Knowledge only has value when it circulates: How I make my mark at SCOR

July 22, 2026

Razvan Ionescu, Head of biometric modelling at SCOR

From Bucharest to the French Alps, from the classrooms of ISFA to SCOR’s biometric models, Razvan Ionescu has built a career in which science becomes a lever for serving the common good. Joining SCOR as an apprentice before spending nearly twenty years with the company, he reflects on how two pandemics shaped his understanding of risk – and strengthened his determination to better protect societies.

Where it all begins: a passion forged between two cultures

Razvan Ionescu has never stopped trying to understand the world through numbers. Born in Bucharest, he moved to France at the age of ten when his father, a researcher, seized an international opportunity. Between the mountains of Chambéry, where he spent his teenage years, and the lecture halls of ISFA in Lyon, he developed a compass shaped by scientific rigour, curiosity and a fascination for mathematical logic. “I have Romanian roots but a very French way of thinking,” he says. Science became his natural language – the one that allowed him to decode the complexity of living systems, and later, the complexity of risk itself.

SCOR: the apprenticeship that changed his trajectory

In 2007, as he completed his actuarial studies, Razvan joined SCOR as an apprentice in the R&D team. A pivotal moment: he had imagined a future in Property & Casualty, but a project on profit-sharing options drew him into the world of biometrics (Life & Health). “I discovered a place where actuaries, doctors, demographers and IT specialists worked together. Complexity became a collective playground.” At the end of his apprenticeship, he was offered a permanent position. He never left. Nearly twenty years later, he leads SCOR’s biometric risk expertise centre, driven by the same conviction: the reinsurer’s role may be discreet, but it is essential in strengthening societies’ capacity to withstand crises.

Decoding life to protect societies

Razvan sums up his mission in a single sentence: “My job is ensuring that SCOR’s actuaries and stakeholders have the expertise they need on biometric risks.” Behind this lie three commitments: ensuring the scientific accuracy of assumptions, sharing knowledge through training and publications, and fostering innovation through academic partnerships. This work, he explains, relies on three human qualities: open-mindedness, collaboration, and integrity. “You need the courage to say when you don’t know. Risk isn’t an exact science – it’s a humble one.”

Two pandemics, one lesson in humility

The Covid-19 pandemic was a defining moment in his career. After H1N1, it became the second major health crisis he experienced firsthand. “It forced us to confront our models with a real-world event that was massive and unpredictable in its dynamics,” he recalls. Assumptions were revisited one by one, data scrutinized with renewed rigor, certainties dismantled and rebuilt. “It taught us that uncertainty is part of the landscape. And that to navigate it, we must collaborate, combine disciplines and remain adaptable.” Two pandemics later, Razvan has developed a rare kind of expertise: that of a scientist who knows that modelling is not about predicting the impossible, but about helping societies prepare for it.

Teaching, guiding, opening the way for future experts

What SCOR has offered him over twenty years is the ability to learn continuously. “The beauty of my work,” he says, “is solving real-world problems with mathematical tools.” But his role has evolved: the expert has become a mentor. “I realized that knowledge only has value when it circulates.” He now teaches, structures, guides. In a profession undergoing profound transformation – exploding data volumes, new modelling capabilities, accelerated technological change – he sees endless opportunities to innovate and push boundaries.

To those who aspire to make their mark at SCOR, his message is clear: “Your ideas matter here. Your work directly strengthens the resilience of insurers, and therefore of society. Come with curiosity, ambition and a desire to take on challenges. You will find your place.”