Live With The Maverick

My guest for Episode 88 is Lloyd Richards, FIA, CERA, CStat, Director and Head of Actuarial at Crowe UK and Teaching Fellow at the Queen Mary University of London School of Mathematical Sciences.The theme for the episode is 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀.Lloyd and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Sustainability and its relevance for risk management✅ The current sustainability landscape ✅ Bank of England’s CBES directive ✅ Physical, transition, and legal risks✅ Climate scenario analysis and stress testing✅ How actuaries get involved with climate scenario analysis✅ Addressing key gaps in climate scenario analysis✅ Data visualization and its connection to climate scenario analysisIf you are interested in learning about how actuaries are getting involved in Climate and ESG initiatives, you want to watch this.Thank you for being on the show, Lloyd.If you are interested in learning about how actuaries are getting involved in Climate and ESG initiatives, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 87 is Wesley Montgomery, FIA, FASSA, CEA, CEEM, Senior Actuary at Pillar Capital Management Limited.The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗱𝗮.Wesley and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ The insurance and risk management landscape in Bermuda ✅ The Bermuda Monetary Authority✅ How insurance is regulated in Bermuda ✅ Accounting/reporting standards and tax advantages ✅ Global minimum tax for multinational entities✅ How actuaries add value in insurance and risk management ✅ Unique challenges and opportunities for actuaries in Bermuda✅ Traditional reinsurance, retros, and risk transfer✅ Catastrophe bonds, industry loss warrants and parametric covers✅ The culture outside of work in Bermuda If you are curious about the actuarial landscape in Bermuda, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 86 is Ann Chai, FCAS, Chief Risk Officer at Zurich North America.The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀.Ann and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Solving business problems in non-traditional roles✅ How non-traditional roles have helped to shape her career ✅ Leveraging an actuarial background in a risk management role ✅ ERM and other responsibilities as Chief Risk Officer✅ Purchasing insurance for a large corporation ✅ Her current views on the actuarial profession✅ Important considerations for actuaries in navigating their careers ✅ Higher value skills to position actuaries for success✅ Individual contributor, manager, and leadership roles ✅ The ideal mindset for actuaries who break into senior-level positionsIf you are seeking guidance in navigating your actuarial career, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 85 is Kellen Booher, Executive Vice President and Global Insurance Executive.The theme for the episode is 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮.Kellen and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ How to think about your career at the macro level✅ M-shaped vs. T-shaped careers✅ Four types of career experiences that are valuable to have✅ Differences between mentorship and sponsorship✅ Tips on finding a sponsor in a corporate environment✅ Guidance for employees who aspire to be promoted ✅ Individual contributor, influence, and execution competencies ✅ Personal development habits that are beneficial for careers If you are interested in advancing in your career, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 84 is Zorast Wadia, FSA, MAAA, EA, FCA, CFA, Principal and Consulting Actuary at Milliman. The theme for the episode is 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.Zorast and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Defined benefit (DB) plans and defined contribution (DC) plans✅ Plan sponsors, valuation actuaries, and retirement plan operations✅ Cash valuation and financial accounting valuation✅ Differences between corporate and public pension plans✅ Milliman’s Corporate Pension Funding Study✅ Environmental changes that recently shined a light on DB plans✅ The unfreezing of IBM’s DB plan and its implications for the market✅ The American Rescue Plan Act✅ Risk retention, risk management, and risk transfer for DB plans✅ Annuity purchase activity for frozen DB plans If you are interested in learning about the retirement space, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 83 is Andrew Ngai, FIAA, CERA, Director at Taylor Fry. The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀.Andrew and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Participating in Esports as an actuary✅ Applicability of the actuarial skillset in Esports ✅ Developing a passion for Excel beyond everyday actuarial work ✅ Excel World Championships: qualification, training, and competition ✅ Lessons from his competition experience ✅ LAMBDA, LET, and TOCOL functions✅ The benefits of using dynamic arrays✅ VLOOKUP, INDEX MATCH, and XLOOKUP tradeoffs✅ Assessing when a task is better handled outside of Excel✅ Tips for early career actuaries to improve Excel skills If you are interested in learning how to get the most out of Excel to add value in your work, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 82 is Paul Sweeting, Ph.D, FIA, CERA, CFA, FCSI, FRSA, Senior Advisor at Hassana Investment Company. The theme for the episode is 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.Paul and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Enterprise risk management and its strategic role in organizations✅ How actuaries add value in ERM✅ Capital modeling, quantitative risk evaluation, and risk measures✅ Using multivariate distributions for risk modeling✅ What copulas are and why they are used for ERM✅ How to build risk models using copulas✅ Specific risk modeling applications of copulas✅ Gaussian, T, and Archimedean copulas✅ The role of copulas in the 2008 financial crisis✅ Corporate governance and its significance in ERMIf you are interested in learning from one of the premiere global voices in the actuarial profession, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 