Roy Gori

Roy Gori served as President and CEO of Manulife Financial Corp., stepping down on May 8, 2025 after pushing through significant changes at the insurance giant since taking the helm in 2017. An Australian by birth, Gori holds a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from the University of New South Wales and an MBA from the University of Technology Sydney. His career began at Citibank in 1989, where he eventually took charge of the bank's Asia Pacific retail division, encompassing both insurance and wealth management.

Gori spent more than 30 years across insurance, wealth management and retail banking in Asia Pacific, North America and other global markets. Prior to his CEO appointment, he was appointed president and CEO of Manulife Asia effective March 1, 2015, where he had responsibility for Citi's insurance and wealth management businesses before joining Manulife.

As President and CEO of Manulife, Gori successfully led the firm through a strategic transformation focused on digital innovation, customer focus, and disciplined growth. Under Gori's leadership, Manulife's core return on equity jumped from 11.3% in 2017 to 15.9%, and he oversaw the distribution of $18.9 billion to shareholders via dividends and share buybacks since 2018. Gori serves as a Director/Board Member at the Business Council of Canada and as a member of the Geneva Association.

Career history

• Senior Advisor at KKR (2025–present)
• President and CEO, Manulife Financial Corp. (2017–2025)
• President and CEO, Manulife Asia (2015–2017)
• Regional Head of Retail Banking and Consumer Banking for North Asia & Australia, Citigroup (until 2015)
• Citibank, including roles overseeing Asia Pacific retail business (1989–2015)

What Gori could bring to his Senior Advisor role at KKR: With deep expertise in insurance, wealth management, and distribution, combined with extensive experience across Asia Pacific and globally, Gori brings proven capability to identify and advance growth opportunities in financial services. His transformational leadership experience and strategic acumen in digital modernization and customer-centricity position him to counsel KKR on navigating the complex dynamics of the global financial services landscape, particularly in high-growth Asian markets.