We Are Actuaries: Recent Episodes
Julia Lessing
Welcome to the We Are Actuaries Podcast, where you’ll meet leaders who use their actuarial powers to solve a range of problems and make a real difference.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Imagine finding out you're having twins — no history of them in the family, completely out of the blue — and deciding, right there in the ultrasound room, that your family needs to move states. That's exactly what happened to Claire Greenwell, and it kicked off a stretch of her life that would completely reshape how she leads.
In this episode, Claire Greenwell joins me to talk honestly about work/life balance, burnout, and what parenthood has taught her about being a better leader. She shares the story of stepping into an acting branch manager role too soon after returning from parental leave, the burnout that followed, and the boundaries she had to set to come back from it. We also dig into how letting go of perfectionism — with her kids and with her team — made her a more trusting, more effective leader.
This is a conversation for anyone who's wondered whether "having it all" is really the right question to be asking.
Claire shares how she:
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Treats flexibility as essential, not a nice-to-have — remote work and a nine-day fortnight aren't just what makes her job possible; they're what keeps her present as a leader and a parent.
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Learned boundaries the hard way — after burning out in an acting role, Claire had to call her manager and ask to step back, and rebuild her confidence from there.
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Redefined success around her team, not her own output — shifting the spotlight to her people's growth instead of her own visibility.
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Let go of perfectionism with her kids first — and found that trusting her own intuition transferred directly into trusting her judgement as a leader.
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Leans on outside perspective for people issues — a partner with an organisational psychology background helps her reframe problems objectively instead of reactively.
What would change for you — as a leader, or as a parent — if you let go of needing to have all the answers?
Claire Greenwell is a portfolio director at the National Disability Insurance Agency, leading a team of 16 people (including actuaries and non-actuaries) that specialise in providing critical analysis and advice on Scheme sustainability and reform outcomes to senior leadership, Board and government departments. Claire has worked at the NDIA for eight years and previously worked in life insurance pricing for six years. She holds a Master of Public Health specialising in research methods, as well as her actuarial fellowship. Claire is based in Brisbane where she has three young children, working part-time and primarily from home to balance her work and family commitments.
Claire’s passion is building relationships and collaborating with cross-functional teams, such as frontline services, policy and other operational areas, to ensure that actuarial insights at the NDIA are meaningful and can be put into action.
Connect with Claire on LinkedIn.
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
What if the most valuable thing you could do for your team today was to stop doing things for them?
In this episode, I sit down with Melinda Howes, Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, former CEO of the Actuaries Institute, and current Group Executive, Superannuation & Investments at AMP, to talk about what three decades in the industry has really taught her about leadership. Melinda is someone who has led through some of the most complex environments in Australian financial services, and she's refreshingly honest about what she got wrong along the way, and what finally changed.
We cover three leadership lessons that will resonate with any actuary navigating the shift from technical expert to senior leader.
Key takeaways:
· Step off the dance floor and onto the balcony. Your job as a senior leader is to see the whole picture, not to be the best dancer in the room.
· Allocate a third of your time to leading your people. Coaching, developing and clearing the way for your team isn't a nice-to-have, it's the job.
· Colour-code your diary. If you're honest about how much time is genuinely dead time, the picture might be sobering.
· Invest in external relationships before you need them. Melinda's CEO had to give her a direct goal to get out there, and it changed everything.
· Don't wait until you're ready to lead. Nobody has all the boxes ticked before they step up. Go for it anyway.
Thirty years in, still being coached, still learning. What would it look like to take your own leadership development as seriously as you once took your actuarial exams?
Connect with Melinda on LinkedIn.
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
What if the biggest obstacle standing between your team and great work isn't the work itself, it's uncertainty? Kriti Khullar shares this view and more leadership gems in this interview.
Kriti is the Risk Intelligence Insights Lead at IAG, a recent graduate of the Guardian Actuarial Senior Leadership Program, and a working mum navigating all the complexity that comes with that. In this episode, we get into what genuinely effective actuarial leadership looks like - not the theoretical kind, but the kind you build through real mistakes and hard-won lessons. We cover trust and delegation, stakeholder management, removing obstacles for your team, and why providing context might be the most underrated leadership skill there is. Kriti is warm, honest, and specific, as she shares moments she's actually lived through.
Key takeaways:
Reframe delegation. Your team will deliver 80% of what you'd do plus their own X factor, and that combination is often better than what you'd have produced alone.
Slow down before sharing work in progress. Be deliberate about who comes along the journey and when, because context sits in your head unless you deliberately share it.
Plan more. Build a year-ahead planner to map governance milestones and create buffers, so your team spends less time firefighting and more time doing quality work.
