Manulife appoints new general counsel

James Gallagher

Manulife announced December 20 that James Gallagher has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel, effective immediately. He had been serving as interim general counsel since October 20, and succeeds Stephen Sigurdson, who died last month.

In his new permanent position, Gallagher is a member of the executive committee and remains a member of Manulife's global leadership team, according to the company, which operates as John Hancock in the US. He has held a variety of legal, compliance and other roles with Manulife in the US, Canada and globally.

Most recently, Gallagher was the executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer of Manulife’s US division, responsible for John Hancock’s legal and compliance operations. In that role, he was also responsible for functions such as John Hancock’s government, public and community relations, as well as brand, communications and sports and events marketing.

Before taking on that position in 2012, Gallagher had been executive vice president and global compliance chief for Manulife since 2005. Previously, he served as general counsel to Manulife USA and was president of John Hancock Investment Trust.

‘Jim's depth of global experience and thorough understanding of Manulife's businesses and strategy make him uniquely positioned to lead our global law, compliance, internal audit and corporate secretary teams,’ Donald Guloien, president and CEO of Manulife, says in a statement.

He adds: ‘I would also like to acknowledge the important role that Steve Sigurdson played in Manulife's success. His numerous professional achievements at the company are secondary only to the integrity and strength of his character, and all of us at Manulife miss him profoundly.’

Sigurdson joined Manulife in 2010 as general counsel for Canada, before relocating to Hong Kong to serve as interim general counsel for Asia in addition to his Canadian responsibilities. He became Manulife's general counsel in 2014, and was also involved in the company’s acquisition of Standard Life’s Canadian operations, among other transactions.

As of the end of September 2016, Manulife had C$966 billion ($736 billion) in assets under management and administration, according to the company.