Description: Expanding Horizons recently had the opportunity to interview Wenjun Zhu, the winner of the Society of Actuaries’ (SOA’s) third Actuarial Science Early Career Award.

Description: An interview with Weili Lu, the president of ARIA

Description: Stefanos Orfanos shares his perspective and priorities for this year as the incoming chair of the SOA Education and Research Section.

Description: To provide high level information on a book selected and discussed during the December book club session, The Ten Commandments of Risk Leadership. In addition, this article serves as a promotion of the SOA book club as well as the upcoming sessions.

Description: This article is the result of the Leadership & Development book club on Dare Lead. The article talks about major themes in the book and relates them to other podcasts and authors thought on those themes.

Description: Providing ways to master the art of soft skills and embracing agility to propel actuarial success in today's market.

Description: In today’s market of post-pandemic consolidation and org chart streamlining, we’ve observed significant changes to actuarial career development and advancement opportunities. But, those changes aren’t occurring in equal measures across the arc of the actuarial career. Our focus is on the impact felt by experienced reinsurance actuaries.

Description: This article studies the syllabus as a dynamic, interactive teaching tool that informs and is informed by both solutions of complex course problems and student difficulties with these problems.

Description: Dovel Technologies started as a two-person company, and by the time we sold to Private Equity in late 2019, Dovel had more than 1,200 people on its payroll. In this article, the authors (and cofounders of Dovel) describe two concepts that helped Dovel grow that actuaries can apply to help grow their firms.

Description: Many start-up companies have certain elements in common: Most are still developing a profitable, working business model, there is little to no hierarchy or management structure, and everyone is in it together. A typical challenge is an ability to retain and/or attract strong leaders due to lack of resources needed to compete in the higher compensated talent markets. This article introduces The Equity Bonus Plan, which can help entrepreneurs attract and retain talent.

Description: Why is adventure travel important to entrepreneurial actuaries? This article will address the question, and perhaps it will incentivize some of you, setting you on a journey of adventure travel. We certainly hope it will as we know the rewards.

Description: Interview with Sara Teppema showing her career journey and leadership philosophy.

Description: Can quiet actuaries inspire others and get things done just as well as their louder, more social colleagues? This isn’t just a question that plagues quiet actuaries, of course. For the over half of us that identify as quiet people and wish to lead, it’s easy to second guess and doubt ourselves. This doubt sometimes holds us back from reaching for that promotion, or starting that new organization. Some quiet actuaries may try to adapt extravert behaviors, however those efforts can be draining and short-lived. This article shows how quiet actuaries can authentically lead and leverage their strengths.

Description: This is a conversation with two critical staff members of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) about their experience there. Jane Lesch is a non-actuary who has been working at the SOA for over 20 years, and is an engagement specialist. Mike Boot is an actuary who retired at the end of February after 15 years at the SOA, most recently as managing director. We spoke to both Jane and Mike to get their take on what leadership is about, and how working at the SOA impacted them.

Description: This article focusses on the results of a June 2020 survey by the Leadership and Development Section of the SOA on working remotely as an actuary. The article presents the questions and responses of the survey, and commentary on how to successfully navigate the remote work environment as an actuary - from the perspective of both a current organizational leader, and as a future organizational leader.

Description: What does leadership look like within the actuarial industry, what are some variables, and what practical advice can we learn?

Description: Read the June 2020 issue of The Stepping Stone published by the Leadership & Development Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: The SOA and Plug and Play relationship will allow InsurTech start-ups to validate their technology and modeling processes with actuaries. The strategic partnership with Plug and Play demonstrates the SOA’s commitment to providing its members with dynamic learning experiences, rewarding volunteer opportunities, and collaborative events where they can learn from the experiences and ideas of peers around the world.

Description: The collective investment in transforming the life insurance proposition exceeds anything seen in the last thirty years — a working lifetime. As one would expect, reinsurers are playing a major role. The past five years have seen global reinsurers raise the bar on client experience to new levels, while also investing, expanding and re-organizing to support the transformation of the primary insurance industry, and in so doing also their own.

Description: Global megatrends in technology are disrupting the life insurance industry.

Description: Latest in our on-going series in which we have a candid discussion with one the insurance industry's most respected and high profile risk practitioners

Description: Purchase Accounting for Insurance Business Combination under China-GAAP from an Actuarial Perspective – Part II

Description: Read the September 2016 issue of International News published by the International Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: The October/November 2015 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: Executive Coach Marcel Schwantes demonstrated that applying daily practices of Servant Leadership is really the best way to engage workers to perform at a high level, which will improve the bottom line. Here Schwantes returns to kick-off a six part series that delves deep into the best practices of what a servant leader is, and does.

Description: The August/September 2014 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: The December 2013/January 2014 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: The April/May 2013 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: Even if you are analytic and process oriented, you have the ability to be great at selling.

Description: Peter Jacobi offers six common mistakes made by businesses today.

Description: How to get more out of your employees by monitoring their 'Tensions'. The employee's tensions may be either too high Stress or too low Apathy. This article tells you what to do in either case.

Description: Joe Kolodney,retired Managing Director of the Life Reinsurance Practice Group of Aon Re, is recognized for his contributions to the reinsurance industry.

Description: This article describes the EXCEL Model, a teaching and coaching tool developed by The Flippen group, College Station, Texas and adopted by many organizations. It focuses the leader on the needs of the team. The five components of the model are: Engage, X-plore, Communciate, Empower and Launch.

Description: This article provides a model to assist teaching and coaching. It has been used to improve relationships and performance both in individual situations and in group settings.

Description: Article is about leadership