Actuaries looking to the future: Nora Blom's observations from the Life Conference

This year’s IFoA Life Conference 2025 was a great experience – full of energy, thoughtful discussions, and the chance to meet so many people I usually only speak to online. Being my first conference, it was invaluable to connect in person and get a feel for what’s front of mind for both clients and candidates.

There was a strong appetite from many attendees to understand what’s happening in the market. Although it’s felt relatively quiet at times, it’s clear there’s a lot going on beneath the surface, and plenty of interest in how things may evolve over the next year. We had productive conversations from both sides, sharing insights and hearing different perspectives across the life actuarial space. Here are my three main takeaways from the event.

1. Lots of thought-provoking talks

One session in particular sparked debate around cryptocurrency and its potential (or lack of it) in the UK market. It was interesting to hear differing viewpoints on whether it has a viable future in the life insurance space. When we conducted our recent Life Actuarial UK Workplace Attitudes Survey, this wasn’t one of the key growth areas respondents expect to see over the next five years, so it will be interesting to see how this develops in the months ahead.

2. Continued curiosity about the market direction

Many people were keen to understand what’s going on behind the headlines – especially with the market feeling quieter in places. There’s a real interest in how the next 12 months may shape up and what opportunities or shifts might emerge. In particular, bulk purchase annuities (BPA) continues to dominate and it’s important that we don’t allow the more traditional areas, such as protection, to become overshadowed.

3. Growing interest in AI and its impact

AI featured heavily in discussions: both its broader influence on the industry and how it’s being used in hiring. We spoke about where it’s adding value, where it may fall short, and how life insurers are adapting to it. As part of our survey, when we asked actuaries which skills they think will be most in demand over the next five years, data science/advanced analytics/AI integration was by far the most popular answer, selected by 70.7% of respondents.

Get in touch with us

It was fantastic being at my first conference, visiting Edinburgh and catching up with so many professionals from my network, as well as getting to know so many new people. Being a part of these events is so important for us when it comes to keeping up with market sentiment and understanding what actuarial professionals really care about.

If you’d like to talk to me about the conference, discuss finding your next role or hire, or request a download of our Life Actuarial UK Workplace Attitudes Survey, please get in contact with me for an informal conversation.