|
|
|
From the President
Our Place in the World
by Robert F. Conger
During my year serving as president, I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with a wide variety of organizations throughout North America and around the world, including many actuarial organizations. I want to talk about one of the organizations that I have found to be particularly interesting in the global development of the actuarial profession.
This actuarial organization has members in 15 countries and has administered examinations to students in 24 countries. The organization's global impact is even greater than these statistics might suggest, because the members' employers and clients have business interests in virtually every country. Further, this organization makes its research and educational resources instantly and globally available via its Web site, not only to members and students, but to any other interested party.
You probably have figured out that the organization I am describing is the CAS. Although our historical roots trace to the United States, we have evolved into an international organization. It is critical that we embrace, continue, and very actively pursue our evolution in this direction. Why?
- Our clients and employers have global business interests; we must position our members to meet the actuarial needs associated with these interests. We must educate our current members about the critical issues globally and be prepared to service current and future members working in diverse environments.
- Many of our members today—and more in the future—need a "portable" actuarial designation, a designation that allows the flexibility of practicing in various countries.
- We seek the best and brightest students to become CAS members, but can do so in many jurisdictions only if the CAS credential is a pathway to local recognition as a qualified actuary. As incoming Vice President-International John Narvell notes in an interview in the "New VP-International Takes on Global Actuarial Issues" article, this factor is a most compelling argument in favor of the CAS being receptive to mutual recognition agreements.
- We are receiving requests for our expertise in educating property/casualty actuaries in China, India, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. Other organizations will respond to this need, if we do not.
Our best bet for assuring that property/casualty actuaries around the world are well educated and well qualified is to be actively involved in the process. We will not be the only source of education and accreditation for property/casualty actuaries, but we should be the preeminent source of this expertise. The CAS should be taking the lead in creating a global definition of a qualified property/casualty actuary—a definition that our members, our clients and employers, and regulators can be satisfied with in every jurisdiction.
Another compelling reason for our involvement in the international actuarial community lies in our mission to advance the body of knowledge. CAS members develop many new ideas. We also find many examples of outstanding, practical research performed by non-CAS actuaries responding to marketplace issues where they work. Through a greater sharing of ideas via publications and an increased level of cross-participation in meetings and seminars (by speakers and attendees alike), we can facilitate the spread and further development of the frontiers of actuarial science.
Several years ago, the CAS Board of Directors recognized the importance of our activities outside North America and created a vice president position to focus on this dimension of our activities. More recently, the CAS Board has articulated the framework of our international strategy (see reports and reference materials under the "Member Services" section), has approved a budget to support an increased level of global CAS activity, and started reexamining the issue of mutual recognition.
Of course, the CAS has finite financial and volunteer resources. We cannot be everywhere or do everything immediately. We are involved in an ongoing process to identify and prioritize the places and the activities for the CAS to focus our energies around the world. We will build a committee structure supportive of these priorities. If you have ideas or energy that will help the CAS move forward globally, I encourage you to share them with John Narvell at john.narvell@xlwi.com or volunteer for an international committee. It's an excellent way to get involved with the global issues affecting the CAS's future—and yours!