IFoA Middle East Conference 2027: call for speakers
The IFoA Middle East Conference will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 24 to 25 March 2027.
The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday 5 October.
This year’s theme, ‘Resilience in motion: Turning risk into opportunity across the Middle East’, reflects the pace of change across the region, and the evolving risks and opportunities facing businesses, economies and society.
We want to explore how actuaries and other professionals can use their expertise to navigate uncertainty, build resilience and turn emerging challenges into opportunities.
The conference will share insights and practical perspectives on the issues shaping the region, from emerging technologies and changing risk landscapes to evolving regulation. It will also look at topics such as sustainability, health, investment and the future of the actuarial profession.
If you can offer subject matter expertise, practical insights, innovative and engaging perspectives on the conference themes, we would like to hear your proposals for a relevant, forward-looking speaker session, with a focus on how you would deliver value to our diverse audience.
Speaking at an IFoA conference allows you to:
- Showcase your expertise from a flagship international actuarial platform
- Engage with a diverse audience across Middle East and global markets
- Contribute to shaping discussions on critical industry challenges
- Expand your professional network and visibility
- Contribute to your CPD requirements
This is your opportunity to share your research, knowledge, and thought leadership with your actuarial community and a wider audience of peers, colleagues and industry leaders. We would be delighted to receive your ideas before Monday 5 October 2026.
Proposal details
Your proposal should be in English, approximately 250 words, and summarise the topic you would like to cover as well as:
- Your target audience and assumed knowledge level
- Key learning outcomes and takeaways for attendees – these are critical for the conference committee’s decision-making process
- Any other background information that might be useful, for example, that you’ll be presenting on a working party submission or results from a new survey
- The proposed format of your session, for example, an interactive live presentation, debate, panel session or pre-recorded presentation
- Your organisation and contact details of all speakers
Your submission will be anonymised before going to the committee, so we will base our decision entirely on the information you provide. Plenary / keynote sessions last one hour, and breakout workshops last 50 minutes, which includes at least 10 minutes for Q&A. Please take this into consideration when making your submission.
Topic ideas
We are keen to build a diverse programme that reflects the evolving actuarial landscape across the Middle East. We welcome proposals from a broad range of actuarial disciplines, and that offer practical insights and fresh perspectives on subjects including:
- Actuarial models and risk management
- Climate and catastrophe risk
- Data, AI and actuarial technology
- Health insurance
- Pensions, investments and long-term risk
- Pricing, reserving and underwriting
- Protection and savings
- RBC, capital regimes and solvency
- Regulatory change
- Reinsurance
- The future actuary: Strategy, innovation and professionalism
- Other relevant topics
Example submission
An example of a good submission:
Session title: Why isn’t machine learning (ML) used routinely in reserving, as it is in personal lines pricing?
Session summary: Although there is widespread interest in ML, we see the same questions come up time and again about the difficulties of incorporating it into reserving, including:
- Why use ML for reserving in the first place?
- How do you get stakeholders (including auditors) on board?
- How can we research and apply ML techniques if we don’t have access to granular transactional data?
- How do you incorporate judgement or external information into an ML-based reserving process?
- Are actuaries going to be replaced by data scientists?
There are no easy answers, but in this panel discussion with various members of the Machine Learning in Reserving Working Party (MLRWP), we will cover these points and more. The MLRWP has previously shared findings and materials, many of which can be found on our blog.
This high-level session will be delivered online and should be of interest to actuaries at all levels with an interest in ML, including senior actuaries and team leaders who are interested in using ML in the reserving process.
Submit your proposal
Please submit your proposal by Monday 5 October.
We have included an example submission for your reference, but if you have any questions or need additional support, please contact eventmanagement@actuaries.org.uk