100 influential women in re/insurance


“The highlight of my career to date has been my new position as chief risk officer and chief actuary of ABR Reinsurance.”


over $1.5 billion. She was also responsible for designing efficient retrocession structure and the purchase of retrocession. Ostiguy is a graduate of Laval University with a Baccalaureate in Actuarial Mathematics.


Name: Melanie Ostiguy


Company: ABR Reinsurance Job:


Chief risk officer & chief actuary


Timeline: 2015—Chief risk officer & chief actuary, ABR Reinsurance 2009—Chief actuary, ACE Bermuda 2002—Vice president, intra-group reinsurance, ACE Tempest Re 2000—Actuarial analyst, Meloche Monnex (now TD Insurance)


Melanie Ostiguy has over 15 years of actuarial experience in the non-life insurance industry and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Society of Actuaries in Ireland. Ostiguy is chief risk officer & chief actuary of ABR Reinsurance. She is responsible for the development and implementation of ABR’s risk management strategy and processes. She is also responsible for the company’s actuarial function. Her role includes oversight of all actuarial functions, including reserving, pricing, and portfolio risk analysis. Prior to joining ABR Re, Ostiguy was chief actuary for ACE


Bermuda, where she was responsible for the company’s actuarial function including the evaluation of ACE Bermuda’s loss reserve positions. Her role included oversight of pricing models, leading and coordinating actuarial work related to business planning and financial projections, capital modeling, statutory and SEC filings, Solvency II and risk transfer analysis. She also provided analytical support for reinsurance purchasing, strategic product development and portfolio management. Ostiguy also served as the loss reserve specialist for ACE Bermuda and for Freisenbruch-Meyer Insurance


and was the


signing actuary for ACE Bermuda International Insurance (Ireland) . Prior to joining ACE Bermuda, Ostiguy was with ACE Tempest Re where she was responsible for the intra- group reinsurance department. Her role included underwriting, pricing and reserving for a multi-national and multi-line (non- life) reinsurance book of business generating annual premium


82 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | 2015


Why did you choose to work in the insurance industry initially? I knew at a fairly young age that I wanted to study actuarial science, as I was good at math and liked the technical skillset it provided. The P&C insurance sector was the obvious choice for me as I always felt it offered the most challenges. I was also attracted by the innovation and the growth opportunities that existed within the business.


What has been the highlight of your career so far? One of the best parts has been being a part of a company where I could be challenged continuously and where I had a variety of opportunities to expand my skillset. The highlight of my career to date has been my new position as chief risk officer and chief actuary of ABR Reinsurance. This unique company, which complements the traditional reinsurance market, provides me with an opportunity to shape and influence the company’s growth and evolution from its inception.


What has been the biggest challenge you have


encountered? Balancing work and family. It’s about understanding that you can’t excel at all aspects of life all the time, to accept it and to not feel emotional guilt about missing out on some family time. I need to make daily choices about which opportunities I’ll pursue and which ones I’ll decline, while at the same time not losing myself, my family, or my career. I view it as defining what success means to me and making decisions based on my personal priorities. I feel that my efficiency and the great collaboration I have with my husband makes this possible.


If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? Looking back and reflecting on my career and what I’ve achieved so far, I’m not sure I would have done much differently. I really enjoy working in the industry and being someone who is always looking for the next challenge, I feel there is always room for personal growth.


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