2012 Communiqués de presse

Hanoi - Manulife Vietnam, a leading life insurance provider, today signed a cooperation agreement with the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA) under which Manulife Vietnam will provide career opportunities in the field of life insurance to retired national athletes and coaches. The agreement was inked by Mr. Lam Quang Thanh, Vice Chairman of the VSA and Mr. Chung Ba Phuong, CEO of Manulife Vietnam, and was witnessed by more than 50 representatives from the VSA, the Vietnam Olympic Committee, Manulife Vietnam and leaders of national sports organizations.

Under the agreement, the VSA will play a bridging role between Manulife and retired national athletes and coaches, while Manulife will provide them with professional training and essential support for their post-sports career planning and development. The signing of the agreement today marks a milestone in the relationship between the sports and life insurance industries. Through this program, Manulife will support the VSA’s efforts to address employment issues in the sports industry. The signing initiates a deeper level of cooperation between the VSA and Manulife Vietnam, and the two sides are looking forward to further stronger ties in the near future.

Manulife Vietnam is pioneering this program with the aim of making a contribution to improve the quality of life in the society where it operates. “The cooperation program demonstrates our strong commitment to the community’s sustainable development by helping retired athletes settle down and achieve a more satisfactory living after leaving their sports career,” said Mr. Phuong, CEO of Manulife Vietnam.

Planning for life after sports is crucial since most athletes lack the opportunities to develop marketable skills and work experience outside of their sport before retirement. The program will tackle this issue by providing them with intensive professional training on products, sales and management skills so that they can develop their career to be either professional financial consultants or business managers.

“Professional athletes are people of high discipline, focus, passion and result-orientation. This personality portrait is a perfect match for a career in the life insurance industry. We are very confident that, given an opportunity and the necessary skills, they will achieve tremendous success”, added Mr. Phuong.

The cooperation program is built on previous support Manulife has offered to sport in Vietnam. In 2008, Manulife Vietnam sponsored the Vietnam Olympic Committee in support of the Vietnam Olympic team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

About Manulife Vietnam
Operating in Vietnam since June 1999, Manulife Vietnam – the first 100 per cent foreign-owned life insurance company licensed in Vietnam – provides financial services to more than 300,000 customers through a network of nearly 12,000 professionally qualified agents. On June 14, 2005, Manulife Vietnam Fund Management Company Limited, whose name was changed to Manulife Asset Management (Vietnam) Company Limited in December 2010, a wholly owned local subsidiary of Manulife Vietnam, was granted license to operate a fund management and portfolio management services company, further expanding Manulife Vietnam’s product offerings for its customers.

As the top player in the market, Manulife Vietnam offers a wide range of innovative insurance products which are supported by the most effective and value-added services on the market today. Whatever stage in life, Manulife Vietnam can help its customers feel financially secure with a life insurance plan that meets their specific needs – whether it’s family protection, education or investment solutions.

Manulife Vietnam remains committed to supporting the communities, in which it conducts business in both educational and charitable activities, donating more than VND 10 billion since 1999. Some of the organizations and programs to which the Company has donated time and money include: “For your future” scholarship, Terry Fox Foundation, Run for Children, the Vietnam Association for Promoting and Supporting Educational Development, Operation Smile, Health Check and Care programs, Saigon Children’s Charity, National Library for the Blind, the annual Manulife Care and Let’s Help Children Go To School program.

About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. In 2012, we celebrate 125 years of providing clients strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$500 billion (US$491 billion) as at December 31, 2011. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.