PENSION (Vote for up to three candidates) Thomas (Tom) McNab John G. Eng Mathieu Laurendeau Sanket Bhimani Tom Sablak Ruth E. Schau Thomas Perko Thomas (Tom) McNab, FSA Assistant Vice President Commercial Risk First New York, NY I am an AVP on the commercial team for RiskFirst Ltd, a London-based financial technology company whose product, PFaroe, is primarily targeted at defined benefit pension plans and their advisors (actuarial and investment) in the US and the UK. I work with our US-based clients from point of sale through implementation and assistance/consultation with specific usage cases (specializing now in LDI-based applications.) I have another four years of experience in traditional actuarial pension consulting with Towers Watson in both New York City and St. Louis. Society of Actuaries Experience (Section and committee memberships and participation) I am applying for first-time SOA council experience. My role at RiskFirst has placed me in a unique position of interaction with most US organizations offering solutions to the defined benefit pension plan market. That means that network is wide and varied, and I have input from many organizations of different sizes and objectives, from the pension plan sponsors themselves, to actuarial consultancies, investment consultancies, and investment managers. All of these company types are potential users of PFaroe, and as a consequence, I have great insight into the current market s leading pension risk management initiatives. I d like to sit on the council to add my own and RiskFirst s perspective to pension thought leadership in the market, especially as it relates to investment risk management.
John G. Eng, FSA, EA Retired San Diego, CA John worked 30+ years in the retirement plan area. For over 20 years, John worked in New York for Alexander & Alexander as actuary, Johnson & Higgins as VP Consulting Actuary and Mercer as Principal providing pension consulting to large US and foreign multinational corporations. Consulting services encompassed funding and accounting actuarial valuations, asset liability stochastic projection studies, pension plans involved in business merger, acquisition and divestiture, plan terminations and annuity purchases, union negotiations and retirement windows, cash balance plan design and administration, ERISA excess plans and SERP, retiree medical valuations and accounting disclosures plus other administration services. John also worked 9 years as senior consulting actuary for CIBZ Actuarial & Benefit Consultants San Diego / Phoenix office. In addition to the regular pension services, he provided consulting on GASB 43 and 45 implementation, valuation and disclosure, 401(k) profit sharing plan design, nondiscrimination testing, disclosure compliance and recordkeeper selection. In between the US east and west coast employment, John worked 7 years in the Singapore life insurance industry and reinsurance area for the Southeast Asia region. Work experience involved overseeing traditional and investment linked life insurance product development, asset liability management, Bancassurance and strategy development for providing retirement income to retirees under the region s national defined contribution systems. Society of Actuaries Experience (Section and committee memberships and participation) - Member of the pension section exam committee (1992-1994) - Written two exam study notes - Member of the Pension Section My purpose is to work with the Pension Section Council to share my experience and current research on investment and longevity pooling for defined contribution (DC) plans to promote the use of our actuarial knowledge and skill in working with retirement plans. With DC plans becoming the dominant vehicle used by employers and foreign countries to provide retirement income, pension actuaries are uniquely positioned to apply their defined benefit plan experience and knowledge and draw on variable annuity actuarial practices to help retirees to secure their retirement. Investment and longevity pooling is based on a group variable annuity concept using defined benefit plan liability driven investment strategies and variable annuity asset / liability management and hedging process to provide lifetime income for retirees. The retirement income needs and risks are very evident with defined contribution plan retirees in US and other countries. Pension actuaries can make a valuable contribution to help retirees manage investment and longevity risk.
Mathieu Laurendeau, FSA, FCIA Associate Partner Aon Hewitt Montreal, QC Mathieu is a pension actuary with Aon Hewitt in Montreal (Canada) since 2004. He is the Chair of the Accounting Committee of the Retirement & Investment practice at Aon Hewitt Canada. Having served on this committee for more than ten years, he acquired a strong knowledge of the different accounting standards applicable to pension plan sponsors (IFRS, US GAAP, Canadian accounting for private entities, not-for-profit entities, public sector entities, etc.) He also serves on a government task force providing guidance to public sector plan sponsors on accounting and taxation rules. He is the lead actuary for over 20 public sector pension plans that are currently experiencing major challenges concerning their plan design, risk-sharing mechanisms, governance and legal environment, and is a thought leader in this industry, having co-authored a number of publications and delivered speaking engagements at pension-related conferences and webinars. Society of Actuaries Experience (Section and committee memberships and participation): Mathieu is a member of the Pension Section Communications committee since the beginning of 2017. As a member of that committee, he is the editor of the Pension Section News. He also volunteers on a Project Oversight Group on a Retirement Adequacy Project. Has been and currently is a volunteer as a coach for local children soccer teams for many years. Also frequently participates in various fund-raising activities for charities. As a pension actuary, I have always been interested by what is going on outside my country concerning pension questions. Any pension actuary is aware that employers, individuals and countries are facing important challenges and that pension systems are evolving. Being passionate about these questions, I would like to take part in improving research and education in the pension field and bring my Canadian perspective to the council.
