12 April 2024
We are disappointed that the Arab Actuarial Society has decided not to support our Middle East Conference taking place in May. We will continue to have an open dialogue with the society and hope that they will be able to partner with us on future initiatives.
Our programming committee is made up of members based across the Middle East and is committed to delivering an event that meets all members’ needs and develops the actuarial profession throughout the region. We fully support our programming committee and we are proud of the progress it has made in creating a high quality and inclusive conference that features both nationals and expats currently working in the region.
Based on member feedback across the region, the conference will be taking part in two locations to enable as many members as possible to attend. The event will begin in Riyadh between 11 and 12 May, before moving to Dubai between 15 and 16 May.
Encouraging more people to train as actuaries in the Middle East is an important objective for our event and so the Riyadh leg of the conference will begin on the 11 May with a free event for students who are studying, or considering studying, for an actuarial qualification. These students will have the opportunity to learn from qualified members in the region, ask questions about the actuarial profession, and learn how the IFoA equips actuaries with the transferable skills needed to become leaders in many fields such as general insurance, life insurance, pensions, health, investment and many more.
The second day of the Riyadh event will open with a keynote address presented by Mr. H.E Mr Abdullah Al-Homid, Deputy of Supervision, Saudi Arabia Insurance Authority (IA). This will be followed by a CEO panel moderated by Mr. Safder Jaffer, Managing Director and Principal, Milliman; and featuring Mr. Umar Al Mahmoud, CEO, Medgulf; Mr. Johnson Varughese, CEO, Walaa; Mr. Anuj Agarwal, CEO, Allianz Saudi Fransi; Mr. Ahmad Al-Qarishi (Chief Underwriting Officer, Saudi Re); and Mr. Ehab Al-Atassi, Executive Director, National Casemix Center of Excellence. This will be closely followed by a Head of Actuarial Function panel moderated by Mr. Samih Geha, Chief Actuarial Officer, Nitaq, who will explore the opportunities and challenges in the profession with an esteemed panel that includes Mr. Nasser Aljudayi, Director of Actuarial & Analytics, Bupa Arabia; Mr. Khurram Amin, VP Actuarial, Al Rajhi Takaful; Mr. Tarek Alameh, Senior Executive Director Actuarial, Tawuniya; Mr. Mahmoud M Almalki, Actuarial Studies General Manager, GOSI; and Ms. Dana Barhoumeh, Chief Actuary, Saudi Re. The rest of the day will include a range of informative presentations and panel discussions.
The conference will then move to Dubai which will open with a new qualifier and volunteer recognition ceremony. Mr. Ian Johnston, CEO of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, will give a keynote address. The event will include another CEO panel moderated by Mr. Omer Morshed, CEO, SHMA; and featuring Mr. Walter Jopp, CEO, Salma; Mr. Mohamed Seghir, CEO, Hayah; Mr. Owais Ansari, CEO, Munich Re MENA Pakistan and Takaful; and Dr. Abdul Zahra A. Ali, Chief Executive Officer, National General Insurance (NGI). This will be followed by Regulatory panel which will be moderated by Mr. Priyank Gupta, Principal and Consulting Actuary, Lux and will feature Mr. Hany Helmy, Senior Manager, Insurance Supervision, DFSA; Mr. Jaffar Iqbal, Associate Director & Actuary - Insurance Supervision, QFCRA; and Mr. Falak Soomro, Advisor Insurance, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. The rest of the event will include presentations and panels that cover a wide range of topics including pricing, pensions, banking, and climate change.
As a sign of our commitment to developing the profession in the region both the President and President Elect, along with the interim CEO will be attending the event to meet with members and share our plans for the future.
We hope that actuaries and those thinking of joining the profession will join us in either Riyadh or Dubai. Further information can be found on our website.