Manulife Financial: Historic Milestones

Since welcoming its first customers more than 125 years ago, Manulife Financial has grown into a leading global financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. The company’s deep history began under Sir John A. Macdonald; Canada’s first Prime Minister was also Manulife’s first president. In 1931, Manulife Financial opened its doors in Hong Kong, and by 1947 (almost 70 years ago) Manulife sold its one-millionth policy. Over the next half century, Manulife became a leading global financial institution, leading to its 2004 merger with U.S.-based John Hancock Financial Services, which created the largest life insurer in Canada, second largest in North America, and fifth largest in the world. In 2009, Donald Guloien became our 13th president. You’ll find more details on these and other milestones below.

Explore our history section to learn about our expansion into Asia in 1897 and how we became the first Canadian life insurance company to open a representative office in China in 1992. As Manulife has grown, our brand has evolved. Follow that evolution of our logo and brand identity over the past 150 years. Did you know that George Gooderham and his sons were presidents of Manufacturers Life for a combined total of 47 years? Explore how each of our company presidents have navigated Manulife towards today’s global reach across Canada, the U.S. and Asia.

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