Sun Life Financial releases Public Accountability Statement

Building a brighter tomorrow

TORONTO, May 11 /CNW/ - Sun Life Financial's 2010 Public Accountability Statement, Building a brighter tomorrow, is now available at www.sunlife.com/PublicAccountabilityStatement. The report outlines Sun Life's commitment to corporate social responsibility, which includes environmental, social and corporate governance initiatives.

Highlights of the report include:

• Sun Life Financial Chief Executive Officer, Donald Stewart's involvement with the government-appointed Task Force on Financial Literacy;
• Sun Life's investment in both physical and mental wellness through programs that study the relationship between activity and nutrition and mental health problems in children, support for issues of adolescent mental health, and a new gender-based education program in women's mental health;
• Sun Life's leading involvement with Culture Days - the first ever pan-Canadian celebration of the wide range of arts that showcase Canada's cultural uniqueness;
• The company's commitment to employees through career planning and development tools, a robust wellness program and access to employee assistance programs;
• Environmental advancements in Sun Life's buildings, such as the achievement of a LEED^® Gold EB designation for the renovations to its global headquarters in Toronto - only the second commercial office building in Canada to receive this designation; and
• Significant investments in clean and renewable energy projects across Canada.

"At Sun Life Financial, we believe that being a good corporate citizen is important and indeed helps our bottom line," said Michel Leduc, Vice-President, Public & Corporate Affairs, Sun Life Financial. "Our actions today will have a direct effect on the world of tomorrow, which is why investing in initiatives related to health and wellness, financial literacy and sustainable business is a priority."

Sun Life's commitment to corporate social responsibility has earned the company a range of awards. Sun Life was named a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for 2010-2011; selected by Corporate Knights as one of the 2010 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada; and the only life insurance company in North America to be named in the 2011 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.

Along with being able to access the complete report, you can also watch a video about Sun Life's commitment to sustainability on the Public Accountability Statement page.

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 March 31, 2011, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $469 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.