Volunteerism is a powerful force that drives positive change in communities across the world. In Canada, National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to reflect on the impact of volunteerism, acknowledging that volunteers are critical in building vibrant and healthy communities. The CIA is very proud to have a membership that gets involved, contributes considerable time to their communities and ensures the Canadian actuarial profession is robust.
Over the past year, more than 850 CIA volunteers collaborated to ensure a strong foundation for actuarial practice in Canada. Our history is rooted in the strength of volunteers. They founded and continue to grow the Institute through efforts in research, standard development, education and so much more. Each volunteer contributes a unique set of skills, experience and interests to this special community, resulting in a flourishing profession that promotes the public interest.
The Institute fully utilizes volunteer talents in the strategic planning process with the CIA Board at the lead to determine the Institute’s strategic priorities. Each council takes those priorities to create actionable plans, delegating the development and achievement of tactical plans to their respective committees and subcommittees. This collaborative effort ensures that members are engaged in roles that draw on their unique attributes while offering challenges and space to grow.
We recognize the valuable contributions of volunteers annually through our signature event, the CIA Legacy Awards. This year we presented five FCIAs with the Lifetime Award, adding their names to the CIA Legacy Tree. The Lifetime Award is granted to members who have completed at least 24 terms of service, impacting significant changes for actuarial practice in Canada.
Dave Dickson
Dave is a seasoned actuary with more than 40 years of experience, including 32 terms of service with the CIA. He is known for his ability to identify goals, determine pathways and welcome difficult projects. Dave has developed a reputation for seeking the best and brightest to work alongside him and has held one third of his CIA terms in leadership positions.
During his time as CIA President, Dave negotiated an education agreement with the Society of Actuaries that ensured the needs of Canadian actuaries were being met. He also chaired the Customer Relationship Management Steering Committee, a significant undertaking, to integrate new technology into the CIA’s member management systems.
Despite his busy career and volunteer work, Dave always puts his family first.
Jacques Tremblay
Jacques has been an unstoppable force in the actuarial community since achieving his FCIA in 1992. He has completed more than 30 terms of service with the CIA, taking on leadership roles in education, international affairs, guidance, governance, public affairs and profession oversight.
Jacques also champions the accomplishments of those around him through small acts of kindness and large gestures. As CIA President, Jacques spoke directly to the public about the impact of retirement age on Canadian pension plan income, embodying the CIA’s vision of financial security for all Canadians. He now chairs the Tribunal Panel, continuing to promote the profession’s values.
Jacques is known for his willingness to humbly pass on his knowledge and know-how and to encourage professional growth and learning from one another.
James (Jim) BrierlEy
Jim has been involved with the CIA since the early years of his actuarial career, spending 31 years as a volunteer. He earned a reputation as a change-maker and impacted liability reporting requirements for actuaries in Canada, as well as advocating for a larger and more meaningful role for actuaries.
Jim represented the CIA in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) discussions, addressing the ability of actuaries to practice in other NAFTA countries. He also used his influence as CIA President to convince the Superintendent of Insurance to accept Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for statutory reporting, allowing actuaries to avoid the situation of trying to explain why two different values each represented the actuarial liabilities.
Jim is known for giving every pursuit his all and making meaningful friendships along the way.
Kit Moore
Kit’s journey with the CIA began in 1967 when he first achieved his Fellowship. He held several roles of increasing responsibility, honing his negotiation and public speaking skills along the way. During his tenure as CIA President, Kit supported initiatives to improve the accuracy of actuarial calculations and the accessibility of the actuarial profession to all Canadians.
Kit also championed the importance of volunteer work and encouraged CIA members to give back to their communities. Additionally, he led two task forces on the future of the Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan, making recommendations that improved the long-term viability of the pension programs.
He is well-known for his passion for the profession and his desire to contribute to its growth and success.
Nancy Yake
Nancy has been a trailblazer in the Canadian actuarial community, dedicating nearly three decades to the profession. While she focused mainly on pension practice, Nancy also worked on workers’ compensation and post-employment benefit plans. She took on numerous volunteer roles, starting with the Pension Plan Financial Reporting Committee and was highly regarded for her open and positive energy.
Nancy’s leadership skills made her the ideal chair for the committee rewriting the standards of practice related to actuarial evidence standards, even though it was outside her direct practice area. She has become a mentor for women entering the actuarial field, which makes her the perfect fit as the first woman to be added to the CIA Legacy Tree.
Nancy’s dedication and contributions to the profession have led to her becoming a respected and beloved member of the actuarial community.
Thank you to our volunteers!
The Institute appreciates all of our amazing members who volunteer their time. Throughout the years our volunteers have left a lasting impact on the profession, moving us closer to our vision of financial security for all Canadians.
We invite you to share your comments and congratulations on the valuable contributions made by these dedicated volunteers.
Want to learn more about this year’s winners?
This year’s award recipients joined us on the Seeing Beyond Risk podcast to share their volunteer experience and how it has helped shape their careers.
