Chief Strategy Officer, Global High-Net-Worth

Manulife is a global leader in the High-Net-Worth (HNW) life insurance market with capacity to write insurance on residents in over 150 countries. This is a key growth area for the enterprise.  With our 20+ years serving this customer segment, we are well positioned to deliver on our growth ambitions. 

We are hiring a Chief Strategy Officer, Global High-Net-Worth (GHNW) who will report to the Chief Executive Officer, Global High-Net-Worth (GHNW).

Working with the GHNW CEO and the Leadership Team, this position will drive strategies to expand our reach in key geographic markets, targeting underserved customer segments.  The position will lead key transformational projects across the business, partnering with other Manulife businesses and global functions.  As part of the strategy mandate, the role will be involved in the strategic planning and presentation of the business to senior leadership, ratings agencies and other parties.

With a global focus, the role will work with Manulife leaders across the globe to deliver GHNW’s mid-long-term growth ambitions, critical strategies and initiatives to ensure continued leadership in the market.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Own GHNW Strategy and Thought Leadership

• Provide thought leadership to GHNW CEO and leadership team to develop high-impact strategies that continually innovate and lead, ahead of the competition as the preferred HNW insurance partner
• Own the conceptualization and delivery of GHNW’s vision, strategic direction and multi-year strategic plan
• Define clear strategic roadmap and key outcomes through close partnership with GHNW functional leaders and rich understanding of the HNW market and landscape
• Drive the communication of the strategy (and regular updates) throughout the organization beyond the GHNW team to facilitate strategic dialogues and ensure alignment and engagement throughout our growth journey
• Lead our quarterly GHNW scorecard review to track progress and resolve critical issues to ensure we execute against our strategic plan and roadmap
• Act as strategic counsel to the GHNW CEO

Deliver Critical Initiatives in Partnership with Business / Functional Leads

• Identify and deliver impactful initiatives with focus on organic & inorganic growth and stabilizing & scaling our operational capabilities for the future GHNW organization in conjunction with project & functional leads across various functions (e.g. products, operations, distribution)
• Drive strategic alignment across business and functional work streams with focus on influencing business (de-)prioritization
• Lead development of business cases and presentations to GHNW and Asia leadership team on critical projects

Ensure Smooth Execution of CEO’s Agenda

• Lead preparation for senior leadership (Global, Asia, GHNW) and external meetings on behalf of GHNW CEO.
• Collaborate closely with Finance in driving towards the right financial outcomes (e.g. top line, overall spend, bottom line)
• Support initiatives to continually establish strong fundamentals for the team (e.g. culture, communication, collaboration, accountability, innovation)

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• MBA or other postgraduate degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience working in the life insurance / financial services industry
• Experience working for High-Net-Worth industry leaders with forward-looking business models highly preferred
• Proven experience in strategy development and execution in aggressive business growth environment, with a penchant for integrating industry developments into strategic actions
• Strong appreciation for at least 2 functional areas (e.g. distribution, product, finance, etc)
• Demonstrated success in collaborating with leaders across functions in driving impactful agenda and complex projects.
• Extensive experience in navigating large, complex, matrixed organizations
• Bold, strategic, forward-thinking leader with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Polished communication, influencing, negotiation skills that bring convergence of ideas and consensus
• Orientation towards action-taking and ability to instill accountability and urgency in others
• Superior prioritization, organizational and project management skills
• Proven ability to work across different cultures and cope with demands from different time zones.

When you join our team

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.
• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words.
• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

This Position Description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees in this job. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for this job classification.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact [email protected].