Share context. Shift from having the right answer to explaining the "why". Once people understand the broader objective and constraints, they make better decisions independently.
Over-communicate. Especially when rebuilding a relationship after a period of change, because alignment gaps are almost always context gaps. Here's the question I'd leave you with: where in your work right now is someone doing a task without really understanding why it matters, and what would change if they did? -
Connect with Kriti on LinkedIn.
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
What does it take to step into your first leadership role when the safety net disappears almost immediately?
In this episode, I'm joined by Cosimo Maiolo, a qualified actuary whose career has taken him from Sydney to London to Dublin, and through just about every leadership challenge you can imagine along the way. Cos was nominated as one of our greatest actuarial leaders of 2026, and it's easy to see why. He's someone who's thought deeply about what it means to lead people well, and he's generous enough to share the moments that tested him most.
We cover a lot of ground. Cos shares what it was like to step into his first management role, only to have his own manager leave two weeks later. He talks about what moving overseas taught him about humility and influence, including how building a simple tool for a client in Ireland became the foundation for real credibility. And he opens up about a performance management experience that reshaped the way he gives feedback, including a lesson that many of us in the profession need to hear.
Key takeaways:
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Say yes, even when you're not ready. Leadership opportunities don't come around often, and feeling uncomfortable is usually a sign you're about to grow. -
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Your success as a leader is tied to the success of your team. Getting to know what motivates your people isn't a nice-to-have, it's the job.
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Humility is a leadership skill. The willingness to step back, listen, and earn credibility from scratch (especially in unfamiliar territory) can separate good leaders from great ones.
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Direct feedback is a kindness. The "compliment sandwich" sounds nice but often means the message gets lost. Clear, unequivocal feedback (delivered with care) is
what actually helps people grow. -
Unaddressed performance issues affect the whole team, because your other direct reports are watching! Kicking the conversation down the road is rarely the neutral choice it feels like.
What's the feedback conversation you've been putting off, and what's it actually costing your team?
Cosimo is the Chief Actuary & Product Officer at Teachers Health, an Australian-based not-for-profit private health insurer.
His team oversees Actuarial, Pricing, Business Intelligence, Product, and emerging member health initiatives, with a focus on delivering meaningful, sustainable value for Teachers Health members.
A Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, Cosimo brings over 15 years of experience across life insurance, superannuation, and health insurance. He has more than a decade of leadership experience, having led diverse teams across Australia, the UK, and Ireland.
Connect with Cos on LinkedIn.
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced actuary and senior leader Jessica Lilley shares her leadership lessons.
Jessica Lilley is a Senior Actuary at the National Disability Insurance Agency, where she leads a team of more than 75 actuaries and analysts providing advice to the NDIA Board, senior leaders and government. She has almost 20 years’ experience across general insurance and the disability sector, and has been involved with the National Disability Insurance Scheme since its establishment — first at PwC, and then at the NDIA, where she’s worked since 2014. In her current role, her focus is on understanding how reform is shaping the long‑term sustainability of the Scheme.
In this interview, Jessica shares:
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Why genuine recognition, modelled by the great leaders she's worked for, became a cornerstone of the culture she's built with her own team,
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How an unconventional communication experiment during a period of organisational change became a permanent and central part of how her team connects, and
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What it really takes to build a culture where people feel safe to fail, and how she measures whether it's actually working.
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Connect with Jess on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Martin Mulcare asks Andrew Gale to share reflections from his senior leadership experience, including his role as President of the Actuaries Institute in 2005.
In this interview, Andrew shares:
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Why he gravitated towards the Actuaries Institute and ultimately the Presidency,
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How a career defined by stepping outside comfort zones shaped his leadership approach,
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What made his Presidential year unexpectedly demanding,
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His overriding leadership philosophy, and
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His top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.
Andrew Gale BA, FIAA, MBA, FAICD, has over 45 years’ experience in the financial services sector in executive, consulting, and non-executive director (NED) capacities – especially in the wealth management, financial advice, superannuation, insurance, and mortgage broking sectors.
Andrew is a Past President of the Actuaries Institute (2005), was a NED and Chairman for the SMSF Association, and was a trustee director (NED) for one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds.
Andrew has had strong involvement in the NFP sector over the last 25 years, especially through various Global Access Partners (GAP) initiatives. He is Chair of Top Blokes Foundation, a NFP dedicated to the personal development of well-balanced young males, with positive values.
Andrew has had extensive involvement in public policy issues in the above capacities.
He has authored many papers and articles, especially relating to superannuation and retirement matters, including co-authoring (with Stephen Huppert) the Actuaries Institute’s Dialogue Paper ‘Retirement Matters’ (Dec ‘23) and chaired the Institute’s ‘Help, Guidance and Advice Working Group’, with its final Discussion Paper ‘Financial Advice Reform and Help, Guidance and Advice’ released October 2025.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
Connect with Andrew and Martin on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. You can also listen to the interview on the We Are Actuaries podcast episode number 84.
