Sun Life named Canada's Most Respected Life Insurance Company

Award identifies most respected corporations according to Canadians

TORONTO, Nov. 26, 2020 /CNW/ - Sun Life has been named Canada's Most Respected Life Insurance Company. The new award, by Canada's Most Respected Corporation Program in partnership with DART Insight and Communications, recognizes the most respected corporations across the country, based on what Canadians have seen, read, heard or experienced. Canadians awarded Sun Life the top spot in the Life Insurance category.

"We are fueled by our Purpose to help Canadians achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. Now more than ever, what we do matters. We are committed to being a Client-focused, forward-thinking, financially responsible and sustainable business. The actions we take drive social and environmental outcomes for our Clients and communities," said Jacques Goulet, President, Sun Life Canada and Lumino Health. "We are honoured to receive this recognition from Canadians. It brings our Purpose to life. I want to congratulate all of our employees across Canada who go above and beyond to support our Clients, advisors, communities and one another every day."

Canadians rate organizations on an applied point scale against various categories, including:

• What they make or do
• How they treat employees or customers
• What they communicate or contribute to society
• How much they're trusted
• How their leadership acts, and
• What's said about them in the media or by family and friends

The survey was conducted at the height of the first wave of COVID-19. The findings reinforce that Sun Life provides proactive and relevant support to Canadians when they need it most. Relief programs, new digital tools and services, and ongoing communication have been staples throughout the pandemic. Sun Life continues to empower Canadians to achieve their health and wealth goals.

"We're delighted to recognize Sun Life for this outstanding achievement, especially during these challenging times. Canadians told us that they feel Sun Life is going the extra mile to earn their respect," said John Wright, Executive Vice-President, Maru/Blue Public Opinion Research. "This award is like no other. It's based on respect, which is earned, not given. Sun Life's insurance industry award is the first of 11 sector categories to be announced."

Supporting Clients

• Launched the COVID-19 hub, which features FAQs, health and wealth resources and links to government benefits.
• Sun Life's Lumino Health, a digital platform with free health resources and other tools, empowers Canadians to live healthier lives.
• Rolled out Lumino Health Virtual Care, giving Canadians virtual access to acute physical and mental health care, similar to medical services provided at a primary care clinic, at any time.
• Providing credit counselling and debt management support through a partnership with the Credit Counselling Society, a non-profit firm.

Supporting Employees

• To support employee wellness during the pandemic, Sun Life doubled personal emergency days from five to 10, offered three wellness days, enabled flexible work schedules, mandated lunch hours and Fridays as 'meeting free' and provided employees access to Sun Life's team of in-house psychologists through regular webinars.
• Sun Life is engaging c-suite leaders to build mentally healthy workplaces. On November 30, 2020, Sun Life will host a webinar for presidents and CEOs of top Canadian organizations to inspire meaningful workplace action. Sun Life has partnered with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to host an annual Business Leaders Mental Health Summit for c-suite executives in 2021 and 2022.
• Launched Inclusion Works by Hive Learning, a digital learning platform for employees to advance workplace diversity, equity and inclusion.

Supporting Communities

• Sun Life donates more than $10 million annually to community organizations globally. Due to COVID-19, many of our partners faced extreme hardship, with staff reductions, event suspensions or cancellations, and lower fundraising activity. Sun Life kept its financial obligations and remained focused on helping through the pandemic.
• Committed $1 million globally to support immediate needs of communities at the outset of the pandemic. The funding supported research and trials, mental health services, food and necessities, emergency childcare and medical teams.
• Year-to-date, our annual employee giving campaign raised more than $3.05 million for charities across North America. Employees volunteered 11,538 hours through safe, virtual opportunities.

About the survey
The survey is based on findings curated from the Maru/Blue Voice Canada Online panel conducted between July 16 and August 30, 2020. A randomized sample of 4,184 adult Canadians was weighted to ensure it was representative of the entire adult population of Canada. The survey for each sector is undertaken within a three-month window before notifying the Awardee. A full methodology with data tables can be found at www.canadasmostrespected.com.

About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2020, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1,186 billion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars

Media Relations Contact:
Meredith Mundick
Manager, Corporate Communications
T. 416-979-4048
[email protected]

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Canada