Speaker Biography

Ellis Wohlner, Consultant to SIDA, Sweden

Born in the USA in 1939, emigrated to Sweden in 1972. Swedish citizen since 1981. Bilingual in English and Swedish and some kowledge of French and Spanish.

BA in mathematics from Cornell University, 1961. Employed as a life actuary at New York Life Insurance Company, 1961-64.  Peace Corps Volunteer teacher of mathematics in Sierra Leone, 1964-66.  Chief Actuary and member of management at League Life Insurance Company in Michigan, USA, 1966-72.

Folksam Insurance Group, 1972-2002, in various positions: as non-life actuary; as product development manager; as executive vice president for commercial insurance; as senior vice president for Europe; and finally as senior vice president – international. Served on a variety of management boards and committees within Folksam.

Part-time consultancies, especially on microinsurance, since late 2002.

Among other assignments:

• short-term missions as actuary and cooperative insurance expert since 1966 to developing countries, and since 1993 also to countries in East and Central Europe;
• International Cooperative Alliance’s (ICA) representative for insurance matters at UNCTAD, 1973-92;
• a principal author of UNCTAD’s study, 1977, “Cooperative Insurance, a suitable form of insurance for developing countries”;
• participant in UNCTAD’s expert group on crop insurance, 1978;
• special advisor, 1976-80, to the ICA on economic matters and the development of new membership subscription formulae;
• expert in the Swedish Insurance Law Committee, 1984-89;
• board member, Swedish Marine Insurance Association, 1986-92;
• board member, Cooperative Network Scandinavia, 1995-2000;
• board member & chairman of development committee of ACME, 1992-2002;
• member of ICMIF’s development committee, 1993-2002;
• representative to ICA’s General/European assemblies, 1992-2002;
• board member, Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC), 1994-2002.

Member of the following professional actuarial societies:

• Society of Actuaries, since 1967;
• International Actuarial Association, since 1969
• American Academy of Actuaries, since 1970;
• Swedish Actuarial Society, since 1972.

Active in a variety of civic affairs in Sweden.

Published numerous studies, articles and commentaries (one of the two principal authors of CGAP’s Preliminary Donor Guidelines on Microinsurance).