Professional Development Edge Podcast Ep. 8 Working with Ambiguity with Aree Bly

The podcast features Jon Forster interviewing Aree Bly, founder of Alignment Ally and author of "The Sustainable Brain," focusing on the importance of developing comfort with ambiguity for actuaries and other professionals. Aree shares practical examples from her career, such as handling ambiguous data formats in healthcare analytics, and discusses strategies for determining when work is "good enough" without sacrificing quality. The conversation covers tools like the RACI framework for clarifying roles and responsibilities, and offers advice for navigating ambiguity arising from organizational changes. The episode emphasizes the impact of ambiguity on career sustainability and personal well-being, encouraging proactive communication, expectation-setting, and self-awareness. Contributors:   Aree Bly; Jon Forster, ASA, MAAA Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe! Want to keep up with the latest SOA news? Follow us on our social channels: Instagram: @soactuaries Facebook: Society of Actuaries LinkedIn: Society of Actuaries Twitter: @SOActuaries About Us: With roots dating back to 1889, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) is the world's largest actuarial professional organization with more than 32,000 actuaries as members. Serving as the SOA's research arm, the SOA Research Institute provides objective, data-driven research bringing together tried and true practices and future-focused approaches to address societal challenges and your business needs. It provides trusted knowledge, extensive experience and new technologies to help effectively identify, predict and manage risks. ● Learn more about Influence and other engaging topics relevant for actuaries on the Professional Development Edge Subscription product.    https://www.soa.org/prof-dev/pd-edge/  

Exploring Fraud, Waste & Abuse (FWA) in U.S. healthcare—key trends, AI's impact, and how actuaries and data professionals can drive smarter detection and prevention.

Join Jason Hiquet, FSA, CERA and host Chris Smith, ASA, for an insightful discussion of innovation in insurance. Jason's expertise in the field and advice for those seeking to have an impact is can't-miss for anyone with hopes of driving change in the industry!  Want more? Register for the  Innovating Inside of Traditional Insurance Work Topic Call on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET. Topic calls are live virtual events that allow for engagement and interaction on topics of interest.  Note: This episode refers to the Entrepreneurial & Innovation Section. It was recorded in 2025 prior to the transition from SOA Sections to SOA Communities.

In this episode of the Get Plugged In Podcast, originally published in January 2026, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, is joined by Joe Alaimo, CEO at ProComp Consulting Inc. in Ontario, Canada and Community Advisory Team Member of the Emerging Topics Community. Together, they unpack the results of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute's inaugural AI Adoption Survey. Their conversation explores how actuaries are using AI tools, the most common use cases across career stages, and the key organizational barriers such as skill gaps and compliance risks. They also discuss surprising survey results on interest in further AI education and how attitudes differ between early- and late-career actuaries. This foundational research will be repeated regularly to track how the profession's use of AI evolves over time. Want to go more in-depth? Read the full report and explore other valuable resources at  the Artificial Intelligence Research landing page. Send us your feedback at [email protected]

Join Tasso Bountouvas, FSA and Carly Mauro, FSA as they give an overview of the main goals and motivations of YPAC. They celebrate 2025 accomplishments and look forward to another exciting year of impact!

Join Ganiu Shefiu as he interviews Jola Fakoya, FSA, CERA, to discuss making an impact in actuarial leadership.

The podcast features Jon Forster interviewing Hasham Piperdy about the similarities and differences between Takaful and mutual insurance. Both models emphasize collective risk sharing and returning surplus to participants, but differ in ownership structure, capital provision, and investment restrictions. Takaful adds a layer of Shari'ah compliance, requiring investments to be Islamic and oversight by a Shari'ah board. The discussion highlights that while the models share cooperative principles, Takaful introduces faith-based ethics and governance.  Contributors: Hasham Piperdy, FIA; Lisa Schilling, FSA, EA, FCA, MAAA; Jon Forster, ASA, MAAA Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe! Want to keep up with the latest SOA news? Follow us on our social channels: Instagram: @soactuaries Facebook: Society of Actuaries LinkedIn: Society of Actuaries Twitter: @SOActuaries About Us: With roots dating back to 1889, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) is the world's largest actuarial professional organization with more than 32,000 actuaries as members. Serving as the SOA's research arm, the SOA Research Institute provides objective, data-driven research bringing together tried and true practices and future-focused approaches to address societal challenges and your business needs. It provides trusted knowledge, extensive experience and new technologies to help effectively identify, predict and manage risks. ● Learn more about Takaful and other engaging topics relevant for actuaries on the Professional Development Edge Subscription product.    https://www.soa.org/prof-dev/pd-edge/  

In this captivating podcast, Joe Alaimo, CEO of ProComp, sits down once again, two years later, with ChatGPT. Together they talk about what has actually changed in two years, what did not change, and where the profession might be heading next.  What does ChatGPT now see ahead for the actuarial profession? The original Actuaries in the Age of AI: A conversation with ChatGPT was published on Oct 12, 2023  

The podcast features a conversation with Willis Towers Watson CEO Carl Hess, who discusses his progression from actuary to CEO, emphasizing the importance of analytical skills, communication, and people management in leadership. Carl highlights how technology and AI are transforming the actuarial profession, noting that automation and AI projects at WTW are helping staff focus on more productive work and better utilize unstructured data. He shares personal anecdotes about using music to maintain focus during actuarial exam studies and explains how he stays connected with WTW's employees through informal interactions and modern communication tools. Carl reflects on key career moments and lessons leaned along the way.   Carl is joined by Chris Lombardi, Karen Grote, and Jon Froster for this thoughtful conversation.   Contributors: Carl Hess, FSA, CERA; Chris Lombardi, FSA, MAAA; Karen Grote, FSA, MAAA; Jon Forster, ASA, MAAA Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe! Want to keep up with the latest SOA news? Follow us on our social channels: Instagram: @soactuaries Facebook: Society of Actuaries LinkedIn: Society of Actuaries Twitter: @SOActuaries About Us: With roots dating back to 1889, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) is the world's largest actuarial professional organization with more than 32,000 actuaries as members. Serving as the SOA's research arm, the SOA Research Institute provides objective, data-driven research bringing together tried and true practices and future-focused approaches to address societal challenges and your business needs. It provides trusted knowledge, extensive experience and new technologies to help effectively identify, predict and manage risks. ● Learn more about Influence in the Actuarial Profession and other engaging topics relevant for actuaries on the Professional Development Edge Subscription product.    https://www.soa.org/prof-dev/pd-edge/  

What is it really like to work as an actuary in a fast-moving startup versus a large, established company? In this episode, YPAC member Zack Moore sits down with Matt Briggs to unpack the realities of both worlds, from culture and pace to impact, growth, and career satisfaction. They explore how actuaries fit into each environment, the trade-offs between stability and innovation, and what young professionals should consider when choosing their own path. Whether you're climbing the corporate ladder or diving into startup life, this conversation offers insights to help you shape a career that fits your goals.