16 March 2012
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries held a special dinner on 14 March at Staple Inn Hall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Sir Joseph Burn prize and the Profession’s commitment to excellence in learning and research. The dinner was attended by over 70 members and guests from a range of academic, regulatory and public policy bodies.
Jane Curtis, President of The Institute and Faculty, welcomed the guests, recognising the achievements of volunteers, staff and partners who contribute to the Profession’s learned society and thought leadership activities. The guest speaker at the dinner was Allister Heath, Editor of the daily business newspaper City A.M. He spoke on financial literacy in public life, arguing that the lack of basic financial understanding across the broad spectrum, from members of the public right through to politicians and the media needs to be urgently addressed. The Profession plans to make a significant contribution in this area as part of its public affairs programme over the coming year.
The Sir Joseph Burn prize is awarded to a student who has demonstrated exemplary merit, having completed the Profession’s examinations to become a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty. The prize was established in 1952 thanks to a legacy from the family of Sir Joseph Burn KBE. 15 past and present winners of the Sir Joseph Burn prize and other prizes awarded by the Profession attended the dinner.
Derek Cribb, Chief Executive, closed the evening by outlining the range of research initiatives being undertaken by the Profession in the year ahead. He also highlighted the establishment of the Actuarial Research Centre based in Edinburgh, funded by an endowment from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and formally linked to the Scottish Financial Risk Academy (SFRA) and Heriot-Watt University. The ARC aims to become a centre of excellence in risk management, and this important initiative will complement a whole range of other research projects and awards to support the Profession’s thought leadership goals across the UK and internationally.