Engagement activity in the various regional communities has always played a major role in providing actuaries with face-to-face continuing professional development (CPD), as well as professional networking activities.
Engagement activity in the various regional communities has always played a major role in providing actuaries with face-to-face continuing professional development (CPD), as well as professional networking activities. It is fantastic to see the number and scope of these growing around the globe. During the past year, regional communities held over 250 technical and social events around the world, with this number guaranteed to grow as new communities come on board and existing communities make use of their annual £5 member subsidies.
Among the many activities on offer was a three-hour CPD event held in February by the Birmingham Actuarial Society. They enjoyed hearing from speakers Andy Jones, part of EY's Economic Advisory Executive; Craig Turnbull, who outlined the history of British actuarial thought; and James Fleming, head of HR at NFU Mutual, who described a winning performance culture.
The Scottish Board was delighted to welcome physicist and meteorologist Dr Heather Reid OBE to present at one of its Knowledge Sharing Scotland CPD events. Speaking to an audience of over 70 members, Dr Reid, better known as Heather the Weather from her days as a BBC weather forecaster, spoke about 'Maths, the weather and me'.
In March, Actuaries Rock, based in Gibraltar, welcomed IFoA president Marjorie Ngwenya, who, among other topics, shared her thoughts on the direction of insurance regulation across the world and whether this represents an opportunity for members.
Lastly, a new community, the New York International Actuarial Network, is about to launch. It plans to hold meetings in the New York area but hopes to welcome members from all over the US. The group is also very keen to connect to other international actuaries.
Information on all the regional communities supported by the IFoA can be found here (bit.ly/2tM1Qg6). For more information on any of these areas or the regional community £5 member subsidy, please email [email protected]