81 is Gabriel Ware, FCAS, Transaction Actuary | Consultant. The theme for the episode is 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀.Gabriel and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ What legacy risks are and why risks become legacy risks✅ Legacy acquisitions in the insurance space✅ Loss portfolio transfers and adverse development covers ✅ Key considerations for buyers and sellers in legacy transactions ✅ Arriving at an ambivalence point when differences of opinion exist ✅ The role of a transaction actuary compared to that of a traditional actuary✅ War stories from the most complex legacy transactions If you are interested in learning about acquisitions in the insurance market and the role of a transaction actuary, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 80 is Simon Rees, FIA, Chief Actuary, Americas at AXA XL. The theme for the episode is 𝗘𝘅𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀.Simon and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Satellite launches, aerospace, and cyber risks✅ CAT bonds, insurance-linked securities, and alternative capital✅ Political risk and credit bonds✅ Professional liability for emerging technologies✅ Excess and surplus lines of business✅ Nature, coverage, and unique considerations for non-standard risks✅ Lloyd’s of London specialty insurance market✅ Non-admitted US insurance market✅ Projects actuaries get involved with for non-standard risks✅ Key considerations for actuaries analyzing non-standard risks✅ Risk tranches, risk layers, and reinsurance for non-standard risks✅ Recent high-profile events involving non-standard risksIf you are interested in learning about the Wild West of insurance that you likely won’t see in your day-to-day experience, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 79 is Kalpana Shah, FIA, President of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟴.Kalpana and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ The importance of resilience for people in leadership positions ✅ Her inspiration behind running for IFoA President ✅ IFoA key strategic initiatives ✅ Her views on the actuarial profession ✅ The role of actuaries in the decision-making process✅ Skills actuaries need to become effective decision-makers ✅ What actuaries can do to improve their presentation skills ✅ Areas of opportunity for the actuarial professionIf you are interested in learning from an actuary who is leading one of the three global actuarial societies, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 78 is William Mahfood, Chairman at Wisynco Group Ltd. The theme for the episode is 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮.William and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Wisynco’s distribution and manufacturing operations✅ The importance of having a sound risk management culture✅ Key risk management considerations in a diverse business✅ Sourcing talent, retaining employees, and maintaining personal touch✅ Cash management and security risk mitigation✅ Ensuring production meets customer needs ✅ The impact of government policies on operations ✅ Water harvesting from rain to address water availability issues ✅ Managing supply chain disruption and production downtime ✅ Risk management gaps and risk innovation in distribution and manufacturingIf you are interested in learning from an executive who oversees a diverse business with multifaceted risks, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 77 is Steve Prince, FCIA, Partner at RSM Canada and President of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA). The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟳.Steve and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ CIA purpose, credentials, and strategic initiatives ✅ How actuaries in Canada participated in the pandemic response ✅ His roles in marketing, product development, and consulting ✅ The importance of presentation skills ✅ The most important leadership qualities ✅ Providing actuarial expertise in expert testimony ✅ Canada’s criminal rate of interest ✅ Demutualization and its implication for policyholders✅ Livestock insurance option pricing models✅ Areas of opportunity for the actuarial profession in Canada If you are interested in learning from an actuary who has had a dynamic career path including several non-traditional leadership experiences, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 76 is Eric Siegel, Ph. D., Founder of Machine Learning Week and author of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙄 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠: 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.The theme for the episode is 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮.Eric and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ The inspiration behind his new book✅ The missing link between technology and business✅ The automation paradox and its relevance to predictive analytics✅ The reason few models get deployed into production✅ The six steps to machine learning deployment✅ Decision trees, logistic regression, Naive Bayes, ensembles, and deep learning✅ Business use cases in successful deployment If you are interested in learning from a global thought leader in predictive analytics, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 75 is Tim Rozar, FSA, MAAA, CERA, Senior Vice President at Reinsurance Group of America and President and Chair of the Society of Actuaries. The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟲.Tim and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ The keys to building a rewarding career✅ Being strategic in developing skills✅ His inspiration behind running for SOA President ✅ Manufacturing serendipity and how it aligns with SOA strategy ✅ Global relevance for the actuarial profession✅ Growth and diversity of the candidate pipeline ✅ Volunteerism and networking opportunities for actuaries If you are interested in learning from an actuary who has a passion for innovation who is currently leading one of the global actuarial societies, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com⁣

