Skip to main content
The Actuary: The magazine of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries - return to the homepage Logo of The Actuary website
  • Search
  • Visit The Actuary Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit The Actuary Magazine on LinkedIn
  • Visit @TheActuaryMag on Twitter
Visit the website of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Logo of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

Main navigation

  • News
  • Features
    • General Features
    • Interviews
    • Students
    • Opinion
  • Topics
  • Knowledge
    • Business Skills
    • Careers
    • Events
    • Predictions by The Actuary
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
    • Podcasts
  • Jobs
  • IFoA
    • CEO Comment
    • IFoA News
    • People & Social News
    • President Comment
  • Archive
Quick links:
  • Home
  • The Actuary Issues
  • July 2015
07

A crisis of confidence?

Open-access content Thursday 25th June 2015 — updated 5.13pm, Wednesday 29th April 2020

Derek Cribb welcomes Fiona Morrison’s ‘promote’ theme to counteract actuaries’ negative self-image

2

As we move into a new sessional year, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to Nick Salter for all of his work as president of the IFoA. Giving one's time to lead the profession while heading up a busy consultancy must have been challenging, but Nick took on the role with aplomb. He focused our attention on many important matters, not least on diversity as his presidential theme. Nick, please accept our congratulations and thanks for a successful year.

As Nick becomes immediate past-president, I am delighted to welcome on board Fiona Morrison as our new president. Fiona has a lifetime of volunteering experience and a real passion for the profession. As she explains in her first column for this magazine, she is taking 'promote' as her presidential theme, ensuring that we all work together as volunteers and staff to promote the value of the actuarial skillset, the wider fields in which actuaries could work, and the value of sound regulation.

The importance of promoting actuarial skills to a wider audience has led me to think about the results of our latest stakeholder perception audit, an exercise undertaken annually for us by ComRes, which surveys stakeholders who are important to the success and sustainability of the IFoA to gauge their views about the actuarial profession. We will publish the full results of the survey on the IFoA website soon. 

Interestingly, a strong theme in this year's audit was that the people who hold the most negative views of actuaries are actuaries themselves. They have a sound reputation among employers and regulators: the Morris Review of the profession following the closure of Equitable Life was not mentioned once by external stakeholders in the latest survey results. It is only actuaries who are still talking about it.

It's a vicious circle - actuaries lacking confidence in their abilities can mean that they do not push themselves forward, therefore their value and the quality of their work is not promoted and understood more widely. This is why I welcome Fiona's 'promote' theme. I am incredibly proud of the ComRes results, which demonstrate just how far the profession has come. But actuaries must have confidence in themselves for us to continue moving forward. Retelling the old jokes about introverted actuaries perpetuates a negative image. Take pride in belonging to a profession that has a positive reputation amongst stakeholders for "expertise, professionalism and being highly qualified". 

This article appeared in our July 2015 issue of The Actuary.
Click here to view this issue
Filed in:
07

You might also like...

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Senior Underwriting Risk Manager

London (Central)
£85K-£95K + Benefits
Reference
124386

Reserving Manager (Contract)

London (Central)
£1200 - £1400 per day
Reference
124385

Life Actuary - Contract - IFRS 17 Financial Impact

England, London / England, Bristol / North Yorkshire, England
£900 - £1150 per day
Reference
124384
See all jobs »
 
 

Today's top reads

 
 

Sign up to our newsletter

News, jobs and updates

Sign up

Subscribe to The Actuary

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
Spread-iPad-slantB-june.png

Topics

  • Data Science
  • Investment
  • Risk & ERM
  • Pensions
  • Environment
  • Soft skills
  • General Insurance
  • Regulation Standards
  • Health care
  • Technology
  • Reinsurance
  • Global
  • Life insurance
​
FOLLOW US
The Actuary on LinkedIn
@TheActuaryMag on Twitter
Facebook: The Actuary Magazine
CONTACT US
The Actuary
Tel: (+44) 020 7880 6200
​

IFoA

About IFoA
Become an actuary
IFoA Events
About membership

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Think Green

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to The Actuary Magazine
Contribute

The Actuary Jobs

Actuarial job search
Pensions jobs
General insurance jobs
Solvency II jobs

© 2022 The Actuary. The Actuary is published on behalf of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries by Redactive Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