DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Where DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Contingent Search: Fee is charged only upon successful hire presentation. Client does not owe a fee until a candidate is successfully hired.
- Engagement Search: Upfront nominative fee guaranteeing three or more qualified candidates presented to the employer.
- Retained Search: Systematic coverage with dedicated service throughout the search engagement, typically for senior-level or specialized positions.
- C-Suite Executive Search: Specialized recruiting for highest-level leadership positions including Chief Actuary and executive roles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Contingent - Success-based fee structure |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Engagement - Upfront nominative fee |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Retained - Dedicated systematic coverage |
| Other | Multi-year contract | C-Suite - Executive leadership placements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA)coreDW 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)coreDW 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)coreDW 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)minorDW 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)minorDW 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)minorDW Simpson engages with SAGAA, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance of Actuaries, supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives in the actuarial profession.
- University Actuarial ProgramsminorDW 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
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- 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
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment social profiles
Digital presenceDW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&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
What does DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment do?
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.
Is DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment a public or private company?
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment founded?
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment based?
DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Contingent Search is the primary driver. The others are engagement Search, retained Search and C-Suite Executive Search.
Who are DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment's main competitors?
ActuarialJobs.com is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Oliver Wyman, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry, Robert Half, Spencer Stuart and Hays. Direct peers are Pryor Resources, Ezra Penland Actuarial Recruitment and The Actuary Network.
Does DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment have an API?
No public API is recorded for DW Simpson Global Actuarial & Analytics Recruitment.