For Immediate Release April 4, 2014

Hong Kong - Manulife Financial has announced the appointment of Philip Witherington as Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for its Asia Division, subject to any necessary regulatory approvals. Mr. Witherington will report dually to Steve Roder, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Manulife Financial,and Robert A. Cook, Senior Executive Vice President & General Manager, Asia.

Based in Hong Kong, Mr. Witherington will be responsible for providing strong financial leadership in support of Manulife's Asia growth strategy, driving transformational change within the Asia finance function and managing all finance aspects for the division, such as income statement, product profitability, tax, capital and risk management, and talent development.

Announcing the appointment, Mr. Cook said: "I am delighted to welcome someone of Phil's quality. Given his excellent track record in leading finance functions and extensive experience in Asia, he will significantly enhance our ability to deliver on our growth ambitions in Asia."

Mr. Witherington has more than 15 years' experience in insurance and financial services, in both developed and emerging markets within Asia. He joins Manulife from HSBC where he most recently led finance for the Retail Banking and Wealth Management global business in Asia Pacific.

"I'm looking forward to this new role," said Mr. Witherington. "Manulife is one of the world's leading financial services groups and the strategy to develop its Asian opportunity to the fullest is a key attraction for me. I'm excited to be part of the team with the chance to deliver on this opportunity."

Prior to HSBC, Phil was Vice President Finance at AIA Group Limited in Hong Kong where he was a key executive in their IPO preparation. He also spent a decade with KPMG, based in London and Hong Kong, specializing in financial services audit and advisory services, with a particular focus on life insurance clients.

Mr. Witherington holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography with first class honors from the University of Durham (United Kingdom), and an Executive MBA awarded jointly by the University of Edinburgh Management School (United Kingdom) and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (Paris, France). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (FCA) and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FCPA). Outside of work, he is Treasurer of the Royal Geographical Society in Hong Kong, a position he has held since 2008.

About Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for 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 approximately C$599 billion (US$563 billion) as at December 31, 2013. 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.

Media Contact:

David Norris
Manulife Financial
+852 2202 1749
david_norris@manulife.com

distributed by