excellence across various digital platforms.

Choe has more than 25 years of professional experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining Manulife, she was the head of digital at MetLife Korea, where she was instrumental in driving digital transformation and developing enterprise digital strategies. Before that, she also held various leadership roles at AIA Korea, including as head of strategy, head of direct marketing, and head of operations and technology. 

Pankaj Banerjee, the interim CEO for Manulife Hong Kong and Macau, commented that they are thrilled with the appointment of Choe as their chief customer officer, as she has played a leading role in driving forward their customer experience agenda in Asia since joining Manulife in 2021. 

“An outstanding and highly experienced leader in the industry, HyounJoo brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our franchise expansion in Hong Kong and Macau. Her proven track record and leadership credentials will add tremendous value to our winning team as we continue our journey to help make customers’ lives better and decisions easier,” said Banerjee.

Manulife Hong Kong said that the appointment of Choe highlights its ongoing commitment to promoting talent who can leverage customer-centric and market-leading strategies to benefit the people of Hong Kong and Macau.

Just recently, Manulife Hong Kong launched a multichannel marketing campaign to highlight how to increase the chances of survival against critical illness. This aims to promote Manulife’s two new critical illness plans, namely ManuPrimo Care and ManuPrimo Care.

Hong Kong – Insurance company Manulife in Hong Kong has launched a multichannel marketing campaign to highlight how to increase the chances of survival against critical illness. This aims to promote Manulife’s two new critical illness plans, namely ManuPrimo Care and ManuPrimo Care.

Following on from the success of the ManuBright Care 2’s ‘Increase odds of survival against critical illness’ campaign in 2020, the latest ManuPrimo Care campaign takes a more positive view of a serious topic by emphasising how people have a better chance of survival with early preparation.

Developed with Manulife’s creative partner dentsu, the campaign kicked off on 1 August 2022 with a product launch event and the premiere of an action-packed commercial featuring well-known Hong Kong actors Gordon Lam and Louise Wong as product ambassadors. The commercial features a couple – Lam and Wong – who are special agents discussing the importance of upgrading their critical illness plans over dinner. It creatively promotes the health benefits and financial support of the plans to a wide target audience in Hong Kong.

Manulife’s large-scale campaign is featured in prime locations at Hong Kong and Causeway Bay MTR stations and outdoors on the Island Beverly shopping mall in Causeway Bay. Buses across the city, as well as bus shelters, have also been emblazoned with advertisements about the campaign. The campaign also includes an upcoming digital aspect to trigger social conversations and awareness among people in Hong Kong on the topic of how to better prepare for critical illness.

Moreover, the digital marketing campaign features a 90-second social video on YouTube and a 30-second video on the ViuTV app running in conjunction with the commercial. There is also a 35-second TVC on ViuTV and OpenTV to explain how the plans support customers on their recovery journey from diagnosis to treatment.

Kenneth Luk, Manulife’s head of marketing for Hong Kong and Macau, noted that the comprehensive campaign educates people about how the plans have been designed to give customers well-rounded protection with continuous care benefits and flexible cancer payout options. 

“And by collaborating with local celebrities Gordon Lam and Louise Wong, the campaign will reach a wider audience motivating more people to obtain critical illness coverage earlier,” said Luk.

Meanwhile, Jeffry Gamble, dentsu International’s chief creative officer for Hong Kong, shared that the campaign takes a light-hearted and entertaining approach to talk about a serious and heavy topic. 

“We worked closely with Manulife, Lam and Wong to create a creative campaign that resonates with people in Hong Kong while at the same time delivering the key messages on critical illness. The end result is an insurance ad campaign that for the first time in Hong Kong adopts a cinematic approach,” said Gamble.

Toronto, Canada – Leading international financial services provider, Manulife, has announced the appointment of Damien Green, CEO of Manulife Hongkong, as the new CEO of Manulife Asia. Green will be reporting directly to Roy Gori, president and CEO of Manulife. His promotion coincides with other appointments in the executive leadership team for the company. The update aims to demonstrate the depth of the company’s leadership.

Green has extensive understanding and experience in the insurance industry. Green was the CEO of Manulife’s Hong Kong business, leading its operations for two years and five months. Upon joining the company in 2018, he held the position of chief strategy and transformation officer for Asia.

Prior to joining Manulife, he has held leadership roles in other companies across Asia namely as president and CEO of MetLife Korea. He has also served as the CEO of group corporate solutions at AIA and as a GM for business development at AustralianSuper.

On Green’s appointment, Gori said, “Today’s announcement underscores the depth of our leadership bench with the appointment of Damien.”

“These outstanding leaders bring strong track records for delivering results and have a shared passion for building winning teams. I look forward to working with them as we continue to drive growth across our franchise and advance our digital, customer leadership efforts,” Gori said.

In light of Green’s appointment as CEO, he will be replacing Anil Wadhwani who has left the company. Meanwhile, Pankaj Banerjee, chief distribution officer for Manulife Asia, will also serve as interim CEO of Manulife Hong Kong, pending completion of the appointment process for Green’s successor.

Hong Kong – In a bid to encourage Hongkongers to shift focus on planning more purposeful long-term financial and health investments, insurance company Manulife has launched a light-hearted digital series resonating different health struggles of Hong Kongers and highlight how Manulife can help devise customers’ own versions of a better health protection plan during these critical times. 

Conceptualised alongside creative agency dentsumcgarrybowen, the series is titled ‘Stressing on a Bright Day’, which is a play on an existing podcast series by Jan Lamb, and also part of the campaign. The campaign is also flanked with child star Mui G, where she listens to Lamb’s dial-in when facing various life struggles. 

The campaign, which promotes Manulife’s Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, is highly provocative to reflect Hong Kongers’ recent struggles, dramatised by Lamb’s persuasive performance pairing with Mui G’s innocent acting. Manulife’s perspective on VHIS is also to help make choices as simple and easily understood for its audience that even a little girl can help explain.

Speaking about the campaign creation process, Jeffry Gamble, chief creative officer at dentsu international Hong Kong, said, “Continuing Manulife’s positive marketing approach, these are snappy and fun stories. We want our audiences to take away simple ideas and not to feel overwhelmed during these already very gloomy times. And it’s living entirely on digital, so it should feel like watching a relaxing Youtube video but also inspiring.”

Meanwhile, Isabella Lau, chief customer officer at Manulife Hong Kong, commented, “We all heard of the usage and benefits of VHIS but often in a broad sense. Therefore, given the right timing and circumstances, we decided to reintroduce this topic to our customers so they can digest the scheme in a more relevant way, and through Manulife’s support to make easier decisions and unlock its greatest benefits.”

The series is both available on English and Traditional Chinese.