We operate in highly competitive markets and compete for customers with both insurance and non-insurance financial services companies. Customer loyalty and retention, and access to distributors, are important to the Company’s success and are influenced by many factors, including our distribution practices and regulations, product features, service levels including digital capabilities, prices, investment performance, and our financial strength ratings and reputation. Our ability to effectively compete is highly dependent upon being quick to react and adapt to changes from the external environment while continuing to proactively drive internal innovation. StrategicRiskManagementStrategy The CEO and Executive Leadership Team establish and oversee execution of business strategies and have accountability to identify and manage the risks embedded in these strategies. They are supported by a number of processes: • Strategic business, risk and capital planning that is reviewed with the Board, Executive Leadership Team, and the ERC; • Performance and risk reviews of all key businesses with the CEO and annual reviews with the Board; • Risk based capital attribution and allocation designed to encourage a consistent decision-making framework across the organization; and • Review and approval of significant acquisitions and divestitures by the CEO and, where appropriate, the Board. Reputation risk is the risk that the Company’s corporate image may be eroded by adverse publicity, about real or perceived issues, as a result of business practices of Manulife or its representatives potentially causing long-term or even irreparable damage to the Company’s franchise value. Reputation risk arises from both internal and external environmental factors, and cannot be managed in isolation from other risks, but only as an integral part of the Company’s integrated risk management approach. The Company’s Reputation Risk Policy requires that internal processes and controls, management decisions, and business decisions, include considerations for how the Company’s reputation and brand could be impacted. Any incident with the potential to harm our reputation is of high priority and senior management is to be alerted. An essential component of the Reputation Risk Policy requires that all employees should conduct themselves in accordance with our values, as well as the Company’s Code of Conduct and Business Ethics. Environmental,SocialandGovernanceRisks Environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) risks could arise from our inability to adapt to evolving ESG issues, including climate change, and may impact our investments, underwriting, and operations, which could lead to adverse financial, operational, legal, reputational, or brand value risks for Manulife due to our actual or perceived actions, or inaction in relation to ESG issues. The Board’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee (“CGNC”) oversees Manulife’s ESG framework, including matters related to climate change. On a regular basis, the CGNC is updated on relevant ESG topics, including our progress against the commitments set out in Manulife’s Climate Action Plan. Starting in 2023, each member of the CGNC will also participate in at least one externally facilitated ESG-related educational activity every two years. The CGNC’s oversight complements Manulife’s Executive Sustainability Council (“ESC”), which consists of the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Sustainability Officer, the Chief Risk Officer and other members of the Executive Leadership Team. As part of its mandate, the ESC is responsible for guiding the development and execution of our climate strategy, including climate-related risk management activities. The ESC meets monthly and is supported by the ESG Centre of Expertise (“CoE”), which consists of corporate function and business unit leads tasked with integrating sustainability into our business practices and a Legal and Compliance ESG CoE, whose purpose is to share information and advice relating to ESG activities across Manulife. Manulife’s Climate Change Taskforce, a cross-functional team, is responsible for the execution of the Climate Action Plan and manages climate-related performance and disclosures. Additionally, our global executive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) Council, which includes members of the Executive Leadership Team and is chaired by the CEO, meets quarterly and guides, supports, and facilitates the implementation of our DEI strategy, encourages innovative thinking about DEI challenges and opportunities, and drives and builds accountability for DEI throughout the organization. Climate Risk Consistent with the Financial Stability Board’s Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (“TCFD”), Manulife defines climate-related risks as the potential negative impacts from climate change, which may be experienced directly (e.g., through financial loss) or indirectly (e.g., through reputational harm), resulting from the physical impacts of climate change or the transition to a low-carbon economy. Climate risk is a risk with unique characteristics given the diverse set of pathways in which risks can manifest. As such, it is a transversal risk, that has the potential to impact any of our principal risks, including strategic, market, credit, product, or operational risk, as well as legal and reputational risk. Climate risk, therefore, is viewed as a modifier or an accelerator of existing risk types, and failure to adequately prepare for the potential impacts of climate change can have material adverse impacts on our balance sheet or our ability to operate. Potential impacts of climate change may include business losses or disruption resulting from extreme weather conditions, challenges in adapting to changes in climate-related legal or regulatory frameworks, reputational damage, devaluation of our debt or equity asset exposures to fossil-fuel related or high-emitting industries, or increased mortality or morbidity resulting from climate related events. We continue to enhance the integration of climate-related risks into our enterprise risk management framework to ensure that they are managed in a manner consistent with our common approach to risk management (refer to “Risk Identification, Measurement and Assessment” above). Our Environmental Risk Policy and other relevant policies and standards are used to guide business operations on 50 | 2022AnnualReport | Management’sDiscussionandAnalysis