The December edition of Insurance News (the magazine) is hitting mailboxes this week with its popular mix of news backgrounders, interviews, technical articles and the always-popular PeopleNEWS section.

In this issue we examine the rise in influence of actuaries as explained by Actuary of the Year Estelle Pearson; the perils and pitfalls of changing a company’s brand, and why Steadfast and AIG are among those doing it anyway; and our popular annual Top 20 list, which identifies the most influential people in the industry and explains why.

From imperfect catastrophe modelling to unpredictable social media – and why insurance is now a big user – you’ll find plenty of reasons why Insurance News (the magazine) remains the industry’s most interesting and most-read publication.