John Taylor, President of the IFoA, blogs about connecting with our members in the Middle East and East Africa.

John TaylorThis December I’ll be visiting members and employers in the Gulf region before delivering our first Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) accreditation award in Africa to Zamara Actuaries, Administrators & Consultants Limited (Actuarial Services).

My aim is to listen to our members, ensure we’re doing our utmost to support the growth of the profession in the Middle East and Africa, and celebrate the incredible work that is going on all across the region.

Connecting with the actuarial profession in the Gulf

This will be the first time an IFoA president has had the opportunity to connect with members, employers, stakeholders, businesses and fellow actuarial representative bodies in the Gulf region since 2016. As the Gulf is an area of particular strategic focus for the IFoA and for me personally, I’m especially looking forwards to reconnecting with members in Dubai and beyond to understand how the profession is evolving in their region.

In that time the profession in and around the Gulf has steadily increased, both in terms of overall numbers and in terms of the importance of the role played by actuaries in the region.

On the evening of 9 December I hugely look forward to greeting peers, members and stakeholders at “View” at Dusit Thani Hotel, Dubai to discuss how we can work together to ensure a bright future for the profession in the Gulf region. Most of all I look forward to listening to the unique perspectives that our members and colleagues based in the Gulf region bring. 

I believe that gaining a first-hand understanding of the challenges and opportunities our members and their employers are seeing in this fast-moving global hub can inform the work of actuaries all over the world.

Book your place here

First African QAS Accreditation Awarded

I’m delighted to be able to present the first QAS accreditation awarded in Africa; in early December 2019 to Zamara Actuaries, Administrators & Consultants Limited (Actuarial Services) in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

The QAS recognises the importance of the working environment in enabling actuaries to fulfil their professional responsibilities. The goals of the QAS are to promote quality assurance at an organisational level; to promote confidence in the work of actuaries and to provide an important mechanism to identify issues affecting the quality of actuarial work.

After due consideration by the QAS Sub-Committee, I’m delighted to be presenting Zamara with our latest QAS accreditation for their outstanding work in creating an environment in which actuarial work can be delivered to the highest of standards.

The award presentation will take place on 11 December 2019 at the Radisson Blue Upper Hill Hotel; it would be great to see colleagues and members there.

One of the key messages of our recent all-member survey was the importance of listening to the experiences and perspectives of our members. So throughout this programme of engagement in the Middle East and Africa; perhaps the most important priority will be to connect with, and listen, to our members throughout the region.

I’ll be there to hear about your current experiences of membership, how we can better support your career and what you’re looking for in the future from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

If you can’t be at one of these events in person, you can still have your say about the profession in the Middle East and Africa by emailing EMEA-Market@Actauries.org.uk.

I look forward to hearing from everyone in the region.