Jane Curtis was elected president-elect of the Institute of Actuaries on Monday 15 February 2010. Jane, a fellow of the Institute of Actuaries since 1987, is a managing principal with Hewitt, the company she has been with for her entire professional career.

Her election comes after nearly 30 years service to the profession, most notably in the fields of education and professional regulation.

She said: “I am delighted to represent my profession in this capacity; it is both a great honour and a great responsibility. I will represent a visible embodiment of change to the profession during these times of financial uncertainty when the skills of actuaries have never been more important.”

She continued: “Our profession needs to speak clearly in public about who we are and what we believe. The public perception is still that we are too technically focused, but we produce ground breaking research and ideas and are home to some of the sharpest financial minds in the business, and I want the rest of the world to know about it. We must convince people that actuaries can bring real value in wider fields.”

She concluded: “We may have been accused of being too introspective in the past, but it’s time to add our voice, our knowledge and our expertise to the debate.”

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Enquiries: Tel. Michael Scanlan on 020 7632 1453 / 07798 804 871 or email michael.scanlan@actuaries.org.uk

Notes to Editors

  1. Actuaries provide commercial, financial and prudential advice on the management of a business's assets and liabilities, especially where long term management and planning are critical to the success of any business venture. They also advise individuals, and advice on social and public interest issues.
  2. Members of the Profession have a statutory role in the supervision of pension funds and life insurance companies. They also have a statutory role to provide actuarial opinions for managing agents at Lloyds.
  3. The Profession is governed jointly by the Faculty of Actuaries in Edinburgh and the Institute of Actuaries in London. A rigorous examination system is supported by a programme of continuing professional development and a professional code of conduct supports high standards reflecting the significant role of the Profession in society.
  4. The Profession is available to provide expert comment to the media on a range of actuarial-related issues, including enterprise risk management, finance and investment, general insurance, health and care, life assurance, mortality, and pensions.