Nov 18 (Reuters) - Manulife Financial ( MFC ) said on

Monday insider Phil Witherington will succeed Chief Executive

Officer Roy Gori, marking a change of guard at Canada's biggest

life insurer after more than seven years.

Gori, who became Manulife's CEO in 2017, will retire from

his role effective May 8, 2025. But he will continue as an

adviser following his retirement through Aug. 31, 2025 to

support the transition.

Witherington, who has been part of the company's executive

leadership team since 2017, is currently the CEO of the Asia

business. He has previously served as Manulife's chief financial

officer for five years.

"As both our Chief Financial Officer and now as CEO of the

Asia segment he (Witherington) has consistently demonstrated the

ability to navigate complexity, deliver on commitments and drive

change," Manulife board chair Don Lindsay said.

Witherington, who has over 25 years of experience in

insurance and financial services globally, spent a decade with

accounting giant KPMG earlier in his career. He also worked with

London-headquartered bank HSBC ( HSBC ) and Hong Kong-based

insurer AIA for several years.

Manulife beat expectations for third-quarter profit earlier

this month, driven by strong performance in its Asia and wealth

management businesses.

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by

Shinjini Ganguli)