By Lori Weyuker
For the second consecutive year, the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Section is among the fastest-growing special interest Society of Actuaries (SOA) sections. The continued focus on innovation across industries is a major influence on this growth. Innovation remains a hub within actuarial work, so we will continue executing on leading edge content throughout 2019.
The Entrepreneurial and Innovation Section sponsored well-received events to finish off 2018. At the 2018 SOA Annual Meeting & Exhibit in Nashville, we sponsored (and co-sponsored) sessions on “How to Run a P&L,” “Innovation in Auto Insurance: Driverless Cars,” among other cutting-edge topics. The “driverless cars” session, presented by an expert in this space, elicited thoughtful discussion on the possible future of auto insurance as influenced by various types of driverless cars. In addition to the SOA Annual Meeting & Exhibit, we continued our podcast series with an interview on the important and timely topic “Diversity and Inclusion in the Actuarial Profession,” by Carlos Fuentes.
The 2019 E&I Section Council Members have planned an action-packed year to continue to provide discerning content. In addition to our regular creation of thought-provoking sessions at the SOA Life and Annuity Symposium (LAS), the Health Spring Meeting and the SOA Annual Meeting & Exhibit, we plan a series of webcasts on pioneering ideas in both the entrepreneurial and innovation areas. We will continue to push out ongoing podcast interviews with front line experts in innovation.
In 2018, we began a series of networking events in New York City which were very successful. We will continue these networking events, and plan to expand this to another city. Keep an open for our communication coming up on our next networking events.
We have several other activities in the works, so we can always use actuarial volunteers! Please reach out to the E&I Section Council Members if you’d like to volunteer in any way!
Lori Weyuker, MAAA, ASA, is actuarial leader of Nationwide’s Pet Insurance in Los Angeles. She can be contacted at LWeyuker@Nationwide.com.