Boston-based John Hancock Financial Services, the U.S. division of Toronto’s Manulife Financial Corp., has named James R. Boyle as president.

Boyle becomes the 21st president of John Hancock, which was founded in 1862. Boyle, 49, is also a member of Manulife’s executive and management committees.

Boyle, who is based in Boston, will direct all phases of John Hancock’s operations.

The company’s core business areas include life insurance, long-term care insurance, variable annuities, 401(k) plans, fixed products and mutual funds, John Hancock financial network and investment management services.

Before taking on his current role, Boyle served as president of John Hancock’s U.S. insurance division, and prior to that, he was president of the U.S. Wealth Management division.

He serves on the board of directors of John Hancock Trust and John Hancock Funds. Boyle joined Manulife in 1992, having previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers.