Beyond the Numbers

My actuarial career has given me a front‑row seat to how cross‑functional collaboration works—and what happens when it doesn’t. I spent a few years in Product Development & Pricing for Sun Life’s High Net Worth business, working closely with marketing, operations, and distribution on initiatives such as repricing and implementing products. After that, I moved into Corporate Actuarial (an enterprise-level function supporting companywide financial reporting, risk management and strategic projects), where I supported enterprise‑wide projects, including transforming reporting processes.

Across both roles, one lesson became clear to me: Technical expertise makes you valuable, but soft skills can help translate that expertise into effective collaboration.

Actuaries often sit at the intersection of multiple functions, each with its own priorities, personalities and pressures. In my experience, effective cross-functional work often draws on analytical rigor as well as relationship-building, alignment, and communication.

Here are four practices I’ve found particularly useful for working cross‑functionally, drawn from my own experience.

1. UNDERSTANDING OTHER FUNCTIONS

Actuaries frequently collaborate with teams whose day‑to‑day realities look nothing like ours. To work effectively, I believe it’s best to understand how those functions operate—not just what they do, but why they do it that way.

Throughout my career, I’ve made it a habit to schedule coffee chats, lunches and informal introductions with partners across the business. I usually start with a statement like:

I have a lot of respect for the work your team is doing. I wanted to introduce myself and understand your priorities so I can best support you.

This simple approach has helped me learn:

• What pressures other teams face
• How they measure success
• Where my input can meaningfully help

In my experience, these conversations have helped build trust and reduce later misunderstandings. They also humanize cross‑functional work—I feel people collaborate better when they feel respected and understood.

2. FINDING SHARED GOALS

Cross‑functional projects bring together people with different backgrounds, personalities and professional cultures. It’s a natural setting for competing priorities.

In Corporate Actuarial, I often pushed for standardization or improved controls, while business units sometimes pushed back due to capacity constraints. Instead of escalating, we worked toward a middle ground that respected both perspectives. After all, we’re people with different perspectives sitting at the same table—not opponents on opposite sides.

A more vivid example came from my time in Product Development & Pricing. During the implementation of a repriced product, my team needed operations to check more policies to ensure accuracy across risk classes, genders and ages. From their perspective, this could feel like extra work. From our perspective, the additional checks addressed important accuracy concerns.

The turning point came when I explained why the additional checks mattered—how they supported profitability, more consistent customer outcomes and the management of reputational risk. Once they understood the rationale, collaboration became much smoother.

When priorities conflict, I always remind teams that we work for the same company. We want the same outcome—what’s best for our company.

This mindset shifts conversations from “your workload vs. mine” to “our collective success.”

3. COORDINATING PROJECT UPDATES

Leaders rely on updates to make decisions. But cross‑functional projects can quickly become chaotic if teams report inconsistent information.

Imagine one function saying everything is on track while another reports major issues. Or one team claiming they can deliver ahead of schedule, while another disagrees. I’ve seen this happen—and it creates confusion, escalations and unnecessary tension.

Here are four things that may help before communicating upward:

1. Regular cross‑functional meetings
2. Group chats for quick clarifications
3. Shared timelines and risk logs
4. Pre‑update syncs to ensure consistency

Consistency doesn’t mean hiding problems—it means ensuring everyone is speaking from the same page. I believe a shared understanding of the facts builds credibility and helps leaders make informed decisions.

4. ALIGNMENT WITHIN THE ACTUARIAL TEAM

Cross‑functional alignment is important, but internal alignment is just as critical. In my opinion, conflicting answers from the same team or asking the same question twice can create confusion and affect how the team’s reliability is perceived.

Here are four actions that may help teams be fully aligned:

• Establish the main point of contact so external teams know where to go first.
• Share updates during team huddles and regular check‑ins.
• Bring colleagues to meetings when the content is relevant to them.
• Document decisions and distribute them internally.

When your team members share a consistent understanding, others see you as reliable, organized and easy to work with—qualities that, in my experience, matter just as much as technical expertise.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Actuaries bring analytical strength to cross‑functional projects, but soft skills can influence how effectively that expertise drives impact. By building relationships, aligning goals, maintaining consistent communication and ensuring internal cohesion, actuaries may be well-positioned to elevate their influence across the organization.

In my experience, these skills become increasingly important for actuaries who want to lead, collaborate effectively, and shape meaningful outcomes.

Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and
are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries or the respective authors’ employers.

Copyright © 2026 by the Society of Actuaries, Chicago, Illinois.