CERA Education

The European Actuarial Academy is one of the main providers of actuarial education – especially when it comes to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). The concept of ERM has gained significant momentum in the insurance industry and beyond.

We offer a series of four training courses and exams (through DAV) to all actuaries who want to deepen their knowledge in Enterprise Risk Management and gain the international ERM-credential CERA. The defining characteristics of the CERA-credential as offered by the European Actuarial Academy are:

• Provides the most comprehensive and rigorous training in ERM
• Is a fast-growing globally-recognised credential
• Combines a range of business and professional skills with the mathematics of finance and risk
• Equips risk management professionals to empower better business decisions and more profitable business development
• Has a wide range of applications in insurance and finance, and well beyond
• Is supported by actuarial associations worldwide
• Is recognised and transferable internationally
• Has a rigorous and advanced curriculum underpinned by actuarial science, with an emphasis on ERM and professionalism
• Offers career choices outside the traditional actuarial markets

The Web Session ‘Processes in ERM’

This module deals with the challenges of implementing ERM Processes. It includes requirements on ERM Processes and the discussion of best practices. It will be presented how to define an organisation’s risk strategy, risk appetite, risk tolerances and limits. We discuss how business strategy influences risk strategy and show their necessary interaction. We demonstrate the close relationship between ERM and Value and Risk Based Management and show how financial and other risks influence the selection of strategy. We show how ERM can be appropriately imbedded in an entity’s strategic planning and discuss the Own Risk and Solvency Assessment. We present the application of an internal risk control process. In the context of ERM reports to different stakeholders are required (management, supervisory body, regulators, public disclosure). We give an overview of the different reports and the main contents. Further we show examples of communication processes in the context of ERM. During the web session we present case studies to discuss the main subjects. 

The web session is open to all persons who are interested in obtaining comprehensive skills on Enterprise Risk Management.

Technical Requirements
Please check with your IT department if your firewall and computer settings support web session participation (the programme Zoom will be used for this online training). Please also make sure that you are joining the web session with a stable internet connection.

 

This web session is one part in a course that consists of four modules. They can be booked as a whole series to fulfil the requirements for receiving the CERA designation, or individually as CPD training. Written exams on the course are offered subsequently.

Please contact your actuarial association regarding the recognition of the (online) trainings and the exams. The national association has to be at least Acceding Party of the CERA Global Association so that an actuary who passes this course may receive the CERA credential. Please visit www.ceraglobal.org to get information if your association is entitled to issue the CERA designation.

The language of the web session will be English. The exams will be, by your preference, in German or English. Please choose the language during the booking process. The exams are also available in Spanish for the members of the Instituto de Actuarios Españoles (Spanish Institute of Actuaries).

Julian Bischof
Julian, based in Frankfurt, is a senior manager within the risk management team of Q_PERIOR. Prior to this function, he used to work within the risk and actuarial team of EY. He has more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry. As a project leader, Julian successfully implemented Solvency II at a German life insurance and at a German property and casualty insurance company. He used to work in the risk management department where he developed, in close cooperation with the company’s actuaries and asset managers, the risk management system for adherence with the requirements set out by the Solvency II regime. In addition, he established and lead through various ORSA processes and introduced modern business steering concepts, including (risk related) indicators. Additionally, he has gained extensive experiences during internal audits on the systems of governance and risk management systems of various insurance companies. In 2015 he got his MBA degree as well as a university certificate as risk manager. Julian fluently speaks German, English, and Dutch.

Peter Brühne

Marc Linde
Marc is an expert for business support and actuarial valuation with the risk management department of Generali Deutschland AG. He has more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to Generali Deutschland, Marc has worked as a senior manager for actuarial consultancy BELTIOS P&C where he led Solvency II implementation projects for multinational insurance groups as well as small and medium-sized insurance non-life companies. In this role, he supported Internal Model application processes, implementation of Actuarial and Risk Management Functions and related valuation and reporting processes to meet Solvency II requirements across all pillars. He is a qualified actuary and fellow of the German association of Actuaries (DAV). Marc is member of the Non-Life Internal Model and ORSA working groups of DAV. He speaks German and English fluently.

Jacques Wasserfall
Jacques Wasserfall is the CEO of Württembergische Life & Health insurance in Stuttgart. Until 2020 he was responsible for the Zurich Germany Life insurance & Pension business in Bonn. He holds a bachelor of commerce from the University of Stellenbosch / South Africa. He holds the title as CERA and is a member of the German Institute of Actuaries (DAV) as well as of the Faculty & Institute of Actuaries in London (FIA) and of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA). He acted as a lecturer for DAV and EAA in various trainings for risk and value-based management.