


On 2 June, I presented a keynote address “Reimagining the Profession” at the Actuarial Association (AAE)’s European Actuarial Days.
I summarised the work we have done at the IFoA over the last 3 years and also my latest thinking. The story is essentially this.
We must modernise our skillsets in order to be relevant given the advent of the digital revolution and fourth industrial revolutions.
But skillsets are not enough, we must broaden our mindsets and adopt a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving. We must make room for curiosity, adaptability and a growth mindset; courage, imagination and judgement.
This will not only enable us to stay relevant in existing domains but also venture into new areas.
Our purpose is not just about doing well. It is also about doing good – to play a greater role in the society in addressing radical uncertainty and the many sustainability issues of our time.
The actuarial profession is transforming. In my presentation, I concluded that the actuarial profession would see emerging roles such as the banking actuary, climate actuary, data science actuary, epidemiology actuary, investment actuary, risk and uncertainty actuary etc.
We live in the worst of times, a winter of despair and an age of darkness – covid-19, climate crisis and flawed regulatory systems. We also live in the best of times. Our renewed purpose can help bring a season of light and a spring of hope to humankind.
References:
European Actuarial Days 2021
https://www.ead2021.org/event/d188543c-9d3a-4bf5-bbc0-5c294d5730b3/summary
About Industry 4.0
https://www.ibm.com/sg-en/topics/industry-4-0