Richard McIntyre has stepped down as president and CEO of Manulife Wealth after four years. Brett Marchand, a nearly 25-year veteran of Manulife and current senior vice-president and Canadian head of retirement has been appointed his successor.
McIntyre joined Manulife as head of sales, Manulife Securities, in 2021, a year before he moved into the chief executive role at Manulife Wealth. Before that, he was chief operating officer at Dundee Corp.
He presided over a rocky modernization at Manulife Wealth as the firm adopted new technology to replace legacy platforms, and introduced new advisor fees.
According to the release, which thanked McIntyre for his contributions and leadership but did not include a quote from him, he stepped down to pursue another professional opportunity.
McIntyre confirmed to Investment Executive separately that he will be starting a new role later this month, with details to come.
“I made the difficult decision to leave Manulife, and while I’m not in a position to comment on the specifics at this time, I’m proud of what we’ve built at Manulife Wealth and grateful to have worked alongside a strong team focused on supporting advisors and clients,” he said in a statement.
Marchand started his career with Manulife as a regional vice-president in the group retirement division in 2001, adding experience leading distribution, corporate accounts and group benefits within the group retirement area in later years. He’s been in his current role for close to a decade.
The release noted he has more than 30 years of experience working with advisors as well as regulators, leading complex platform businesses, as well as bringing business transformation and merger-and-acquisition expertise. His appointment as CEO is subject to regulatory approval.
Erica Hall, head of client relations of Canada retirement, will fill in for Marchand on an interim basis while the firm conducts a search for a permanent new head of retirement. She brings 25 years of retirement experience at Manulife, where she has worked closely with Marchand.
Marchand and Hall will both report to Aimee DeCamillo, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management’s global head of retirement and wealth.
“Richard built a very strong team, and with Brett’s experience working with advisors and leading large platform businesses — combined with our leadership bench — we are well positioned to continue supporting advisors and helping them grow their practices,” DeCamillo said in a release.
“These leadership appointments do not impact our strategy, day-to-day operations, or our long-term commitment to advisors, plans sponsors and other stakeholders. Our Canadian wealth and retirement businesses remain core priorities for the company as we continue to execute against our growth strategy and deliver strong outcomes for advisors and clients.”