Manulife President, CEO Roy Gori to Retire in May 2025

Roy Gori

Phil Witherington

Manulife Financial Corp., the parent company of retirement, insurance and investment firm John Hancock, announced Monday that President and CEO Roy Gori will retire, effective May 8, 2025. Manulife’s board of directors named Phil Witherington, currently president and CEO of Manulife Asia, as his successor. Witherington will also join the board upon assuming the CEO role.  

“It has been my honor to serve as Manulife’s President and CEO and I’m extremely proud of our team’s many accomplishments,” Gori said in a statement. “We’ve delivered superior operating results, de-risked our business, and become a digital customer leader in our industry.”

Gori also expressed confidence in Witherington, stating, “I’m thrilled that Phil will lead that next phase in the company’s growth given his deep understanding of our global business and principled leadership.”

To ensure a smooth transition, Gori will serve as an adviser to the company until August 31, 2025.

Witherington has been part of Manulife’s executive leadership team since 2017. He served as chief financial officer for five years before taking on his current role heading Manulife Asia. Before joining Manulife in 2014, Witherington held key roles at HSBC and AIA, bringing with him more than 25 years of global experience in insurance and financial services across both developed, as well as emerging, markets.

Witherington will continue in his current role while working with Gori on transition planning. The company expects to announce Witherington’s successor as Manulife Asia CEO in the coming months.

Manulife’s John Hancock Retirement business announced its own reorganization earlier this year under CEO Wayne Park, who took the head role of that division in March 2023.