Manulife Investment Management makes key asset allocation team appointments to further support Asia growth

News Release

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

For Immediate Release
28 August 2019

Hong Kong – Manulife Investment Management is reinforcing its asset allocation capability in Asia with the appointment of Luke Browne as Senior Managing Director and Head of Asset Allocation, Asia and Sue Trinh as Managing Director and Senior Macro Strategist. They are joined by Paul Kalogirou as Managing Director, Multi-Asset Client Portfolio Manager, who joined the firm earlier this year. Ms. Trinh and Mr. Kalogirou are based in Hong Kong, while Mr. Browne is based in London.

“The appointment of Luke, Sue and Paul further enhances the capability and expertise of our investment team globally and particularly in Asia. These key hires enable us to derive better insights to further optimize the performance of our multi-asset allocation investment strategies and product offerings to clients in the region and around the world,” said Mr. Nathan Thooft, Global Head, Asset Allocation. “As the world economy continues to chart a volatile path, it is even more important for us to have the right team in place who can answer to the evolving investment needs of our clients. We will continue to seek the right talent to join our team and uphold our commitment to stakeholders in Asia.”

The three appointments fuel the momentum of Manulife Investment Management’s continued build-out in Asia, enhancing its multi-asset research and investment processes that support the development of customer-centric solutions for investors in Asia and globally.

Effective on 27 August, Mr. Browne will take charge of further growing the Manulife asset allocation business in the region and be responsible for all multi-asset mandates in Asia. He will also contribute to globalizing the Asset Allocation team and ensure portfolio construction reflects Manulife’s global expertise. He will report to Nathan Thooft, Global Head, Asset Allocation.

Mr. Browne, who has more than 20 years of investment experience, was previously with UBS Asset Management in London since 2011 where he served as Managing Director and Global Head of Investment Solutions Specialists. Prior to that, he was at Schroder Investment Management as Head of Structured Solutions, and has also worked at Banca Popolare di Milano and Midland Bank Plc.

Effective on 26 August, Ms. Trinh will be responsible for developing macroeconomic strategy views that will influence the performance of a wide range of multi-asset funds offered by Manulife globally. She will play a crucial role in helping the Asia and global multi-asset teams navigate through current economic conditions and risks, and make informed investment decisions that could contribute to stable, long-term investment returns. She will report to Frances Donald, Chief Economist and Head of Macroeconomic Strategy.

Ms. Trinh has 18 years of financial industry experience. Previously she spent 13 years at RBC Capital Markets where she was most recently Head of Asia FX Strategy based in Hong Kong. Prior to that she was on the currency and foreign exchange desks of Bank of New Zealand and Deutsche Bank in Australasia.

Mr. Kalogirou will be responsible for supporting Manulife Investment Management’s Multi-Asset solutions for clients in Asia and collaborating closely with the Multi-Asset Solutions Team globally. He will also provide support to the regional multi-channel distribution teams. He will report to Thierry Taglione, Managing Director, Head of Client Portfolio Managers, Asia.

Mr. Kalogirou has 17 years of financial industry experience including 13 years based in Asia, he was previously with Deutsche Asset Management Hong Kong where he served as Investment Strategist across multiple asset classes for Asia. Prior to that, Paul worked in the research departments of AM Capital Limited and CLSA in Hong Kong. Earlier in his career, he worked as an investment writer for JPMorgan Asset Management in both Hong Kong and London.

“As a leading mandatory provident fund provider in Hong Kong, to which asset allocation solutions are foundational, and as one of the first authorized fund-of-funds providers in China through our joint venture Manulife-TEDA, these key personnel additions are strategically important to our growing business in Asia,” said Mr. Michael Dommermuth, Head of Wealth and Asset Management, Asia. “The fast aging Asian populations also increasingly call for multi-asset solutions to provide unique sources of income. The enhanced team capability in Luke, Sue and Paul will be a big plus for us in delivering solutions that best fit our customers’ needs.”

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than 150 years of financial stewardship to partner with clients across our institutional, retail, and retirement businesses globally. Our specialist approach to money management includes the highly differentiated strategies of our fixed-income, specialized equity, multi-asset solutions, and private markets teams—along with access to specialized, unaffiliated asset managers from around the world through our multimanager model. Our personalized, data-driven approach to retirement is focused on delivering financial wellness in retirement plans of all sizes to help plan participants and members retire with dignity.

Headquartered in Toronto, we operate as Manulife Investment Management throughout the world, with the exception of the United States, where the retail and retirement businesses operate as John Hancock Investment Management and John Hancock, respectively; and in Asia and Canada, where the retirement business operates as Manulife. Manulife Investment Management had C$844 billion (USD $645 billion) in assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2019¹. Not all offerings available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit our website at manulifeinvestmentmgt.com.

1. Source: MFC financials. Global Wealth and Asset Management AUMA at June 30, 2019 was C$844 billion and includes C$191 billion of assets managed on behalf of other segments and C$136 billion of assets under administration.

Disclaimer

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. This material, intended for the exclusive use by the recipients who are allowable to receive this document under the applicable laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions, was produced by and the opinions expressed are those of Manulife Investment Management as of the date of writing and are subject to change. The information and/or analysis contained in this material have been compiled or arrived at from sources believed to be reliable but Manulife Investment Management does not make any representation as to their accuracy, correctness, usefulness or completeness and does not accept liability for any loss arising from the use hereof or the information and/or analysis contained herein. Information about the portfolio’s holdings, asset allocation, or country diversification is historical and is not an indication of future portfolio composition, which will vary. Neither Manulife Investment Management or its affiliates, nor any of their directors, officers or employees shall assume any liability or responsibility for any direct or indirect loss or damage or any other consequence of any person acting or not acting in reliance on the information contained herein.

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Media Contacts:

Asia

Carl Wong

Carl_KK_Wong@ManulifeAM.com

U.S. and Europe

Elizabeth Bartlett

Elizabeth_Bartlett@JHancock.com