News & Views

In the last few months on-boarding has changed abruptly with working from home adding a myriad of new challenges to an already complicated process. At APR we have been working with clients to ensure this process is as simple as possible for clients and in this article Kevin shares some of the key things we have learned in relation to remote on-boarding.

The purpose of this article is to provide some helpful ideas for those working in the actuarial profession and wondering what and how to learn about technology. In this article we look at what technology to focus on, where to find information on technology, and how to approach learning about technology.

We would like to introduce two new members of senior staff, Phil Creswell and Alan Reed, who have joined APR to further develop our ability to offer innovative and varied solutions to our clients’ actuarial needs.

IFRS 17 projects have been afforded a breather with another year’s delay to the standard implementation date. James Nicholl takes a high-level view of some of the key areas in IFRS 17 and how this year can best be used to consolidate work to date and prepare for a smooth go live process.

At APR we like to think that documentation is one of our core strengths, from our partners right down to our most junior staff. We actively train all new joiners to ensure they can document their work effectively. As a sneak peek of how we approach this training, Michael Scanlon looks at the considerations a student or analyst should take when documenting tools or models they develop.

Claydon Peaker has interviewed several APR actuarial staff, including some with very little prior WFH experience, to discover how they are finding the move to enforced permanent home-working. We hope this will give some insight into how our team is coping.

Imelda Barnes lays out APR’s summary of both APS X2, the IFoA’s standard on reviewing actuarial work, and their post implementation review into this standard. We also explore how we meet these requirements here at APR and how we ensure compliance with wider professional standards.

With the changes to the IR35 rules now less than a month away, the landscape is beginning to look clearer but there is still plenty of work to be done to prepare. Our latest article on the topic gives an update on recent developments and looks ahead to how the market might look post-April.

Data science is an area that provides opportunities for actuaries to make good use of their skill sets, but up until now this has not been recognised explicitly in the actuarial curriculum. All that is set to change, and Chris Bryce interviews Colin Thores, Education Actuary at the IFoA, to find out more about the new Certificate in Data Science qualification.

Sunday 8 March marked International Women’s Day, which aims to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. As our own contribution to the occasion, two of APR’s female staff give their views on what it is to be a woman in the actuarial world today.