One of Canada’s Big Three life insurance companies, Manulife operates primarily in Canada, the United States, and Asia, with the bulk of assets in the U.S. The firm united its investment and wealth-management groups into a single, global segment in 2017 and 2018 and showcased it as a high-potential business. Since then, the group has restructured to mix three regional heads—U.S. & Europe, Asia, and Canada—with three global leaders segmented by channel: Retail, Retirement, and Institutional.
Manulife has entrusted this initiative to key individuals from its U.S. outfit, John Hancock Investments. For instance, Andy Arnott recently shifted from focusing on the U.S. and European unit to head up the firm’s global retail efforts. Leadership hopes this structure will allow it to leverage successful initiatives in its distinct regional markets.
John Hancock’s manager research team has long prioritized best-in-class managers regardless of firm affiliation. While much of the firm’s fixed-income strategies are run by Manulife teams globally, external managers dominate the firm’s equity lineup in the U.S. In its home market of Canada, Manulife’s internal teams, which boast strengths and weaknesses, manage most of the firm’s offerings, though the firm also has a strategic partnership with investment stalwart Mawer.