DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment

What DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment does

DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment is a privately held, woman-owned specialized staffing and recruiting firm founded in 1989 by David and Patty Simpson and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm operates as the largest dedicated recruiter in the actuarial profession, placing credentialed actuarial and analytics professionals across all practice areas (property & casualty, life, health, pension, and non-traditional roles) from entry-level through C-suite, with a claimed global placement footprint. Its underlying technology consists of a candidate-facing job board (jobs.dwsimpson.com) and an interactive annual salary survey platform that has become the industry-standard compensation benchmarking tool for the actuarial community.

The firm monetizes through four service tiers: Contingent Recruiting (transaction-based, fee on successful hire), Engagement Recruiting (upfront nominative fee guaranteeing three or more qualified candidates), Retained Search (dedicated systematic coverage for senior and specialized roles), and C-Suite Executive Search (for chief actuary and other top leadership placements). Revenue is therefore split between transaction fees and professional services engagements, with multi-year contracts common in the retained and C-Suite tiers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

DW Simpson serves employers across insurance carriers, Big Four and specialty actuarial consulting firms, healthcare organizations, insurtechs, government agencies, and investment firms, while its candidate side targets credentialed actuaries from student-level through fellowship. The firm's go-to-market combines enterprise direct sales with community-led engagement, including longstanding partnerships with the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS), Society of Actuaries (SOA), and a 26-year partnership with the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA), plus sponsorships of NAWA, SANA, and SAGAA. Content marketing is anchored by the annual salary survey, the 2026 Market Trends Report, and an active blog and social media presence, supporting a relationship-driven model where average recruiter tenure exceeds 10 years.

Name

DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment

Legal name

DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment

Website

https://dwsimpson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DW Simpson is a privately held, woman-owned specialized recruiting firm founded in 1989 and the largest dedicated actuarial and analytics recruiter, placing credentialed professionals from entry-level through C-suite across insurance, consulting, healthcare, and government employers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Contingent Search: Fee is charged only upon successful hire presentation. Client does not owe a fee until a candidate is successfully hired.
2. Engagement Search: Upfront nominative fee guaranteeing three or more qualified candidates presented to the employer.
3. Retained Search: Systematic coverage with dedicated service throughout the search engagement, typically for senior-level or specialized positions.
4. C-Suite Executive Search: Specialized recruiting for highest-level leadership positions including Chief Actuary and executive roles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DW Simpson is a specialized actuarial and analytics recruiting firm that places actuarial professionals from entry-level through fellowship across all disciplines including property & casualty, life, health, pension, and non-traditional roles. The firm offers four engagement models — Contingent (success-fee), Engagement (upfront fee guaranteeing three or more qualified candidates), Retained (dedicated systematic coverage), and C-Suite (executive placements) — supplemented by an annual industry-standard Actuarial Salary Survey, an annual Market Trends Report, and a global online job board.

Product overview

DW Simpson operates as a specialized actuarial and analytics recruiting firm offering multiple service models. The core offerings include Contingent Recruiting (fee-on-success), Engagement Recruiting (upfront fee for guaranteed candidates), Retained Search (dedicated systematic coverage), and C-Suite Recruiting (executive-level placements). Supporting the recruiting services are two key research resources: the Actuarial Salary Survey (annual compensation data across practice areas) and the Market Trends Report (annual market analysis and outlook). The firm also maintains a job board platform at jobs.dwsimpson.com for candidate self-service job searching. All services are delivered through relationship-driven recruiting across property & casualty, life, health, pension, and non-traditional actuarial disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contingent Recruiting Contingent recruiting service where clients pay no fee until a presented candidate is successfully hired; fee is charged only upon successful hire presentation.
• Engagement Recruiting An upfront, nominative fee service guaranteeing three or more qualified candidates for the search.
• Retained Search Systematic coverage with dedicated service for comprehensive searches, typically for senior-level or specialized positions.
• C-Suite Recruiting Specialized recruiting service for placing proven leaders in the highest-level executive positions including Chief Actuary and other executive roles.
• Actuarial Salary Survey

Quantifiable outcome

• Actuarial unemployment under 1% throughout 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998DW Simpson has been a 26-year partner of the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA), supporting diversity initiatives in the actuarial profession. The firm is committed to diversity and inclusion efforts as an ongoing process.
• Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDW Simpson has longstanding partnerships with the Casualty Actuarial Society, participating in interview workshops and maintaining active involvement in the CAS community.
• Society of Actuaries (SOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDW Simpson maintains active partnerships with the Society of Actuaries, participating in industry events and maintaining relationships across both CAS and SOA communities.
• South Asian Network of Actuaries (SANA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDW Simpson is a proud sponsor of SANA, the South Asian Network of Actuaries, as part of their commitment to diversity and inclusion in the actuarial industry.
• Network of Actuarial Women and Allies (NAWA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDW Simpson partners with NAWA, an organization supporting women and allies in the actuarial profession, demonstrating commitment to gender diversity in the industry.
• Sexuality and Gender Alliance of Actuaries (SAGAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDW Simpson engages with SAGAA, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance of Actuaries, supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives in the actuarial profession.
• University Actuarial ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDW Simpson provides annual scholarships to university actuarial programs and participates in interview workshops, supporting the next generation of actuarial professionals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• ActuarialJobs.com: Online actuarial job board and candidate database. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — represents the lower-touch, self-serve channel against which DW Simpson's relationship-based search model is differentiated.

Broad incumbents

• Oliver Wyman: Global management consulting firm with a major actuarial practice that is itself both a customer of DW Simpson and a competitor for actuarial talent. Comparable as a destination employer in the same talent market.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with insurance and risk practices serving Chief Actuary and senior leadership roles. Competes with DW Simpson's C-Suite tier in the actuarial executive search segment.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large executive search practice including financial services and insurance leadership. Overlaps with DW Simpson on senior actuarial and risk leadership placements.
• Robert Half: Large generalist staffing and placement firm with finance, insurance, and analytics practices. Competes with DW Simpson for mid-market actuarial and analytics placements through broader scale and brand.
• Spencer Stuart: Executive search firm with established insurance and financial services practices. Comparable as a competitor for C-Suite actuarial and risk officer mandates.
• Hays: Global recruitment firm with insurance, risk, and analytics practices placing actuarial talent internationally. Comparable as a scaled, multi-region alternative to DW Simpson's global placements.

Direct peers

• Pryor Resources: Specialized actuarial recruiting firm serving insurance carriers, consulting firms, and healthcare organizations across multiple practice areas. Directly comparable niche positioning, fee model, and candidate relationships to DW Simpson.
• Ezra Penland Actuarial Recruitment: Actuarial-focused executive search firm placing actuaries across P&C, life, health, and pension disciplines. Overlaps with DW Simpson on contingent, engagement, retained, and C-suite engagements within the same candidate pool.
• The Actuary Network: Actuarial career platform and recruiting service connecting credentialed actuaries with employers. Comparable as a specialized channel in the same candidate-employer matching market DW Simpson serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/dwsimpson
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOZ0WL41rfquAVMdstWvX4g
• Facebookfacebook.com/dwsimpson
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dwsimpson
• Instagraminstagram.com/dwsimpsonco/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment