(Sarah Chapman, incoming Global Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer. Source: Manulife.)
Manulife (Toronto) has appointed Sarah Chapman Global Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, effective Jan. 1, 2027, expanding the global marketing role to include explicit responsibility for enterprise customer experience as she succeeds retiring Global Chief Marketing Officer Karen Leggett.
Phil Witherington, President and CEO, Manulife.
Chapman will report to Phil Witherington, President and CEO, Manulife, according to a Manulife statement. She succeeds Karen Leggett, who will retire from Manulife at the end of 2026.
Chapman will lead Manulife’s Global Marketing organization, with responsibility for brand, marketing and enterprise customer experience strategies. The appointment gives Manulife a senior executive whose remit connects customer engagement, digital strategy, analytics, brand and marketing transformation.
“Sarah is a proven global leader with deep knowledge of our business, customers and enterprise strategy,” comments Witherington. “Her appointment reflects the strength of our internal talent pipeline and is the result of thoughtful succession planning.”
Karen Leggett, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife.
Witherington says Chapman’s strategic perspective, creativity and experience leading transformation will help Manulife deepen its customer focus and advance its ambition to be the number one choice for customers.
Chapman currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Canada, and leads the company’s global digital, customer centricity and sustainability agendas. She previously served as Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Wealth and Asset Management.
Her leadership experience includes marketing strategy, brand, digital, analytics, customer experience and sustainability—areas increasingly tied to how insurers use data, digital channels and personalized engagement to serve customers across life insurance, wealth, retirement and benefits businesses.
Commitment to Innovation
“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 comments. “Manulife has an exceptional Global Marketing team, a trusted brand, and a clear commitment to innovation.”
Chapman says she looks forward to working with colleagues across the company to deliver meaningful experiences and impact for customers.
Manulife Financial Corporation provides financial services under the Manulife brand across Canada, Asia and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. The company provides insurance, wealth, asset management and retirement solutions.