VP, Group Benefits & Affinity Marketing

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute a multi-year marketing strategy aligned with Manulife’s Group Benefits and Affinity growth ambitions

• Set and own the vision for evolving benefits and affinity propositions from transactional products into differentiated, consumer-grade experiences

• Own the articulation of value beyond price-demonstrating how health platforms, partner-led engagement, care navigation, and relevant insurance solutions support affordability, productivity, resilience, and customer confidence.

• Partner with Product, Digital, Data, Distribution, and Business leaders to align marketing strategy with platform, experience, partner, and growth priorities

• Translate business objectives into clear marketing priorities, KPIs, and measurable outcomes, positioning Manulife as a market leader in employee benefits, wellbeing, and affinity-based insurance solutions

• Act as a senior voice in shaping how customer experience, sponsor and advisor engagement, and long-term value creation are embedded across the organization.

Market & Customer Insight

• Lead market, customer, member, sponsor, partner, and advisor insights to inform segmentation, targeting, and messaging

• Understand the distinct needs of SME, mid-market, and large enterprise employers, as well as affinity partners, alumni groups, professional associations, sponsors, and end customers

• Anticipate market trends including healthcare affordability, mental health needs, workforce demographics, inflation pressures, talent retention dynamics, direct-to-consumer insurance expectations, and sponsor-led distribution models

• Partner with finance, underwriting, actuarial, and product teams to understand claims trends, affordability pressures, partner economics, and customer value drivers, ensuring marketing narratives align to real business and sponsor economics.

Brand & Value Proposition

• Evolve and differentiate Manulife’s Group Benefits and Affinity value propositions in competitive, relationship-led markets

• Define and evolve the brand and value proposition to reflect a modern, care-oriented, consumer-grade health platform and relevant affinity-based insurance experience.

• Develop compelling narratives that resonate with all key stakeholders including HR leaders, business owners, advisors, sponsors, affinity partners, and end customers

• Balance trust, credibility, partner relevance, and innovation to strengthen brand preference and long-term loyalty.

• Translate health outcomes, engagement metrics, partner performance, and member/customer experience improvements into compelling proof points for employers, advisors, sponsors, and affinity partners.

Demand Generation & Growth

• Own demand generation strategy in support of new business acquisition and client retention

• Lead the RFP function for Group Benefits and support differentiated partner proposals for Affinity, driving strong win rates through high-quality, commercially grounded submissions

• Deliver integrated marketing programs that strengthen broker, advisor, sponsor, and partner engagement and grow share of wallet

• Partner closely with sales, distribution, and partner management teams to align marketing programs with commercial priorities.

• Optimize the full funnel, from awareness through activation, conversion, cross-sell, retention, and long-term value, using data-driven insights.

• Drive retention and in-force growth by increasing perceived value, engagement, utilization, and customer confidence across existing clients, sponsors, partners, members, and policyholders.

Digital & Data‑Driven Marketing

• Lead the shift to always-on, journey-based marketing powered by digital platforms, automation, and data across both Group Benefits and Affinity.

• Use personalization, experimentation, partner data, and performance analytics to deliver relevant, timely experiences at scale.

• Partner with technology, analytics, legal, privacy, and compliance teams to unlock the value of customer and partner data while respecting privacy, consent, and regulatory expectations.

• Establish clear measurement frameworks that link marketing activity to engagement, conversion, retention, partner performance, growth, and business impact.

Team Leadership

• Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing marketing organization across Group Benefits and Affinity

• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, partner orientation, and customer-centricity

• Attract, develop, and retain top marketing talent while creating clear ownership, prioritization, and decision rights across the portfolio

Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience within Group Benefits / Group Insurance in the Canadian market preferred; Affinity, sponsor-led distribution, or partnership marketing experience considered a strong asset

• 10+ years of experience in leading large marketing teams and influencing cross-functional, senior, and partner stakeholders

• Proven track record of driving growth through integrated marketing strategies (i.e., digital marketing, customer segmentation, lifecycle marketing, personalization, analytics) across B2B, B2B2C, advisor, sponsor, and partnership channels

• Strong understanding of advisor/consultant distribution models, sponsor relationships, and partnership-based acquisition and retention models

• Exceptional strategic thinking, storytelling, and executive communication skills

Key Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Vision - Connects market opportunity to clear priorities and execution

• Customer Focus - Understands the needs of employers, advisors, sponsors, partners, members, and customers

• Commercial Acumen - Strong grasp of growth drivers, partner economics, retention dynamics, and performance levers

• Influence & Leadership - Builds alignment across senior stakeholders

• Change Leadership - Comfortable leading through complexity and evolution