Published:
Professor Andrew Cairns has been appointed as Director of the newly expanded Actuarial Research Centre (ARC), the strategic medium and long-term research arm of the Institute and Faculty of
Actuaries (IFoA).
The appointment reflects Heriot-Watt University's leading position as an international centre of excellence in actuarial science.
The IFoA has made a substantial commitment to fund actuarial research to the best groups internationally in actuarial science and this research programme will be run through the ARC. As Director of the ARC, Professor Cairns will play a key role in developing the actuarial profession's long-term international research agenda.
The appointment, announced at IFoA's annual Asia conference in Kuala Lumpur, is one of three appointments of world-leading actuarial experts and senior academics to fulfil the roles of ARC Director and ARC Associate Directors to provide academic oversight for these developments.
Leading international centre of excellence
Fiona Morrison, President of the IFoA, said, “The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries is delighted to be expanding the Actuarial Research Centre into a leading international centre of excellence that builds on its previous outstanding work providing valuable research for the actuarial profession and the industries in which actuaries work. The new ARC Directors form an authoritative team to take this work forward and direct a world-class research programme.”
Professor Cairns said, “I am delighted to have been offered this prestigious position and the development challenges and opportunities if offers for the Institute in support of our profession internationally.
“The appointment reflects Heriot-Watt University's leading position as an international centre of excellence in actuarial science.”
Professor Mark Cross, Chair of the IFoA's Research and Thought Leadership Committee, commented, “The Actuarial Research Centre offers an exciting opportunity for the IFoA to deliver research that combines the power of leading researchers, practitioners and the actuarial profession. We are very much looking forward to working with these three world leading actuarial academics as the new panel of ARC Directors to help support the new ARC. They bring with them many decades of research experience that will benefit the actuarial community around the world through supporting the delivery of a high quality research agenda.”