BOSTON, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – The Board of Trustees of the John Hancock Group of Funds and Manulife John Hancock Investments have announced the addition of two new independent trustees to the Board of Trustees of the John Hancock Group of Funds effective immediately. The new trustees, Christine L. Hurtsellers and Kenneth J. Phelan, have extensive combined experience in financial services, regulatory and compliance management, risk management, and corporate strategy, respectively.
“We’re very excited to onboard Christine and Kenneth as new trustees as their backgrounds and experience will bring additional insights and perspectives to navigate the complexities of the current financial landscape,” said Dr. Hassell McClellan, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the John Hancock Group of Funds. “The new trustees will be invaluable to sustaining and enhancing the Board’s strategic and oversight capabilities. The new trustees are each exceptional individuals, accomplished professionals and experts in their respective fields, with backgrounds and personal experiences that will provide the Board with additional relevant expertise, leadership experience and decision-making perspectives, all to the benefit of Fund shareholders.”
As the former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income, of Voya Investment Management and a former member of the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute, Ms. Hurtsellers brings deep leadership, risk management, corporate strategy, operations, and regulatory expertise in the investment management, financial services, and capital markets industries. She also brings strong board leadership experience in her roles as a director of a life and annuity reinsurance business and a number of large non-profits.
Through his role as a director of a bank holding company and a public company and through his former roles as chief risk officer of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and various financial institutions, Mr. Phelan brings a strong background in risk management and oversight, legal and regulatory compliance, and corporate strategy, as well as leadership and operational experience in investment management, banking and capital markets. He also brings strong board leadership experience, including through challenging market environments.
With this announcement, the John Hancock Group of Funds Board now comprises twelve independent trustees and two interested trustees with a broad skillset and knowledge. In selecting the new additions, the John Hancock Group of Funds Board reviewed a broad and extensive pool of candidates to select the additive and complementary skills needed to build a thoughtful and strategically composed board to meet the challenges, and take advantage of the opportunities, that the asset management industry will see over the next decade and beyond.
About Manulife John Hancock Investments
At Manulife John Hancock Investments, we serve investors through a specialized multimanager approach, complementing our extensive in-house investment capabilities with a broad network of unaffiliated asset managers, backed by some of the most rigorous oversight in the industry. As a result, we’re able to offer a variety of options in each investment category, an approach that we believe truly serves the best interests of our clients. Our powerful combination of global expertise, strategic partnerships, and robust stewardship is designed to help investors pursue better portfolio outcomes.
About Manulife Wealth & Asset Management
As part of Manulife Financial Corporation, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management provides global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to 19 million individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Our mission is to make decisions easier and lives better by empowering people today to invest for a better tomorrow. As a committed partner to our clients and as a responsible steward of investor capital, we offer a heritage of risk management, deep expertise across public and private markets, and comprehensive retirement plan services. We seek to provide better investment and impact outcomes and to help people confidently save and invest for a more secure financial future. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.
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John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC ▪ Member FINRA, SIPC
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SOURCE Manulife Wealth & Asset Management
