Celebrating International Actuaries Day

The origins of International Actuaries Day stem from 2 September 1895. This was the date of the first International Congress of Actuaries, held in Brussels, Belgium, representing the birthday of the global profession that we know today.

Check out the interviews below!

David Knox, Global Pension Expert and Senior Partner at Mercer

David Knox joined Jan Kars, President of the IAA, to discuss David’s international work, his role in organising the 2023 International Congress of Actuaries (ICA2023), and the importance of celebrating International Actuaries Day.

0:33 – What International Actuaries Day means to David, and how actuaries can collaborate at ICA2023, both virtually and in-person.

1:47 – The benefit of global networking, the projects that are being achieved, and how that work is positively influencing society.

“This year we are looking at 43 retirement systems around the world and we look at things such as adequacy, sustainability and integrity and to work with colleagues around the world… is just a fantastic thing to do.” – David Knox.

Clarissa Dharma, Executive at Macquarie Group

Clarissa Dharma joined Mathieu Langelier, Executive Director of the IAA, to discuss her experience in working across ‘traditional’ and ‘non-traditional’ actuarial roles, how connecting with the global actuarial community has benefited her professional development, and where she sees the actuaries developing in the future.

0:32 – Clarissa’s experience of being part of the international actuarial community while in the early phase of her career.

1:15 – The ‘traditional’ and ‘non-traditional’ areas which Clarissa has had the opportunity to work across.

2:30 – The future professional opportunities that Clarissa is eager to explore over the next five years.

“For me, it’s really important to have impact, and I think actuaries have a great platform, a really great network. In my mind, actuaries can pretty much do anything, because you have such a strong technical basis, but you can also launch yourself into non-technical roles like I’m doing now, and you can understand the world from a macro perspective.” – Clarissa Dharma.

Andrew Boal, Partner – Actuarial Consulting at Deloitte

Andrew Boal and Jan Kars discussed Andrew’s role as Chair of the ICA2023 Organising Committee, and the importance of global collaboration in his actuarial work.

0:37 – What International Actuaries Day means to Andrew, and the responsibilities of overseeing the delivery of ICA2023.

2:42 – Andrew on the origins of his actuarial career and his passion for applying his knowledge to help others.

“A lot of the actuaries I speak to have that sense of purpose with the community, and try to do some good for their community, and certainly as I’ve gotten older and more advanced in my career, having that passion to help people have a better retirement has driven me in a lot of areas.” – Andrew Boal.

Emma Vitz, Actuarial Analyst at Finity Consulting

Emma Vitz also joined Mathieu Langelier to talk about her career, studies, and contribution to the Australian Actuaries Climate Index. Furthermore, Emma discusses the importance of actuaries working with the media to deliver the facts.

1:12 – Emma on the importance clear, concise and accurate messaging from actuaries to the media.

2:29 – The influential work Emma is completing for the Australian Actuaries Climate Index.

3:44 – How Emma balances her work and study commitments.

“We deal with complex subjects, uncertainty, risk, often quite far into the future. That’s quite a difficult concept for people to understand but very important in terms of climate change and COVID-19. Communicating with people in a way that they understand while also being accurate and informative is an edge that we have as a profession over people who might speak to the media on certain topics. I encourage other actuaries to develop these skills too.” – Emma Vitz.

This year, the IAA will be celebrating this important anniversary with a special virtual event on 7:00pm (AEST) 2 September 2021. Register now.   Call for Papers for ICA2023 are now open! Be heard on the global stage and make a difference. The Institute and the IAA are looking for papers with originality, a path to further research, and real commercial and practical value. Closing date for abstracts 31 March 2022. Make a submission.

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