Wed 10 Jun 2026 - Current Issues in Life Assurance (CILA) returns with a refreshed programme designed to equip life actuaries and related professionals with the insight, analysis, and practical guidance they need to navigate an increasingly complex landscape.
This one-day flagship event brings together leading thinkers from across the life sector to explore the regulatory, strategic, and market forces shaping the future of life insurance.
With new board level expectations, heightened scrutiny on climate and sustainability disclosures, and shifting market dynamics, CILA offers a timely and essential forum for discussion.
Whether you work in life insurance, pensions, risk management, or regulation, CILA provides a unique opportunity to engage with experts, test emerging ideas, and stay ahead of industry developments.
Tom Bryant is a non-executive director for L&G鈥檚 Bermuda Based Reinsurers, L&G Re and L&G Re2. In his day job, Tom is Reporting Director for L&G Group鈥檚 institutional retirement division, He is responsible for the delivery of the financial reporting, internal controls across finance, business planning and cost management. Previously, he was Head of Audit for the LGR business and Group Finance function.
Prior to joining L&G in 2014, Tom was Head of Internal Audit for the Head Office Operations, for QBE Insurance Group in Sydney and the QBE captive reinsurer, Equator Re, in Bermuda. Until 2010 Tom worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK and Australia in financial services external audit. Tom has over 20 years鈥� experience in financial reporting, internal and external audit of life insurance companies and pension schemes.
Richard is a Senior Actuary at the Bank of England, where he was worked in a variety of roles (and prior to that, the Financial Services Authority), since 2006. He is a general insurance actuary and has worked with a wide range of firms in the UK general insurance sector across a number of fields, including reserving, capital modelling, and the prudential regulatory framework.
He joined the PSWG in 2019, through which he has worked on several of the group鈥檚 videos and written materials and has led sessions on professionalism at every IFoA GIRO Conference since 2019. Outside of actuarial work, he is passionate about theatre, comedy, and cabaret.
Partner in the 4most insurance practice, Hana is a transformation leader and people actuary with a passion for helping organisations deliver change in the right way.
Based in the UK and originally from Slovakia, she brings strong communication skills and emotional intelligence to her work, enabling clients to achieve what they need with clarity, confidence, and pace. Outside of work, she is a proud mum and a natural connector who thrives on building relationships.
Prakhar Goel is a Principal at Oliver Wyman actuarial in London, specialising in European insurance M&A. He advises on acquisitions, minority investments, and reinsurance across UK, German, Indian, and Swiss markets.
Before Oliver Wyman, he worked at HSBC Investment Bank and EY, focusing on transactions, valuation, and financial modelling for life insurers. Prakhar is a Fellow of the 缅北禁地 (IFoA) and holds a mechanical engineering degree from Delhi College of Engineering. He combines actuarial expertise with strategic M&A insight to support clients in the life insurance ecosystem.
Stuart is Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights and a Partner at LCP. He helps clients understand and manage the impact of mortality trends, leveraging insights from LCP鈥檚 health analytics practice. He advises some of the UK鈥檚 largest pension schemes and well as leading insurers and reinsurers. He is the Chair of the Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) and founded and co-Chaired the influential COVID-19 Actuaries Response Group. He was awarded an MBE for services to public health in the 2022 New Year Honours.
Head of Insurance Accounting at 4most. Mike is an expert in insurance accounting and financial controls, with 13 years鈥� experience in insurance audit at PwC and EY prior to joining 4most.
He has worked across Lloyd鈥檚 syndicates, general insurance and investment management clients, before specialising in life insurance. He began his career in London before moving back to his native Yorkshire, where he brings a practical approach to supporting insurers through accounting, risk and control challenges.
Brian Ring co-leads Oliver Wyman鈥檚 UK life actuarial practice and co-leads the European M&A actuarial practice. With 20 years of actuarial experience, Brian specialises in M&A, reinsurance, PRT and actuarial transformation.
