Daniel Pellerin, FCIA(1983)
President-Elect candidate
Primary practice area: Life insurance
Secondary practice areas: Enterprise risk management, Investment
Employer: Consultant and company board member; semi-retired
Province: Quebec
CIA Legacy Award: Award of Excellence (2018)
Position statement
It would be an honor for me to serve as President of the CIA, especially following a long and fruitful career that was made possible by being part of a highly respected and challenging profession. My sense of pride in the actuarial profession is immense, and it is in good part due to the dedication of our volunteers, the tireless work of our Head Office and your individual commitments to provide high-quality services to our audiences.
An essential contribution to our society
As President, my priority would be for our association to further develop its presence and influence at the national and international levels. At a time when information comes at us from every direction and at an incredible pace, the actuarial profession can bring an objective contribution and balanced perspective to the numerous risk management issues facing us.
Our visibility
To achieve such a goal, we must be clearly visible to key stakeholders, skilfully contribute to public debates and leverage our work with other actuarial associations. We must be recognized as a necessary contributor to society and be seen as helping Canadians manage the financial risks that surround them.
Our technical agility
There have been many technical developments and societal transformations over the past several decades, and the current environment may bring the most significant structural changes yet. Our profession must continue to adapt to change, and our education system is key in ensuring that all our members, whether aspiring or seasoned actuaries, are proficient in their areas of practice.
My value proposition to serve the Institute
It is with humility that I bring my unique qualifications to assist the Institute in achieving further progress.
In addition to strong leadership and technical abilities, I am recognized for my communication skills, inter-personal competencies and ability to convey technical information to a wide variety of audiences. It would be my pleasure to help the CIA in such capacities. I am fluent in both French and English.
I am the recipient of the Award of Excellence for my volunteer work with the CIA, which includes a term of service on the CIA Board and one as Chair of the Member Services Council (then dealing with communications and research).
I am therefore soliciting your vote for President-Elect of the CIA.
2012-19 – Appointed/Valuation Actuary Practice Committee
2016 – Blue Ribbon Task Force on Public Policy
2008-12 – Practice Council, Member
- 2010-11 – Risk Management Committee, Chair
2008-11 – CIA Board, Director
2009-11 – Task Force to Review Rule of Professional Conduct #13
2002-06 – Member Services Council
- 2004-06 – Chair
- 2003-04 – Vice-Chair
- 2002-03 – Member
2003-04 – Task Force on Reporting to the Member Services Council, Chair
2001-02 – Task Force on Communications
1995-96 – Committee on Continuing Education
I recently retired from the Chief Financial Officer and Appointed Actuary positions of a medium-size life insurance company, where I provided leadership in the financial, capital, investments, risk management, and pricing functions.
Over the years, I was actively leading financial and actuarial aspects of business transformations, such as the implementation of IFRS 17 accounting standards, mergers and acquisitions, and business development.
In stark contrast, I play music with various amateur rock bands, occasionally participating in shows in Montreal.
What do you think of the effectiveness and importance of the CIA in its core functions?
The CIA is a dynamic organisation that, in my view, operates well in all the facets required of a respected professional association.
I would endeavour to strengthen our made-in-Canada qualification system to recognize the quality of our university programs, shorten the path to Fellowship, and seek to ensure that participants graduating from our education program are able to deliver practical work soon after employment.
Sponsoring research in existing and developing areas is critical to remaining a relevant profession. New tools and techniques should help us identify trends in our core areas of competencies (such as mortality/longevity, morbidity, accidents, natural events) more quickly and help us better advise our audiences.
I believe that we are efficient and well structured when it comes to areas such as standard setting, educational material, professional development, public policy, international relations, protecting the public interest and dealing with professional conduct.