Sun Life Financial selected as one of the 100 Most Sustainable Corporationsin the World

Ranking highlights corporations most proactive in managing environmental, social and governance issues

TORONTO, Jan. 31 /CNW/ - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX/NYSE:SLF) has been named as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.

"The nature of our business - helping individuals and families achieve lifetime financial security - is inherently responsible," said Donald A. Stewart, Chief Executive Officer. "In serving our customers, we also seek to understand the broader environmental, social and governance dimensions of our international footprint, and we work hard to meet or exceed the expectations of our stakeholders."

The 2011 Global 100, which was announced Saturday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, includes companies from 22 countries encompassing all sectors of the economy, with collective annual sales in excess of $3 trillion and five million employees. Sun Life Financial is the only North American insurance company named to the Global 100 list, making it the fifth time in seven years that Sun Life has been recognized.

The 2011 Global 100 tapped intelligence from the world's largest sustainability research alliance to isolate the top 10 per cent of companies from a universe of 3,000 global stocks, which were then transparently ranked based on 10 indicators using environmental, social, governance and financial data. From its inception in February 2005, the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations has achieved a total return of 54.95 per cent, outperforming its benchmark (the MSCI All Country World Index) by more than 16 per cent to December 31, 2010.

In addition to its Global 100 ranking, Sun Life Financial is also listed on the FTSE4Good Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for 2010-2011. The Company was ranked fifth by the Globe and Mail's Report on Corporate Social Responsibility, the highest among financial services companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange 60. Sun Life has also been recognized as one of the Corporate Knights 2010 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada and has been named one of Jantzi-Maclean's Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations in Canada for two consecutive years.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2010, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $455 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.