TORONTO, Jan. 21, 2016 /CNW/ -- Manulife Asset Management has announced the appointment of Frances Donald as Senior Economist. A member of the Capital Markets & Strategy group, Ms. Donald is based in Toronto, and reports to the firm's Chief Economist, Megan Greene. The appointment was effective January 4. In her new position, Ms. Donald will play a key role in Manulife Asset Management's Canadian and Asian economic analysis and forecasting activities.

"We are pleased to welcome Frances to the team, to which she brings significant local expertise and depth as we continue to build thought leadership in Manulife's wealth and asset management business," said Bob Boyda, head of Capital Markets & Strategy. "While her main focus will be on Canada, Frances holds a global view with an emphasis on China. We look forward to her insights helping all our global clients understand the rapidly changing investment world."

Most recently, Ms. Donald was Financial Economist with Scotiabank in Toronto, where she produced a variety of daily and weekly publications with a focus on financial markets and economic strategy, emphasizing the implications for fixed income and equity markets. In a prior role at Pavilion Global Markets, she served an array of clients who leveraged her analyses of economic, political and policy developments and the impact these would have tactically or strategically on markets. She was also called on for bespoke research for clients and media requests. In addition, Ms. Donald has held other key research roles with major organizations such as Deloitte LLP in New York, Roubini Global Economics in New York, and the Bank of Canada in Ottawa.

A native of Montreal, Ms. Donald is fluently bilingual in English and French. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Econ) from Queen's University and a Masters in Economics from New York University.

About Manulife Asset Management

Manulife Asset Management is the global asset management arm of Manulife, providing comprehensive asset management solutions for investors. This investment expertise extends across a broad range of public and private asset classes, as well as asset allocation solutions. As at September 30, 2015, assets under management for Manulife Asset Management were approximately C$393 billion (US$294 billion).

Manulife Asset Management's public markets units have investment expertise across a broad range of asset classes including public equity and fixed income, and asset allocation strategies.  Offices with full investment capabilities are located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In addition, Manulife Asset Management has a joint venture asset management business in China, Manulife TEDA. The public markets units of Manulife Asset Management also provide investment management services to affiliates' retail clients through product offerings of Manulife and John Hancock. John Hancock Asset Management and Declaration Management and Research are units of Manulife Asset Management.

Additional information about Manulife Asset Management may be found at ManulifeAM.com.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group providing forward-thinking solutions to help people with their big financial decisions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2014, we had 28,000 employees, 58,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving 20 million customers. At the end of September 2015, we had $888 billion (US$663 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made more than $23 billion in benefits, interest and other 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. Follow Manulife on Twitter @ManulifeNews or visit www.manulife.com or www.johnhancock.com.

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SOURCE Manulife Asset Management