New Actuaries Institute President Naomi Edwards says actuaries will play an “increasingly important role” in shaping the outlook on emerging challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence.

Speaking at a recent Actuaries Institute event, Ms Edwards said the group has established itself as a “very strong policy partner”, having provided advice to the Federal Government, as well as the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and Treasury.

“We are very heartened that some of the initiatives that the current government are talking about, such as bringing a wider well-being framework into the Federal budget, reflect the work that we have been doing,” Ms Edwards said.

Ms Edwards, a former Deloitte partner, encouraged continued investment in maths education, saying that the organisation’s ability to provide expert advice stemmed from a strong embrace of maths-based solutions.

She applauded the NSW Government’s decision to make maths compulsory through to year 12, saying the dangers of falling behind was an “unacceptable risk,” for a country looking to “make a strong contribution to the next digital revolution”.

“In the age of data, there is an important need to have people with maths in the economy, who can understand the trends and advise on and address matters of equity, public policy, ethics and long-term intergenerational concepts,” she said.

Ms Edwards also called for broadening educational backgrounds for government members, noting that only 6% of current sitting members of parliaments held a science, maths or engineering background.

“Just as a good board these days would look for a broad mix of experiences and educational/skills backgrounds, it would strengthen government and ensure more representative policies if political parties started to look at having a broader mix of experience and backgrounds,” she said.

Actuaries Institute CEO Elayne Grace spoke highly of Ms Edwards, who was chosen to lead the organisation for the year, saying that her advocacy skills provided a “fantastic addition to the Actuaries Institute this year”.