Edition

2020 Board Member Candidate

Arpita Das, FSA 2013, FSAI 2016
Senior Actuary
Allianz Partners




Election Message:

It is an honor to be an endorsed candidate for the SOA Board of Directors. As a member of the Board my focus would be on international strategy, membership needs and social impact.

International Strategy. The SOA’s position as a premier professional organization in our increasingly globalized industry and interconnected world is guided by a robust international strategy which I look to drive forward.  I have been a two-year member of the International Committee, which advises the Board, giving me the background, knowledge, and skills to do this successfully. In serving the SOA’s mission I have continually brought perspectives from my own experience and those of our members in North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In my volunteer roles I have also had the privilege of working with many of you - members and staff - around the world. I would continue to develop and rely on these relationships to define and execute our international strategy.

Membership Needs. I am invested in serving the needs of our individual members, including a focus on those with multi-jurisdiction responsibility, and those based outside the US and Canada. International members make up 20% of our community and this proportion is only expected to grow.   My own move from New York City - which has one of the highest concentrations of SOA members - to Nairobi and then Dublin, sparked my desire to connect, volunteer with the SOA and serve our international members. I began as Africa Regional Editor for the International Section Newsletter, moved on to become Chief Editor and ultimately Chair of the Section. Serving on the Board would represent a natural progression of this work and provide a wider platform with which to address membership needs.

Social Impact. The actuarial profession serves a fundamental purpose in society and I look to expand our impact. We can be instrumental in providing access to actuarial education and, more broadly, access to financial services around the world. My interest and experience in this area is reflected in my current role as microinsurance advisor for a Bankers without Borders-USAID initiative and as Vice-Chairperson of Actuaries Without Borders. My prior experience includes being a microfinance Kiva Fellow in Kenya and leading a data analytics workshop in Algeria. We should be incredibly proud of the work we do as actuaries. As a Board member I hope to emphasize and expand the social impact of our profession.

I appreciate your time and consideration. It would be a privilege to serve the profession in this capacity.

Brief description of current work:

 Risk, Reserving and Reporting under IFRS and Solvency II

Primary Area(s) of Practice (per SOA Directory):

Life & Health

Bio:

I have 11+ years of experience in the Life and Health space, with roles held across product, function, countries, and cultures.

In my current role as Senior Actuary at Allianz Partners based in Dublin, Ireland, I am the lead Life actuary and project manager for reserving, risk, and reporting deliverables for Allianz’s international employee benefits business. This portfolio spans 200+ countries and territories and I work across multiple regulatory regimes with teams located around the globe. Prior to this, I was Corporate Vice President & Actuary at New York Life Insurance in New York City where I worked in various areas including pricing, product development, risk, and analytics.

I am also passionate about the development of our profession. I have been an active volunteer within and outside the SOA, roles listed below.

SOA volunteering experience, focused on the SOA’s international strategy and member needs:

  • International Committee Member, SOA Board Advisory Body (October 2018 – Present)
  • International Section Council Member (February 2017 – Present)
  • Chairperson, International Section (October 2018 – October 2019)
  • Chief Editor, International Section Newsletter (August 2016 – October 2018)
  • Africa Regional Editor, International Section Newsletter (July 2015 – August 2016)

Volunteering outside the SOA, focused on social impact of the industry:

  • Microinsurance Advisor, Bankers without Borders-USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Initiative (May 2020-Present)
  • Vice-Chairperson, Actuaries Without Borders, IAA Section (May 2019 – Present)
  • Board Member, Actuaries Without Borders, IAA Section (May 2018 – Present)
  • Ghana Project Manager & Global Mentorship Committee Member, Actuaries Without Borders, IAA Section (May 2015 – July 2017)
  • Kiva Microfinance Fellowship, VisionFund Kenya, Nairobi (May 2015 – August 2015)
  • Editor, Actuaries in Microinsurance, ACTEX Learning (May 2015)

I am a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and of the Society of Actuaries Ireland. I have a B.A. from Swarthmore College in Mathematics with a minor in Chemistry.

Additional Info:

I am an adventurous traveler and have visited over 50 countries on 6 continents.

When home in Dublin, you can usually find me trying to win the love and affection of my adorable but highly temperamental rescue dog.