Actuarial People

Shivam is a Lead Associate & Qualified Actuary at WTW in London. Shivam previously worked in Kenya, in both Pensions and General Insurance, before relocating to the UK very recently. In this episode we discuss his entry into the actuarial profession, studying at University in the UK, securing his first actuarial job in Kenya during the pandemic, his rapid progression at an early stage of his c...

This week on Actuarial People I’m delighted to be joined by Tara Payn, Phil Sartain and Tom Creasy! This is the recording from a very special Live episode we recorded for the Queen Mary Actuarial Society in March. Following an insightful conversation with Ethan Haley last year, I wanted to do something to help aspiring actuaries to better understand & equip themselves for the transition from s...

Duaa is an Actuarial Analyst at Deloitte, specialising in General Insurance. After learning about how she discovered the actuarial profession at the age of just 12, we discuss her journey to date, including: Duaa’s decision to relocate from Pakistan to the UK, straight out of university Having the confidence to apply for entry-level roles in the UK, despite requiring sponsorship The specific chall...

James is a Principal & Senior Consulting Actuary at Gallagher, and has 35 years’ experience in the industry. After learning about how he first discovered the actuarial profession, we discuss his experiences of beginning his career in-house with CIS, joining KPMG after 10 years, and then moving to Buck (now Gallagher) in 2015, where his roles have included leading the Manchester Team. Some of t...

Samir is a senior Risk Actuary with several years of experience in the insurance industry. After sharing how he discovered the profession through his high school economics teacher, Samir discuses everything from working in different parts of the world (including Canada, Europe and the UK), the skills and experience he gained at an early stage which helped him to successfully transition from perman...

Tarun is an Graduate Actuarial Consultant (Non-Life) at KPMG, and joins me for another Early Careers special! I was really keen to find out more about the challenges of securing an entry-level actuarial role in the UK for international students, and the steps Tarun took to give himself every opportunity of being successful. Tarun is a fantastic example of someone who recognised the need for develo...

Today, I chat with Gary Gallacher, an investment consultant who took a unique path into the actuarial world. He shares his journey from the Highlands of Scotland to Leeds, and how a chance encounter led him to discover actuarial science while studying at Heriot Watt University. Gary talks about his struggles with mental health, the impact of education on his life, and how he found his niche in inv...

Tom is VP, Actuarial & Business Intelligence at Euclid Transactional and joins me as part of my mini-series focussed on early careers. Tom draws on his experience of being a GI Actuary in both the UK and the US, and his extensive experience of hiring and training actuarial graduates. During the conversation we learn how: Practicing interviews and getting mock interview experience can help buil...

Shaun is a Graduate Trainee Actuary at Isio, and joins me for the next in my early careers mini-series. In this episode Shaun shares his journey, in order to help people to understand more about the process, and the things they could be doing to increase their chances of successfully starting a career in the actuarial sector. We discuss: Discovering the actuarial profession at an early stage Seeki...

Rob is a qualified actuary in the pensions sector, and joins us as part of my mini-series focussed on early careers. Rob has lots of experience of the recruitment cycle for actuarial interns and actuarial graduates, and shares his knowledge in the hope of helping aspiring actuaries on the journey to securing their first actuarial role. We explore: Rob’s own experiences of the application process w...

Devan is a Senior Insurance Risk Analyst at Aspen, and Secretary & Director of Staple Inn Actuarial Society. He joins me for the second episode in my early careers mini-series - aimed at helping people to understand how to prepare themselves for securing their first actuarial role. After learning about how Devan discovered the actuarial profession, we explore his own experience of transitionin...

Ethan is a second-year actuarial science student and Co-President of the Actuarial Society at Queen Mary University of London. This is the first in a mini-series of episodes designed to address some of the challenges faced by students in transitioning from university to securing their first actuarial role. I asked Ethan to spend some time with me to help understand how it feels to be in this posit...

