Session 2: The Art of Persuasion
Relevant to: General Business and Professionalism
Of interest to: All
Level: Basic
Moderator:
Emile Elefteriadis (FCIA), senior vice-president, life & health products, Swiss Re
Speakers:
Emile Elefteriadis
Frank Grossman (FCIA), principal, Linden Grove Group
Being persuasive is an essential leadership skill for fulfillment in life as well as success in business. Increasingly in business today, interdependence and collaboration prevail over autonomy and authority. Persuasion is often more effectual than force, as Aristotle, Aesop, and others recognized over 2,500 years ago.
In this interactive session, we will scratch the surface of this ancient art by providing you with a few principles, techniques, and illustrations of effective persuasion. By the end, we hope to persuade you that the art of persuasion is a skill worth mastering. And we will provide you with a short list of resources to help you continue learning.
Session 3: The Impact of Pension Legislative Changes in Ontario
Relevant to: Pension
Level: Moderate
Moderator:
Jason Vary (FCIA), president, Actuarial Solutions
Speakers:
Allan Shapira (FCIA), managing director, Aon Hewitt Canada
Michel St-Germain (FCIA), partner, Mercer
Jason Vary
This session examines the workings behind the development of the new Ontario regulations on the provision for adverse deviations (PfAD) as well as other elements of the changes, and compares the new funding rules in Ontario and Québec. The panellists will also discuss the implications of the changes and how they will impact pension plans in Ontario and Québec going forward.
Session 4: ERM Value Creation (JRMS)
Relevant to: Enterprise Risk Management
Of interest to: All
Level: Basic
Moderator:
Frank Reynolds (FCIA), president, Reynolds, Thorvardson
Speakers:
Mario DiCaro*, vice-president, capital modelling and analytics, Tokio Marine HCC
Sim Segal*, president, SimErgy Consulting
Ella Young*, corporate director, ERM, and director, care continuum and actuarial analytics, Vancouver Coastal Health
Come and hear a distinguished and very experienced panel share their perspectives from casualty, consulting, and the public sector around the key success factors and challenges to making an enterprise risk management (ERM) program demonstrate tangible value for an organization.
Session 5: Why Actuaries Should Care about Cancer
Relevant to: Reinsurance
Of interest to: All
Level: Moderate
Moderator:
Patrick Charbonneau (ACIA), project director, development, Optimum Re
Speakers:
Matthew Smith*, head of global R&D, Pacific Life Re
John Schoonbee*, global chief medical officer, Swiss Re
In contrast to cardiovascular disease, efforts in tackling cancer mortality have proved challenging. Mortality and morbidity due to cancer affects all product lines including mortality, longevity, critical illness, and disability and actuaries should make a greater effort to understand future trends and the risks around screening, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The presentation will cover the following: why we should focus on cancer; what happens when our assumptions go wrong; and correlations and dependencies across product lines.
Session 6: Technology – Blockchain and AI Technology
Relevant to: Life and Health
Of interest to: All
Level: Moderate
Moderator:
Laura Anders (FCIA), assistant vice-president and actuary, Canadian division oversight, Manulife
Speakers:
Laurent Féral-Pierssens*, executive director, emerging tech and blockchain advisory, KPMG Canada
Vikas Shreedhar*, managing director, financial services Canadian tech advisory lead, Accenture
As the financial services industry goes through an unprecedented transformation, rooted in digital disruption and the adoption of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the Internet of things (IoT), it is imperative that finance, risk, and compliance teams reinvent and transform to provide business advice and profitable growth while ensuring resiliency and compliance. In this session, Mr. Shreedhar will discuss the adoption of AI within the finance and risk function.
Mr. Féral-Pierssens will talk about recent developments in, and applications of, blockchain. His session will provide an overview of the key concepts and opportunities the innovation presents for our economy. A few real-world use cases will illustrate how and where blockchain networks are likely to trickle down into our day-to-day lives and profession.
Session 7: Climate Change and Extreme Weather: Not Adapting is Not an Option
Relevant to: All
Of interest to: All
Moderator:
Caterina Lindman (FCIA), retired actuary
Speaker:
Natalia Moudrak*, director, infrastructure adaptation program, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
The costs of natural catastrophes in Canada have escalated to historical highs. Flooding is one of the key drivers behind this trend, leading to increased insurance premiums, a growing risk of mortgage defaults, lawsuits, and psychosocial distress to those impacted. How can we reduce risk and become more resilient? This presentation will outline the need for climate adaptation and the work underway to reduce flood risk for homes in new and existing communities in Canada. Ms. Moudrak will discuss the critical role that the insurance sector and capital markets play in advancing climate adaptation, and outline the need for nationally recognized codes, standards, and guidelines to drive resilience.
Session 8: IFRS 17 – Introductory General Session
Relevant to: Life, P&C
Of interest to: All
Level: Moderate
Moderator:
Les Rehbeli (FCIA), partner, Oliver Wyman
Speakers:
Simon Curtis (FCIA), CFO for the North American life business, Munich Re
Cynthia Potts (FCIA), principal, property and casualty, Eckler
Les Rehbeli
Lesley Thomson (FCIA), vice-president, actuary, Sun Life Financial
The new IFRS 17 accounting standard becomes effective on January 1, 2021, and will result in an overhaul of financial reporting requirements for insurance contracts. Canadian actuaries will be heavily involved in the implementation effort.
This session will provide an update on the latest international and Canadian developments on IFRS 17 from an actuarial perspective. It will include updates on necessary changes to CIA standards of practice and on the development of actuarial guidance, both internationally and from the CIA. Finally, the session will provide an update on some controversial topics that the Transition Resource Group for IFRS Contracts, a body that supports the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) on the IFRS 17 implementation, has discussed.