Steve Kopp

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


B.A. University of Western Ontario, 1982
M.Sc. University of Western Ontario, 1984
FCIA, FSA, MSc, BA

Education

1984 – MSc. Statistics, University of Western Ontario
1982 – Honours B.A. Economics and Mathematics, University of Western 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 Western 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 Western 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 Western Ontario. [Custom course material, 105 pages]

  • Kopp, S. (2001 to present) – “Introduction to Actuarial Mathematics”, The University of Western 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 Western 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 Western – volunteer since 1980; currently host a weekly radio show which first aired on September 17, 1983 (every Thursday from 4 to 6 pm)
  • Radio Western 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
Steve Kopp's appearance on the Society of Actuaries podcast.