New CEO appointed to oversee Manulife’s business in Hong Kong and Macau

Manulife Hong Kong has announced that Graham will begin his role of Chief Executive Officer of Manulife (International) Ltd on 1 January 2023. He will be overseeing the company’s business across Hong Kong and Macau.

Graham brings with him over 25 years of leadership experience in the insurance and financial services industry. He has previously worked regionally and in multiple geographies across Asia.

He will be reporting directly to Damian Green, President and CEO, Manulife Asia. Green said that Hong Kong has always been ‘Manulife’s most important market in Asia’ and that ‘the appointment of Graham really highlights [the company’s] commitment to Hong Kong and our ambitions in this region’.

Green also explained how Graham will benefit Manulife’s operations in Hong Kong and Macau: “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.”

With this new appointment, Pankaj Banerjee, who was holding dual roles as interim CEO for Manulife (International) Ltd and Chief Distribution Officer for Manulife Asia, will revert full time to the latter role.

“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,” Green said, “I look forward to having him back to his regional role to drive the expansion of our multi distribution channels across Asia.”

Manulife Hong Kong and Macau is supported by about 2,000 employees and more than 11,500 agents. Its operations began in 1897 and provides financial services to over 2.4 million customers in Hong Kong and Macau.

For the past two years, every road has been the one less travelled. But with restrictions finally easing across Southeast Asia, many are optimistic about a return to normality, according to the experts who spoke to Mick Shippen for ITIJ