Under the spotlight: Ignatius Li
OVERVIEW
Name…Ignatius Li
Title…Director
Organisation…Deloitte Actuaries & Consultants
Summarise yourself in one sentence…an actuary interested in making a difference in the area of health financing
PERSONAL
My interesting/quirky hobbies…I have a big collection of tacky key rings from almost every place I’ve ever visited
My favourite energetic pursuit…competitive squash
The sport I most like to watch…slalom kayaking
The last book I read (and when)…The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (July 2015)
My favourite artist/album/film…David Bowie / probably a compilation of Bowie hits / 2001: A Space Odyssey
The person I’d most like to cook for…my partner Stephen
I’m most passionate about…seeing people reach their potential
What gets my goat…the poor state of our political discourse and the abusive power of vested interests
I’d like to be brave enough to…be a snake charmer
In my life I’m planning to change…my diet
Not many people know this but I…once rode the train from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet non-stop. It took about 48 hours
Four words that sum me up…hardworking, fair, compassionate, curious
CAREER
What I wanted to be when I grew up…growing up, I changed my mind constantly. I considered becoming an architect, doctor, medical researcher, teacher, civil engineer, biomedical engineer and of course actuary
Why and how I became an actuary…you can apply maths to engineer financial solutions for social problems
Where I studied to become an actuary and qualifications obtained…I did a maths and finance degree at UNSW and commenced and completed my actuarial qualifications after I graduated
My work history…started as a graduate at Towers Perrin in Sydney doing asset consulting, then Southern Cross Healthcare in New Zealand doing pricing, then joined Deloitte focusing on health and life insurance
What I find most interesting about my current role…being able to shape long-term health financing policy
My role’s greatest challenges…communicating effectively to a variety of stakeholders. From public servants to other health actuaries
Who has been the biggest influence on my career (and why)…Stuart Rodger for constantly pushing me out of my comfort zone
My proudest career achievement to date is…giving a presentation to the Singapore Health Minister on proposed changes to their national health insurance scheme
10 years from now, I will be…exercising my brain on some new actuarial problem that we cannot foresee yet
When I retire, my legacy will be…it’s still many years away but I hope that I would have inspired the next generation of nimble creative capable actuaries
HYPOTHETICALS / OPINIONS / WISDOM
Why I’m proud to be an actuary…the actuarial profession has a reputation for being unbiased and interested in genuine outcomes
The most valuable skill an actuary can possess is…being able to communicate complex issues effectively
If I were President of the Institute, one thing I would improve is…how we work more collaboratively with “adjacent” professions, such as economists
At least once in their life, every actuary should…work in a non-actuarial role
My best advice for younger actuaries…enjoy your 20s, travel, explore the world, qualifying is not a race!
If I could travel back in time I would…tell my younger self not to worry so much
If I win the lottery, I would…take time off work to live overseas and learn a new language
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