Martin Mulcare asks David Knox to share some reflections from his senior leadership experience, including his role as the 2000 President of the Actuaries Institute.
In this interview, David shares:
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Why he was motivated to serve as President of the Actuaries Institute,
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How a career spanning academia, consulting and public policy shaped his approach to leadership,
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Why integrity and trust are the foundation of everything,
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The importance of the President thinking in decades, not years, and
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His top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.
Dr David Knox AM, was a Senior Partner at Mercer and Senior Actuary for Australia until his retirement in 2024. He was the National Leader for Research and Policy and was the lead author of the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index for 16 years.
Before joining Mercer in 2005, David was at PricewaterhouseCoopers and prior to that was the Foundation Professor of Actuarial Studies at The University of Melbourne.
David was an independent Board member of APRA from 1998 to 2003 and President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia in 2000. In 2023 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the finance industry.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
Connect with David on LinkedIn.
Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare.
Martin Mulcare asks Bozenna Hinton to share some reflections from her senior leadership experience, including her role as the 2010 President of the Actuaries Institute.
In this interview, Bozenna shares:
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Why she put her hand up to serve as President of the Actuaries Institute,
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How a career built on volunteering (rather than a conventional corporate ladder) shaped her path to the Presidency,
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What the role of President really requires and why a clear, unifying vision is key,
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Her remarkable pathway to leading the International Actuarial Association, and
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Her top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.
Bozenna Hinton, FIAA, GAICD is the Immediate Past President of the International Actuarial Association, which represents more than 90,000 actuaries across 115 countries and 74 full member associations. She served as President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia in 2010. Her 30-year career in financial services has included senior executive and consulting roles, with leadership positions as General Manager of Product & Pricing at MLC Life and senior roles at EY and TAL. Her expertise spans product development, pricing, valuation, risk management, and portfolio management across life insurance markets. She has also worked in general insurance, superannuation, reinsurance and non-traditional areas such as energy pricing.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
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Connect with Bozenna on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. You can also listen to the interview on the We Are Actuaries podcast episode number 82.
Martin Mulcare asks Barry Rafe to share some reflections from his senior leadership experience, including his role as the 2011 (and part of 2018) President of the Actuaries Institute.
In this interview, Barry shares:
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Why he put his hand up to serve as President of the Actuaries Institute,
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How his winding corporate career — from AMP to Accenture to running his own consulting firm — shaped his approach to leadership,
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What it really means to chair a board,
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The importance of holding firm opinions loosely, and
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His top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.
Barry is a financial services professional with experience as a director, CEO and consultant. Barry is currently a director of a public relations and media business. He presents courses on board governance, strategy and finance for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Barry is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Barry has published several research papers on board governance. Namely,
• The Special Needs of Financial Services Boards, and
• CEO's Say One Thing and Do Another: An Insight Provided by a Royal Commission
Barry has also collaborated on several other research papers and is a reviewer of the governance notes prepared by the AICD.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
Connect with Barry and Martin on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. Trevor Matthews reflects on leadership, including his role as the 1997 President of the Actuaries Institute.
“One of my favourite quotations about leadership comes from Napoleon Bonaparte. He said a leader is a dealer in hope", says Trevor.
In this interview, Trevor shares: Why he was asked to join Council and serve as the President of the Actuaries Institute, how his corporate career shaped his leadership style, from running a small team to leading 12,000 people, why he sees leaders as “dealers of hope”, his outlook for the actuarial profession, and his top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.
“I loved Trevor's suggestion that the prime skill for a leader is to be a "dealer in hope". This was particularly relevant for Trevor, President in the Institute's Centenary Year, to ensure that the profession was looking forward with optimism to its next 100 years”, says guest host Martin Mulcare.
Trevor qualified as a Fellow in 1975, having attended Macquarie University on a cadetship with Legal & General. He rose rapidly through the ranks to become Managing Director of their Australian business at just 36, and that same year was recognised as the Institute's third ever Actuary of the Year. In 1996, Trevor moved to lead NAB's retail banking and financial services business and served as President of the Institute during that landmark Centenary Year. He then embarked on an impressive fifteen-year international career, leading life and general insurance businesses across Canada, Japan, Scotland and England. Returning to Australia in 2013, Trevor brought that global experience to the boardroom, chairing and serving on the boards of a number of listed and unlisted companies — among them AMP, Bupa, CoverMore, Tokio Marine Asia, CMC Markets, and currently Prudential Malaysia.
