2009 Communiqués de presse

  Hong Kong - Manulife (International) Limited (MIL) has been designated Hong Kong’s “Best Company for Financial Planning Excellence” — for the third year running.

Manulife has won the company award in the insurance sector of the SCMP/IFPHK Financial Planner Awards since its inception in 2007.

“We are proud to have been declared the best in the business for a third consecutive year by one of the most highly regarded professional entities in Hong Kong,” said Emil Lee, Manulife’s Vice President and Chief Agency Officer in Hong Kong.  “Our advisors demonstrated their ability to establish good client-planner relationships, to understand their clients’ financial goals and risk tolerance, and to offer them sound financial-planning advice.”

The company’s superiority in the field was underlined by the fact that no fewer than half the finalists, nine out of 18, were Manulife entrants. Mr. Lee was also impressed by the statistic that 10 out of the 22 Manulife advisors who successfully won the first-round were new advisors with the company, possessing two years’ experience or less. Their success, he said, was a testament to Manulife’s remarkable capacity for identifying and then nurturing potential.

“We are delighted that the graduates from our Financial Planning Development Programme acquitted themselves so well. The programme is intended to set its graduates on a genuinely rewarding career path. Not only do we recruit the brightest and the best, but we bolster them with effective training and support, while simultaneously instilling them with our century-old caring and professional culture,”  Mr. Lee added.

His words were echoed by Michael Huddart, Manulife’s Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for Hong Kong: “We are keen to maintain our premier position and set new benchmarks for the industry in this increasingly important and competitive speciality, as Hong Kong people become more sophisticated in their financial, investment and retirement-planning needs.

“We have already made plans to further enhance the excellence of our training methodology and support mechanisms in the coming year. We fully intend to carry on earning this prestigious title as often as possible.” 

The awards, which are co-organised annually by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and the Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong (IFPHK), issuer of both the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^CM recognition and Financial Advisors’ International Qualification, are highly prized in the worlds of insurance, banking and independent financial advisory sectors.

About Manulife (International) Limited
Manulife (International) Limited is a member of the Manulife Financial group of companies. Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$437 billion (approximately HK$ 3155.4billion) as at September 30, 2009.

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.