Back to work

September is the start of a new academic year in many countries, and even for those no longer part of an academic cycle, it is often a time for reflection and setting new goals. It is always healthy, I think, to step back periodically and take stock of how things are going.

Having not been out of the house for more than a few hours at a time since March, I have been lucky enough to take a very welcome break travelling with my family, which gave me plenty of time for such reflection. It was a holiday taken with mixed feelings, as we are aware of the carbon cost of our flights and the increased risk of catching and spreading COVID-19. We had in any case resolved to fly less after my previous role required too many plane trips, so this will be the last one for a while. One of our family goals for the coming year will be to increase our efforts to live an ethical and sustainable lifestyle.

In terms of this magazine, my goal remains the same as it was when I took the reins at the start of the year: to ensure we cover a range of issues, and to provide sufficient technical detail to promote informed debate. I am proud, therefore, that in this issue we feature a contribution from members of the Extreme Events Working Party on the economic outcomes that COVID-19 could have for insurers (p22). We also have our cover feature, in which Chris Lewin of the Infrastructure Working Party tells us about the group’s visions for the development of UK infrastructure by the year 2050 (p16). Look out for our climate risk supplement, too.

Finishing where I started, with academia, we also feature more actuaries who have taken the step away from the profession (p38).

Welcome back to work, and I hope you enjoy the issue.