TORONTO, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Manulife has appointed Sinéad O’Connor as Chief Actuary, effective October 12, 2026, reporting to Phil Witherington, President and Chief Executive Officer, and joining Manulife’s Executive Leadership Team.
“Sinéad’s strategic expertise, deep knowledge of our enterprise, and ability to lead highly engaged teams will make her an incredible Chief Actuary for Manulife,” said Phil Witherington, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife. “Her appointment reflects her robust experience and proven leadership, and I am confident she will define an impactful and results-driven next chapter for our Actuarial, Inforce, and Reinsurance teams.”
O’Connor joined Manulife in 2007 and, in addition to her most recent role as Global Head of Inforce Management, she has served as Deputy Chief Actuary, Head of Group Actuarial, US IFRS Chief Actuary, and held leadership roles in Annuities, Long Term Care, and Finance.
Her leadership experience spans actuarial reporting, capital management, reinsurance strategy, risk management, inforce optimization, operational transformation, and enterprise performance. She has been previously accountable for optimizing the financial and risk profile of Manulife’s global inforce and legacy closed blocks, integrating value management with best-in-class operations, delivering multi-year financial outcomes through organic and inorganic strategies, and overseeing Canadian IFRS reporting requirements.
“It is a privilege to take on this role and have the opportunity to lead a team of colleagues who approach their work with such care and expertise each day,” said Sinéad O’Connor, Chief Actuary, Manulife. “Manulife has an incredible Actuarial function, and I look forward to building on our strong foundation to not only ensure rigorous inforce management, innovative reinsurance strategies, and actuarial excellence, but also embrace innovative approaches to help define the future of our industry.”
O’Connor is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries UK (FIA) and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries USA (FSA), and she is working toward obtaining her Canadian FCIA accreditation. Until O’Connor completes the Canadian accreditation, Manulife’s Derek Houle will serve as Appointed Actuary. Manulife will appoint a new Global Head of Inforce Management in due course.
O’Connor succeeds Stephanie Fadous, who passed away suddenly last month.
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.
Media contact:
Brittany Straughn
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Brittany_Straughn@jhancock.com
978-621-9116
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SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation
