Becoming Better Allies to Each Other: Manulife Holds Webinar to Drive Important Conversations about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Manila, Philippines ― Guided by its commitment to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, foster safe spaces, and empower people from all walks of life, the Philippine arm of global life insurer Manulife will hold “Becoming Better Allies To Each Other,” a free webinar, on September 10, 2021, at 8:00 p.m.

The webinar will be a panel discussion featuring actress, volunteer and women’s rights advocate Angel Locsin; actor, musician and responsible parenting ally Ian Veneracion; UNESCO Global Champion for Inclusive Education, Special Olympics Ambassador & International Global Messenger and Down Syndrome advocate Brina Kei Maxino; Board President of the Youth for Mental Health Coalition Dr. RJ Naguit; and journalist and LGBTQIA+ member G3 San Diego, who will also moderate the discussion.

“Becoming Better Allies To Each Other,” the latest installment in Manulife’s webinar series that started in 2020, will focus on the importance of becoming an ally by rethinking and avoiding stereotypes, unconscious bias, and gender-based microaggressions, and promoting mental wellness in our communities.

“Through this webinar, we hope to harness the power of allyship that truly embraces diversity, equity and inclusion, amplifies more voices for equality, and contributes to creating more safe spaces within our communities,” said Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer of Manulife Philippines. “As a company that believes in the value of sharing our humanity, we look forward to sparking important conversations and hearing relevant insights from our guest panelists who will share real stories of struggles and triumphs, so we can learn to be better allies and lift each other up every day.”

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an essential pillar in Manulife’s operations across all markets where it is present. Globally, for two consecutive years, Manulife has been named to the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, which tracks the performance of companies in 44 countries and regions across 50 different industries. Companies included in the index are committed to disclose their efforts to support gender equality through policy development, representation, and transparency.

Last year, Manulife Philippines was also recognized by the UN Women 2020 Asia-Pacific Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards as one of the most gender-inclusive workplaces in the country — and was the only insurer to be honored in the inaugural awards. Most recently, Manulife also allied with worldwide racial and social justice movements by holding its first-ever Global Afternoon of Reflection and Learning, where Manulife’s entire global workforce dedicated a whole afternoon of meaningful discussions to understand the complex social issues that we are encountering today. Manulife also provided its employees extra days off to focus on their mental health and well-being amid the pandemic.

“We are inspired by the progress we have made in advancing equality in Manulife, but we recognize there is much more to be done, both within our organization and beyond. Through these initiatives, we reinforce our commitment to continue to listen, learn and take meaningful action, so that everyone can truly feel heard, respected, and included,” Henson added.

To join the webinar, register at manulife.pub/BecomingBetterAllies.

###

About Manulife Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife's Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country’s leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world's largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website www.manulife.com.ph and following them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ManulifePH), Twitter (@ManulifePH), and Instagram (@manulifeph).

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across our offices in Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. We provide financial advice, insurance, and our global wealth and asset management segment, Manulife Investment Management, serves individuals, institutions and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2020, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 118,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 30 million customers. As of June 30, 2021, we had CAD$1.3 trillion (US$1.1 trillion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $31.3 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 155 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.