How Are Actuaries Making a Difference in Public Policy?

Actuaries have a long and well-established track record of constructively participating in public policy development. This panel discussion will highlight the journey of that involvement, the approaches and methodologies that have been effective and those that have not, as well as future opportunities.

The profession’s expertise was originally focussed on finding fair societal solutions for life and property insurance. Over time it expanded into other insurances and savings products, and more recently into the delivery of government services and multidisciplinary challenges such as climate change.

That expansion recognises the unique value of the actuarial approach which goes well beyond financial modelling – including scenario analysis and stress testing, organising and extracting insights from large and complex data sets, applying the actuarial control cycle (which can equally be characterised as the innovation cycle) and creating powerful visualisations to communicate the case for change.

It has also revealed opportunities for actuaries to enhance their knowledge, skills and ways of working to maximise the profession’s potential to affect positive change.

The international panel will share their learnings about this journey. It will include the Chair of the Actuaries Institute Public Policy Council Committee, Dr Anthony Lowe (tbc), and peers from overseas organisations (tbc).

When many individuals are seeking greater purpose in their work and the global environment is undergoing tremendous change, this is an important discussion.