Along with Matt, I wish to say well done to everyone who has just qualified. He and I visited Singapore and Malaysia at the end of last year and had the privilege of meeting some of our new qualifiers there.
I am often asked, ‘What is the point of the IFoA?’ I usually reply that our role is to enable our members and future members to have professionally and personally rewarding careers and to feel part of a professional community that is making a difference.
As the new sessional year gets under way, it’s a pleasure to welcome Matt Saker as president, and to work with him and our leadership to continue with the strategy agreed by Council.
This month marks the turn of our sessional year, with the AGM, our change of president and new Council appointments. It’s a time for looking back and looking forward, as well as an important checkpoint, demonstrating our accountability to our members.
As we cross the halfway mark in our existing strategy, our thoughts are somewhat inevitably beginning to turn to what comes next – particularly as much of our focus so far has been to get the IFoA ‘fit’ for what follows, whether that is our culture, systems, finances and so on. Our constant aim is to create and sustain a meaningful and valuable member experience for all of you as individuals and in the profession more broadly, and in a way that enables the IFoA to grow and flourish. The best starting point for this is the feedback you have given us.