Actuarial People

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 transitioning from studying Financial Mathematics at university to securing his first actuarial job. We chat about his strategy for applying to over 300 graduate opportunities during his final year, how he tailored his CV and cover letter to each company, what the application process typically consists of, the importance of being resilient, and what he learned through attending interviews.Devan also shares his views on the importance of finding additional ways to develop your communication and people skills whilst at university, and why this is important for the work of actuaries today.Please connect with Devan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devan-vadher/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

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 position, with a view to me then addressing some of these challenges in the upcoming episodes by speaking with a variety of people who have experienced the graduate recruitment process from different angles.Ethan highlights a significant knowledge gap that many students experience, particularly in understanding the skills and experience that employers look for on actuarial job applications, and what you can do now to hopefully stand out when it is time to start the application process. Over the coming weeks I’ll be speaking with people who have gone through the application process successfully, learning about the strategies they used and what each stage looked and felt like. I’ll also be meeting people who are involved in screening CVs, holding assessment days and interviewing for graduate positions and/or internships.Thanks very much for sharing your experience Ethan!Please connect with Ethan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-haley-qmul/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

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 moving into a leadership role, his experience of building an actuarial team in India, working at a senior level on a part-time basis, and the importance of taking career breaks to recharge. Rick also shares his experience of successfully transitioning from Senior Manager to Director level and I’m sure his insights here will help lots of people at that level.I hope you enjoy the conversation!Please connect with Rick here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-watts-26203526/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

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 Research during the COVID-19 pandemic and the LDI crisis, which tested his resilience and adaptability in a rapidly changing environment.Gary also shares his personal experiences with mental health, and the support he received from family, friends, and colleagues. I loved getting to know Gary and I hope you enjoy the conversation!Please connect with Gary here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-soar-053a0b114/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

Will Rainey, a former UK pensions actuary turned Head of Sales Operations for AsiaPAC at WTW, discusses his career journey through investment strategy in Hong Kong and Thailand. He emphasizes the importance of financial literacy for children, sharing insights from his best-selling book, 'Grandpa’s Fortune Fables.' Will also talks about the contrasting worlds of pensions and investment consulting, the value of adaptability, and his experiences relocating with his family. His passion for developing positive money mindsets in young readers shines throughout the conversation.

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 interviewing people for his team, and his views on the future of pensions. Julian also shares his perspective on neurodivergence in the workplace, having been diagnosed with ADHD and Autism quite recently. He shares how these traits have shaped his approach to work, highlighting both the challenges and advantages they bring. It was a pleasure to get to know Julian and I hope you enjoy the conversation!01:30 Julian’s history13:00 What he does now18:30 His views on pensions24:00 Neurodivergence 42:30 Final thoughtsHere is the link to the video I mention during the podcast, in which Julian shares more about his experiences with neurodivergence: https://capita.wistia.com/medias/nj9kxxbs2uPlease connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-tolan-fia-96204a15/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

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!Starting with a brilliant example from World War II to illustrate how understanding risk can lead to better decision making, moving on to the importance of being able to quantify, manage and trade risk in enabling a functioning society, we then discuss everything from a day in the life of a pricing actuary, the different factors impacting your car insurance premiums, raising awareness & accessibility of the profession, and increasing diversity of thought in pricing teams.We also chat about Catrin’s brilliant book – ‘A Risky Business: An Actuary’s Guide to Quantifying and Managing Risk in Society’ which is available to buy on Amazon. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Risky-Business-Actuarys-Quantifying-Managing/dp/3031116720)I hope you enjoy the conversation!Please connect with Catrin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrin-townsend-608b44234/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

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 like to find out a bit more about me, how I got here and my take on various aspects of actuarial careers, please have a listen and enjoy!!Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

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, his approach to the exams, becoming a people manager, growing teams & business areas, and becoming a confident presenter. Bobby is the first Professional Trustee I have spoken with on the show, and he gives a great account of what his work involves which may be helpful for anyone thinking of going in this direction in the future.I hope you enjoy the conversation!Please connect with Bobby here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riddawayconsulting/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website

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 in setting up a specialist valuations team, transitioning to become a corporate specialist, and becoming a Partner. John shares his experience of moving into people management & leadership, and how he helps people at key stages of their careers. John also shares his views on the future of the pensions industry, and his keen interest in developing ways to support part-time colleagues in a different way, to help with their longer term development.I hope you enjoy the conversation!Please connect with John here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hardern-65232b36/Mentioned in this episode:Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!TP Website