James K. Christie, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, Toronto

Jim leads Ernst & Young LLP’s Canadian property and casualty actuarial practice.  He is responsible for both the development of this practice and its integration into Ernst & Young LLP’s North American Insurance and Actuarial Advisory Services group to serve the financial services industry.

Jim has extensive experience as a senior insurance executive as well as a management consultant and professional actuary.  He has practical working knowledge ranging from large international insurance corporations to small entrepreneurial operations.  His expertise includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, product design and pricing, claim reserving, reinsurance design, financial reporting and management information systems.  His actuarial practice includes all major lines of insurance, such as automobile, property and liability, as well as specialty lines like surety, warranty, and title insurance.

Jim is the appointed actuary for many Canadian insurers and reinsurers.  Jim is a frequent speaker and panelist on many insurance issues.  He is also an author and acknowledged expert on automobile insurance product reform.

Jim is currently Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and a member of its Board of Directors. He was previously an elected Vice-President and also served as Chair of the Eligibility and Education Council.  In addition he has served on numerous CIA standing groups such as the Appointed Actuary Committee, Property-Casualty Financial Reporting Committee (chair 90-94), Canadian Loss Reserve Seminar Committee, Committee on Environmental Liabilities, and Younger Actuaries Committee (chair 1988), as well as Task Forces on Flexible Education, Accident Benefits Reserving, Peer Review, International Accounting Standards, Pension Reform and Corporate Governance. In 2001, the CIA awarded Jim its first gold service medal for his volunteer activities for the actuarial profession.

Jim is currently Vice President – Admissions of the Casualty Actuarial Society. He has served on the CAS Board of Directors and numerous CAS standing groups such as Long Range Planning Committee, Education Policy Committee, Professionalism Committee, and Examination Committee, as well as a special Task Force on the Appointed Actuary.
Jim has been active on many committees and task forces of insurance industry associations such as the Association of Canadian Insurers, the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Facility Association. He is currently chair of the Actuarial Advisory Committee of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OSFI”).
Jim has served for eleven years (three years as vice chair) on the Board of Directors of Erinoak, a treatment centre for disabled children and young adults.

Education
• Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (1982)
• Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (1982)
• Fellow, Chartered Insurance Professional (1990)
• Mount Allison University – BSc (First Class Honours) (1972)
• McMaster University – MSc (Honours) (1974)
• University of Toronto – MBA (Dean’s List) (1989)

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