100 influential women in re/insurance


“Today, the competitive reinsurance market makes it a challenge of thriving. We spent years making very impressive progress, followed by a big leap forward when we brought XL Group and Catlin Group together.”


Name: Susan Cross


Company: XL Catlin Job:


Executive vice president and group chief actuary


Timeline: 2008—Joined senior leadership group 2006—Appointed global chief actuary of XL Capital 2004—Appointed chief actuary of reinsurance segment 2002—Promoted to SVP & chief actuary of XL Re Bermuda 1999—Joined XL America in Stamford, CT


Susan Cross is group chief actuary of XL Catlin. She leads and oversees all major actuarial functions for the company worldwide, including the establishment of unpaid loss and loss expense reserves, pricing benchmarks and related financial provisions. She joined the company in 1999 as senior vice president and chief actuary of XL America. In August 2004, she was named senior vice president and chief actuarial officer of XL’s reinsurance operations. She was responsible for all actuarial functions for the company’s reinsurance segment including pricing, reserving and capital and catastrophe management. Cross was also responsible for strategic planning and ceded reinsurance for XL’s reinsurance operations. Prior to joining the company, Cross was principal and consulting


actuary for Tillinghast-Towers Perrin (now Towers Watson). She is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, an associate of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.


What has been the highlight of your career so far? Few periods have been as defining for the financial services industry, or for me personally, as the crises of 2008/2009. That our company is now stronger than ever, with enormous potential in front of us, is quite an achievement. I’m proud to be part of a team that has made such great strides during the last few years.


32 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | 2015


What has been


the


biggest


challenge


you have


encountered? Certainly, the crises of the late 2000s were a big challenge. But then it was a challenge to survive. Today, the competitive reinsurance market makes it a challenge of thriving. We spent years making very impressive progress, followed by a big leap forward when we brought XL Group and Catlin Group together to form XL Catlin. Initial planning for the integration of the two companies was a complex process. We completed the transaction relatively quickly, but we couldn’t cut any corners in making sure that the deal would be a good move for our clients, colleagues and shareholders. Now that we’re one company, the ongoing work of shaping XL


Catlin’s future and refining our operations is just as challenging. Fortunately, we have a team of enthusiastic, dedicated people. It’s hard work, but it’s also exciting and satisfying.


What are your career aspirations now? I’m looking forward to taking XL Catlin to the next level. And as a member of the Casualty Actuarial Society’s Innovation Council, I’m interested in exploring new approaches to the actuarial profession. More and more, businesses are relying on us to analyse non-traditional risks. We’ve also entered an era of advanced analytical methods and enormous amounts of available data. On top of that, the younger generation of actuaries is entering the field with technological savvy and a fresh point of view. I want to help the CAS tap into the deep potential of our members so that we can be the creative, flexible partners our companies need.


www.intelligentinsurer.com


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