Jennifer Chung joins RISC 2025 to help equip the next generation of reinsurance professionals

Jennifer Chung, Senior Treaty Underwriter, Gen Re, still remembers the first Reinsurance International Study Course (RISC) she attended, almost ten years ago.

Participation in the transformational course provided a solid foundation, equipping her with knowledge and skills that have proven invaluable in her work over the past decade.

Chung is thrilled to return to RISC in 2025, albeit in a different role. “I am very excited to be joining as Syndicate Advisor at the 2025 Reinsurance International Study Course (RISC). This year is the first time I will hold this role,” she says.

Premier reinsurance training course

The acclaimed RISC program is widely recognised as the premier reinsurance training course in the southern hemisphere. An intensive, experiential course, RISC is unique in offering participants the opportunity to live the reinsurance process and directly apply learnings to real-life scenarios.

Running for four days in the Hawksbury Valley, NSW, the innovative learning event includes an extended exercise where participants are grouped into syndicates and immersed in a real-life case study. They collaborate, using physical and digital tools, to design and test an optimal reinsurance treaty program.

At the conclusion of the course, each team presents the solutions they have collectively devised in response to the fictional reinsurance placement scenario.

This hands-on approach is a core component of RISC, providing participants with practical experience in designing and negotiating reinsurance programs.

Chung, who is also volunteer member of the RISC 2025 Scenario Development Focus Group, explains that the Organising Committee reviews and refreshes new scenarios each year.

Although she stopped short of revealing details, Chung explains that this year the RISC Organising Committee established a Scenario Development Focus Working Group to bring in additional SMEs to develop new scenarios and keep the course relevant.

“I had the pleasure of being part of this year’s working group and it will be so exciting to see how participants respond to the scenarios that have been created,” she says.

Mentorship from leading professionals

As a Syndicate Advisor, Chung will also mentor a group of participants collaborating on the creation of the fictional reinsurance program.

RISC Syndicate Advisors are among the industry’s leading reinsurance experts. They bring deep technical expertise, which has been bolstered and refined over decades of international and regional industry experience.

“Ensuring that the participants can apply a level of foresight when setting a forthcoming reinsurance program is the most pressing current issue in the market,” Chung says.

“RISC will help participants unpack this and will provide practical experience regarding the interplay between risk appetite, reinsurance and capital management.”

For Chung, one of the highlights of RISC is the significant technical and practical content in the course.

“The technical aspect is so important in working with wider teams to develop and present strategic solutions in an ever-evolving environment. This aspect is also important in presenting to the ‘board’,” she says.

Since first participating in RISC, Chung has continued to draw on and develop her technical skills and she is looking forward to sharing the knowledge that she has acquired.

Reflecting on her first experience of RISC, Chung says the thing she most liked about the course was its compact nature.

“There is plenty of technical and practical content, all while having excellent networking opportunities within the insurance and reinsurance industry,” she says.

In addition to the real-life case study, this year’s course includes over twenty presentations from some of the foremost experts in the reinsurance industry.

There will also be plenty of knowledge sharing along with team building activities. 

Meaningful professional relationships

Chung recognises the importance of developing meaningful professional relationships. Her experiences across the industry have brought her into contact with a wide range of professionals internally and externally.

“I have been inspired by the different characteristics of key people I have worked with over time to build who I am and want to be,” she shares.

After graduating from Macquarie University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Actuarial Science and Applied Finance, Chung started her career in consulting.

Over time, she transitioned from reinsurance broking to reinsurance underwriting and has been in her current Gen Re role at since December 2024.

She says her favourite part is discussing the value of various options with insurance clients and helping them develop the best strategic capital solution for them.

“The most rewarding aspect is being able to see the cycle of an opportunity become a complete and successful transaction,” she says.

“On the flip side, the most challenging aspect is working with different stakeholders, with different needs, to find an optimal solution.”

An optimal solution

Just as RISC challenges participants to design optimal reinsurance solutions, Jennifer Chung has found her own optimal balance between work and life. With support from Gen Re, she has transitioned from full-time to part-time while continuing to contribute meaningfully to the industry.

“In both my full-time and part-time capacity, I’ve been actively involved in exciting reinsurance opportunities, as well as initiatives like WiRE and RISC,” she says.

Chung is passionate about inclusion and recognises that flexible working arrangements can drive access, equity, and productivity.

Her leadership extends beyond the office to WiRe Australia, a volunteer-run organisation that inspires and empowers (re)insurance professionals through networking, mentoring, and knowledge sharing.

After becoming a committee member in 2019, Chung stepped up as co-president in 2023. “I was inspired to take on this role because I’m passionate about creating inclusive working environments, now and for the future,” she says.

Sharing the presidency reflects her belief in balance and sustainability. “Working in a co-presidency structure has been key to WiRE’s success, as our volunteers are united by a vision for an inclusive future.”

The future of treaty reinsurance

Chung predicts the future will see changes to the reinsurance treaty. “Rather than transactional, reinsurance will be providing innovative risk solutions to meet the capital needs of stakeholders while optimising returns to shareholders,” she says.

“With the continuous consolidation within the local ANZ insurance market, there is an increasing need to provide value to insurers from capital providers.” 

Chung urges insurance professionals to participate in this year’s outstanding RISC program, promising that they will gain solid skills, along with invaluable insights into future directions in reinsurance.

“Reinsurance is a key risk management tool for insurance companies,” she asserts. “In addition to the substantial networking opportunities, RISC provides in depth content on reinsurance solutions, with up-to-date information on regulatory and wider insurance environments.”

Learn more about RISC