The Associate Edition: Actuary by Trade, Creative by Nature

Beyond the job title, who are you? We want to know the person behind the Associate!

I’m an actuary by trade but a creative by nature. Once the workday ends, you’ll find me diving into pursuits that get my right-brained juices flowing. I dabble in fashion and interior design. I’m very much a beginner, but my closet and home are my favourite canvases.

In the kitchen, I love experimenting with new flavours, recently diving into the smoky world of ‘low ‘n’ slow’ American barbecue on charcoal. I travel not just to see new sights, but to hunt down hidden culinary gems around the globe.

Fitness is a big part of my life too. Every year, I embrace a new fitness adventure. In the past, I’ve done a half marathon, Tough Mudder, CrossFit, powerlifting, and pole fitness, and for 2024, I’m taking on squash though I might be more skilled at chasing the ball than hitting it!

On quieter days, you’ll find me expanding my viticultural knowledge and palate in the Hunter, Mudgee, Yarra Valley, Pyrenees regions, or savouring sips in Melbourne’s many speakeasy wine bars. On other days, a round of (beginner) chess or scrabble with my partner over a cozy Negroni never goes amiss.

I’m fascinated by neuroscience, psychology, and the art of living a healthy life. My podcast playlist is packed with gems like the Huberman Lab, 99% Invisible, The Adversity Advantage, ZOE Science & Nutrition, Revisionist History, and The Happiness Lab. I’m also part of a book club, a “Motley Crew” of diverse literati who encourage me to read widely and uncover the novel wonders of the written word.

Despite being fun-loving and chatty, I’m actually an introvert at heart. In short, I’m all about balancing the analytical with the adventurous, making the most out of life both inside and outside the office!

Can you share your journey of becoming an Associate actuary?

I first heard of the term Actuarial Science in Year 8, when my friend’s older brother, an actuarial student, was holding his head in his hands and telling us,
“never EVER do Actuarial Studies – the exams are a NIGHTMARE!”  So, naturally, I set my sights squarely on pursuing an actuarial degree at university. 

I completed my degree with my Part I’s and II’s and was then promptly served a generous helping of humble pie as I attempted my Part III’s.

Over my first few years in the industry, I quickly realised my strength and passion lie in areas where being an Associate already equipped me with all the necessary technical skills. 

I decided to retain my Associateship, with the view to completing my Fellowship exams in the future. So far, my Associate toolkit and handy-dandy people skills have seen me through a number of fantastic roles and projects, a trend that I hope continues into the future.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being an Associate?

The actuary designation, whether via Fellowship or Associateship, is a ticket to play in many extremely impactful industries. The widely respected actuarial skillset helps Associates bring their ideas to the table and influence important policies and decisions. 

This, in my opinion, is the most rewarding prerequisite of being an Associate or actuary. Our professional brand is almost a superpower that we can use to create a positive and lasting impact across many critical industries.

What advice would you give to those who are contemplating qualifying as an Associate?

I assume that most people wishing to pursue Associateship already have an academic bent, so I’ll refrain from providing trite advice like “study hard and pass exams”. 

My advice, instead, would firstly be it’s not just the academics that matters. Associateship is also about building your own personal brand and your own personal analytical style as a budding actuary. Take on as varied a set of projects as possible to build real-life understanding of the wicked problems that exist in your industry.

Secondly, learn the art of collaboration because it is the key to solving even the most complex problems. An actuary working alone is unlikely to be as powerful as an actuary who knows how to collaborate effectively with other actuarial and non-actuarial experts.

How does being an Associate enhance your professional practice and development?

Being comfortable with uncertainty is a key attribute that helps differentiate my professional practice from other non-actuarial professionals. 

As an Associate, I almost feel I’m a hybrid version of an actuary and a business professional, which helps me to add value to the businesses in which I work.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned or the biggest influence on your career and why?

My most important career lesson has been to think not like a single cog in a machine, but to learn to think holistically like a “Master of Enterprise”.

To take holistic ownership and to look at issues from different lenses has been a muscle that I’ve developed under some wonderful leaders who coached me during my early years in industry – special thanks to Matt Ralph, Scott McConville, Justin Ward and Megan Beer here.

What specific trends or technologies do you believe will shape the future of the actuarial profession in the next decade?

It goes without saying that artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science will overhaul the way actuaries think and work in the next decade.  We will have near-perfect “360” knowledge of our customers – data that we, as actuaries, must use for good. 

Despite understanding the human element of our trade much better, we will be dealing with novel and emerging risks as the effects of climate change, ageing populations, declining fertility rates, political instability, generational wealth disparity, changing migration patterns, and shifting attitudes to insurance shape the landscapes in which we play.

We, as actuaries, can help create financial safety nets for people by sustainably protecting them against these risks and “buying some time” for experts in climate, demographics, urban planning and life sciences to solve the enormously wicked problems confronting our future generations.

While no profession will remain untouched by the above trends and technologies, for actuaries in particular, this is an unparalleled opportunity to do what we do best – help people and businesses to navigate uncertainty.

If you could pick any superpower that would enhance your abilities as an actuary, what would it be and why?

Being able to see into the future would certainly help! Could you imagine spreadsheet after spreadsheet of completely deterministic models? Although, I guess that could get boring pretty quickly…

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