I envisage my role of president as facilitating the creation of an environment where members and staff of the IFoA can all work together with a single focus to secure the future of our profession.
In the April issue, the president draws attention to the many implications for individuals in the ways in which we conduct our lives... of living beyond the age of 100... as actuaries we are well placed to deal with the many permutations that are implied.
Throughout my year as president, I have focused my energy around three goals for the profession: proactively seeking to be future fit, creating suitable professionals, and finding ways to serve our diverse membership.
Previously, I have written about the importance of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the ways in which our profession engages with the aims of the SDGs.
The end of one year and the start of another is a time when many of us reflect on what we have achieved and what weve still not checked off the list of the previous years aspirations. It is only when we look back that we truly appreciate how much we have accomplished and experienced in the year.
As an IFoA member based outside the UK, I believe I have a different perspective from that of my predecessors. Im currently based in Johannesburg, but spent most of my career in the UK. I have also been fortunate to have visited members in many other countries. I am therefore invested in fostering relationships with our UK-based members as well as responding to the ever-growing demand for IFoA membership and interaction overseas.
We talk a lot about professionalism in the financial services industry, but it can be hard to define exactly what that means. According to the Oxford English Dictionary it is the competence or skill expected of a professional.