Sanket Bhimani, ASA, ACIA, MAAA Senior Manager Ernst & Young New York, NY I have over 10 years of experience consulting to corporate sponsors of defined benefit pension plans in the US and Canada. In my current role I mainly focus on pension accounting involving assessment of corporate pension financial disclosures and underlying assumptions. I have also provided advisory services related to reducing financial, tax, compliance and strategic risks associated with defined benefit programs. Other areas I have experience in are forecasting for accounting, cash, and financial purposes, developing pension de-risking strategies and guiding plan sponsors through their implementation, providing support for due diligence and integration processes for buyers / targets with respect to defined benefit plans. Society of Actuaries Experience (Section and committee memberships and participation): Pension section member Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship NY Mentor EY Entrepreneur of the Year - Interviewer The times are challenging for pension plan sponsors, with many significantly unfunded defined benefit pension plans. The SOA as the leading professional body in this area has a significant role to play in ensuring the long term sustainability of retirement benefits. By joining the pension section I want to leverage my experiences in both US and Canada to help contribute and influence this future direction. Tom Sablak, FSA, EA, MAAA, FCA Principal Conduent HR Services Boston, MA As of July 2017, I have 24 years of pension consulting experience. In addition to serving as the lead actuary and/or the Enrolled Actuary for several pension plans, I am currently a Principal in Conduent s Wealth Practice, and I also serve as the firm s Annuity Placement Leader within the Planning & Risk Management Specialty. Society of Actuaries Experience (Section and committee memberships and participation): Former member of the Continuing Education Subcommittee of the Pension Section Council. Former Director of Continuing Education for the Actuaries Club of Boston.
I m honored to have been asked earlier this year to consider running for a position on the Pension Section Council. I would like to give back to our profession, and the forward-looking work of the Pension Section Council would complement my current work with pension de-risking and plan terminations. Ruth E. Schau, FSA, EA, FCA Senior Director, Head of Practice Retirement Strategy TIAA Charlotte, NC Ruth Schau, FSA, EA, FCA is Senior Director, Practice Leader Retirement Strategy of TIAA. She has consulted in the retirement field for over 30 years with prestigious consulting firms including Aon Hewitt, Towers Perrin and KPMG. Extensive knowledge of both Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution plans, including an expertise in 403(b) plans, are used to support her clients with a broad range of retirement projects. She was an innovator in driving actuaries into the 401(k) and 403(b) markets with her hobby starting back in the early 90s. Her studies in behavioral economics and marketing have provided a new perspective on how the entire retirement market can be made more effective and efficient. A key belief is that that by guiding employees to accumulate appropriate levels of retirement income, organizations will run more effectively both now and into the future. Ruth has served as an advisory board member of the Pension & Investments (P&I) DC West conference. She has moderated multiple P&I sessions, presented at WPBC meetings and has presented to multiple large groups including employee meetings, advisory boards and committees. She has presented and planned their emerging leaders network which is a national leadership training program sponsored by TIAA. Recent speaking engagements have included topics such as retirement plan design of the future, behavioral economics and financial wellness, all with a focus on retirement. Ruth holds a Bachelor s degree in Actuarial Science with minors in Business and Spanish from Ball State University in Muncie, IN. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, an Enrolled Actuary under the U.S. Treasury Department and a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries. She has three young adults and has recently moved from California to North Carolina showing her eagerness for new experiences. Society of Actuaries Experience (Section and committee memberships and participation) Trial run participant of the Fellowship Admissions Course (FAC). Attended course to provide feedback and improve upon the program prior to its formal implementation. Ruth has volunteered throughout the years meeting a variety of needs by primary and secondary schools. Reading, art, playground, research, room mothers, career day presenter, religious educator and girl-scout activities have made up the vast majority of volunteer time. Two recent opportunities were related to worldwide hunger. I am ready to devote time and energy to the Pension Section of the SOA. I have long been a leader within the DC and 403(b) markets leading and in many cases pioneering the work by retirement actuaries. During my career, I have had a variety of roles, developing business, developing and managing client teams, supporting leadership training, and broad innovation. I have participated nationally as a leader in higher education, healthcare and broad retirement plan design. As a retirement strategist, I provide plan design for both DB and DC plans, compliance oversight, education on trends and thought leadership to my clients. Continuing education and
enhancing my knowledge base has been a personal goal throughout my career. Courses in marketing, behavioral economics, negotiations and behavioral finance have provided me with a lot of material to utilize in the retirement market as well as improved ways to think about areas that can still be improved upon. For example, my continued education has allowed me the opportunity to rethink approaches such as retirement windows for faculty during my interactions with leading faculty in these fields. I bring not only my experience but also new ideas to improve upon current practices. Innovation is needed in any successful organization and I feel this is a strength that I offer in my service to the SOA and the Pension Section. Thomas Perko, FSA, EA Manager, Retirement Programs PolyOne Corporation Avon Lake, OH Currently the Retirement Programs Manager for an international polymers company, most of Tom s background is in actuarial consulting across defined benefit, defined contribution and retiree medical schemes. Relevant experiences include pension derisking, plan design (DB and DC), 401(k) and pension administration, retirement plan considerations on M&A transactions, forecasting, financial statement audit, nondiscrimination testing, mortality assumption development and review. Society of Actuaries Experience (Section and committee memberships and participation) Pension section member since 2017 Former treasurer of local immigrant support charity, tutored grade school students in math. My goals are to bring more of the section s focus to the defined contribution space since most workers and employers fall outside of the defined benefit universe and to develop strategies and benefit plans to ensure retirement security in light of shrinking DB prevalence.