The Edge Conference 2014

James D. Gallagher is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, for John Hancock Financial, the U.S. division of Toronto-based Manulife Financial Corporation.

He is responsible for John Hancock’s legal and compliance operations. As Chief Administrative Officer, he also has responsibility for other functions including John Hancock’s Government, Public and Community Relations areas.

Before taking on this role in 2012, he had been Executive Vice President and Global Compliance Chief for Manulife since 2005. In that role, he managed the legal and compliance staff responsible for the array of compliance requirements facing the company in all jurisdictions where it operates around the world. He is on the Boards of Directors of John Hancock Life Insurance Company and its subsidiary life insurance companies.

Previously, Mr. Gallagher served as General Counsel to Manulife USA. He also was President of John Hancock Trust, an investment company underlying variable insurance products with assets exceeding $30 billion.

Before joining Manulife in Boston in 1994, Mr. Gallagher was Vice President and Associate General Counsel for the Canadian Operations of Prudential Insurance Company of America and also served as Assistant General Counsel with Prudential at its Newark, NJ, headquarters.

Mr. Gallagher graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto and later earned a J.D. from Ohio Northern University’s College of Law.