About

A major international insurance and retirement planning company, Sun Life Hong Kong has been operating since 1892, and is a truly international operation with offices across Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. As of December 2017 the firm had US$744bn in total assets under management. To ensure smooth running of the company’s business operations, the legal team at Sun Life Hong Kong has been busy with all of the regulatory elements of this industry, as well as the underwriting, contracts and launches of new products. For example, the firm launched a new “FlexiRetire Annuity Plan” aimed at giving its customers in Hong Kong more flexibility in their retirement planning. The flexible participating insurance plan offers different types of payment structures and age ranges making it a complicated new product, and a challenge for the legal department to navigate. Additionally, the legal team has been involved in Sun Life’s digital innovations. In March 2018, the firm launched the “My Sun Life App” which lets clients view their coverage, assets and notifications anytime and anywhere. This innovation and its potential liabilities involved in the launch and operation has been executed with the help of the company’s internal legal department and demonstrative of its technological acumen. Vice president and general counsel Judy Yang has been the leader of the legal team at Sun Life Hong Kong since 2011.