Sun Life 2015 Annual Report Download - page 4

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2 | SUN LIFE FINANCIAL INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2015
CHAIRMAN’S
MESSAGE
Dear Fellow Shareholders,
As you will see in this report, your company made further
progress in 2015, and Dean Connor and his executive team
continued to serve our clients and communities well. You
will recall that in 2011 Dean announced the company’s 2015
financial objectives and it is to his great credit that those
objectives were largely met or exceeded; overall earnings
are well ahead of the company’s targets and we were able
to increase the common share dividend 8% in 2015 as a result.
Just as importantly, the
Board concerns itself with
delivery to clients, and we
have been pleased with the
feedback received in 2015.
Nevertheless, there is always
room for improvement and
we include education sessions
at most Board meetings so
we can better understand
our clients, who need us
more than ever in these
challenging economic times.
Perhaps the most important part of our Board work is
the oversight of the development of the company strategy.
The four pillar approach has stood us in good stead since
2011, and in 2015 we were able to take advantage of the
foundation built in previous years. The Board was pleased
to support management’s acquisition proposals, and
we now have a broader base to the asset management
pillar and the prospect of a much more substantial group
insurance business in the U.S., thanks to the acquisition
of Assurant’s U.S. Employee Benefits business on March 1,
2016. Your management team has been disciplined in the
approach it takes to acquisitions, only bidding for business
that will truly support the strategy and ensuring that we
stay focused on our return on equity (ROE) targets.