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TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2018 /CNW/ - Manulife Investments today announced the appointment of new sub-advisors and portfolio managers for eleven mutual funds on its platform.

Manulife Investments will change the sub-advisory and portfolio manager responsibilities of the funds described below. The investment objectives of these funds are not affected.

Changes Effective on or about August 1^st, 2018

• For Manulife Asia Equity Class, Kenglin Tan will replace Linda Csellak as lead portfolio manager. Kenglin is a member of the Asia Pacific ex Japan investment team and has 18 years of investment industry experience. She joined Manulife Asset Management in 2006.

Changes Effective on or about September 4^th, 2018

• For Manulife Global Dividend Growth Fund and Manulife Global Dividend Growth Class, Manulife Asset Management (U.S.) LLC will become the portfolio sub-advisor. Paul Boyne of Manulife Asset Management will be the new lead portfolio manager. He has extensive experience managing dividend oriented global equities including Manulife Global Dividend Fund and Manulife Global Dividend Class. He has led the Global Equity team since joining Manulife Asset Management in 2013 and is supported by a strong team including Portfolio Manager, Stephen Hermsdorf, and three dedicated investment analysts. Standard Life Investments Limited and Standard Life Investments (USA) Limited (now doing business as Aberdeen Standard Investments) will no longer act as sub-advisors to these funds.
  
  
• For Manulife Global Equity Unconstrained Fund and Manulife Global Equity Unconstrained Class, Manulife Asset Management (U.S.) LLC will become the portfolio sub-advisor. These funds will be managed by Jonathan White, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, and Sandy Sanders, Senior Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager. Standard Life Investments (USA) Limited (now doing business as Aberdeen Standard Investments) will no longer act as sub-advisor to these funds.

Changes Effective on or about October 31^st, 2018

• For Manulife International Value Equity Fund and Manulife International Focused Fund, Pictet Asset Management Limited will become the portfolio sub-advisor. These funds will be managed by Fabio Paolini - Head of EAFE Equities and Benjamin Beneche, Senior Investment Manager at Pictet Asset Management Limited. Manulife Asset Management (U.S.) LLC will no longer act as sub-advisor to these funds.

Pictet Asset Management is an independent multi-boutique asset manager based in Switzerland and has been managing assets since 1980 with 17 offices worldwide. Pictet Asset Management is one of the world's 100 largest asset managers with 300+ dedicated investment professionals, overseeing over USD $200 billion (as at 31 March 2018) for their clients across a range of equity, fixed income, alternative and multi asset products.

Changes Effective Q4 2018

• For Manulife Global Dividend Fund, Manulife Global Dividend Class, Manulife Global Strategic Balanced Yield Fund and Manulife Global All Cap Focused Fund, Doug McGraw, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager has decided to leave the firm. He will be staying on as portfolio manager into the fourth quarter to help manage the transition. Paul Boyne will continue as lead manager for these funds and as head of the Global Equity team, which includes Stephen Hermsdorf, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager.

About Manulife Investments

Manulife Investments, a division of Manulife Asset Management Limited, builds on 125 years of Manulife's wealth and investment management expertise in managing assets for Canadian investors. As one of Canada's leading integrated financial services providers, Manulife Investments and its affiliates offer a variety of products and services including exchange traded funds, segregated fund contracts, mutual funds and guaranteed interest contracts.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2017, we had about 35,000 employees, 73,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving more than 26 million customers. As of March 31, 2018, we had over $1.1 trillion (US$850 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $26.9 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 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation

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