Manulife Financial, the Canada-based financial services firm, has appointed Craig Merdian as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Asia. 

Merdian joins from insurance firm New York Life International, where he was executive vice president and chief financial officer for four years. Prior to that, he held senior positions at UK insurer Prudential Financial. He started the role this week and will be based in Hong Kong. 

In this new role, he will be responsible for leading the regional and local finance teams of 10 territories across Asia. His coverage includes actuarial, controllership, taxation, treasury, risk managemnt, investor relations, and other financial operations.

"This appointment further aligns the Asia division's senior leadership team with the company's strategy to continue our significant business growth and to expand our presence and distribution channels in the region," said Robert Cook, senior executive vice president and general manager for Asia. 

Manulife Financial has $498 billion in funds under management as of 30 June 2011. In Asia, the company provides protection and wealth management services through its offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.