PolySystems, Inc. | Tim Cardinal, FSA, MAAA, MBA, CERA

I am a Vice President in the Sales and Marketing department. I help clients through collaboration with client executives and managers and PolySystems' teams of experts.

How does your work help your clients be ready for what's next? How has your and your team's work made an impact for your clients?

We try to understand clients' business issues and what they are trying to accomplish strategically and tactically in the long and short term. We help them address today's headaches and also help them get the information and insights they need tomorrow to manage their business. We innovate value creation and provide solutions that utilize, leverage and enhance existing frameworks.

What experience do you bring to your job at PolySystems?

Prior to joining PolySystems, I was an Executive Officer in Risk Management for Ohio National Financial Services. During my 19 year tenure at Ohio National, I led the Actuarial Financial Reporting and Corporate Actuarial department for over a decade building a framework based on PolySystems' software and tools. My primary responsibilities included business close, earnings explanations, business forecasts, experience studies, compliance, audit, life & health reinsurance, product development support and actuarial aspects of corporate issues such as strategic planning, risk management, in-force management, subsidiary formation, legal reorganization (mutual holding company), reporting and ledger conversions, surplus note issuance, and rating agencies.

I draw on my experience as a leader solving corporate problems and executing countless projects successfully and as a team leader to share a vision, stir up innovation, and champion and synthesize ideas.

What do you enjoy most about working at PolySystems?

I have found people are excited to listen, share and debate ideas to find workable solutions. It is rewarding to work with people with a can-do attitude trying to make things happen and make a difference. I enjoy the challenges, especially when our team comes through. Sometimes we have a we-can-conquer-the-world attitude. It is a perfect match for my entrepreneurial drive and my strong belief in striving to do existing and new things better.

Describe your client engagements.

I support a variety of engagements helping clients:

Converting a Stat only company to GAAP reporting. Helping them understand business drivers and analyze and explain actuals and forecasts.
Converting a large block to Poly - Stat, Tax, GAAP, fair value, business forecasts and cash flow testing. Recommending and implementing alternative methodologies and procedures.
Designing, utilizing, aligning, integrating and leveraging their investment in PolySystems software and tools within their financial and enterprise risk management frameworks to facilitate exploiting opportunities and solving strategic and tactical problems.
Streamlining financial frameworks to simultaneously accelerate the business close/forecast while complying with Model Audit Rules/SOX.
Managing business implications of C3 Phase III and other impending capital/reporting requirements.

Tell us about your professional activities.

I'm a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, a Member of the Chicago Actuarial Association and a past Vice-President and President of the Cincinnati Actuarial Club.

Recently, I gave the following presentations:

Chicago Actuarial Association 2011 Annual Meeting – ERM Lessons from
WWII Codebreakers;
SoA 2011 ERM Symposium – Risk Culture Starts with Leadership;
SoA 2011 ERM Symposium – VA Product Design: Creating Value Through ERM;
SoA 2010 Annual Meeting – Managing Risks Through Product Design;
SoA 2010 Valuation Symposium – ERM Beyond the Financial Crisis;
Farm Bureau 2010 Actuarial Conference – IFRS: Insurance Contracts Project.

Currently, I am:

Co-leading a team researching "VACARVM Risk Mitigation Strategies" sponsored by the SoA/CAS/CIA Joint Risk Management Research Team and the SoA's Committee on Finance Research;
Rewriting/redesigning the SoA Financial Reporting e-Module syllabus material, specifically RBC and Solvency;
Member of an Actuarial Standards Board Committee charged with developing a Standard of Practice on Modeling.

The lighter side – tell us something about yourself.

To confirm the actuary as nerd stereotype: in high school I won numerous state and national math competitions, placed 25th at the USA Mathematical Olympiad, and was the top board on our chess team that was 27th in the nation and 2nd in the state. In college I was on our Putnam Team.

To refute the nerd stereotype: For the past 10 years I've been on the Board of O Foundation, a non-profit youth group that sponsors two indoor color guards that compete in Winter Guard International. There are three divisions (World, Open, A). At the Championships in 2010 over 300 guards competed from 40 states and four countries. Our guards, Onyx and O2, won the world and Open Class! Check out our website.

From 1995 to 2001 I was the founder and Executive Director of a non-profit youth arts organization, Cincinnati Glory Drum and Bugle Corps – think of it as an all-star brass marching band. We gave 30 annual performances and each summer went on an eight week national tour on two buses and a semi-trailer. We performed at the downtown Cincinnati celebration for the 1996 Olympic gold medal gymnasts and in 1997 at the inaugural induction ceremony for the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.

OTHER TEAMS

Tim Cardinal, FSA, MAAA, MBA, CERA – Vice President

"I help clients through collaboration..."

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