Sun Life appoints new leader of Individual Insurance and Investments to drive continued growth in the retirement market

TORONTO, May 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) (NYSE: SLF) today announced that Brigitte Parent, currently Senior Vice-President, Client Solutions, Sun Life Financial Canada, will become Senior Vice-President, Individual Insurance and Investments for Canada. Parent succeeds Kevin Strain who has been appointed President of Sun Life's Asian operations.

Parent will be responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of insurance and wealth management products and solutions for the Company's Individual Insurance and Investments business. This area of the business supports Canadians with financial planning, estate planning and retirement planning. The retirement market is growing in Canada. Statistics Canada projects that the number of seniors will double over the next 25 years to reach up to 10.9 million by 2036.

Brigitte Parent will move into this new role on July 1^st and report to Kevin Dougherty, President, Sun Life Financial Canada. She will continue to build upon the success that Sun Life has had in this business with record insurance sales in Canada, a growing wealth business and innovative retirement solutions such as the highly successful Money for Life™ platform.

"Sun Life's Individual Insurance and Investments business will continue to expand with a growing number of boomers retiring," said Kevin Dougherty, President, Sun Life Financial Canada. "With over 25 years of experience in our industry, Brigitte Parent understands concerns about saving enough for retirement and our commitment to helping Canadians develop a plan to take care of their financial health so they are better prepared."

Having joined Sun Life in 1995, Brigitte Parent has extensive experience as a senior leader for both the global and Canadian business. In her most recent role, she was responsible for overseeing Sun Life's Client Solutions business, providing clients with wealth and protection solutions. Brigitte Parent also led Group Benefits in Canada, where she was known for her focus on service excellence, innovation and building strong relationships with customers and advisors.

"I'm excited to be leading this growing area of Sun Life's business as we continue to support Canadians through all phases of their lives by delivering financial planning and advice through advisors," said Brigitte Parent, the new Senior Vice-President of Individual Insurance and Investments, Sun Life Financial Canada. "With our aging population, we have an opportunity to connect advisors with more Canadians to help them achieve lifetime financial security."

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2012, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $494 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.

Media relations contact

Catherine Melville
Media Relations
Sun Life Financial Canada
416-408-7826
[email protected]