Trevor is very happily married to a fellow actuary, and both of his sons have recently qualified as Fellows — a proud family legacy. He remains deeply grateful for the opportunities the profession has given him, and his enthusiasm for it is as strong as ever.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
Connect with Trevor and Martin.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. Helen reflects on her senior leadership experience and her role as the 2002 President of the Actuaries Institute.
“To add value in whatever role you're undertaking, you need to really be able to listen and understand the perspectives of others, try and join the dots and help navigate, particularly because there are lots of different views on all sorts of issues. A key leadership skill is being able to listen and understand those different views and then kind of build consensus and shared understanding so that you can actually find a way forward to solve whatever problem it is that you're dealing with”, says Helen.
In this interview, Helen shares:
- Why she decided to run for Council and serve as Actuaries Institute President,
- How she built the skills needed to perform the role of President,
- The importance of authentic leadership and choosing roles aligned with your values,
- Her outlook for the actuarial profession and her advice for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.
“It is fascinating to hear Helen explain the skills she thinks are necessary to lead a profession at any time and then identify two leadership challenges that have only emerged recently”, says guest host Martin Mulcare.
Helen was the President of the Actuaries Institute in 2002. She is Chair of Australian Retirement Trust Pty Ltd, a Director of Mental Health Australia and Deputy Chair of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority NSW. Helen was recently appointed as a member of the newly constituted ASX Advisory Group on Corporate Governance. She previously held senior roles at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) for over 20 years, including 10 years as an Executive Board Member and Deputy Chair. Helen played a leading role in APRA’s regulatory and supervision activities, with a particular focus on superannuation and insurance, and has been a key driver of enhancements to APRA’s management approach with oversight of all aspects of APRA’s operations, including strategy, finance, risk, security, audit, people and culture, corporate and regulatory affairs. Helen holds a BA, Actuarial from Macquarie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
Connect with Helen and Martin.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced actuary Syed Raza shares his lessons from building an independent consulting business.
Syed Raza is an independent actuarial consultant and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in life insurance and annuities. After spending much of his career in traditional actuarial roles, Syed made the leap into independent consulting, where he now advises insurers, consultancies, and startups on complex valuation, modelling, and transformation initiatives.
In addition to his consulting work, Syed is the creator of MyActuary Weekly, a widely read newsletter and media platform focused on the business side of actuarial careers, independent consulting, and emerging trends like AI in insurance. Through his writing, speaking, and community-building efforts, Syed helps actuaries think beyond technical work and take greater ownership of their careers.
Syed is passionate about empowering actuaries to build flexible, fulfilling careers while creating real-world impact through their actuarial “superpowers.”
In this interview, Syed shares:
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Why he left a safe actuarial career path to become an independent consultant,
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The biggest lesson he learned from his experience as an independent consultant, and
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His advice for actuaries considering starting their own consulting business.
Connect with Syed on LinkedIn.
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Actuary of the Year, 2025, Iris Lun shares her reflections on her unconventional actuarial career path.
Iris Lun is the 2025 Actuary of the Year and co-founder of 10Life, a Hong Kong insurtech platform bringing fair insurance to over 2.3 million active users annually. With 25 years of international actuarial experience, Iris has held leadership roles across multinational insurance institutions and global consultancies before taking the unconventional path of insurtech entrepreneurship.
A passionate advocate for diversity, innovation, and responsible AI for actuaries, Iris is an active volunteer in the Actuarial Society of Hong Kong, the Actuaries Institute and the International Actuarial Association. She was a 2023 finalist for the Advance Global Australian Award in Technology & Entrepreneurship. Iris holds degrees in Actuarial Studies and Japanese from the University of Melbourne.
In this interview, Iris shares:
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Her experience leaving home to work and travel globally as a young actuary,
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The pros and cons of switching roles and going for non-traditional actuarial roles, and
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The ups and downs of running a start-up as an (older) actuary.
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Connect with Iris on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:
- For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
- For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced actuary, senior leader and newly elected Actuaries Institute Councillor Louis Lee shares how he stepped outside his comfort zone to build an interesting and diverse actuarial career across the globe.
In this interview, Louis shares:
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How actuaries should not fear failing at any new tasks,
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How actuaries can pivot to any industry, and to any roles, and
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How AI will accelerate actuaries in adapting to new careers.
Louis is the Managing Director APAC of CoverGo, where he leads CoverGo’s business development functions in the Asia Pacific region. He is also leading the Generative AI solutions for CoverGo’s clients. Louis has more than 20 years experience in the insurance industry across a number of countries in the whole region including Hong Kong, Singapore, South East Asia, Australia, and Japan, during which time he has held a number of senior roles of multinational insurance companies including Scor, FWD, Allianz, and Suncorp. He has been a Partner at Deloitte.
