Sun Life Financial named one of the 2016 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World

TORONTO, Jan. 21, 2016 /CNW/ - For the seventh consecutive year, Sun Life Financial Inc. SLF SLF ("Sun Life") has been named among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World (the "Global 100"). Sun Life is one of nine Canadian companies across all sectors, and the top-ranked North American insurance company to make the Global 100.

"Sustainability plays a crucial role within our organization, both in the short and long term," said Melissa Kennedy, Executive Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer & Public Affairs, Sun Life Financial. "This ranking reaffirms our commitment to continuously growing and improving so we can deliver value to our clients, employees, shareholders and communities."

In 2014, Sun Life launched a refined sustainability strategy with a vision of building sustainable, healthier communities for life, by advancing efforts across four themes: Community Wellness, Organizational Resilience, Environmental Responsibility and Exemplary Governance and Risk Management.

"Across our businesses, we see examples of our strategy in action," Kennedy said. "For example, all of our major corporate sites in Canada are LEED Certified buildings - evidence of our environmental accountability; and as we strengthen our organizational resilience, we are proud to report that 45% of middle management and above are women and that 33% of the Board of Directors are women."

The Global 100 ranking was announced today by Corporate Knights at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Sun Life has appeared on the annual ranking 10 of the 12 years since its inception. The ranking consists of the companies with the top overall scores in each sector.

Other recognition
In addition to its Global 100 ranking, Sun Life was ranked first in the Globe and Mail's 13^th annual review of corporate governance practices in Canada. Sun Life is also one of the Corporate Knights' 2015 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada, as well as a constituent in the FTSE4Good and the Dow Jones Sustainability North America indexes.

For details on additional Sun Life sustainability initiatives, visit the Sustainability page on sunlife.com.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Sun Life Financial and its partners have 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, 2015, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $846 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.   

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.