Finity MD Estelle Pearson has taken over as Actuaries Institute President with a pledge to promote the profession’s voice among key decision-makers.

She says this is a priority “as the nation considers significant issues including budget reform and the impact of an ageing population”.

The institute will provide policymakers with “intelligent and forward-looking insights as they deal with major reforms to our economy and [consider] how best to deal with many significant issues facing our community”.

This year the institute will release a report on the super and retirement sectors, as a follow-up to recommendations in its 2012 Longevity Tsunami white paper.

It also plans to submit a response to the Federal Government’s intergenerational report and tax white paper.

In May the institute will hold its biennial Actuaries Summit in Melbourne, with the theme “take the lead”.

Ms Pearson says actuaries now work in a diverse range of industries, beyond the traditional insurance and super sectors, and she is committed during her one-year term to ensuring their skills are better recognised.

“It is also very important that the institute does all it can for its current and future members by continuing to update and modernise our qualifications, to ensure our education and skills remain widely valued and relevant across the range of industries we work in.”