Sun Life announces latest addition to board of directors

Sun Life has appointed former Eaton Vance CFO Laurie Hylton to its board of directors, effective December 31.

Hylton brings over 25 years of asset management experience to the Sun Life board. She first joined investment management firm Eaton Vance in 1994, holding various roles such as chief accounting officer and internal auditor before being named CFO in 2012. In 2019, she revealed her plans to retire by 2021. She played a key role in Morgan Stanley’s acquisition of Eaton Vance prior to her retirement, having been part of merger agreement negotiations. 

Based in Massachusetts, Hylton holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Dartmouth College, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. She has also worked at Deloitte and is on the board of two non-profits, Newburyport Art Association and Theater in the Open.

Hylton’s appointment aligns with Sun Life’s commitment to diversify its board of directors, the organisation said in a statement, noting that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are among its “key priorities.”

As a signatory of the Catalyst Accord 2022, Sun Life is among the Canadian boards and CEOs to have pledged to “accelerate the advancement of women” in senior management and board of director roles. The company is also a part of a similar campaign called 30% Club Canada, which seeks to see the percentage of women in board seats and C-suites at a minimum of 30%.

With Hylton, 55% of Sun Life’s board seats are now held by women, the company said.

Sun Life’s previous efforts to advance its DEI commitment include the 2020 push to have 25% of its North America senior leaders come from underrepresented communities. By 2025, the company said it wanted “specific representation for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.” Another one of its goals is to achieve gender parity in senior management positions across all of its operations by 2025.