March 17 (Reuters) - Canadian insurer Manulife Financial ( MFC )

on Monday named Steve Finch as the CEO and president of

its Asia unit, effective from May 9.

Finch, who is currently the company's chief actuary, will

succeed Phil Witherington, who has been appointed as Manulife's

CEO and president, also effective from May 9, the company said

in a statement.

A veteran of Manulife with a 32-year tenure, Finch has held

several leadership roles, including chief financial officer of

John Hancock, Manulife's U.S. business.

"Steve has helped deliver our transformation and drive

strong financial performance, reshaping our portfolio towards

higher return and lower risk and validating the prudence of our

reserves," said CEO and President Roy Gori, who is scheduled to

retire in May.

In February, Manulife posted higher fourth-quarter profit,

buoyed by strong growth in Asia, where it is ramping up to

capture the financial needs of a growing, under-insured middle

class.

(Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H

K)