Louis specialises in digital transformation, and has implemented solutions for insurers on digital distribution, customer journey design, core system modernizations, Generative AI development, and product propositions. He has worked across all insurance sectors including Life, Health, and General insurance, and has also owned the P&L for a number of portfolios. In particular, he has extensive experience on individual and group medical portfolios, helping insurers in Asia Pacific in transforming their underwriting & claims operations, systems, and profitability.
Louis has been an active speaker and contributor in the insurance community over the years. He has spoken at events on topics such as “Unlocking the Value of Generative AI”; “Next-Gen: AI-Enabled Distribution”; “Launching Digital Product with a Customer Lens”; “Opportunities and Challenges of Cross-Border Health Insurance”; “Data and AI for Insurance Applications” amongst a number of speaking engagements.
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Connect with Louis on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views of their places of work.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
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Experienced actuary, adviser and GA Senior Leadership Program co-facilitator Martin Mulcare shares how he learned what he didn’t know he needed to learn as he stepped into his first general management role.
In this interview, Martin shares:
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The critical leadership skills actuaries need beyond technical expertise, including strategic thinking, leading diverse teams, and influencing,
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How he built these skills through different approaches, including intensive courses, internal mentoring, and executive coaching,
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His tips for actuaries wanting to prepare for leadership roles.
Martin is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views of their places of work.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
New Fellow Daniel Bartlett shares his path from high school teacher to qualified actuary and his career highlights to date.
Daniel is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries Australia, working as a consultant at McGing Advisory & Actuarial. Working across broad financial services Daniel has experience working across traditional actuarial fields such as superannuation and wealth management, life insurance and friendly societies, while also having done a fair share of work in non-traditional actuarial fields. Daniel manages both quantitative technical projects such as modelling, valuations, remediations and unit pricing; while also managing qualitative projects including risk management and compliance reviews, systems and process reviews and migrations, product design advice, governance and board advisory services.
Previously, Daniel worked in insurance underwriting and claims management roles, and worked as a high school mathematics and history teacher.
Outside of work, Daniel enjoys being active physically and socially, he enjoys playing sports and musical instruments as well as the occasional video game.
In this interview, Daniel shares:
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His pathway from high school teacher to actuary,
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Some highlights from his actuarial career to date, and
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His advice for actuaries pursuing Fellowship.
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Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn.
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Find out more about McGing Advisory & Actuarial.
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Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Actuary and musician James McAtamney shares what he’s learned from music and growing up in a family business that has helped him build valuable skills that he’s transferred to the workplace.
“Just go and get involved in something. Get out of your day-to-day, go do something interesting. Who knows, you might love it!”, says James McAtamney.
In this interview, James shares:
- How playing in orchestras and ensembles taught him to listen, blend, and balance dynamics rather than always being the loudest voice in the room
- How community theatre exposed him to authentic conversations and diverse perspectives that help him navigate workplace interactions with greater empathy,
- How musical collaboration showed him when to step back and let others shine, creating space for quieter team members to contribute their insights,
- How authentic conversations outside corporate structures provide tools for more genuine workplace interactions, and
- How early immersion in family business operations builds resourcefulness and portfolio thinking for managing complex ventures.
“Teamwork means different things to different people. James reminds us that sometimes we need to just get out of the way and allow our colleagues to leverage their unique talents.”, says guest host Martin Mulcare.
James McAtamney is an actuary and musician working as an independent senior advisor and entrepreneur in Australia and internationally. He is the Founder and Managing Director of McAtamney & Advisors, Principal of Vanguard Overwatch, and Co-Founder of Timbre Collective.
James has the rare combination of a creative and analytical mind. From an early age, he participated in theatre, music, and choral programs at school and in the community. He also learned the different jobs in his family’s (now second generation) fishing business that his parents founded and built from the ground up – peeling prawns, learning the bookkeeping, serving customers in the retail shop, right down to scrubbing the bins out! These early experiences instilled a strong work ethic and a community- and business-mindedness that are reflected today in James’ diverse business and creative portfolio and his approach to work.
James is an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Actuarial Studies and Finance) from the University of New South Wales and an Associate Recital Diploma in Piano from Trinity College London.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
- Connect with James on LinkedIn.
- Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Actuary Bianka Grange shares what she’s learned from volunteering as a Primary Ethics teacher at her children’s school and how those skills have helped her in the workplace.
“Give yourself an opportunity to try something new, even if it feels a little bit scary, even if it feels like something that you're not gonna be very good at. You don't have to do it forever, you can just do it for a little bit of time. At the end of it, if you take a moment to reflect on it, you'll find that you've learned something”, says Bianka Grange.
