Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) Monday announced that Marianne Harris has been appointed to the board of directors effective December 1.

Until recently, Harris was a managing director at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch and president of corporate and investment banking at Merrill Lynch Canada Inc.

Harris brings extensive financial industry experience gained from over 29 years of advisory work in Canada and the U.S., including her leadership roles at Merrill Lynch.

Before joining Merrill Lynch, she was head of the financial institutions group at RBC Capital Markets.

Harris is chairwoman of the board and a member of the finance and audit committee of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. She is a member of the dean’s advisory council for the Schulich School of Business and the advisory council for The Hennick Centre for Business and Law. She is also a director and chairwoan of the investment committee for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

Harris has a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business and a Juris Doctorate from Osgoode Hall Law School.