Sun Life Philippines Hosts Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s Women’s Business Mission

MANILA, PH – March 2026 – Sun Life Philippines, the country’s No. 1 life insurance company in terms of total premium income, recently hosted the Women’s Business Mission of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada at the company’s head office in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

 

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening ties between Canada and the Asia-Pacific region through research, dialogue, and strategic business engagement. Its Women’s Business Mission brings together women-led and women-owned Canadian companies to explore opportunities for collaboration, trade, and investment in key markets across Asia, while advancing women’s economic empowerment and inclusive growth. 

 

The Women’s Business Mission event underscored Sun Life’s commitment to empowering women in the insurance and financial services industries by championing innovation, collaboration, and technology-driven solutions that strengthen connections between the company and its Clients.

 

As part of the experience, delegates were given a firsthand look at Sun Life’s digital transformation initiatives through interactive technology booths showcasing tools developed in-house to enhance both advisor and Client experience. These included Advisor Social, a digital content management platform for advisors; Advisor Buddy, a digital onboarding and navigation tool for new advisors; and Medical Document Translation, a cost-efficient, low-risk solution that helps accelerate underwriting decisions. 

 

"We are incredibly proud of the tools we build in-house, but true innovation requires knowing what you can't build alone," said Nathalie Bernardo, Vice President and Site Head of Sun Life Global Solutions Philippines. "At Sun Life, we actively look for opportunities to partner with startups because they bring the agility and niche expertise we need to solve complex problems fast. We treat our partners as co-creators, and looking at the brilliant women founders in this room, my genuine hope is that some of your companies will soon join our ecosystem."

 

Meanwhile, Sun Life Philippines CEO & Country Head Benedict Sison, highlighted Sun Life’s Canadian roots. “What began as a Canadian company's commitment to the Philippine market has grown into a long-standing partnership with Filipino families, businesses, and communities, and we’re excited to do more,” he said.

 

Present during the event were Sun Life’s women leaders, including Joy Castillo, Chief Operations Officer of Sun Life Grepa Financial, Inc.; Carla Gonzalez-Chong, Chief Client Experience and Marketing Officer of Sun Life Philippines; Michelle Cordero-Garcia, Chief Human Resources Officer of Sun Life Philippines; and Nathalie Bernardo, Vice President and Site Head of Sun Life Global Solutions Philippines.

 

Sun Life Philippines continues to champion women leadership across its organization. Women make up 73% of the company’s more than 22,000-strong advisor force, while 51% of its senior leadership roles are held by women. This reinforces Sun Life’s belief that inclusive leadership drives stronger outcomes for Clients, communities, and the business.

Canada’s Agriculture Minister, Ambassador Visit Jollibee Group Headquarters in Manila

MANILA, Philippines. – The Jollibee Group, led by President and Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Tanmantiong, recently welcomed the Canadian Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman, and other key Canadian government and industry officials to its headquarters in Pasig City, Philippines. 

Minister MacAulay’s visit is part of Canada’s efforts to strengthen ties with the Philippines and explore other areas of collaboration, in line with the 75th anniversary of Philippine-Canadian relations. 

“It is a privilege to host The Honorable Minister MacAulay, His Excellency Ambassador Hartman, and the Canadian delegation to the Jollibee Group,” shared Ernesto Tanmantiong, Chief Executive Officer of the Jollibee Group. “This comes at an opportune time as we recently opened our 100th Jollibee store in North America, right in Canada’s British Columbia. We thank the Canadian people for welcoming us since day one of our first store opening. Their warm and ever-increasing patronage gives us more joy to expand in Canada and North America, which is a key pillar of our global expansion.” 

“During my visit to the Philippines and Malaysia, I had the pleasure of meeting with a number of food companies that source our world-class Canadian agricultural products, including the wonderful folks at Jollibee. With the opening of our first-ever Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office, we are cementing our presence in the region for years to come and boosting trade and cooperation on both sides of the Pacific,” said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. 

During the meeting, Minister MacAulay underscored Canada’s commitment to helping build resilient, sustainable supply chains in the region as part of its Indo-Pacific Agriculture strategy. 

Alongside Minister MacAulay and Ambassador Hartman were the Honorable Kevin Lamoureux, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons; Paul MacKinnon, President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; and other key representatives from Canada’s agriculture and agri-food industry. Mr. Tanmantiong was joined by William Tan Untiong, Chief Business Support Officer; Joseph Tanbuntiong, Jollibee Group Chief Business Officer; David Beal, Global Chief Marketing Officer; Ferns Yu, President of Jollibee Philippines; and other representatives from Jollibee brand and Jollibee Group procurement.

To cap off the visit, the Canadian delegation made a brief stop at Jollibee’s 1000th Philippine store at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. They were warmly treated to a Jolly Kids Party, which, for many members of the delegation, also served as their very first taste of Jollibee’s bestsellers such as Chickenjoy fried chicken and Jolly Spaghetti.

Jollibee’s Presence in Canada

Jollibee opened its first store in Canada in Winnipeg in 2016, and currently has 28 stores across the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. 

Canada is also home to Jollibee’s 100th store in North America, which the brand recently opened in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, last January. The opening attracted huge crowds who waited hours to taste their Jollibee favorites, a testament to the brand’s strong equity and delicious offerings. The long queue was reminiscent of the first Canada store opening in Winnipeg, where people waited amidst heavy snowfall and sub-zero weather.

Recently, Jollibee has been recognized as the second fastest-growing restaurant brand and 5th strongest brand in the world by Brand Finance, a leading independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy.

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