NZSA Awards

Ethan burst onto the actuarial scene with an excellent conference presentation on “Beyond the Bitcoin” at the 2016 Conference. Since then he joined and is now chairing the Events Committee, a task he undertakes with both professionalism and enthusiasm. Ethan goes out of his way to ensure events are successful and has continued an excellent programme across the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ben has committed a huge amount of time and effort into both NZSA’s contribution to and response to IFRS17 but possibly more importantly building deep, constructive and trusted relationships with the accounting profession, the FSC and the RBNZ.

Ben is:

• Convenor of the NZSA IFRS17 Working Group
• The NZ representative on the Australian Actuaries Institute IFRS17 Task Force

In addition, he has taken a lead role in the FSC’s IFRS17 working group, part of which involves interacting with RBNZ and considering the implication for the solvency standards.

In all this Ben has shown great drive, and a passion to help both the actuarial profession and the insurance industry in meeting the challenge that the adoption of IFRS17 presents.

Brian served for many years as the NZSA’s secretary.  He has subsequently served on the Professional Conduct Committee for many years in a vital behind the scenes role.  Brian is also a strong supporter of the Society’s sessional meetings and social events.

Ian has been a consistent contributor to NZSA for many years, including as President, and returning to Council to fulfil a vacated Immediate Past President role. Ian has contributed tirelessly, including on the Professional Standards Committee, Life Committee, in the area of banking and on a number of working groups.

Whilst President, Ian instigated the External Relations Committee, driving a more outward focus for the Society.

Linda is a great role model and ambassador for the actuarial profession both in NZ and internationally.

Linda qualified in the 1990s and was a role model for students and other actuaries with her employer and also within the wider community. Linda reached out to students at Auckland University and promoted the actuarial profession.

Linda served many years as a NZSA Council member and becoming Vice President.

Linda has given many presentations representing the professional at conferences and events. She is well respected by stakeholders such as regulators, other actuaries and the many actuaries she has developed and given her expertise to.

In her professional career Linda has risen to become CFO at NZ largest life insurer but she has consistently promoted professional standards, the development of actuaries and good customer outcomes.

In 2019 Linda spoke to NZSA members about her career at the Career Pathways event and in her usual humble manner put others first.

June presented a passionate, impactful conference session on climate change, and is a member of the General Insurance Practice Committee.

Christian is a long-time member and current convenor of the General Insurance Practice Committee. In this role he has led NZSA’s efforts around catastrophe risk, including leading a task force which has developed thoughtful and viable ways to upskill actuaries in this area.  Christian also presented an excellent framework at the Conference, which will be an excellent reference for members going forward.  Christian is also a well-respected representative of the NZSA with ICNZ.

Charlie has been a keen supporter and work horse for the Society, as well as having held a number of prominent actuarial roles. Charlie’s contributions have included the Life Insurance Practice Committee, Council, and as a member of the task force which produced our current Disciplinary Scheme.

John has been a keen and frequent volunteer for NZSA, including a long stint as Secretary, and the NZSA representative on the IAA’s Insurance Accounting Committee. He is currently convenor of the Professional Standards Committee.

Joe receives this acknowledgement for his vision in setting up the Future Pathways event a number of years ago. Future Pathways has encouraged many young members to write and present a paper, and remains one of the best attended events on our calendar.

Ian is an unsung hero on the Events Committee. Following venue closures as a result of the Kaikoura earthquake, Ian has coordinated nearly all events based in Wellington over the last year.

Jessie has been our newsletter editor for the last two years. She is enthusiastic, even in the face of a lack of contribution from other committees. She’s open to new ideas and approaches and is always a pleasure to work with.

Herwig has performed an incredible service to the profession through his leadership of actuarial work in the Public Sector, leading to the social investment approach and a new range of career opportunities for actuaries. Alongside this, he has found time to be Convenor of the NZSA Professional Standards Committee for the last ten years.

John has seen a lifetime of service to the actuarial profession in New Zealand and to the broader industry, including as Government Actuary, key roles assisting Government, as Chair of Workplace Savings NZ and as co-founder of a major NZ actuarial consultancy.

Peter is a past president who has made a contribution at events, through leadership and membership of a variety of committees and, most importantly, his longstanding facilitation of student exams in Auckland, including offering his own offices.

Jenn has made an amazing contribution to the profession in her short career. In particular, she pulled together the strands of the Society’s new website to get it up and running with diligence and fine organisation, as well as being a fantastic and innovative Convenor of the Events Committee.

Christine has been a tireless worker for the profession. She has led the Retirement Income Interest Group for several years, most recently overseeing the production of the Rules of Thumb for decumulation, which were recognised by the Minister, the FMA and MBIE as being exactly the kind of advice New Zealanders need. Christine has been a fine representative for the profession, and brought much interest from the general public and other stakeholders. Alongside this role, Christine has also worked this year on New Zealand’s response to International Standards of Actuarial Practice.

Linda is an unsung hero of the profession, working tirelessly on many matters of importance, including being Treasurer of the Society, writing submissions and professional standards. She has served on Council and Committees. Linda has also been a long time supporter of the woman actuaries in Wellington.