Manulife has made several senior appointments and promotions to its Asian team.

May Wong has been promoted to vice president of human resources for Asia, with responsibilities including staffing, executive development, talent management, and succession planning, among others. She joined Manulife Hong Kong in 1997 and assumed a number of roles before joining Manulife's Asia Operations in 2007. On top of her new role, Wong will also provide HR support to Manulife's Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Asia regional operations.

Also joining the Asia team is Jim McInnis, who has been appointed assistant vice president for distribution compliance at the Hong Kong office. McInnis comes from Manulife's Canadian division. In his new capacity, he will be responsible for enhancing compliance programs related to the firm's insurance and investment products in Hong Kong.

Another newcomer to the group is Joanne Lee, who has been named assistant VP and financial controller of Manulife Hong Kong. Lee brings over 18 years of insurance and technical experience having served two international insurers in the past, and will be overseeing the Hong Kong controllers' functions, including financial, regulatory and management reportings, planning and budgeting, treasury, cash management, and financial compliance.

Completing the list is John Parker, who has been made assistant VP for proposition and product development under the Hong Kong office's individual financial products team. He moves to Hong Kong from the Canadian division and will be instrumental in the setting up of Manulife's products and marketing strategies in the Asian region.

The appointments form part of a series of new hires and promotions within the Manulife Asia team over the past months as the company's expands its capabilities in the fast growing region.

Manulife Financial, which specializes in financial protection and wealth management, is headquartered in Canada and operates in 22 countries worldwide.