Rick is a Pensions Actuary & Director at PwC in Bristol, and a specialist in Audit & Accounting work. We explore how he entered the profession, having spent a year in the Economic Forecasting & Reporting department of Gordon Brown’s Treasury. We discuss everything from his experience of working for different consultancies, becoming a corporate pensions specialist, the challenges of mov...

Gary leads the Manchester Investment Advisory team at ISIO, where he advises institutional clients on their investment strategies. We explore Gary's career path, from discovering the actuarial profession during sixth form, to beginning his career in pensions, and the steep learning curve he faced when moving from pensions to investment consulting. We also discuss his role as Head of LDI Manager Re...

Will shares his unique journey from being a Pensions Actuary in the UK to becoming Head of Investment Strategy in Hong Kong, Head of Sales Operations in Thailand, as well as being an advocate for teaching children about money. We explore everything from how Will discovered the actuarial profession, transitioning from pensions to investment consulting, relocating with his family from London to Hong...

Julian is a Senior Actuarial Consultant and rectification specialist at Capita. We discuss everything from his journey into the profession with a degree in English Literature, working at consultancies of different sizes, becoming an industry expert in rectifications & GMP equalisation, the importance of building strong technical knowledge early in an actuarial career, Julian’s approach to inte...

Catrin is a Qualified Actuary, Motor Pricing Manager and Author! Catrin is so passionate about the actuarial profession, and this is a fantastic episode for aspiring actuaries, current actuaries, and anyone curious to learn more about what actuaries do. Catrin shares her views on how actuarial skills can be applied in many different ways, as well as providing insights into the world of insurance!...

Back when Actuarial People was just a concept, I said to John Harney ‘If I somehow make it to 50 episodes, I’ll be the guest and I’d love you to host!” And here we are! This week John is asking the questions, and I genuinely had absolutely no idea what he was going to ask. It was such an interesting experience being on the other end of the conversation, and John was a fabulous host. So if you’d li...

Bobby has over 30 years’ experience in the actuarial industry, and is Managing Director of HS Trustees. Bobby shares his journey to date, from beginning his career in Life Insurance, transitioning to Investment Consulting and more recently becoming a Professional Trustee. We discuss everything from how he discovered the actuarial profession, memories of interviewing at various stages of his career...

John is a Partner at Aon, where he leads the Corporate Consulting business across the UK. John is responsible for a team of over 100 people as well as being a lead consultant for a number of corporate clients. We explore everything from how John entered the actuarial profession as a summer intern, his experience with the exams, starting in a mixed trustee/corporate consulting role, his involvement...

Kelly is a Leadership Coach, a Wellbeing Researcher and her background includes being a Qualified Actuary in the pensions field. We explore Kelly’s journey to date, including how and why she became an Actuary, moving from a consulting environment to an in-house pensions team, her leadership & people management experience, and her decision to move away from an actuarial role to set up her coach...

Neel is an Associate Director at WTW, working in the Retirement Team. Neel began his actuarial career in Kenya before moving to the UK. We discuss everything from how he discovered the actuarial profession, securing his first role, progression quickly into a management position and his reasons for seeking a move to the UK. We explore some of the differences between working in pensions consulting i...

Emma is an Associate Partner at Aon and leads the Bristol Trustee Retirement Team. We discuss everything from how she discovered the actuarial profession existed, why she chose to work in pensions consulting, understanding the role of a pensions actuary, and how her role evolved over time. Emma shares her experiences of seeking opportunities and stepping out of her comfort zone, and how some of th...

Steve is an Actuary & Corporate Consultant at First Actuarial, based in Manchester. Steve shares his journey into the actuarial profession, discussing his experiences, challenges, and insights gained over 20 years in the industry. We explore how his role has evolved over time, including becoming a Scheme Actuary before specialising in corporate advice, with a particular emphasis on finding enj...

Niraj is an Investment Analyst at LCP. He shares his journey into the actuarial profession, his experience of studying and working during the pandemic, beginning his career in pensions consulting and transitioning to investment consulting. Niraj shares his insights on balancing work, study, and personal life, encouraging early career professionals to prioritise their well-being alongside their amb...