The Institute of Actuaries of Japan
The Institute of Actuaries of Japan（IAJ）is a public interest incorporated association with over a century of heritage and tradition.
The IAJ has been engaging in a vast range of activities since its founding in 1899, ranging from researching and advancing actuarial science to educating and training actuaries and facilitating professional and cultural exchange with overseas actuarial organizations.
Further information can be found here.
https://www.actuaries.jp/english/
The International Actuarial Association
The International Actuarial Association (IAA) is the worldwide association of professional actuarial associations, representing over 85,000 actuaries in more than 115 countries, with six special interest Sections for individual actuaries. The IAA was founded in 1895 and exists to encourage the development of a global actuarial profession, acknowledged as technically competent and professionally reliable, which will ensure that the public interest is served.
The IAA has 74 Full Member Associations and 26 Associate Member Associations.
Vision
The actuarial profession is globally recognised as leading experts in risk and financial security, contributing to the well-being of society.
Mission
The mission of the IAA, as the worldwide organisation of actuarial associations, is to:
Impact: Supranational Relationships
Develop relationships with key supranational institutions, providing actuarial expertise on issues of relevance in global forums.
Assure: Promotion of the Profession
Support the development of the actuarial profession worldwide and promote appropriate professional/education standards through Member Associations.
Advance: Development of Competence
Promote the advancement of scientific knowledge and the skills of the actuarial profession.
Further information can be found here.
https://www.actuaries.org
International Steering Committee
Masaaki Yoshimura
Chair of International Steering Committee
Masaaki Yoshimura served as President of the International Actuarial Association (IAA) in 2018 and continued in leadership roles through 2020. Active in the IAA since 2002, he currently serves on the Advance Committee and as a formal observer to the SPC.
He has been involved in the CERA Global Association (CGA) since its inception in 2009 and became Chair in October 2024. He also serves as a board member of the Institute of Actuaries of Japan (IAJ), overseeing the CERA Qualification Committee, and chairs the ICA2026 International Steering Committee.
He earned a BSc in Mathematics from Kyoto University and an MBA from Boston University. After 30 years at Sumitomo Life, he joined Milliman in 2012, became the Representative for Japan in 2013, and retired as Special Advisor in 2023.
Hiroshi Shoji
Chair of ICA2026 Organizing Committee
Hiroshi Shoji is the Chair of ICA2026 Organizing Committee. He is a director and past president of the Institute of Actuaries of Japan.
Hiroshi has over 35 years of experience as an actuary at the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company. He has been particularly involved in life insurance accounting and the valuation of policy liability reserves.
"As Chair of Organizing Committee, I will welcome many participants from both Japan and all over the world and hope to make the conference a great success."
Hitoshi Watanabe
President of the IAJ
Mr. Watanabe serves as the President of the Institute of Actuaries of Japan. With extensive experience in the insurance industry, he has held numerous key leadership roles, including Chairperson of the Examination Committee, the Committee on Actuarial Practice Standards, the Solvency Review Working Group, and the Budget Committee.
Currently, Mr. Watanabe is an Executive Officer at Nippon Life Insurance Company, where he serves as the Appointed Actuary and leads the Group of Actuarial Function.
Peter Withey
Representative of the IAA Executive Committee
Peter recently retired from his position as the Senior Life Actuary at KPMG South Africa. He qualified as a Fellow actuary in 1989 and in his 35+ year career has had a wide range of experience in the Financial Services industry, mainly in South Africa. He works mainly in Life Insurance as an audit actuary but has exposure to non-life insurance, retirement benefits, warranty schemes and investment in his career. He is a committed volunteer to the profession and has served as the President of the Actuarial Society of South Africa in 2018-2019 and is currently a member of the IAA Executive Committee and Chair of the IAA Professionalism Committee. He is married with 3 adult children and enjoys reading and woodturning in his free time.
Gunn Albertsen
Representative of the IAA Executive Committee
Gunn Albertsen is an experienced actuary and influential leader in the Norwegian and the international actuarial community, with a career marked by strategic vision, communication excellence, and deep commitment to professional development. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the International Actuarial Association (IAA).
Gunn has held numerous leadership roles, including former Chair of the Norwegian Actuarial Association, and has been a Board Member of the Actuarial Association of Europe (AAE), where she was responsible for communication strategy and served on the Editorial Board of The European Actuary (TEA) magazine. Her work has focused on enhancing the visibility and impact of actuarial thought leadership across Europe and beyond.
With a strong background in both technical actuarial work and strategic governance, Gunn brings a unique blend of expertise to her role as actuary at Storebrand, one of Norway’s leading financial services companies. Her contributions continue to elevate the profession’s voice in global discussions on risk, sustainability, and innovation.
Christian Levac
Representative of the IAA Secretariat
Christian Levac is the Director of Communications & Engagement at the International Actuarial Association (IAA), where he leads global initiatives to connect and support the actuarial community. He currently serves as the IAA Secretariat representative on the ICA 2026 International Steering Committee, continuing a long-standing involvement with the International Congress of Actuaries, dating back to ICA 2006 in Paris.
With nearly three decades of experience in the non-profit sector, Christian brings deep expertise in program management, policy development, governance and strategic planning. Passionate about fostering collaboration and impact across borders, he plays a key role in shaping the future of actuarial engagement worldwide.
Mukami Njeru
Representative of the ICA 2029 Organizing Committee
Mukami Njeru FIA CERA is a strategic business executive who has held both consulting roles and in-house roles within financial services firms in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa.
She currently serves as the Head of Life and Microinsurance at Zep-Re. Prior to this, she led the Actuarial function in PwC West Africa and looked after the Life and Health portfolio of Swiss Re’s East and West African insurance clients.
Mukami has contributed extensively to the actuarial profession in Africa and internationally – she was elected as the first member from East and Central Africa to the council of the UK Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) to contribute to the strategy of the global actuarial profession. She has also served as a council member of The Actuarial Society of Kenya (TASK) including roles in key office bearer positions of Secretary and Vice-Chairperson. She was instrumental in establishing the Actuarial Academy of East Africa which has acted as a proof of concept for AADA. She also serves as a board member of the International Association of Consulting Actuaries.
Sundeep Raichura
Representative of the ICA 2029 Organizing Committee
Sundeep K Raichura (FIA, FeASK) is an experienced pensions and investment actuary and also CEO of a leading non-bank financial services company with a presence in seven African countries and in the UAE. Sundeep has contributed immensely to the development of the actuarial profession in Kenya and Africa. He has served as chairman of The Actuarial Society of Kenya and also of the Africa Sub-committee of the IAA. Sundeep was also awarded the prestigious Finlaison Medal by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries for his contribution to the actuarial profession in Kenya;
