TORONTO /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX/NYSE: SLF) today announced changes to its executive team effective January 1, 2008 to enable the company to further accelerate its international growth in the expanding wealth and retirement markets.

Kevin Dougherty, currently President, Sun Life Financial Canada, will become the President of Sun Life Global Investments. Dougherty's mandate is to further leverage the Company's premier asset management businesses across the organization. Sun Life Global Investments will focus on building a more cohesive asset management platform to accelerate Sun Life's growth in the global wealth market. Dougherty brings to this new role broad knowledge of the wealth business, including his previous experience as head of Group Retirement Services, and ongoing partnerships with CI Investments and McLean Budden in Canada.

Dean Connor, currently Executive Vice-President, succeeds Dougherty as President, Sun Life Financial Canada. Connor has extensive industry and senior management experience from a long career at Mercer, the multinational consulting firm. His areas of practice focused on retirement, health and benefits and investment and he became head of the firm's Canadian and then U.S. operations. Immediately prior to joining Sun Life he had the larger role of President for the Americas including Canada, the U.S. and Latin America.

Robert Salipante, President, Sun Life Financial U.S., will add to his current role by assuming leadership of a newly created International Variable Annuity Center. Leveraging the existing successful U.S. Variable Annuity operation, this Center will support the growth of variable annuity solutions across the entire organization as international demand for variable annuity solutions is expanding worldwide.

Tom Bogart, Executive Vice-President and General Counsel, is assuming additional accountabilities to assist the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with strategic and governance responsibilities. Bogart will also assume the role of Chairman of subsidiary companies Sun Life Insurance (Canada) Limited and Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (U.S.).

"We have premier businesses, and these changes will enable us to take our efforts to the next level and better respond to the needs of the marketplace by leveraging the strengths of our leaders and our businesses," said Donald A. Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Sun Life Financial.

Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2007, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of CDN$427 billion.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under ticker symbol SLF.

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