{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"In the Money with Amber Kanwar","title":"Not Just Insurance Anymore: How Sun Life Surpassed Brookfield in Asset Management","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3473,"description":"Sun Life may be known for insurance—but under CEO Kevin Strain, it's become a $1.5 trillion force in global asset management. In this episode of In the Money with Amber Kanwar, we sit down with Strain to uncover how this 160-year-old Canadian company has transformed into the country’s largest asset manager, now rivaling industry titans like Brookfield.\nStrain explains why Sun Life is going all-in on alternative assets like real estate, infrastructure, and private credit, and what that means for institutional and retail investors alike. He addresses the outflows at the company’s asset management arm and pushes back on the “problem child” label, revealing how that division continues to quietly generate close to a billion dollars a year in income. He also breaks down why Asia has become Sun Life’s biggest growth engine, and how its long-standing presence there gives it an edge.\nThe conversation covers Kevin’s outlook on the Canadian economy and why he believes short-term pain could lead to long-term strength. He also addresses concerns about the company’s U.S. health insurance business and shares how Sun Life is experimenting with AI across the firm.\nDon’t miss this wide-ranging, honest conversation with one of Canada’s most influential CEOs.\n\nTimestamps\n00:00 Show Intro\n02:10 Strain’s path to become the CEO of Sun Life\n04:10 Sun Life’s history and reach\n06:50 A lot of people don’t know Sun Life is an asset manager that’s bigger than Brookfield\n10:35 Break\n11:10 Understanding Sun Life’s asset management business\n16:30 Sun Life’s massive Asia business\n19:50 Break\n20:20 What about tariffs? \n25:15 Are the conditions right for Canadian companies to invest?\n27:20 Strain on investing in alternatives like real estate\n29:25 Sun Life’s real estate exposure \n36:30 The U.S. health insurance business\n42:00 What is Kevin worried about?\n46:30 How is Sun Life using artificial intelligence?\n50:00 What about acquisitions?\n53:15 What was Kevin’s biggest mistake?\n55:30 What does Kevin...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/er9NR63MREFV6i2rlZX8f-yMY6gNSK83fNUOzBPoSt8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zZmQy/OWMwNmEzY2Y0YTg1/NjM4MjQ3Y2NjMWYy/Zjk1My5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}