Under the Spotlight – Sam Maitra
Title… Head of Actuarial Services
Organisation… Avant
Summarise yourself in one sentence… How about four words (see later)…
My interesting/quirky hobbies… I wish I was interesting and quirky enough to have such a hobby!
My favourite energetic pursuit… Hot Yoga the sport i most like to watch…
State of Origin… Go the Blues!
The last book i read… (Not counting kids story books)… Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
My favourite artist/album/film… Robert De Niro / Nirvana – Unplugged in New York /Taxi Driver
The person i’d most like to cook for… My wife
I’m most passionate about… My kids
What gets my goat… Queue jumpers and people who don’t walk in a straight line
I’d like to be brave enough to… Go scuba diving with my wife without freaking out
In my life i’m planning to change… Gradually
Not many people know this but I… am taller than I look
Four words that sum me up… Husband, father, happy, driven
What I wanted to be when I grew up… A garbage man (a tall one, I guess). In saying that, I do spend a lot of time (both at home and work) cleaning up other people’s…
Why and how I became an actuary… I liked maths in high school and I heard it paid well
Where I studied to become an actuary… Macquarie University
My work history… Have been lucky enough to work in a number of different roles across GI including consulting, corporate, reinsurance, a brief stint in Hong Kong and now in medical indemnity
What I find most interesting about my current role… Realising how actuaries can add value at the strategic level
My role’s greatest challenges… Keeping on top of it all
Who has been the biggest influence on my career (and why)… I have learnt more from Martin Edwards (my boss at Avant) in the last three years than I did in the 10 years prior
My proudest career achievement to date is… The team I have built at Avant. I couldn’t be more proud to lead a group of such capable, dedicated and good people
10 years from now, I will be… 46
When I retire, my legacy will be… The impact I had on the people I worked with
Why I’m proud to be an actuary… Because I love what I do for a living
The most valuable skill an actuary can possess is… Good instincts
If I were president of the institute, one thing I would improve is… The level of understanding high school students and university graduates have about their current job prospects following completion of an actuarial degree… every time I hear about grads having to work as bank tellers…
At least once in their life, every actuary should… Think strategically
My best advice for younger actuaries… Slow down, calm down, don’t worry, don’t hurry, trust the process
If I could travel back in time I would… Not change anything
If I win the lottery, I would… Probably keep working
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