Steve Kopp

Lecturer
Office: WSC 284
Phone: 519-661-2111 x86288
Email: kopp@uwo.ca


B.A. University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Ontario, 1982
M.Sc. University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Ontario, 1984
FCIA, FSA, MSc, BA

Education

1984 – MSc. Statistics, University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Ontario
1982 – Honours B.A. Economics and Mathematics, University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Ontario
1978 - Grade 13 graduate of London’s A.B. Lucas Secondary School (Ontario Scholar)

Professional Designations

1995 – FSA – Fellow of the Society of Actuaries
1995 – FCIA – Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries 

Employment History

Industry

Canada Life Assurance Company, Toronto, summer 1983

  • Worked in the Corporate Actuarial department on a wide variety of projects including reserve calculations, staff pension evaluations and salary scale adjustments

London Life Insurance Company, July 1990 to September 1994

  • Worked in group retirement products area; responsibilities included large case exception pricing and pricing all group RRSP and pension products
    • Worked in retirement products area; responsibilities included large case pricing exceptions, month end financial work, weekly interest rate setting, designing/pricing individual annuity and savings products and contributing data to CIA annuitant mortality study
    • Worked in group life/health area; responsibilities included analyzing medical claims database, monthly premium rate setting for group medical plans, design and pricing of new medical products and designing and pricing a group optional life insurance product   

Teaching

University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Ontario

Lecturer, Limited Term             10 month term              September, 1984 to June, 1985 

Lecturer, Limited Term             10 month term              September, 1985 to June, 1986

Full Time Lecturer                    1 year contracts             July 1, 1986 to June 30, 1990

Part Time Lecturer                   8 month term                September, 1990 to April, 1994 (while working at London  Life)

Instructor                                 10-month term             September 1, 1994 to June 30, 1995

Full Time Instructor                  5-year term                   July 1, 1995 to June 30, 2000

Full Time Lecturer                    2-year rolling term         July 1, 2000 to present

Full Time Lecturer                    5-year term                    July 1, 2003 to June, 2008

Full Time Lecturer                    1-year term                   July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009
Full Time Lecturer                    3-year term                   July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012

Full Time Lecturer                    5-year term                   July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017
Full Time Lecturer                    unlimited term              July 1, 2017 to present

University of Manitoba, July-August, 1985
Part Time Lecturer teaching a couple of introductory statistics courses

Visiting Lecturer
Summer Actuarial School, Warsaw, Poland – Summers 1993, 1995

Awards and Honours

2007 – Faculty of Science Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
2014 – Inducted into the Mustang Hockey Team’s Wall of Honour
2014 – Won a Bronze Award for volunteer work from the Canadian Institute of Actuaries
2015 – Mustang Honour Circle inductee (which recognizes volunteer contributions to Â鶹´«Ã½ Athletics)
2019 – Society of Actuaries Reinsurance Section’s most downloaded podcast
2020 – Volunteer of the Year, Forest City London Music Awards

Publications

Study Manuals

  • Kopp, S., McGowan, R., and Provost, S. (1996 to 2000) – “Introduction to the Mathematics of Life Insurance and Life Annuities”, The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Ontario. [Custom course material, 105 pages]

  • Kopp, S. (2001 to present) – “Introduction to Actuarial Mathematics”, The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Ontario. [Custom course material, 145 pages]  - updated in 2020

Textbooks

“Mathematics of Finance” (9th Edition) – Rob Brown, Steve Kopp Published by McGraw-Hill-Ryerson, August, 2021

“Mathematics of Finance – Theory and Practice” (1st edition) – Rob Brown, Steve Kopp

  • textbook aimed at students who are interested in SOA exam FM – Originally published by McGraw-Hill-Ryerson, August 2012; now published by Mad River Books, September 2020

Research Grants

Pension Plan Turnover Study – 1997 -- $21,000
Granting Agency – Society of Actuaries (Individual)
This was a project done for the Society of Actuaries’ Non-Mortality Decrements Task Force to create a table of employee turnover and retirement rates for use in determining a company’s costs for post retirement benefits.