In this interview, Bianka shares:
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How practising neutrality as a facilitator creates safe spaces for diverse perspectives,
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How creating space between reaction and response improves workplace communication, and
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How low-stakes presentation practice builds confidence for high-pressure moments.
“Not only does Bianka highlight the importance of self-reflection, she also provides some practical guidance on how to more regularly implement it.”, says guest host Martin Mulcare.
Bianka Grange is the Executive Manager for VERO SME Packages, where she leads a dynamic team focused on delivering insurance solutions for small and medium enterprises. She is an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries with 20 years’ experience in all things SME Packages – portfolio management, strategic performance, underwriting, product, pricing, and data & analytics. Her strong technical and operational management, coupled with a passion for people, make her an active and engaged leader who consistently leads from the front.
Bianka is known for her vibrant personality and her passion for volunteering. She is a Primary Ethics teacher who enjoys exploring both personal and professional ethics. She was the Co-Chair of the Actuaries Institute Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, leading the Associates Edition and contributing to the Associates Advisory Task Force. She firmly believes in being the change you wish to see and making meaningful progress in areas that personally matter.
Bianka brings energy and enthusiasm to everything she does and if she’s not talking your ear off about SME Insurance, she’s enjoying time with her family and neighbours.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
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Connect with Bianka on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views of their places of work.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
We Are Actuaries podcast episode number 72.
Actuary Dorothy Cheng shares what she’s learned about leadership from founding and facilitating a 500+ member Chinese mums’ support group.
“If you have a passion or need, don’t do it alone”, says Dorothy.
In this interview, Dorothy shares:
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How empathy builds trust and helps navigate difficult workplace situations,
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How enabling others through honest delegation creates time and empowers teams, and
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How setting clear boundaries and rules creates safe, productive environments.
“Dorothy learned a great deal about enabling others in her mothers’ group. Delegation is an important but difficult skill in leadership. Dorothy’s application of her new talent in her workplace provides valuable clues for anyone interested in learning more about delegation.”, says guest host Martin Mulcare.
Dorothy Chengis a qualified actuary (FIAA, CERA) with over 10 years of experience across pricing, product development, valuation, reinsurance, and M&A. She is known for her collaborative style, strong project management, and ability to bring clarity and structure to complex actuarial challenges. A passionate lifelong learner, Dorothy also facilitates a 500+ member Chinese mums’ support group — an experience that continues to shape her perspective and leadership approach.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
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Connect with Dorothy on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views of their places of work.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Actuary and netball umpire Crystal Mai shares what she’s learned on the netball court and how this has helped her in business.
“Find something that you're passionate about and invest in it. You won't need to look for growth. That growth will come to you and it will flow into other parts of your life”, says Crystal.
In this interview, Crystal shares:
- How passion and presence transform workplace performance,
- How to build confidence and find your voice as a young professional, and
- How her diverse volunteering experience helped her build empathy and teamwork.
“Some of the lessons from Crystal may be specific to skills she learned in umpiring or the SES, but the real value in this interview lies in the talents that are relevant to everyone in business like teamwork and time management.”, says guest host Martin Mulcare.
Crystal Mai is an Actuary (FIAA) and Data Scientist at BCG X. She balances a dynamic career with her strong commitment to sport and community. A nationally badged netball umpire, Crystal has spent the past decade making high pressure decisions on court - often while being shouted at by older (and louder) people.
She volunteers with the NSW State Emergency Service where she's out on the field and meeting people from all walks of life. Crystal's endeavours have shaped her into a resilient and grounded Actuary with a sense of perspective that textbooks don't teach. From court-side calls to crisis response, she's still figuring out how blowing a whistle and bush-bashing turned into workplace wisdom. And yet, it did.
Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project.
Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn.
Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views of their places of work.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced actuary, adviser and GA Senior Leadership Program co-facilitator Martin Mulcare shares how to build confidence at work.
In this interview, Martin shares:
- What confidence is and why it is important in business,
- How we can recognise confidence in ourselves, and
- His tips for actuaries wanting to build their confidence at work.
Martin Mulcare is currently enjoying a portfolio of activities where the common theme is that he loves sharing ideas. This can take the form of a facilitator, a sounding board, a mentor or a company director.
His prior experience included work as a consulting actuary, a corporate actuary and a company executive. You may have met him in his role as facilitator of the Actuaries Institute's Professionalism Course from 2009-2019.
Martin is involved with a number of social purpose organisations including The Growth Project and Primary Ethics. He is a strong believer in the importance of balance in life.
- Connect with Martin on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/martinmulcare
- Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/julia-lessing
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Actuary Minh Phan shares how actuaries can get started using LLMs.
