What risks are actuaries watching right now?
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What risks are actuaries watching right now?
Geopolitical disruption. Cyber threats. Climate change. The slow erosion of data integrity. These risks touch the lives of real people — their savings, their homes, their ability to make informed decisions. Actuaries around the world are working to understand them, and the Risk Insights Working Group (RIWG) is part of that conversation. This article is an introduction to the RIWG — and an open invitation to get involved.
Peter has worked in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, starting off in pensions and moving into general insurance and health consulting. There's been a lot of wider fields work along the way, including media and marketing.
Fun fact: Peter is an accredited baseball coach and spends his Friday nights and Saturdays practicing sabermetrics for his son’s little league team (that’s baseball scoring and statistics for those who haven’t seen Moneyball)
Risk on Peter’s radar: Aggregation of cyber risks across the globe - whether through software, supply chain attacks or shared cloud infrastructure. Geopolitical contagion from the Middle-East, including indirect financial and supply-chain impacts.
Daniel is a Portfolio Pricing Manager at TAL with a strong passion for enterprise risk management. A Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia (FIAA), Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary (CERA), and Financial Risk Manager (GARP), Daniel brings expertise in risk analytics and strategic decision-making.
Before joining TAL, Daniel worked as an actuarial consultant at Deloitte, specialising in Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and regulatory risk management. He actively supports the Actuaries Institute through the Risk Management Practice Committee, Risk Management Education Faculty, and the Risk Insights Working Group.
Fun fact: Daniel plays violin with the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra, a vibrant community of musicians bringing classical music to life. Outside of music, he enjoys badminton, hitting the gym, and staying active. At home, he’s kept busy by three adorable Ragdoll cats and a lively corgi.
Risk on Daniel’s radar: Pricing risk is a constant challenge. While technically straightforward, it becomes commercially complex when claims exceed expectations, triggering price increases that must balance sustainability and affordability.
Designing products that remain viable while meeting community expectations for meaningful insurance protection is a delicate act—one that requires strategic thinking beyond pure actuarial models.
Kipp is a recent graduate of the University of New South Wales and a member of the Actuaries Institute. With a strong academic foundation in actuarial studies, Kipp is passionate about applying analytical thinking to solve complex problems and is keen to contribute to discussions on emerging risks within the profession.
Fun fact: Kipp’s been doing triathlons since he was old enough to ride a bike, but had to stop when he went off to university. Now that he’s back, he assists with timekeeping at his local triathlon club, which isn’t how he thought he would be using the R he learned during his degree, but he can’t deny that it’s useful.
Risk on Kipp’s radar: Kipp is concerned about the growing risk to information credibility. In an era of generative AI and increasing political hostility toward reporting agencies in some regions, the integrity of data is under threat.
For actuaries, whose work depends on accurate and reliable information, this poses a significant professional challenge. Beyond the technical implications, Kipp sees this as a broader societal risk. When individuals lack access to trustworthy information, the ability to make free and informed decisions, a cornerstone of democracy, is compromised.
Irene is Senior Manager in Financial and Insurance Risk at Allianz Australia, bringing over 20 years of experience in the general insurance industry across Australia, the UK, and Asia. Over the years, she’s worked across the full spectrum of insurance fundamentals – from pricing and reserving to capital management and regulatory supervision.
Prior to joining Allianz, Irene spent more than a decade in capital modelling and risk analytics, including oversight of Solvency II compliance. Today, she leads second-line risk management across insurance, financial, strategic, and climate risks — helping strengthen governance and build long-term resilience in an increasingly complex risk environment.
Fun fact: Irene takes tennis lessons and is still chasing the elusive perfect serve, but she has mastered the post-match coffee ritual.
Risks on Irene’s radar: Cyber and AI risks, and climate change. Different in nature, but united by one critical characteristic — high uncertainty and rapidly evolving understanding. The industry's response has largely been reactive. Irene sees forward-looking strategy as the urgent priority.
This is just the beginning. The RIWG will be contributing to Actuaries Digital, examining the risks shaping the profession and the communities actuaries serve.
Have an idea for an article, want to collaborate on a piece, or interested in joining the group? Reach out to Daniel Cheng at [email protected] .