Presented the results of a “Pension plan turnover and retirement rate study” at the annual meeting of the Society of Actuaries, Maui, Hawaii, June 1998

Comparison: Cash Balance Pension Plan vs Defined Benefit Pension Plan – 1998 -- $5000
Granting Agency – Society of Actuaries (Individual)
This was an offshoot project of the Pension Plan Turnover Study that led to a paper jointly written with Lawrence Sher (a US Actuary) that compared the estimated size of a monthly pension under a cash balance pension plan and a defined benefit pension plan.

Mortality/Turnover Data Base – 2002/03 -- $45,000

Granting Agency – Society of Actuaries (Individual)
This is a current ongoing project requested by two groups of the Society of Actuaries, the Retirement Plans Experience Committee and the Non-Mortality Decrements Task Force, to create a database of pension plan mortality and turnover data for future use by the Society of Actuaries.

Other Things Related to the University and to the Actuarial Profession

2007 to 2017 – Faculty Representative on the Radio Â鶹´«Ã½ Board of Directors

2017 to 2021 – Member of the Academic Pension Plan Board of Directors

2017 to present – Accredited Actuary for the Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences DSAS (responsible for the University Accreditation Program with the Canadian Institute of Actuaries)

2014 to present – Chief Actuary and contact person for Centre of Actuarial Excellence (CAE) designation of the Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences

1996 to 2000 – Chair of the Undergraduate Affairs Committee, DSAS

1996 to 2000 – Member of the Education Policy Committee, Faculty of Science

2001, 2002 – Faculty Association Science Scholarship Committee

2001, 2002 – UWO National Scholarship Selection Committee

  • Chair, SOA Fundamentals of Actuarial Mathematics (FAM) Exam – 2022 to present
  • Exam General Officer, SOA Exam C/STAM (July, 2010 to 2022)
  • Chair, SOA Exam C committee (April 2004 to June 2011)
  • Vice-chair, SOA/4 course 4 exam committee (April 2001 to March 2004);
  • SOA course 4 exam committee (April 1999 to March 2001)
  • SOA exam 160 committee, (March 1997 to May 1999);
  • SOA Short Term Actuarial Math (STAM) exam Curriculum Committee (July, 2015 to June, 2017)
  • SOA committee on Academic Relations (January 2002 to June, 2007)
  • SOA committee on Redesign of the Preliminary Exam System Process (September, 2005 to August, 2007)
  • SOA Computer Based Testing Implementation Task Force (Sept, 2008 to 2011)
  • SOA Exam Pass Mark Task Force (September, 2010 to July, 2011)
  • SOA JEAC (Joint Exam Administration Committee) (Jan, 2010 to June, 2011)
  • Vice-chair JEAC (June, 2011 to 2013)
  • SOA PE (preliminary education committee) (January, 2010 to 2014)
  • SOA LOFT (linear on the fly testing) Working Group (Sept, 2011 to 2014)
  • SOA committee on UEC Extension program for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – 2021-22

Outside Interests

  • Home County Music and Art Festival – volunteering since 2014 as an MC (Master of = Ceremonies) on one of the side stages + driving the shuttle van
  • London Fringe Festival – volunteering since 2018 as a ticket taker, ticket seller, usher
  • Forest City London Music Awards – been a member of the steering committee since 2015
  • Forest City London Music Hall of Fame Elections Committee – a voting member since 2015
  • Forest City London Music Hall of Fame – volunteer taking visitors on tours since 2016 
  • Radio Â鶹´«Ã½ – volunteer since 1980; currently host a weekly radio show which first aired on September 17, 1983 (every Thursday from 4 to 6 pm)
  • Radio Â鶹´«Ã½ Sports – have covered many sports and interviewed many athletes since 1980; having been calling Mustang hockey games since 1980 and have been one of the voices of the Mustang football broadcasts since 2011