It may not surprise you that my interview and onboarding process with the IFoA was incredibly thoughtful and thorough.
At each stage, I learned something new and meaningful about the organisation. While the process was designed to give me a clear picture of the IFoA’s strengths and opportunities, I was struck by the warm welcome, and the genuine desire to see the IFoA and the profession progress.
It is sometimes too easy to overlook that the IFoA is first and foremost a membership organisation. It is a privilege to serve our members in this role, and to be part of some vitally important conversations so early in my tenure – hopefully bringing to life everyone’s aspirations for what we do.
One of those conversations has been about our 2020-24 strategy, due to launch in the coming months. Council has shaped a clear narrative about our collective future: a future that we hope all members – wherever they work or live – can see themselves in. While our strength may lie in numbers (no pun intended), it is each individual member’s point of view and ambitions that make the IFoA such a distinctive institution, and we must never take that for granted.
I am looking forward to working with volunteers, members and employees to bring this narrative to life. As a start, I think we can be better in sharing the work being done to modernise the IFoA and demonstrate an understanding of what is important to our members, including streamlined CPD requirements, a move towards online admissions, and readying ourselves for a more contemporary approach to marking exams, to name just a few.
Thank you for the welcome many of you have extended. I look forward to continuing to learn with you.
Stephen Mann is the chief executive of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries