Category Archives: Actuarial Qualifications

LSE Actuarial Society’s annual CV & Interview Workshop, conducted by the GAAPS

Last month Dr Geraldine Kaye and Kerry Lofts ran GAAPS annual CV and Interview skills workshops at LSE Actuarial Society. It is always a pleasure in my line of work to help those just starting out along the long road of Actuarial exams.

This year’s students were thoroughly engaged, asking fantastic questions whilst we dissected their CVs and naturally we were also delighted to receive such positive feedback from the LSE Actuarial Society, with all students giving us 100% on their feedback sheets.

So, thanks again to everyone who attended the workshop. It was a pleasure meeting you all and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

GAAPS Actuarial is one of the most respected specialist Actuarial Recruitment Consultancies worldwide, and has earned a reputation for providing an efficient executive service to both candidates and employers.

Call for speakers from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

If you would like to propose a session for one The Institutes residential conferences, we want to hear from you. Session proposals will be reviewed by the conference programme committee.  The more detail you can give about your proposed session, the more it will help the programme committee with the selection process.  Please see below for how to submit a proposal.

 The programme committee is looking for session proposals that offer:

 •new and relevant subject matter contributions from more than one company

 •practical experience presentations from working parties

 •contributions from practitioners in the products, distribution and customer area case studies

 •contributions from non-actuarial speakers

 •contributions from wider fields

 •dynamic and entertaining speakers

For more details, e-mail:  eventmanagement@actuaries.org.uk

Important message from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries about your CPD record

When did you last update your CPD record?  Will you be compliant by 31 July deadline? Please read the notes below for important advice regarding the current CPD reporting year :

Members in Category 2 are reminded that:

•the current CPD year ends on 30 June 2012; and

•the deadline for completing your on-line CPD record for the current period is Tuesday 31 July 2012.

No changes to CPD records will be possible after this date so, in order to be compliant for the current period, it is important that you log in and complete your record by close of play on 31 July.

No central monitoring of CPD records

During the previous reporting period (2010-2011), CPD requirements changed significantly; as a result of these changes, the Profession found that many CPD records were inadequately completed.  In recognition of the extent of the changes, the CPD team carried out a monitoring exercise and, where necessary, corrected inaccurate or inadequate reporting to bring records up to date.

In May 2012, the Profession transferred all member records to a new member database; as a result, for this and for all future CPD reporting periods, no central correction of inaccurate CPD reporting will be possible.  It is therefore stressed that this is now the responsibility of each member to ensure that their record is correctly completed by the 31 July deadline.

To help you, personal reminders will be issued in July, and further information about recording CPD can be found in the CPD area of the website.

Changes to the CPD recording pages/Verifiable CPD

Following the introduction of the Profession’s new membership database, next time you access your online CPD record you will see some small changes to the CPD recording pages.  These are designed to make CPD recording easier and more accurate: for example, you will be able to distinguish more easily between internal and external CPD events.

You will also find that the tick box which indicated whether a CPD activity was verifiable or non verifiable is no longer available.  Members are reminded that all CPD is verifiable; verification for ‘Private Study’ is indicated by completion of the ‘Learning outcome’ in your CPD record.  Please make sure that you complete this box when entering new records.

Partially regulated members

For partially regulated members, the introduction of the new database means that CPD can no longer be recorded on the Profession’s system.  Partially regulated members should now use their own regulator’s system to record their CPD.

 

Further information

Further information about your CPD requirements, please visit the following web pages:

•CPD Scheme 2011-2012

•Frequently asked questions

For further assistance please contact:  cpd_feedback@actuaries.org.uk

Actuaries and the Law

The programme for this year’s annual seminar on the legal developments in the pension industry that takes place in September has been released.

The seminar will take place on 13 September 9:30 to 16:15 with registration 09:30 – 10:00. The seminar will provide some insights into the recent developments, in what has been a year of major change for the pensions industry.

James Rickards from Outer Temple Chamber will be leading the session on current Case Law exploring:

•the complexities of Statutory Employer

•how Section 75 debts and Flexible Apportionment Arrangements may impact on advice to client

•helping to protect yourself against professional negligence

•how to protect yourself in cyberspace reflecting the changing world in which advice is given

The Event will take place at Staple Inn and if you book before 16 August you will be entitled to an early bird discount. After this date the cost will be as follows:

Members: £345.00 Non-members: £445.00

A limited number of bursary places are available for those who are not in remunerative employment, or who work within a university. A group discount of 10% is available for six or more attendees from the same company booking at once. Please contact 0207 632 1498 for more information.

A masterclass for actuarials on how to make an impact

Whether it’s for an atuarial job interview or a promotional oppertunity, you already know how important first impressions are.  But do you know how to maximise your chances of making that first impression a good one? Image and impact is critical as people subconsciously associate your visual impact with your abilities and values. This workshop session at Momentum conference 2011 was extremely popular and so we have decided to run it as a masterclass.

Course content

  • Enhance your professional image
  • Manage the perceptions others have of you
  • Personify your values through your non-verbal communication
  • Dress to impress

For more details and to book a place visit:

http://www.actuaries.org.uk/events/one-day/masterclass-making-impact

Karl Schriek named as the 1000th to earn prestigious risk management credential

Congratulations from all of us at Gaaps Actuarial Recruitment to Karl Schriek has become the 1000th person to earn the prestigious Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary (CERA) credential.

Schriek is a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa and an actuary at General Reinsurance Africa. Schriek said, “I am excited about what the CERA qualification has to offer. It is a truly robust risk management credential and CERAs are well positioned to play a leading role in the future of risk management.”

The CERA Global Association grants actuarial organisations the right to award the global CERA credential to individual actuaries who have satisfied the requisite education and training requirements.

“CERAs develop effective quality solutions for the risks and opportunities of their clients. They are uniquely qualified to address all types of risk, including financial, operational and strategic risks,” said Fred Rowley, Chairperson of the CERA Global Association. “Businesses that rely on CERAs can make smarter, more confident decisions related to complex risk management challenges affecting business and society,” Rowley said.

The CERA was initially established in the United States by the Society of Actuaries in 2007. Currently organisations in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, United Kingdom and the US are authorised to award the CERA credential.

GAAPS Actuarial – ISO accredited

GAAPS are very pleased to announce that we have been accredited with the ISO certification following a detailed inspection of our working recruitment methods in the actuarial profession.

The report which took place in early February highly praised our up to date audits and systems. Findings from both the internal and management review led to confidence that the systems will be well maintained. Unfortunately the recruitment industry has many companies who are sales led, rather than based upon sound processes and integrity. At GAAPS Actuarial Recruitment we have always prided ourselves on the robust processes and systems that we work to.

As well as the positive comments included within the report about our recruitment systems, our staff were commended for their knowledge of the actuarial industry, their specific roles and their responsibilities.

NEW Professionalism exams for Actuaries

A meeting was held for CPD Co-ordinators to introduce the new way of examining professionalism for actuaries. Initially only those who join the Institute after May 2012 will be subject to the new exam and those within 6 years of joining or who qualify whichever is first. No decision has been made about how to examine experienced fellows.

As this years chairman of the Argonauts Actuarial dining Club, I am delighted our concerns (and lobbying) have been taken into account. Having an online exam takes away the requirement for those not in traditional actuarial employment to take a days holiday to sit an exam. It will also Im sure be welcomed by those in traditional organisations that the exam can now be taken in what would otherwise be wasted time such as waiting at airports.
The on-line exam has had input on the technical side from Leeds University’s ethics dept.

Going forward I would like to see more emphasis in the other exams and tutoring on the long term consequences of decisions-especially those in the public interest. Traditionally actuaries dealt with pensions and life assurance which automatically made them think of long-term consequences-now that they have moved into wider fields more emphasis must be brought to bear on this during their training.

Dr. Geraldine Kaye

Letter of the Month: Women in the Profession

The following letter by Dr Geraldine Kaye, MD of GAAPS was published as Letter of the Month in this month’s issue of The Actuary Magazine

Women in the Profession
In response to your invitation for feedback on the introduction of the page dedicated to the profession’s female actuaries, I write as one of the first ever female actuaries to qualify in the UK — I was within the first 20. Times have moved on, or so I had thought.

Reading The Actuary magazine and coming across a special page for women in our professional magazine seems demeaning. Non-professional issues are, in my opinion, dealt with perfectly adequately elsewhere. On a professional level, there are no differences between men and women in the actuarial profession. We have taken and passed the same exams.

A page dedicated to female actuaries seems not only superfluous, given today’s heavily legislated business conduct stipulated against gender bias, but comes across as patronising towards achievements from both genders. Surely what is achieved by both male and female actuaries are celebrated on the same page. No doubt, with careful forethought, a note that has been included to encompass male interest, seems to contradict the point of a page dedicated to women in the first place?

This may be a ‘call to action’ page for women to participate in the opportunities increasingly available to them worldwide, but surely a way to address issues and celebrate women in the actuarial profession should not be narrowed down in drawing a deliberate line to differentiate gender achievements in the actuarial industry when we are trying to achieve equality?
G. Kaye
8 September 2011

Editor’s comment:
Helen Crofts’ suggestion to have a women’s page in the magazine was widely debated and 
I sought the views of the editorial advisory panel and other actuaries — male and female. There was no consensus view. The aim of the page was to have a home for resources related to women in business. In the spirit of sharing information that was indicated to be of interest to at least some of the readership, across the gender spectrum, I suggested a trial page with the aim of gauging feedback from readers. I have since received mixed feedback, from males and females alike, and I thank you for taking the time to write in.

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SAAX Group Event – Insights on Enterprise Risk Management

Enterprise Risk Management (‘ERM’) is widely recognised as a critical management issue for the Financial Services industry. At the recent SAAX group event, four ERM industry leaders shared their insights on developments in ERM and provide suggestions on how to succeed in a field where there are increasing opportunities for actuaries and risk professionals.

Adrian Baskir introduced the panel which was chaired by Marjorie Ngwenya. The panelists were Paul Sweeting, Jan-Hendrik Erasmus, Malcolm Kemp and Andrew Birrell. There was an interesting and participative discussion with many good questions and contributions from the floor.

Discussion focused on the new CERA qualification. This is a stand-alone internationally recognised qualification and one is eligible for it from Associate level and up.

Three qualities for actuaries are now being highlighted as important ….

  • Business Acumen - ie. “know the specifics of your industry before applying ERM principles” – it is not enough to know the ERM principles in isolation from your specific business
  • Develop strong communication skills – Actuaries are now required to be charismatic and understandable by non-actuarial folk – not enough to be numerate and often non-actuaries are very numerate themselves
  • Contribute to the business strategy of the company – Take time to do proper thinking – away from the audit thinking style of the operational side of the business.

In addition, all four panelists strongly suggest that actuarial thinking has much to offer and that actuaries should not be afraid to just plunge in and learn as they go … there is NO ideal career path … they believe one should just do the very best one can in current roles.

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