Manulife's customer experience strategy gets a new architect as Sarah Chapman steps up from within
Manulife Financial Corporation has named Sarah Chapman as Global Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, effective January 1, 2027, elevating an internal leader to one of its most senior executive positions as the Toronto-based financial services firm continues to reshape its global brand and client strategy.
Chapman will report to Phil Witherington, President and Chief Executive Officer, and join Manulife's Executive Leadership Team. She will take responsibility for brand, marketing, and enterprise customer experience across the company's international operations, which serve more than 37 million customers in markets spanning Canada, Asia, and Europe.
The appointment comes as Manulife enters a period of accelerating transformation, with the firm placing growing emphasis on digital delivery and personalised client engagement.
A promotion built on succession planning
Chapman currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Manulife Canada and leads the company's global Digital, Customer Centricity and Sustainability agendas.
She previously held the role of Chief Marketing Officer for Manulife Wealth and Asset Management, giving her direct exposure to the retail advice and investment management channels that matter most to advisors and planners working within the Manulife ecosystem.
Witherington described the move as evidence of internal succession planning, noting that Chapman's appointment "reflects the strength of our internal talent pipeline." Her remit will span marketing strategy, brand stewardship, digital, analytics, customer experience, and sustainability, an unusually broad mandate that underscores the weight Manulife is placing on the intersection of marketing and client outcomes.
Chapman succeeds Karen Leggett, who will retire from Manulife at the end of 2026, with an overlap structured to enable a smooth leadership transition.
What the appointment signals for advisors
Manulife's Canadian wealth operation has been through significant leadership turnover in recent months. As Wealth Professional reported, Manulife Wealth named Lior Valitsky as Chief Operating Officer in August 2026 as part of a broader restructuring of its senior team in a move that came alongside record gross flows and nine per cent earnings growth in Q2 2026.
Chapman's elevation to the global executive team suggests the firm is doubling down on a coherent client experience strategy that runs from brand through to the advisor-client relationship.
Earlier in 2026, Manulife Wealth appointed Brett Marchand as president and CEOfollowing the departure of Richard McIntyre, a transition that underscored the pace of change at the senior level.
Chapman's background in Manulife Wealth and Asset Management means she brings firsthand knowledge of the advisory channel to a role that will shape how the firm communicates with and serves clients in that space.
"I'm honoured to take on this role and am excited to help make lives better for more than 37 million customers around the world," Chapman said. "Manulife has an exceptional Global Marketing team, a trusted brand, and a clear commitment to innovation."
Internal talent over external search
The decision to promote from within rather than recruiting externally is in keeping with a pattern across Manulife's recent leadership moves.
Manulife Wealth & Asset Management filled key Canadian retirement and investment products roles through internal appointments in mid-2026, naming Fraser Wiswell as Head of Canada Retirement following Marchand's elevation to the chief executive role.
Chapman's background in sustainability and digital alongside traditional marketing suggests the firm's client experience priorities will remain oriented toward longer-term transformation rather than tactical repositioning.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges. As of the end of 2025, the firm had more than 39,000 employees, over 109,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners worldwide, according to information provided in Manulife's September 2026 announcement.
