Manulife Myanmar appoints Gaurav Sharma as Chief Executive Officer

Yangon, Myanmar – Manulife Myanmar today announced the appointment of Gaurav Sharma as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Manulife Myanmar. Mr. Sharma will become an integral member of the Emerging Markets Leadership Team, the Asia Leadership Team and the Global Leadership Team, reporting directly to Sachin N. Shah, General Manager of Emerging Markets. 

Robert Elliott, CEO & General Manager of Manulife Myanmar retires after an impressive 30-year career with Manulife, effective March 2023 and he will retain two non-executive Chairperson roles for both Manulife Cambodia and Manulife Myanmar.

To succeed Robert, Mr. Sharma assumed the role on March 17, 2023, following receipt of the required regulatory approvals. With more than 25 years of experience in insurance, Mr. Sharma brings a passion for life insurance in Asia with deep knowledge in Operations, Technology, Bancassurance, Distribution Enablement, customer journey transformation, and in stakeholder and partner engagement, as well as in developing and mentoring talent.

“With his outstanding and proven leadership ability, Mr. Sharma will lead our Manulife Myanmar business into the next phase of growth. We are excited that he has joined our winning team,” Mr. Shah said.

Mr. Sharma was most recently CEO and General Director of BIDV-MetLife Life Insurance in which he managed MetLife’s joint venture with one of the largest government-owned banks (BIDV) in Vietnam, and where he was responsible for building a fast-paced life insurance company leveraging Bancassurance, Agency and a hybrid digital distribution model.

"I am very excited about joining such a competent and enthusiastic team in our Myanmar operation," Mr. Sharma said. "With my diverse experience in Asia and the passion of my team in Myanmar, we aim to create an environment of fun, learning and growth for our colleagues. Manulife is a global leader in life Insurance and is known for its employee culture and customer- centricity. Our aim is to be a trusted partner for families in Myanmar and to bring the most comprehensive and suitable life and health solutions to them in an easier, simpler way.

“I am certainly looking forward to playing a role in improving life and health penetration in the Myanmar market and helping families live a more confident life through Manulife’s world-class capabilities and experience of more than 130 years,” Mr. Sharma said.

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About Manulife Myanmar

Manulife Myanmar is a wholly foreign-owned life insurance operation in Myanmar under Manulife Financial Corporation. Manulife is focused on developing Myanmar’s life insurance industry and providing financial protection to the people of Myanmar, helping Myanmar families build a healthier and more secure financial future. To learn more about Manulife Myanmar, visit: https://www.manulife.com.mm.

About Manulife

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.

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