Sun Life Financial Inc. is one of the largest international financial services companies in the world, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1865 as the Sun Insurance Company of Montréal, it has grown into a publicly traded global insurer and asset manager with operations across more than two dozen countries, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and major Asian markets. Sun Life serves individuals, families, and businesses with a broad range of life and health insurance products, group benefits, wealth management solutions, and institutional asset management. It trades on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
Website: sunlife.com
Year established: 1865
Company type: Public (TSX: SLF; NYSE: SLF)
CEO and key people: Kevin D. Strain, President and CEO (appointed August 2021)
Regions served: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and multiple Asia-Pacific markets including the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Hong Kong
What does Sun Life offer?
Sun Life delivers financial security products and services across four principal categories:
- life insurance, including term life, permanent life, and creditor insurance, for individuals and families in Canada and internationally
- health and dental insurance, disability insurance, critical illness insurance, and long-term care insurance, distributed both as individual policies and through employer-sponsored group benefit plans
- wealth management and investment products including mutual funds, segregated funds, annuities, and guaranteed investment certificates, distributed through Sun Life advisors and independent advisor channels in Canada
- institutional asset management through SLC Management — Sun Life's institutional alternative asset management platform — covering private fixed income, real estate, infrastructure, and public markets strategies for pension funds, endowments, and other large institutional investors globally
Sun Life has invested significantly in digital and artificial intelligence capabilities for client service. In 2026, the company launched an AI concierge tool that handled approximately 11,000 client conversations in its first month of operation and won a CIO award for reducing advisor session time, illustrating the company's push to embed automation into its service model.
Sun Life in the market
Sun Life operates as one of Canada's Big Four life insurance companies alongside Manulife, Great-West Lifeco, and iA Financial Group, competing across individual insurance, group benefits, and wealth management distribution. Its Canadian distribution network includes a large proprietary advisor force as well as relationships with independent advisors and managing general agents, giving it broad reach across market segments.
Internationally, Sun Life has pursued a long-term growth strategy in Asia, where it holds market positions in multiple high-growth insurance markets. Its SLC Management institutional arm has grown substantially through organic growth and acquisitions, expanding into areas including commercial mortgage lending, infrastructure debt, and real estate equity. In 2026 Sun Life closed its acquisition of Bell Partners — a US multifamily real estate operator — folding it into its BGO real estate unit, which reinforced its position in alternative real assets for institutional clients. It also announced participation in a US$900 million reinsurance venture in the United States, with regulatory approvals expected ahead of a first-half 2027 launch.
Kevin D. Strain has served as President and CEO since August 2021. He joined Sun Life in 2002 and previously held roles including CFO of Sun Life Asia and senior vice-president of individual insurance and investments in Canada. He holds a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Waterloo and is a Chartered Accountant.
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