Description: Creating an effective team is core to actuarial transformation. This involves establishing teams with jobs that line up to achieve the company's goals, with clear roles that engage people and enable them to develop. Coupled with this, effective teams need to harness the benefits of diversity. This is done both directly and through sponsorship and allyship to ensure that the full benefit of diverse teams can be realized with multiple viewpoints and perspectives strengthening teams. During the sessions, the speakers will draw on their experiences from around the world on, building global and diverse teams. By attending this session, you will:•Be able to gain insight on the benefits of embracing diversity when creating an actuarial team across the globe, and how sponsorship and allyship in workplace foster an inclusive environment.

Description: Learn to master leadership, communication and teamwork during the Soft Skills in the Quantitative Field webcast. While actuaries work in a technical field, discover ways to implement creativity into professional settings. The second portion of this webcast focuses on technical skills. Determine best ways to utilize time management for deep work, while also concentrating on knowledge exchanges between colleagues with different perspectives and areas of specialization to increase satisfaction. Explore how both soft and technical skills can challenge the actuarial perception standpoint and which will be least vulnerable to automation in the future.

Description: As organizations continue to reevaluate business needs and strategize how to best move forward in an evolving industry, technology and innovation are becoming competitive differentiators. Insurers are reimagining processes and accelerating modernization initiatives, and the role of the actuary is transforming in both scope and demand. It's vital actuarial leaders recognize the impact of modernization efforts on their employees, are empathetic to their needs, and create strategies to promote engagement, development and retention during technological transformations. Discover how leaders can prepare their teams emotionally and psychologically for change, gaining their buy in and support for new initiatives while increasing long-term loyalty. A panel of actuarial leaders who have successfully led their teams through change initiatives will also offer their lessons learned and best practices. Leave with the tools and insights necessary to take an empathetic approach to modernization that eases concerns and cultivates a productive and engaged actuarial team.

Description: The 2023 Professionalism in Practice Course will study, discuss and explore the professionalism practice, code of conduct and application of the actuarial profession. Our speakers are seasoned presenters from mainland China. Experts will cover several issues encountered in daily actuarial working environments. Content will include business cases and interactive discussions, which aim to enrich the practical learning experience of attendees. Audience attendance will be limited in order to provide an interactive, collaborative learning experience. Early registration is highly recommended to secure a seat.

Description: SOA Names Morgan State University to its University-Earned Credit Diversity Extension Program

Description: Almost half of recent FDA approvals have been for orphan drugs. This trend is expected to continue in 2023. Orphan drugs are priced more than 30 times higher than non-orphan drugs, therefore their cost burden in aggregate has the potential to overwhelm the budgets of payers, especially that of smaller health plans. Hear how the cost impact analysis for smaller health plans require different considerations than for a larger health plan when modeling the impact of rare diseases.

Description: Explore similarities between actuaries and data scientists as speakers share personal experiences on the importance of organizational structure. Attend the Actuary, Data Scientist, or Actuarial Data Scientist webcast to discover the effectiveness of partnering both of these career paths in a life insurance atmosphere. In addition to personal experiences, speakers will discuss several success stories where collaboration and connection became the key to driving innovation. Come learn about the progress these professions have caused in pricing and risk management.

Description: Explore concepts of listening, intention, emotion and bias to promote constructive conversations and constructive feedback. A panel of actuarial leaders will share skills and techniques they use to deal with topics that are sometimes stressful and tough to deal with. By utilizing a strong feedback model and emotional intelligence, anxiety and frustration can be reduced for everyone, leading to purposeful outcomes and positive resolutions. There will be time to ask questions and seek advice for difficult situations you may be experiencing. Possible topics: - Asking for a raise or promotion - Giving performance reviews - Sharing insights with your boss - Team members not pulling their weight By attending this session, you will: - Reduce fear and anxiety - Improve problem-solving - Enhance listening skills - Understand motives of self and others

Description: The working life of actuaries has become faster paced, more complex, and potentially more volatile than in any previous period in the history of the profession. Furthermore, actuaries are increasingly being asked to expand their roles into areas that lie beyond the traditional space associated with the actuarial profession. As a result, actuaries are increasingly finding themselves faced with professional and ethical dilemmas for which there is little precedent to rely for guidance. Take part in a guided discussion about three real-world case studies where actuaries were required to make difficult decisions. We will see how by remaining calm and leaning on the ASOPs, actuaries were able to navigate professional and ethical pitfalls despite pressure from key stakeholders. Each case study will highlight actuaries working in different areas within the industry. Some examples may include: - Case study 1: An actuary working for a direct insurer finds a last-minute error during a busy production cycle. - Case study 2: An actuary working for a reinsurer finds themselves under pressure to apply an unrealistic assumption. - Case study 3: An actuarial consultant is under pressure from a non-actuarial client to perform work in a way that would not comply with actuarial standards. By attending the session, you will: - Understand how to lean on the ASOPs to keep cool during stressful situations. - Manage deadlines and expectations. - Balance risk and reward, and remain true professionals, no matter how hot the fire.

Description: The war for actuarial talent is intensifying, amplified by an existing mid-level talent gap and increased competition from outside industries. As insurers continue to experience “Great Reshuffle,” effectively retaining junior and mid-level actuaries and growing them into future leaders is vital for long-term success. Actuarial leaders must be strategic in how they demonstrate commitment to their employees’ futures and proactive in providing clear career pathing and development opportunities within their organizations. Discuss common characteristics and expectations of younger generations, the skillsets essential for tomorrow’s leaders, the role professional development plays in retention, and ways to effectively support their growth and advancement to build long-term loyalty. Gain insight into specific actions to maintain open and honest conversations with your teams, uncover employees’ career aspirations, and grow vital interpersonal skills among high potential employees to foster a bench of future leaders who can think beyond the numbers and provide broader enterprise impact. By attending the session, you will:•Understand the values and characteristics common to younger generations, while recognizing and emphasizing individual needs.•Uncover how to identify and support individual employee’s professional aspirations to increase retention.•Identify the skills that separate good actuaries from great leaders and how they can be developed.•Leverage strategies and tools to grow future leaders and help close the mid-level talent gap within their own organizations.