Under the Spotlight – Samantha Fuller

Title… Actuary

Organisation… Taylor Fry Consulting Actuaries

My interesting/quirky hobbies… I breed and show Arabian horses

My favourite energetic pursuit… Horse riding

The sport I most like to watch… Most horse sports

The last book I read (and when)… The Arabian Horse in Europe (this morning)

My favourite artist/album/film… I’m one of those whatever’s hot on the radio kind of people – variety is the spice of life!

The person I’d most like to cook for… For me cooking’s over-rated. I like meeting and talking to lots of different people

I’m most passionate about… My children. My boys are five and almost three and full of life. They make me smile and forget all my worries

What gets my goat… Lots of things, but mostly – lazy people

I’d like to be brave enough to… Take up show jumping again

In my life I’m planning to change… My house – we’ve just started renovating

Not many people know this but I… Was actually a quiet, shy child

Four words that sum me up… Passionate, motivated, hardworking, bossy

What I wanted to be when I grew up… I’ll probably regret saying this… but – a boy! I was never one for dresses or girly things. I wanted to be out getting dirty playing the rough sports and riding my horse. My mum used to pay me to put a dress on, which I would agree to do – just long enough to earn the extra cash!

Why and how I became an actuary… At school I was always good at maths and had a real interest in economics. Then a friend was going to apply to be an actuary. After some research I decided it was a good place to start – as it paid well so I could support my other interests

Where I studied to become an actuary and qualifications obtained… Australian National University (Bachelor of Actuarial Studies with Honours)

My work history… I started out in 2000 at PwC. After having had an opportunity to work with some of the best in the business I decided it was time to move on and moved to Taylor Fry Consulting Actuaries in 2009

What I find most interesting about my current role… My role is varied and always changing. I get to work with lots of different people, clients and get involved at every level of the work

My role’s greatest challenges… Working with lots of different people all with different motivations and expectations

Who has been the biggest influence on my career (and why)… This might sound funny – but I’d have to say me. I’ve always been a self-starter. I have tended to seek out different people and opportunities rather than having guidance to get them

My proudest career achievement to date is… Continuing to have an active career along with starting a family

10 years from now, I will be… 10 years older… and probably still doing what I’m doing now as I enjoy working in consulting

When I retire, my legacy will be… To have been a part of promoting females in what is still a fairly male-dominated sector

Why I’m proud to be an actuary… That’s a tough one. The average person generally doesn’t know what an actuary is. Within the insurance sector though – our opinions are generally highly regarded and sought after. – that’s certainly something to be proud of

The most valuable skill an actuary can possess is… Communication skills. You can be the most brilliant, statistically minded person but without communication skills no-one is interested in what you have to say

If I were President of the Institute, one thing I would improve is… The communication skills of our members. I know this has been given some focus in recent years – but I think more is always needed

At least once in their life, every actuary should… Forget they’re an actuary and see things without the actuarial goggles on

My best advice for younger actuaries… Aim to learn something new every day from those around you. Make the most of the opportunities ready at hand. If you run out of opportunities in reaching distance – look elsewhere!

If I could travel back in time I would… Although my role as an actuary requires me to spend a lot of time looking at past experiences, in my own life I tend to look forward, so nothing immediately comes to mind for this one

If I win the lottery, I would… Probably employ a stud manager and buy bigger acreage for our small horse stud. Oh and take my husband and kids on the best fishing trip that boys / men could ever dream of!

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