Manulife Asset Management Private Markets Names Ilene Kelman Marketing Director, Private Placements And Commercial Mortgages

BOSTON, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Manulife Asset Management Private Markets today announced that Ilene Kelman, CFA, has joined the organization as Marketing Director for Private Placements and Commercial Mortgages.

In this new position, Ms. Kelman, who is based in New York City, is responsible for marketing the investment capabilities of Manulife's private placement debt and commercial mortgage teams.

"Ilene has nearly 20 years of industry experience and brings with her a deep understanding of the needs of investors in the institutional marketplace," said Kevin Adolphe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Asset Management Private Markets. "We are very pleased to have her on our team as we grow this new business."

Manulife Asset Management Private Markets, a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, was launched late last year. It brings together specialized private asset teams that currently manage funds for third party investors, as well as provide investors with access to Manulife's other specialized private asset investment teams that historically have primarily served the company's general account.

The private placement debt team, which has approximately US$22 billion (C$ 23 billion) in assets under management (AUM) as at December 31, 2013, invests globally across a full range of utility, industrial, and financial corporations as well as power, energy, renewable energy and transportation projects.

The commercial mortgages team, which has approximately US$20 billion (C$ 21 billion) in AUM as at December 31, 2013, provides financing on a diverse mix of office, retail, multi-family, and industrial properties across Canada and the United States. Loans are sourced through its regional office network.

"I'm very excited to be part of Manulife and work with the deep and highly experienced private placement debt and commercial mortgages teams. Our private placement team has among the most highly regarded experts in the industry, each with extensive knowledge of the sectors and companies they cover. The commercial mortgages team is also filled with industry experts and, with 14 offices across North America, has in depth knowledge of the areas where we invest," Ms. Kelman said.

"Manulife has invested successfully in these asset classes for decades. I see tremendous opportunity to now leverage all of this knowledge and expertise to meet the needs of a wide variety of institutional investors," she added.

Previously, Ms. Kelman worked at Deutsche Insurance Asset Management. She also had worked at Dreyfus Investments and Salomon Brothers Asset Management, Inc.

Ms. Kelman graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in English and earned an MBA in Finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

About Manulife Asset Management Private Markets
Manulife Asset Management Private Markets has investment expertise in several private asset classes, including commercial real estate, timberland and farmland, renewable energy, oil and gas, private equity and mezzanine debt. Manulife Asset Management Private Markets also partners with Manulife Financial's specialized private asset investment teams to invest in private placement debt and commercial mortgages.  Hancock Natural Resources Group, Manulife Real Estate, John Hancock Real Estate, NAL Resources, Regional Power, Manulife Capital, and Hancock Capital Management are units of Manulife Asset Management Private Markets.  As at December 31, 2013, Manulife Financial's assets under management in private asset classes were US$70 billion (C$74 billion), including assets managed by and for Manulife Financial's general account and third party clients. Additional information may be found at ManulifeAM.com/PrivateMarkets.

About Manulife Asset Management
Manulife Asset Management is the global asset management arm of Manulife Financial, providing comprehensive asset management solutions for institutional investors and investment funds in key markets around the world. This investment expertise extends across a broad range of public and private asset classes, as well as asset allocation solutions. As at December 31, 2013, assets under management for Manulife Asset Management were  (US $263 billion (C$280 billion). Additional information about Manulife Asset Management may be found at ManulifeAM.com.

About Manulife Financial 
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were approximately US$563 billion (C$599 billion) as at December 31, 2013. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

SOURCE Manulife Asset Management