He has held senior roles across consulting, reinsurance broking, and has worked in several major financial services firms including Prudential and Goldman Sachs. Brian has led several large insurance acquisitions in recent years, as well as large-scale actuarial transformations and supported multiple new entrants into the UK PRT infrastructure. He is a Fellow of the 缅北禁地.
| Activity | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and refreshments | 09:00 - 09:30 | |
| Welcome | 09:30 - 09:40 | Read more |
Speaker: Cath Hodges | ||
| UK PRT market trends and potential disruptors | 09:40 - 10:20 | Read more |
In this session, Michelle and Alex will provide an overview of the UK PRT market, the size and strength of the market in recent years, and insights into the ongoing demand for risk transfer by trustees. The session will also cover the legislative changes that might cause disruption within this market, which include:
The audience will leave with a clear view on the current market and an understanding of the emerging areas that could disrupt the market. Speakers:
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| The UK retirement landscape is entering a period of profound change | 10:20 - 11:20 | Read more |
The Pensions Schemes Bill, the expansion of guided retirement pathways, the FCA鈥檚 evolving expectations under targeted support, and the emergence of collective defined contribution (CDC) arrangements are reshaping what 鈥榞ood鈥� looks like for customers at and through retirement. These developments pose fundamental questions for life insurers who today hold a substantial share of UK pension savings and provide a wide range of in retirement solutions. This session brings together experts from industry, government and regulation to explore how these reforms could influence product design, customer journeys and long term risk management within the life sector. Discussion will consider whether existing and emerging products can meet the needs envisaged by policymakers, where genuinely new solutions may be required, and how firms can navigate uncertainty while continuing to deliver good outcomes. A forward looking debate at the intersection of policy, regulation and product innovation. Speaker: Alan Newton | ||
| Morning refreshments | 11:20 - 11:40 | |
| A whistle stop tour of European M&A | 11:40 - 12:20 | Read more |
M&A has been very active in the insurance space in recent years and that trend looks to continue. The team has been involved in over 15 transactions in the last 12 months alone. They are here to provide their perspectives on recent valuations, trends, and how M&A appears to be evolving beyond typical perimeters. Speakers:
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| Stayin’ alive in change governance: The choreography of trust, structure and delivery | 12:20 - 13:00 | Read more |
Governance meetings are where change either gains momentum or quietly starts to fail 鈥� often not because of poor intent, but because the choreography between governance and delivery was never agreed. In this session, Hana Drake explores change governance as a performance, not just a decision forum, focusing on what actually happens in large programme calls: status theatre, surprise escalations, how trust is built (or broken) under pressure, and why structure protects people rather than controls them. Drawing on real delivery experience from hybrid finance and integration programmes, the session brings practical tools to life 鈥� including project heatmaps, end to end dashboards, stakeholder plans, and early blocker identification 鈥� through the lens of rhythm, lead and follow, and footwork. Attendees will leave with a clearer way to prepare stakeholders, shape content, and run accountable change governance that surfaces risk without throwing teams under the bus, using simple, repeatable artefacts that help delivery stay upright as change transitions into BAU. Speaker: Hana Drake, 4Most | ||
| Lunch | 13:00 - 13:50 | |
| Longevity trends, healthcare pressures and the promise of GLP-1s | 13:50 - 14:30 | Read more |
Stuart McDonald will reflect on recent mortality trends and discuss how these have evolved in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing pressures on the NHS. He will discuss how mortality is likely to evolve in the future and the extent to which new innovations may be able to offset increasing pressure from the 缅北禁地. He will consider the direct and indirect implications of widespread adoption of GLP-1 medicines on health and mortality trends. And he will explain how the CMI model has been adapted in light of recent experience, with the latest versions (CMI_2024 and CMI_2025) following the biggest review of the model in a decade. Speaker: Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights and a Partner at LCP | ||
| The board agenda: Current issues facing our board members | 14:30 - 15:10 | Read more |
Life insurance boards are navigating one of the most demanding governance landscapes in recent years. This session will give senior actuaries a clear line of sight into what directors are grappling with right now 鈥� from the heightened internal control expectations introduced under Provision 29 to the rapidly evolving climate related reporting requirements reshaping risk oversight. A board member will facilitate an expert panel discussion exploring how these pressures are influencing board priorities, decision making, and the demands placed on actuarial functions. Expect practical insight into what boards need from actuaries today and how the profession can best support effective, future ready governance. Speakers:
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| Afternoon refreshments | 15:10 - 15:30 | |
| Professional Skills | 15:30 - 16:20 | Read more |
A practical and interactive professionalism session examining current challenges for actuaries. Speaker: Richard Chalk | ||
| Session to be confirmed | 16:20 - 17:00 | |
| Closing remarks and networking | 17:00 - 17:10 | |
Members: 拢150
Non-members: 拢225
Two East Poultry Ave
Smithfield
London
EC1A 9PT