“The good news is we can get wiser as we get older, the bad news is that we may not! Leadership is a great challenge and an opportunity to make a positive difference – so each of us should work at being the best possible leader we can be, I truly believe, that beyond the cliché, this is a journey that has no end, with only a few signposts along the way, but one we can nevertheless navigate with increasing wisdom. But only if we are ‘awake’. The challenge, mine and yours, is to be awake!” – David Rooke
The world is changing. The fourth industrial revolution, globalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic are up-ending traditional social and business norms around the world; changes that were once predictable and steady are now faster and more profound. In response to this tumultuous transformation, Tan Suee Chieh has advocated a reinvention of the actuarial profession, through the adoption of the IFoA’s Vision, Skills, Mindsets and Domains (VSMD) Strategy, to ensure actuaries remain relevant and forward-looking. As part of the Behavioural Science Series, David Rooke will explore the leadership capacities and capabilities that may enable actuaries to successfully navigate the challenges of our times. He will discuss how actuaries can apply these principles to ensure the profession succeeds, flourishes, and plays a positive societal role in our global community.
Following his presentation, David Rooke will be joined by Stephen Mann, CEO at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and Anusha Thavarajah, Allianz’s Regional Chief Executive Officer, Life and Health for Asia Pacific for a panel discussion around the themes of the session The panel will be chaired by Tan Suee Chieh.
David Rooke
David co-founded Harthill Consulting Ltd in 1985. Since then he has been working at senior levels internationally to develop ever more wise and capable leadership within organisations. Inquiry lies at the heart of his work - he believes as contexts and people change, what is useful can only be understood and improved through explorations that move fluidly between the personal, the relational and the systemic. Whilst sound leadership certainly comes from within, its impact should be felt systemically.
Since 1997 his work has focused on what has become known as ‘vertical development’ and in supporting leaders to develop the capacities to survive and thrive in an increasingly complex and challenging world. In recent years his concerns have focused on the environmental challenges of our times and the learnings that our collective decimation of nature might have for a sustainable future.
Never, believes David, have systemic understanding and capabilities been more important.
He is highly regarded for his work, with others, in developing and applying the Leadership Development Framework to leadership and organisational transformations. David has published several books including Personal and Organisational Transformations and has co-written the award winning Seven Transformations of Leadership article for Harvard Business Review. This article has been included for years in HBR's '10 Must Reads' on leadership.
Anusha Thavarajah
Anusha Thavarajah is Allianz’s Regional Chief Executive Officer, Life & Health for Asia Pacific. She is responsible for the profit and loss and functional development of Allianz’s Life & Health business in Asia, focused at advancing the segment’s strong growth to meet Allianz Asia’s long-term strategic priorities in the region.
In addition, she is a member of Allianz Asia’s Regional Executive Board, which is responsible for setting and executing Allianz’s growth strategy in Asia.
Anusha joined Allianz Asia in December 2019 from AIA Bhd., where she was the Chief Executive Officer. In addition to its three main business lines – Agency, Partnership Distribution and Corporate Solutions, Anusha oversaw AIA Malaysia’s Takaful, General Insurance, Pension and Asset Management, and Health Services units. Anusha was also the President of the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia, Chairperson of the Malaysian Insurance Institute and became the first female CEO in the AIA Group when she was appointed to head AIA Malaysia in June 2015.
Anusha has almost 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry having served in various senior leadership roles in the UK, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Anusha graduated with First Class Honours in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Birmingham. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, United Kingdom and Fellow of the Malaysian Insurance Institute.
Stephen Mann
Originally qualified as a lawyer, Stephen has worked extensively with the actuarial community throughout a career in financial services. He has been a Board Director of the Aviva Life business, responsible for strategy, business services, and major capital projects. More recently he served as Chief Executive Officer at the Police Mutual Group.
Stephen has also been Chair of Aviva’s With Profits Committee and UK retail investment business, a non-executive director at ALICO UK and the independent member of the Audit and Risk Committee at The College of Policing.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and The Pensions Management Institute, and a trustee of The Police Arboretum Memorial Trust.
Stephen holds an LLB from Cardiff University and began his career as a solicitor in private practice in the City.
Event organiser
Contact Niki Park for more information.
020 7632 2152