Pinnacle University (Pinnacle U) is a complex program to pull off. Designing, planning and executing an event like Pinnacle U, usually requires a lot of flexibility in the process. This year, however, required a higher level of flexibility than we might have ever expected. Pinnacle U is an immersive, in-person symposium at which students, professionals, panelists and participants meet and spend the day discovering and debating important actuarial issues of the day. 

Pinnacle has enjoyed a highly successful 2017. We have added ten new full-time employees this year and now have 28 credentialed actuaries on staff, with another two actuarial analysts anticipating earning their Associate credential of the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) in the spring of 2018. 

Pinnacle recently hosted the 4th annual Pinnacle U event in our Bloomington office. Pinnacle U is a collaborative effort between Illinois State University (ISU) and Pinnacle that provides a wide array of training and development opportunities for its participants. The event is also a tangible response to the strategic plan of the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS), which lists improving communications and relationships with candidates and academics as a top priority.

Insurance companies need better tools to effectively underwrite cyber liability risk, including data-driven approaches for underwriting using publicly-available data. The CAS Cyber Risk Task Force is an excellent place from which to start finding ways to help insurance companies manage this growing risk, both as potential victims and as insurers.

The strategic plan of the Casualty Actuarial Society includes a directive to “Develop strong relationships with academics and increase awareness among academics of the CAS career path.” Recognizing there are currently just over 3,000 four-year degree-granting institutions in the United States, a question arises as to how far this outreach extends. With this in mind, I’ve gone back to my roots and visited the two academic institutions that have most impacted my life.