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EDITOR Dan Georgescu editor@theactuary.com F E AT U R E S E D I T O R S Sharad Bajla, general insurance Stephen Hyams, pensions Paul Malloy, reinsurance, life insurance VS Rajeshwarie, GI Thanuja Krishnaratna, life Contact: features@theactuary.com PEOPLE/SOCIETY NEWS EDITOR social@theactuary.com Kathryn Manning kathryn.manning@redactive.co.uk STUDENT EDITOR Jason Brett student@theactuary.com IFOA EDITOR Kate Pearce +44 (0)207 632 2118 kate.pearce@actuaries.org.uk EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL Peter Tompkins (chairman), Chika Aghadiuno, Nico Aspinall, Naomi Burger, Matthew Edwards, Jessica Elkin, Martin Lunnon, Richard Purcell, Sonal Shah, Nick Silver INTERNET The Actuary: www.theactuary.com Institute and Faculty of Actuaries: www.actuaries.org.uk
SENIOR PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE Rachel Young +44 (0)20 7880 6209 rachel.young@redactive.co.uk
Circulation 31,173 (July 2018 to June 2019)
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SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions from outside the actuarial profession: UK: £100 per annum. Europe: £130 per annum, rest of the world: £160 per annum. Contact: The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, 7th floor, Holborn Gate, 326-330 High Holborn, London WC1V 7PP. T +44 (0)20 7632 2100 E kate.pearce@actuaries.org.uk. Students on actuarial courses may join and receive The Actuary as part of their membership. Apply to: Membership Department, The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Level 2 Exchange Crescent, 7 Conference Square, Edinburgh EH3 8RA. T +44 (0)131 240 1325 E membership@actuaries.org.uk Changes of address: please notify the membership department. Delivery queries: contact Rachel Young E rachel.young@redactive.co.uk Published by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) The editor and the IFoA are not responsible for the opinions put forward in The Actuary. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission of the copyright owners. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the content, the publisher and its contributors accept no responsibility for any material contained herein. © Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, January/February 2020 All rights reserved ISSN 0960-457X
4 | THE ACTUARY | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020
4 EDITORIAL_The Actuary JANFEB 2020_The Actuary 4
A new decade Welcome to the 2020s, and my first issue as editor of The Actuary. It is an honour and a pleasure to be here. “Why did you apply for the role?” I am often asked at actuarial (working) parties. Partly, it’s because I have written for and volunteered at the magazine in the past, and found it to be a rewarding experience. I have also contributed to examinations and research, but in terms of being able to speak to our whole profession, this platform is second to none. Sometimes, there is a powerful message that needs to be heard. In this issue, Travis Elsum argues that insurers should support the transition to a low-carbon economy (p18), while professor Nigel Halford introduces us to the differences between GM and gene editing, and asks whether EIOPA’s catch-all terminology achieves a good outcome for food safety and sustainability (p20). There is also no better way to meet interesting people and ask them questions. This month I interview Craig Turnbull, who has had a varied career covering both the cutting edge of modelling and writing about actuarial history (p14). I would like to thank my predecessor Francisco Sebastian for his significant contribution during the past two years. Francisco aimed to make the magazine more global, and I intend to stay on that course. This month, we hear from Silvia Dell’Acqua about actuaries in Italy (p31) and John Ferguson on critical illness experience in Asia (p22). Primarily, though, we are an actuarial magazine, and I do not intend to neglect technical actuarial content. This month, for example, we have Andrew Smith writing about Markov chain Monte Carlo (p28). As always, please write in and tell us what you think of the magazine – or even better, write an article. Enjoy the issue and have a wonderful 2020.
DAN GEORGESCU EDITOR editor@theactuary.com
www.theactuary.com
27/01/2020 12:49