Birla Sun Life hosts Canada's International Trade Minister

The Honourable James Peterson, Minister of International Trade, Canada, made a stop in Mumbai to attend a reception hosted by Birla Sun Life. Highlighting the impressive growth of Birla Sun Life's financial services operation, Minister Peterson said that the partnership between these Canadian and Indian business champions exemplifies the potential of Canada-India trade and the benefits of investment in India's dynamic market.

"We are honoured to host Minister Peterson today," said Mr. S.K.Mitra, Director, Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group. Continued Mr. Mitra, "Sun Life Financial and the Aditya Birla Group have long recognized the opportunity that e;xists in India and we have formed a strong partnership that has resulted in strong growth and an outstanding ability to meet the needs of our growing customer base."

Mr. Donald Stewart, CEO, Sun Life Financial Inc., who was present for the occasion, commented: "We remain very excited by the huge potential in the Indian markets, where Birla Sun Life has built a solid foundation for future growth". Continued Mr. Stewart, "There are many stories of significance throughout our operations in India. We have made investments in distribution, launched innovative products and enhanced customer service."

Mr. Gary Comerford, Vice President (International) and General Manager for India in Sun Life Financial was also part of the delegation. Says Mr. Comerford, "Consistent with our growth objectives the endeavour has been to build robust distribution models. In India we have excellent examples of global best practices in distribution."

Birla Sun Life companies are leaders in their respective business segments. Birla Mutual Fund had been constituted as a trust in December 1994. The company offers a spectrum of 20 investment schemes including two offshore funds. The nine equity funds and nine income schemes besides the two offshore funds are designed to cater to every need of the investor. Birla Mutual Fund today has emerged as one of India's leading mutual funds with close to Rs.10,500 crore of assets under management and an investor base in excess of 575,000 folios (as on 28 February 2005).

Birla Sun Life Distribution Limited (BSDL) is India's premier wealth management company and specializes in the investment advisory business catering to different investor segments — institutions, high net worth individuals and retail investors. As a leading national player, BSDL provides comprehensive financial planning services through its well-developed network of branches and channel partners across the country. The company has a presence in 13 locations across India and works with close to 1900 channel partners. The range of products offered includes mutual funds, GOI Relief Bonds, Bonds of public financial institutions, s;elect fixed deposits, initial equity and debt public offerings besides life insurance. The total investor base is close to 175,000 and the total assets under management has crossed Rs. 4000 crore. BSDL ranks amongst the top five distributors in the country and is one of the first distribution houses to be ISO 9001:2000 certified.

Birla Sun Life Insurance (BSLI) is a leading private sector life insurer. Since the launch of its business in March 2001 the company has covered in excess of 600,000 lives with the sum assured totaling close to Rs. 21,000 crore (as on 28 February 2005). BSLI has registered an annualised premium for the first 11months (till 28 February 2005) of the current financial year of Rs. 480 crore and the premium revenue for the period grew to Rs.684 crore. The company has a network of 44 branches in 33 cities with a presence through outstation agency managers in another 54 locations. The total insurance advisor strength of BSLI is close to 10,000. Additionally BSLI has tied up with 107 corporate agents and Bancassurance partners for distributing its products in over 200 locations. It was ranked in the "top 25" best places to work for among all industries in the "Grow Talent - Great Places to Work" and "Hewitt Best Employers" surveys. The Asian Insurance Industry Awards 2004 ranked it amongst the top five life insurance companies in all of Asia.

About the Aditya Birla Group

The Aditya Birla Group has a turnover exceeding Rs. 28,000 crore (as on 31 March 2004) and is one of the largest business houses in India. It enjoys a leadership position in all the sectors in which it operates. With over 75 business units, spanning the South East Asian belt, Africa, Canada and the UK among others, it is reckoned as India's first multinational corporation. The group is anchored by 72,000 employees and has seven lakh shareholders, with an asset base of over Rs.23,000 crore.

Additional information is available at www.adityabirla.com

About Sun Life Financial Inc.

Sun Life Financial Inc. is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of wealth accumulation and protection products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Tracing its roots back to 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of 31 December 2004, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of USD 299 billion.

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

Additional information can be found at: www.sunlife.com
For further information kindly contact:
Ms. Anjana Grewal,
Vice President - Marketing &Communication,
Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited,
Tel: 022-5678 3333.
E-mail: anjana@birlasunlife.com