Doug Knowling, FSA, CERA, MAAA
Senior Vice President and Chief Actuarial Officer
RGA, U.S. Division

Statistically speaking, you might not expect a town of less than 2,500 residents to produce too many actuaries. But, it turns out that Doug Knowling is one of several actuaries that attended high school in Williamsburg, Iowa. Is it something in the water? Maybe, but Doug credits his high school math teacher, John Gillaspie, with introducing him to the profession and helping him see how it was a way for him to apply his math skills in a business setting.

And, his career has allowed him to do just what Mr. Gillaspie said it would. Working for RGA, a leader in the global life reinsurance industry, Doug puts his math skills to work every day. In his current role with the company, he has overall responsibility for pricing, research and client services for the company’s U.S. Division, while also leading divisional risk management efforts. It’s work that Doug says he loves.

"What's exciting about this profession and the work I do is the ability to develop new concepts and bring them to a broader audience," he says. "Sometimes it's challenging, as you often encounter situations where you need to provide concrete answers with data that is limited in depth and breadth. But, it's a challenge I enjoy."

Through the years, Doug's responsibilities have evolved – now instead of taking direction and performing calculations and projections, he's giving direction and reviewing other's work. But, he says that as his career has advanced, he’s become even more aware of the fact that the core of what actuaries do will always be in demand. "I think what’s next for the profession is in some ways more of the same – doing what actuaries do best, which is providing prudent advice regarding contingent financial issues," Doug says. "But, the areas in which we operate are expanding. For example, I see risk management as an area where actuaries can help businesses move from simple risk avoidance to using superior risk analysis as a competitive advantage."

For actuaries looking to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the profession, Doug has some advice. "Study hard for the exams and take business communications classes. Actuaries who can communicate effectively will have more opportunities and are more likely to advance to higher positions."

In addition to attending high school in Iowa, Doug also received his degree from the University of Iowa in Actuarial Science, where his favorite class was life contingencies, a class that served him well when he first entered the profession. He also is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.