Sun Life has appointed two regional vice presidents due to departures and created one new position.
On April 29, 2021, Sun Life's vice president, insurance distribution, Stéphane Vigneault, appointed Patrick Than as regional vice president for Québec on his team dedicated to Sun Life's independent network. Than replaces Pascal Liboiron, who left the company in March.
Than previously served as Sun Life's independent network sales manager in the same region. “Since joining us in 2014, [Than] has consistently surpassed himself in both his work and his professional development, even earning his MBA last year,” Vigneault wrote in his announcement posted on LinkedIn.
He added that Than will lead the Québec team of Sun Life's independent network "which has more than 20 professionals totally dedicated to supporting consultants and their partners in their growth.” He told Insurance Portal that these professionals include nine sales managers and five internal sales consultants.
Two regional positions filled
Than's appointment is the third in recent months. Vigneault is pleased to have been able to fill all three positions with people already active within Sun Life. Earlier in 2021, Vigneault announced that he had appointed Wai H. Leung to the position of Regional Vice President, Central South West (Ontario) and Atlantic.
Leung has been with Sun Life for seven years, and was previously the independent network sales director for the Toronto area. He has filled the position vacated by Ross Neilson.
In addition to the regions served by these two new vice presidents, Vigneault mentions that Sun Life's independent network includes two other regions: North-Eastern Ontario and Western Canada.
Link with the exclusive network
Vigneault also appointed Marnie London to the newly created position of Assistant Vice President, Insurance Distribution for Sun Life Financial Distribution (SLFD). SLFD is Sun Life's exclusive advisor network.
This position creates a link between the exclusive network and the expertise of the MGA network. “Marnie along with her team will be responsible for supporting advisors in the Sun Life Financial Distribution network who work with high net worth clients. The team will now be able to benefit from all the tools and resources that are developed by the Insurance Distribution team,” he stated in his announcement.
Marnie London has been with Sun Life for nearly 14 years. She also comes from the insurer's independent network, where she was a regional sales director. She previously served as assistant marketing manager at Manulife and as a consultant at PPI.