In this interview, Minh shares:
- How he uses LLMs in his personal life,
- How he uses LLMs in his professional life, and
- His tips for actuaries wanting to get started or improve their skills using LLMs.
Minh is the Head of AI Innovation at Finity, focussing on everything from ideation, training, tooling, governance and development.
With 14 years of experience in pricing and data science, he has built production data pipelines, ML powered dashboards, and custom AI solutions across a range of cloud platforms.
Outside of work, he loves tinkering with technology, overcommitting on learning and building not-so-useful applications, and writing and performing musical parody. And yeah, he’s the guy who wrote the “I’m an Actuary” rap.
Shownotes:
- Dave Ebbelaar on YouTube.
- Animal family post on LinkedIn.
- Homerun post on LinkedIn.
- Actuaries Institute rap post on LinkedIn.
- Savage Actuary.
- Connect with Minh on LinkedIn.
- Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views of their places of work.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Actuary Adam Barrow shares how volunteering has helped his actuarial career.
In this interview, Adam shares:
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The best point in your career to get involved in volunteering,
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How volunteering has helped him build his professional network, and
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What actuaries should consider when getting involved in volunteering.
Adam is the Product Actuary at UniSuper and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia (FIAA). He specialises in Defined Benefits, Insurance, and Retirement matters relating to Superannuation, and has a passion for member outcomes and improving the retirement experience for all.
Adam is an active volunteer for the Actuaries Institute and was awarded the 2025 Young Volunteer Achievement Award. He is currently a member of the Superannuation and Investment Practice Committee (SIPC), the Chair of the Member Services Sub Committee (MSSC), is an SME for Superannuation on the Life Insurance and Retirement Education Faculty (LIREF), and is a part of the Actuaries Institute Ambassador Program.
In his spare time, he tries to remain active and find a new quality cup of coffee.
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Connect with Adam on LinkedIn.
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Visit the Actuaries Institute volunteering page.
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Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views of their places of work.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Actuary and data scientist Lizzie Eason shares her tips on how actuaries can be ethical data scientists.
In this interview, Lizzie shares:
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Why ethics is important for actuaries in data science,
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Some of the regulatory considerations affecting data scientists, and
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How she navigates ethics as a data scientist.
Lizzie Eason, ACAS is a contagiously curious, enthusiastic, relationship-driven storyteller. With the cadence of a comedian and the toolbox of a data scientist, she serves as both a skilled builder and engaging translator of data-driven models. In her current role on a budding data science team, her work as a data detective reveals insights so intriguing that business partners can’t help but wonder about what more data could reveal!
Lizzie graduated top of her class from Grinnell College in 2017 with a degree in Mathematics & Statistics. She obtained her ACAS in 2023 and has worked primarily in predictive modeling for pricing segmentation and a myriad of other business applications. In her free time, she enjoys reading, dancing, partner acrobatics, and hiking with her cats.
Connect with Lizzie on LinkedIn.
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced actuary and senior leader Barry Leung shares tips on how actuaries transfer their skills into different areas.
In this interview, Barry shares:
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How he uses his actuarial skills to improve outcomes across different settings,
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What he learned from taking secondments in marketing and recruitment, and
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How he overcomes doubt or fear when considering a role in a new area.
Barry is currently the Executive General Manager – Performance at MIPS, a medical indemnity organisation with members across Australia. He has experience working in the healthcare and insurance sectors, holding a number of senior roles across major health insurers including Medibank and Defence Health. Barry is passionate about better health for all.
Prior to joining MIPS, he was an Impact Insurance Fellow with the International Labour Organisation, advising the National Health Insurance Authority in Ghana West Africa on the country’s universal health cover scheme. In between his day job and transporting his children to different extra- curricular activities, he is also involved in a local charity and is a Director of Mater Christi College in Belgrave Victoria.
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Connect with Barry on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Analytics leader Kevin Cattaway shares tips on how actuaries can navigate redundancy.
In this interview, Kevin shares:
- His own experience of redundancy,
- How he leveraged his network to find a new role, and
- His advice for anyone facing redundancy.
Kevin Cattaway is a data, analytics and insights professional with 26 years of experience across private and public sectors, primarily working in general insurance. With experience across diverse business functions including actuarial, customer & marketing, technology, finance, claims, portfolio and risk. And 19 years in leadership roles, having built and led analytics and actuarial teams delivering strategic insights to inform business decisions.
- Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.
- Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Special interview by Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program graduates Jennifer Ng and Peter Whittigan.
In this interview, guest hosts Jennifer and Peter put strategic thinking under the microscope with Alissa Holz, CEO of RGA Australia and New Zealand.
