The Head of Succession Planning is a pivotal leadership role responsible for designing, leading, and executing Manulife Wealth’s national advisor succession strategy and the Summit practice acquisition program across Canada. You will take full ownership of the Summit Program end-to-end - from lead generation and pipeline management, through deal structuring and closing within target budget ranges, to operationalizing and enhancing the value of acquired businesses. They will be responsible for planning and directing succession planning initiatives, Summit program execution, and the programs and support required for advisors’ practices, their teams, and branch owners.

Adept at communicating vision, driving engagement, and challenging the status quo, this leader will bring the succession planning support and Summit strategy to life. It is essential that the incumbent works in partnership with internal partners, distribution groups, and Canadian Segment partners such as Manulife Bank, Manulife Investments and Manulife Insurance to ensure respective strategies and initiatives are aligned and implemented in a mutually beneficial manner.

The role requires a delicate balance of relevant industry experience, advanced leadership skills, strategic and analytical thinking, deal-making capability, creative problem solving, perseverance, and agility to pivot from working on the business (strategy, design, governance) to working in the business (individual deals, advisor transitions, and integration) as needed.

Develop and implement national strategies to support advisors and branch owners nearing retirement or seeking an exit, ensuring smooth transitions with minimal client disruption and strong asset retention. Spearhead the Summit practice acquisition program, including lead generation, pipeline development, deal negotiation, closing, and post-acquisition integration and value creation. Collaborate with regional and head office teams to operationalize succession and Summit deals efficiently, ensuring alignment with Manulife Wealth’s platforms, tools, and best practices.

National Collaboration: Establish and maintain strong partnerships across Manulife, including Manulife Bank, Manulife Investments and Manulife Insurance, to ensure strategic alignment and the successful implementation of shared initiatives supporting transitioning and acquired practices.

Risk and Compliance: Maintain an up-to-date understanding of industry regulations and work closely with compliance and legal teams to mitigate risks and ensure adherence to regulatory standards. Lead and expand a robust national succession planning and Summit program.

Proactively identify advisors/branch owners and recruits seeking succession or exit options and build a strong opportunity pipeline.

Structure and close Summit deals efficiently, effectively, and within target budget ranges and risk parameters.

Support advisory teams and branch owners in planning and executing orderly transitions, with a strong focus on client retention and continuity of service.

Help successfully transition and retain assets from advisors moving into retirement and move their books of business to the most cost-efficient and strategically aligned distribution options within the firm.

Support acquired advisory practices for efficiency and implementation of new technologies, resources and programs.

Help us successfully transition and retain assets from advisors who are moving into retirement over the next 5 years and move their books of business to more cost-productive distribution options within the firm.

Succession Planning for Advisors/Branch Owners Design, lead, and continuously refine Manulife Wealth’s national advisor and branch owner succession strategy,



ensuring orderly transitions and strong client and asset retention. Proactively identify advisors and branch owners (both internal and newly recruited) approaching retirement or seeking an exit and assess readiness for transition based on tenure, business volume, client relationships, and practice health. Coach advisors and branch owners to clarify their succession goals, contingency plans, understand practice valuation and options (including Summit), and design transition plans aligned with their personal objectives and corporate goals.

Develop and maintain a strong national network of relationships at the branch and field level to stay close to upcoming succession needs and opportunities. Coordinate with internal support teams (Practice Management, Operations, Technology, Compliance) to ensure advisors have the resources required for successful transitions. Ensure consistent messaging, frameworks and processes across regional teams to support succession planning and transitions.

Lead initiatives that measure and improve client satisfaction and Net Promoter Scores (NPS) related to succession and transition experiences. Lead Generation, Pipeline & Deal Execution Take full ownership of the Summit Program nationally, including strategy, targets, pipeline, deal execution, and post-acquisition performance. Build and manage a disciplined pipeline of Summit opportunities, including internal advisors and newly recruited advisors considering an eventual exit, leveraging regional leadership, recruiting, and market intelligence.

Establish and manage standardized pipeline stages, reporting, and forecasting to provide visibility to leadership on upcoming Summit transactions and succession-driven deals. Lead the valuation, structuring, and negotiation of Summit transactions, ensuring deals align with target budget ranges, risk guidelines, and strategic priorities of Manulife Wealth. Partner with Finance, Legal, Compliance, and Operations to ensure appropriate governance, documentation, due diligence, and approvals for each Summit transaction.

Leverage industry networks and external relationships to identify new Summit opportunities and supplement the deal pipeline. Drive the adoption of financial planning tools, CRM systems, portfolio management platforms, and digital capabilities within acquired practices to improve efficiency and client experience. Monitor the performance of Summit acquisitions against business cases (AUMA, revenue, client retention, profitability) and implement corrective actions as needed.

Strategic

Planning, Collaboration & Risk Management Contribute to short- and long-term business planning for Manulife Wealth, including setting succession and Summit Program targets, key results, and resource requirements. Build and maintain effective relationships across Manulife Wealth and the broader Manulife organization, ensuring alignment between succession/Summit strategies and national advice and distribution strategies. Drive automation and digitization of succession and Summit processes to better utilize global Manulife tools and platforms and enhance data-driven decision making.

Support development of succession planning toolkit and resources for advisor use and education. Work closely with Risk, Compliance and Legal to identify and mitigate risks in transitions and Summit transactions and ensure full adherence to regulatory and internal standards.



Provide guidance and insights on communications and marketing initiatives related to succession planning and the Summit Program, ensuring alignment with Manulife Wealth’s brand and strategy.

Influence the strategic planning of marketing and communications to articulate Manulife Wealth’s succession and Summit value proposition to internal advisors and prospective recruits. Minimum 10 to 15 years of experience in the financial services or wealth management industry, with significant experience in succession planning, advisor transitions, practice management, or M&A;/practice acquisition. CFP, CIM, CFA or other relevant designations are an asset.

Extensive knowledge of Canadian regulatory frameworks (CIRO, Insurance, etc.) Experience with sales management or business development, including building and managing pipelines, recruiting, and leading advisors or advisory teams. Strong financial acumen, including practice valuation, P&L; understanding, and return-on-investment analysis for deals.

Experience in networking, negotiation, influencing and creative thinking. Ability to travel as required across Canada. Capacity to engage constructively and respectfully with individuals at all levels of the organization and to achieve high-quality outcomes.

Manulife Financial

Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals.

We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.

All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. 125,100.00 CAD - $175,100.00 CAD

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions, geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, and education/training. com for the salary range for your location.

Manulife offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits, including health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D; insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement. #

📌 Head of Succession Planning (Burlington)
🏢 Socket.dev
📍 Burlington