She was 13 years old when her mother died.

"My father went into depression and he neglected the business. We suddenly lost everything. We did not have a house or a car. And being the eldest of seven, I had to take care of all my siblings," she recalled.

That early, Chan learned how to balance her time between the needs of her siblings and her own needs. On top of that, she worked so she could pay for her own schooling. Through patience and hard work, she graduated from the University of San Carlos.

Eager to have her own family, Chan married Francisco Chan shortly after and, with time on her hands as her children were growing up, decided to work part time as an insurance agent.

"I knew I would do well even on a part-time basis. I was attracted by the income and the independence and flexibility of time of the job," she said, even as she recounted difficulties and embarrassing moments with clients. " I had one prospective client who said that selling life insurance was one of the worst decisions I made because the product is the last thing people would choose to buy. He said I would not get anywhere with this kind of job and that I should go elsewhere to earn my living."

Unfazed, Mary stayed on and proved him wrong.

Today, Chan has been in the business for 25 years. She was given the Top Agency Manager award in 2007 by the General Agency Managers Association (GAMA). GAMA recognized her as one of only two members who qualified for the Diamond category, the highest ranking recognition for the exclusive association of all life insurance managers.

Within Sun Life Phils., Chan and her business unit called the Redwood team won the top branch of the years six times. Last year, the Redwood unit became the first team within the company to generate P1 billion in mutual funds sales.

As Redwood’s head, Chan intends to keep the business unit’s momentum. "We need to work harder. We will need to strategize, carefully plan out our next moves. It will not become any easier but I’m sure we can manage to maintain our drive, stamina and our enthusiasm to stay on top," she said.

Not surprisingly, Chan is a role model for every aspiring agent in Sun Life. She is a fighter, taking responsibility for what she believes in. she is a leader with the human touch, one who has been strengthened by adversity and seasoned by time. Most important of all, she is a winner, overcoming challenges and difficulties.