IFoA research goes large: call for proposals
Lessons from the Monica Allanach Lecture: ‘Sex in the 21st Century’ and making it to the top Kathryn Morgan (pictured above), director of regulatory operations at Gibraltar Financial Services Commission, delivered a stimulating lecture on ‘Sex in the 21st Century’ on 15 July, encouraging women actuaries to navigate to the top of their fields. Morgan’s lecture was the first in what is hoped to be an annual lecture held in honour of Monica Allanach (pictured right), and was generously sponsored by the Prudential. Allanach was a trailblazer and the first woman on the Institute of Actuaries’ Council. She introduced ‘ladies’ tea parties’ in the 1950s to provide a forum for women to discuss their careers, and worked lifelong at the Prudential, where she retired from her position as actuary for the UK in 1981. IFoA president Fiona Morrison opened the lecture, welcoming everyone to celebrate Allanach’s achievements in paving the way for all female actuaries and to consider how we can continue her legacy into the future. Morrison wondered whether she would be standing there, as the second female president of the IFoA, were it not for Allanach – “I suspect the answer is ‘probably not’,” she said. Karin Brown, director of corporate pensions and legacy at Prudential Assurance, introduced Morgan to the stage, outlining her illustrious career and her contributions to regulatory policy, general insurance and to the IFoA. With the backdrop of Allanach’s remarkable achievements, Morgan delivered an insightful, funny and inspiring lecture.
She was frank in discussing the tactics she has employed to be both successful and fulfilled in her career. Her advice spanned from “Do every role in a sessional meeting at least once” and “Try to put something of yourself in every interaction you have with others” to “If you have to develop coping mechanisms to get you through the day, find another job – and make sure you test the corporate culture before you do”. She also recommended taking risks: “Find people you don’t know at a conference and find out what’s interesting about them.” Her overall message was that, like Allanach, women shouldn’t feel any barriers to going after what they want; likewise, they should make sure that, when they get what they want, they are also happy. Morgan asked the audience to offer coping mechanisms and further advice for making the field of actuaries more diverse. This led to a lively period of questions and answers that covered flexible working schedules, the provision of more opportunities for women in senior roles and whether or not there should be a business case for diversity – or, if this is a moot point, whether gender equality should be a ‘given’. The session was filmed and is available to view at bit.ly/1DFHNPn
What are the actuarial consequences of how people age? How do we expect the changing economic environment to affect actuarial assessments? What are the consequences of disruptive technologies? Over the past few months, the IFoA’s Research and Thought Leadership Committee (RTLC) has been gathering views on the key research challenges in actuarial science that may need to be addressed in the coming years. Under the leadership of RTLC chairman Mark Cross, this has now resulted in a call for research proposals. While the IFoA has a long history of commissioned research projects, this call represents a marked change in the scale of research projects that the IFoA is seeking to fund. The intention is that successful projects will be run through the IFoA’s Actuarial Research Centre (ARC), which will be expanded to include a wider range of universities and research teams. The projects will also complement the extensive research already undertaken by the volunteer working parties. The IFoA would like to hear from academic and corporate research teams who believe they are in a position to help address some of the key questions in actuarial science and deliver research that is relevant to our members and industry. We are also keen to hear from organisations who have a keen interest in some of the research outputs and would like to shape and scope the research from the outset. The call for research closes on 5 October. To view the call for research proposals and the key questions identified, visit bit.ly/1WovvRs
New vacancies: your chance to volunteer Interested in volunteering for the profession? Why not take a look at some of our current vacancies below? Not only will you help direct and develop your profession but there is also the added benefit of being able to develop your own skills, personally and professionally. ● Call for speakers. ● Board members – Resource and
Environment Board. ● Career ambassador. ● Independent examiner (professional
development and responsibility). For more details, visit bit.ly/ 1CdefkU, or email the head of volunteer engagement at debbie.atkins@ actuaries.org.uk
September 2015 • THE ACTUARY www.theactuary.com
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