Principle 5 - Speaking Up
5. Members should speak up if they believe, or have reasonable cause to believe, that a course of action is unethical or is unlawful.
5.1 Members should challenge others on their non-compliance with relevant legal, regulatory and professional requirements.
5.2 Members must report to the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, as soon as reasonably possible, any matter which appears to constitute Misconduct for the purposes of the Disciplinary and Capacity for Membership Schemes of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and/or a material breach of any relevant legal, regulatory or professional requirements by one of its Members.
5.3 In addition to complying with any legal requirements to report matters to relevant regulators or other authorities, Members should also report to those bodies any behaviour that they have reasonable cause to believe is unethical or unlawful, and carries significant risk of materially affecting outcomes.
5.4 Members must take reasonable steps to ensure users are aware of any substantial issues with a piece of work for which they are responsible or in which they have had significant involvement, if those issues might reasonably influence the decision-making or judgement of users.
The principle of speaking up requires Members to raise concerns, discuss problems and flag particular issues or behaviours. It can range from simply addressing concerns with team members to making formal reports to the appropriate authorities.
Given the technical nature of actuarial work, it is important that actuaries always identify issues to users of their work as these issues might not be as apparent to non-actuaries.
Find out more in our Guidance on the Speaking Up Principle of the Actuaries’ Code. You can read the Guidance online, download a copy, or view the questions below which will take you to the corresponding part of the Guidance:
What is Speaking Up?
What do you mean by speaking up?
Is speaking up always required?
What is the difference between speaking up and whistle blowing?
What is required of me as a Member?
Within the general duty, are there any specific situations in which I am required to speak up?
Applying the principle to your work
What is unethical conduct – can it differ depending on particular culture or location?
How do I determine what is unethical?
I’ve discovered a substantial issue with a piece of work, what should I do in the first instance?
Who do I speak up to?
Should I follow my employer’s procedures before raising my concerns externally?
Should I speak to anyone before I report concerns to the IFoA?
If I don’t report an issue to the IFoA, could I face disciplinary action?
What behaviour should I report to other regulators or authorities?
How much do I need to know before I report conduct to the authorities?
What information must I flag to clients or other users of my work?
Further guidance
Appendix D - Issues which may occur to Members who consider speaking up
Appendix E - Practical Questions for Members
Appendix F - How to make a complaint to the IFoA
Contact Details
For further information contact:
Regulation Team, The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Level 2, Exchange Crescent, 7 Conference Square, Edinburgh, EH3 8RA
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Events calendar
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F&I Webinar: Disrupting the investment management industry using AI
Webinar30 September 2020
What are the advantages of using artificial intelligence (AI) in investing? What are the differences between traditional quant and AI? This new webinar discusses challenges and the future of AI in the investment sector.
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Sessional Event: The IFRS 17 Contractual Service Margin: A Life Insurance Perspective
Webinar5 October 2020
Delivered by the IFRS 17 Contractual Service Margin working party. -
Why Certified Actuarial Analysts add value to employers, including both insurers and consultancies
Webinar6 October 2020
The Certified Actuarial Analyst (CAA) qualification has rapidly established itself as adding real value, to insurers and consultancies, and to the clients of consultancies, around the World. CAAs work alongside actuaries and actuarial students, as well as other financial services professionals, in an increasingly broad range of roles and fields. -
Why Certified Actuarial Analysts add value to employers
Webinar6 October 2020This session is a repeat of the one earlier today at 09:30 -
Autumn Lecture 2020: Professor Elroy Dimson
Online webinar14 October 2020
Many individuals and institutions have a long-term focus, and invest funds for the benefit of future generations. Their strategy should reflect their long horizon. University endowments are one of the oldest classes of institutional investor, and I will present the first study of the management of these endowments over the very long term. -
GIRO Conference 2020 Webinar Series
Available to watch globally in November.02-13 November 2020
This year's GIRO has been re-designed as a virtual conference to offer members and non-members the opportunity to get up to date content from leading experts in the general insurance field via online webinars. All sessions will be recorded and made available to purchase and re-watch post-event on the IFoA's GI Online Learning Resource area.
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Life Conference 2020 Webinar Series
Online16 November 2020 - 27 November 2020
This year's Life Conference has been re-designed as a virtual conference to offer members and non-members the opportunity to get up to date content from leading experts in the life insurance field via online webinars. All sessions will be recorded and made available to purchase and re-watch post-event on the IFoA's website.
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Autumn Pensions Webinar: Update from The Pensions Regulator (TPR)
Webinar1 December 2020
This webinar will provide an update on the emerging thinking around future regulation of DB schemes:
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Autumn Pensions Webinar: To the end game and beyond
Webinar2 December 2020The webinar will discuss the challenges and opportunities schemes face in evaluating end game options, choosing a target state and understanding the impact this strategic decision could have on member outcomes long after the “end state” is reached. Adolfo, Kevin and Rhian bring over 60 years of experience in the industry and a variety of perspectives as scheme actuary, covenant adviser, trustee, de-risking adviser and insurer. -
Autumn Pensions Webinar: Cash is King - What next for CDI?
Webinar4 December 2020Cash-flow driven investing is a game-changer for DB pension funds navigating their end-game. Suitable for sponsors who want to reduce risks on their balance sheets. And for trustees, it shifts the focus to providing greater certainty of returns, managing funding level volatility and ensuring they have enough income to pay cash-flow requirements. -
Autumn Pensions Webinar: Impact of Dividends
Webinar8 December 2020The talk will provide an understanding of the priorities and relationships between deficit reduction contributions, in the context of wider scheme funding, and different types of value outflow from the employer based on the working party’s recently published report.
Delivered by the IFRS 17 Contractual Service Margin working party.
The Certified Actuarial Analyst (CAA) qualification has rapidly established itself as adding real value, to insurers and consultancies, and to the clients of consultancies, around the World. CAAs work alongside actuaries and actuarial students, as well as other financial services professionals, in an increasingly broad range of roles and fields.
Many individuals and institutions have a long-term focus, and invest funds for the benefit of future generations. Their strategy should reflect their long horizon. University endowments are one of the oldest classes of institutional investor, and I will present the first study of the management of these endowments over the very long term.
