Manulife Philippines appoints new Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer

Manila ― Manulife Philippines, a subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation – a leading international financial services group – has added two new executives to its top management team. 

Rajeev Kumar has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and Maya Lee has been appointed as Chief Operations Officer to help strengthen the company’s leadership team, drive digital transformation and customer centricity, and offer relevant and innovative insurance solutions that can help more Filipinos financially secure their future. 

“We’re excited to welcome Rajeev Kumar and Maya Lee aboard, who both bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our team. We look forward to their fresh insights to help us better serve our customers and live every day better,” said Richard Bates, President and CEO, Manulife Philippines. 

Meanwhile, as Chief Financial Officer, Rajeev Kumar will be responsible for optimizing the company’s financial performance, including risk management, profitability, capital management and solvency.  Prior to joining Manulife Philippines, Kumar was the CFO, Chief Actuary, and CIO of a multinational life insurance company in Vietnam for two and a half years. He also spent 13 years with another global life insurer in Hong Kong and India, where he held finance, product management, actuarial, and strategy roles. Kumar is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries UK and India, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology Varanasi, India. 

As Manulife Philippines’ Chief Operations Officer, Maya Lee will lead initiatives to help improve the company’s operational performance, cost efficiency, and overall customer satisfaction, while also overseeing the day-to-day operations support provided to the company’s customers and distribution partners. A Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) of the Life Office Management Association or LOMA, an international association engaged in research and educational activities for more than 1,200 insurance and financial services companies in over 80 countries, Lee also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Kookmin University and an MBA from Yonsei University. 

Manulife’s new executive appointments demonstrate the company’s commitment to building a strong and winning team, as it moves forward as a digital customer-centric leader and continues making every day better for more Filipinos.

About Manulife Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife's Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country's leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world's largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website manulife.com/ph and following them on Facebook (facebook.com/ManulifePH), Instagram (@manulifeph), and LinkedIn (Manulife Philippines).

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We’re committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.

As of June 30, 2021, Manulife Investment Management’s assets under management and administration, including assets managed for Manulife’s other segments, totaled CAD $1.0 trillion (US $834 billion). Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com. 

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Anchored in our ambition to be the number one choice for customers, we operate as Manulife across Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice, insurance and health solutions for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment solutions, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2025, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 106,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 37 million customers with operations across 25 markets globally. We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.