Insurance uses the “power of community” to support people when they are vulnerable and restore losses, Win-Li Toh has told the Actuaries Institute in her first speech as its president.

Ms Toh, who has spent more than two decades at Taylor Fry, took the reins at the institute last month. 

She is internationally recognised as an expert in general insurance, cyber risk and self-insurance, according to institute CEO Elayne Grace, who says the group is “incredibly fortunate to have Win-Li Toh as our president in 2025”. 

In her incoming presidential address, Ms Toh said her election to the national role is “truly an honour”. 

“It’s been a delightful, varied career and one I could have never imagined growing up in the small mining city of Ipoh in west Malaysia.”

While distrust of experts and politicians grows, Ms Toh said actuaries “stand out as trusted advisers ... something we should never take for granted.

“It requires grit and hard work for us all to maintain that trust – and the key is always remembering who our work is designed to help.”

Australian-trained actuaries “join the dots differently”, she said. “We ask, ‘What does it take to solve this problem?’ not, ‘How are we supposed to solve this problem?’ This is an Australian exceptionalism – we have the willingness to try fresh ideas.”

Ms Toh said she studied pure maths at Oxford University, has mostly worked in Australia and New Zealand, speaks several languages and has clients spanning five time zones.

“I’m fortunate that the course of my life has introduced me to many ways of thinking ... Together, all of these experiences have taught me the value of listening to, and drawing on, different perspectives.”

Actuaries “speak a shared, evidence-based language” that helps bring together people with different skills and views, she said.

“We don’t have all the answers. We need cyber experts, climate scientists, Indigenous leaders. Actuaries, while highly educated, have always been humble. We stand in awe of the facts, not ourselves.”