Career Case Study: Neeharika Prasad FIAA CERA – Relationship Manager, Australian Retirement Trust
“We are increasingly known as technical professionals with great critical thinking skills.”
Neeharika is a superannuation and investments actuary with over a decade of expertise in financial services and client relationship management. She excels in offering strategic advice and comprehensive support to superannuation trustee boards, major banks, and insurers across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.
Neeharika is an industry specialist, making her an asset in navigating the complexities of financial regulations and optimising investment strategies.
Awards won:
- I am a Hard Quiz winner and Mastermind Australia semi-finalist!
Why did you become an actuary?
I always loved (and was good at) Maths and Science. So, when a friend introduced me to actuarial science in year 12 and dragged me to a career session about it, I was very intrigued. Once I started studying at university, I stuck it out because although the subjects were hard, the work that I could do at the end was fascinating. I loved that actuarial was the perfect combination of technical (stats, finance) and business/softer skills (problem solving, communication).
How did you find out about this career (including study to qualify, or any changes in direction)?
A representative from ANU actuarial came to my high school to speak. My friend who had heard about actuarial studies convinced me to go along and the rest is history.
How did you land your first job?
My first actuarial role was as a graduate with EY (Ernst & Young) in the Banking & Derivatives team within Actuarial Services. I stayed on an extra year at university to do my master’s and at the start of that year, it was a matter of applying for all the grad roles that I wanted to do! I was lucky to land two roles, from which I chose EY as the place to begin my actuarial career.
What helped you build your career/progress?
Trying out new things! I was always on the lookout for new projects as I wanted to try a bit of everything in my initial years. This really helped me build out my actuarial expertise in a number of areas and also helped me see how actuarial skills are transferable across industries.
From your experience, what advantages does being an actuary offer in the professional world?
We are increasingly known outside of the traditional areas as technical professionals with great critical thinking skills. The latter trait is something that we are not explicitly taught but I’ve found to be extremely important and highly valued. The fact that we do not just take things at face value, and always look for better ways to solve problems is something that is a huge advantage in the current working environment.
What are the top 5 skills that an actuary should have?
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Be a good communicator.
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Be a team player.
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Being able to think outside the box / critically (see above!).
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Have a solid technical foundation.
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The ability to work effectively with a range of people (i.e. not just other actuaries or technical experts).
What exciting projects or work locations have you been exposed to?
I have been able to travel to Asia a few times for work, which was very exciting. It was also great to be able to experience the different working cultures.
How would you summarise yourself in one sentence?
A ‘bit of everything’ actuary with a penchant for useless facts!
What advice would you give to young/aspiring actuaries?
Being an actuary is a great career even though the road to getting there can be challenging. If you can stick with it, then it is very rewarding (in more ways than one!)
Check out Neeharika’s career and qualification timeline
Ready to learn more on beginning your journey to becoming an actuary?
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