The SOA Partners With Organizations Around the World for Actuarial Excellence

The Latin America Committee (LAC) is working with actuarial programs across
Latin America

EDUARDO MELINSKY and JAVIER CAMPELO August/September 2018

The Society of Actuaries (SOA) Latin America Committee (LAC), made up of SOA volunteer actuaries, is working with actuarial programs across Latin America to promote the actuarial profession and foster closer relationships through joint activities and projects of mutual interest. The LAC’s main objectives are to:

Increase awareness of the SOA in Latin America.
Collaborate to improve the skills of actuaries and the actuarial profession.
Enhance the reputation and visibility of the profession.
Broaden the influence and effectiveness of actuaries in the region.

The LAC seeks to reach the actuarial community in the region, including universities, professional organizations, employers, regulators and actuarial associations. The committee will collaborate with local associations to enhance the SOA’s presence in Latin America and strengthen its credibility. Over the next two years, the LAC will:

Deepen understanding of local demand and barriers to pursuing SOA exams and credentials.
Identify relevant continuing education events; leverage the SOA as a sponsor and provide SOA speakers and subject-matter experts.
Provide research, such as updating regional mortality tables, establish joint longevity research and initiate other relevant projects.
Keep ongoing communications through publications and surveys.

In Argentina, the LAC and the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) have partnered to continue the UBA actuarial curriculum excellence. The Actuarial Sciences program started in 1927 at UBA at the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, and it is officially recognized by the International Actuarial Association (IAA) as fulfilling its educational actuarial syllabus.

The LAC is also currently serving as a conduit between the UBA and various universities in Colombia, Brazil and Chile to mutually collaborate in updating their respective curricula and adjusting them to the best international practices of the actuarial profession.

In October 2017, the SOA LAC visited the Universidad Nacional and the Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. It will travel to Brazil in 2018, where it will visit several Brazilian universities, including the Universidad Federal de Río de Janeiro. Following its visit to Brazil, the SOA will travel to Chile, where the LAC has been in contact with the Universidad Católica.

These are very exciting times for the actuarial profession in Latin America, and the LAC is proud to have the opportunity to work with the UBA and the SOA to develop actuarial academic excellence throughout Latin America.

In addition to its efforts in Latin America, the SOA has two other regional committees that address issues in other areas of the world: the China Committee and the Greater Asia Committee. These committees support members, candidates and other stakeholders with recommended research targets, professional development events, and employer and association outreach.

Eduardo Melinsky is director of the Actuarial Program at the School of Economic Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires.

Javier Campelo, ASA, is SOA Regional Ambassador Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, and a member of the SOA Latin America Committee.