Manulife Named to 2024 Corporate Knights Global 100

Ranking fourth within the Insurance industry, Manulife recognized for performance in sustainable revenues and investments

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Manulife (TSX: MFC) has been named to the 2024 Corporate Knights Global 100 rankings as one of the world's most sustainable companies. Now in its 20^th year, the Global 100 quantitatively compares and ranks how the world's largest publicly traded companies embrace sustainability as part of its strategy, equally emphasizing the impact of a company's operations along with its core products and services on people and the planet. The ranking is based on a rigorous assessment of 6,720 companies with more than US$1 billion in annual gross revenues.  

"When we first introduced our Impact Agenda, we were excited to have a framework in place to help us continue to build a business capable of meeting the evolving needs of our customers, our communities, and our environment," said Roy Gori, Manulife's President and CEO. "As the world continues to experience geopolitical, environmental, and economic uncertainty, it's important that the contributions our products and services make to the global economy are guided by this vision. This honour is a testament to the work our teams do to make decisions easier and lives better for our more than 34 million customers."

Manulife's performance in the Global 100 assessment was driven largely through revenues earned from sustainable sources. Through its behavioural insurance program, Manulife continues to expand the availability of products and services that empower sustained health and well-being such as Vitality and ManulifeMOVE, which provide eligible customers access to leading innovations, like GRAIL's Galleri® multi-cancer early detection test. Through its investment management arm, the organization has a robust sustainable investment program through portfolio ESG integration across its public and private market investments and is the world's largest manager of natural capital with nearly $15 billion in assets under management in timberland and agriculture combined.

Corporate Knights also recognized Manulife's strong long-term focus on diversity at the Board and executive management levels, and in connecting sustainability to compensation and performance. For 2022, 64% of the independent directors on Manulife's Board self-identified as women¹ and 27% of the independent directors on the Board self-identified as members of a visible minority². Manulife's full scorecard is available on the Corporate Knights website.

"As a health and wealth company, we know how important it is to accelerate a sustainable future and drive inclusive economic opportunity," said Sarah Chapman, Manulife's Global Chief Sustainability Officer. "Through our Impact Agenda, we are continuing to address urgent global needs that matter most to our colleagues, our clients, and the communities we serve. To be named to the Global 100 is an honour, and we remain committed to harnessing our unique strengths and the diversity of our business to deliver benefits for our business, our people and our planet."

In addition to being named to this year's Global 100, Manulife has also been recognized by Corporate Knights as one of Canada's Top 50 Companies for the last three years. In 2023, Manulife was ranked within approximately the top 2 per cent of its Financials and Insurance Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) sector and industry peer groups, respectively. Manulife's full scorecard is available on the Corporate Knights website.

More recently, Manulife was one of only eight insurers to be named to this year's Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index, underscoring Manulife's leading sustainable business practices and its proven ability to deliver long-term shareholder value.

Visit Manulife.com/sustainability to learn more about the firm's Impact Agenda and to read its 2023 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report.

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2022, we had more than 40,000 employees, over 116,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 34 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.