My guest for Episode 74 is Charles Cowling, FIA, Chief Actuary at Mercer and President of the International Actuarial Association.The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟱.Charles and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ The purpose of the International Actuarial Association✅ Sharing knowledge and expertise globally✅ Sharing support in education and professionalism✅ Engaging with supernational organizations and governments ✅ United Nations sustainable development goals✅ How the profession is addressing climate, pandemics, water security, and retirement✅ Balancing priorities of members across geographies✅ The impact of AI on the global actuarial profession ✅ What the IAA is doing around diversityIf you are interested in learning from an actuary who has a direct line of sight into how the actuarial profession functions globally, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 73 is Stephen Mildenhall, FCAS, CERA, CSPA, CCRMP, Author and Retired Actuary. The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮.Stephen and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Working in advanced analytics and publishing research✅ The relationship between minimum bias and generalized linear models✅ Pricing and risk management use cases for actuaries ✅ Allocating risk margin vs. allocating capital ✅ The relevance of aggregate distributions in actuarial work✅ The Python - Aggregate package and how actuaries can use it ✅ The downsides of spreadsheet dependence ✅ Relevant programming competencies for actuaries ✅ Reinsurance analysis for the California Earthquake Authority If you are interested in learning from an actuary who has completed 25 years of actuarial research including multiple publications, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 72 is Dan Carroll, FIA, Owner and Chief Technology Officer at Xcentuate Management Solutions. The theme for the episode is 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆.Dan and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ The role of a Chief Technology Officer✅ Using technology to transform customer experience✅ Transitioning from actuarial to the operational side of business✅ Essential elements of productivity for analytical thinkers✅ Opportunities to improve productivity in insurance and risk management✅ How productivity impacts the quality of decision making✅ Balancing large data sets with simplification and clear communication✅ Leveraging an actuarial background to add value in a non-traditional spaceIf you are interested in learning from an actuary who is using technology to transform customer experience across several domains, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com⁣

My guest for Episode 71 is Sherry Huang, ACAS, Chief Actuary at New Energy Risk. The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆.Sherry and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ How her company interfaces with the energy sector as a Managing General Agent (MGA)✅ Technologies, challenges, and solutions in the energy sector✅ Techno-economic modeling, risk modeling, and pricing analysis✅ How actuaries transform risk into opportunity in the energy sector✅ Opportunities for actuaries to add value in the energy sector✅ Unique aspects of a non-traditional actuarial role✅ Differences b/w a small company and large company actuary role If you are interested in learning from an actuary who is leveraging an actuarial background in a non-traditional way to add value in the energy space, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com

My guest for Episode 70 is The Honourable Daisy McFarlane-Coke, OJ, CD, BA, MA, FIA, ASA, Founder of Coke & Associates. The theme for the episode is 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆.Daisy and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Her motivation behind pursuing actuarial science✅ Her journey to becoming a qualified actuary✅ Her time at UK Govt Actuary Dept and Norwich Union✅ Keeping current on actuarial science before the Information Age✅ Blazing a trail for actuaries in the Caribbean✅ Her Appointed Govt Actuary role at Ministry of Finance✅ Leadership roles at STATIN and other local institutions✅ Starting and leading her actuarial firm, Coke & Associates✅ Words of wisdom for the next generation of actuaries If you are interested in learning from a historical figure in the global actuarial community, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com⁣

My guest for Episode 69 is Janet Sharp, FSA, MAAA, CERA, Appointed Actuary at Sagicor Life Jamaica.The theme for the episode is 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻.Janet and I explore the following topics:⁣✅ Her international student experience at Wharton and Georgia State University✅ Pursuing actuarial fellowship in a developing nation✅ The insurance and risk management landscape in the Caribbean✅ How actuaries add value in the region✅ Appointed Actuary duties in Jamaica and Cayman✅ Integrating work and life as an actuary✅ The Caribbean Actuarial AssociationIf you are interested in learning from an actuary who has navigated the actuarial qualification journey in a developing nation and risen through the ranks as a respected industry leader, you want to listen to this.My Website: maverickactuary.com