ABOUT THIS FEATURE

Actuarial transformation looks like a technology project on the surface, new cloud platforms, new tools, faster data processing. In this piece for Contingencies, Tony Schweiss and Anderson Olson argue that what actually determines success is leadership: specifically, whether someone with real authority can unite actuarial and IT teams, who tend to think about risk in fundamentally different ways, behind a shared vision. They walk through what that leadership looks like in practice, illustrated by a real transformation engagement.

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WHAT THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES

Why actuaries and IT teams clash even when both are doing their jobs well
The different instincts each function brings to risk and control, and why that tension has to be resolved deliberately rather than assumed away.

The three things effective leadership has to establish
From naming the right executive champion to building the business case, the specific groundwork that has to happen before any system gets replaced.

A real transformation that cut a three-day task down to hours
How one national insurer automated a core piece of actuarial workflow, and what made the technical win possible in the first place.