Peter and Jennifer asked:
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What made you want to move from being an actuary to taking on the CEO role? Was that always the plan, or did it just happen over time?
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How do you define “strategic thinking” within the context of a life reinsurance business?
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What frameworks or tools do you rely on when formulating strategy?
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As CEO, you’re bound to make decisions not everyone agrees with—how do you handle those moments when you have to go against the grain or make an unpopular call?
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How do you balance short term targets or objectives with long term strategic goals?
Alissa Holz is Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, RGA Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), for RGA Reinsurance Australia. Appointed to the role of CEO in April 2025, she has overall responsibility for the management of RGA’s operations in ANZ, including strategy, client engagement and financial results. With over 25 years of experience in the life insurance industry, Alissa brings a wealth of client experience and depth of market knowledge to her role with a proven track record of leadership within RGA. Alissa received her Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Mathematics from the Queensland University of Technology, is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia (FIAA) and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD).
Jennifer Ng is a Principal Pricing Actuary at Gen Re with over 18 years of life insurance experience in the Australian and Asia. Jennifer has extensive experience in group and retail pricing and held roles at both local and regional levels in a global reinsurer, where she was responsible for leading pricing tenders, assessing profitability of existing portfolios and providing pricing oversight to local offices. Before joining Gen Re, Jennifer was a Director in Deloitte’s Consulting practice in Australia.
Jennifer is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
Peter Whittigan is a qualified actuary with over 15 years’ experience in the general insurance industry. His career spans a diverse range of roles across reserving, capital management, and pricing, in both consulting and corporate environments. Peter brings deep expertise in both short-tail and long-tail insurance, covering personal and commercial lines. Currently at IAG, he is focused on the development and deployment of advanced machine learning models safely into live pricing systems.
Find out more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program: https://www.guardianactuarial.com.au/ga-leadership-program
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced actuary and leadership coach Lisa Staker shares how actuaries can build an effective professional network.
In this interview, Lisa shares:
- Her early struggles to build her professional network as an introvert,
- Strategies to authentically build a successful network without feeling awkward, and
- How networking has led to job offers and unexpected benefits in her career.
Lisa Staker is an actuary, leadership coach, and founder of The Rebellious Coach. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, she built her career from school-leaver to Chief Actuary before shifting her focus to helping actuaries and other technical professionals take the next step in their careers. Known for her rebellious empathy and no-nonsense approach, Lisa blends mentoring and coaching to support those navigating promotions, role changes, and career crossroads. She’s passionate about challenging outdated norms and helping others lead with confidence, clarity, and purpose—without losing who they are in the process.
- Find out more about how Lisa can help you: https://therebelliouscoach.co.uk/
- Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lisa-staker
- Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/julia-lessing
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced pricing actuary, author and founder of Price Writer, Jeremy Keating reflects about how his experience of qualifying as an actuary wasn’t as easy as he expected.
In this interview, Jeremy shares:
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Why he thinks we need to celebrate getting qualified differently,
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How his transition from being a student to a qualified actuary was more difficult than expected, and
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Practical strategies to thrive post-qualification.
Jeremy Keating is the founder of Price Writer, a learning and development company for insurance pricing professionals. He qualified as an actuary in 2013, a proud milestone, though the shift from student to qualified actuary proved more challenging than expected. Drawing on his experience in pricing, he wrote a book that’s helped many grow their careers and navigate this field. The Price Writer program supports over 190 members, including teams from some of the largest insurance companies. Their vision is to grow this to 1,000 members and make pricing professionals the most respected leaders in insurance
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Contact Jeremy: https://pricewriters.com/
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Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-keating/
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Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/julia-lessing
Read Jeremy's book Price Writer: The Nine-Step Method to Becoming a Highly Successful General Insurance Pricing Leader.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Experienced pricing actuary and structured communication expert Claire Wang shares how actuaries can thrive in the AI era.
In this interview, Claire shares:
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How actuaries can transition from technical roles to strategic leadership by shifting focus from outputs to outcomes,
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Why AI presents an opportunity rather than a threat for actuaries who understand its limitations and can build stakeholder trust, and
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Practical strategies for actuaries to thrive in the AI era.
Claire Wang is a problem-solving and structured communication expert with 20 years of experience in Pricing, spanning banking, FinTech, telecommunications, and insurance.
She specializes in pricing transformation in B2C markets and delivers structured communication workshops for corporate leaders. Claire believes that the biggest pricing challenge isn’t just setting the right price—it’s defining the right problem to solve.
Her mission is to help executives cut through complexity, ask better questions, and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
When she’s not decoding complex pricing challenges, you’ll find her unplugging completely—either on a yoga mat or deep in the mountains.
- Find out how Claire can help you: https://www.claire-wang.com/
- Connect with Claire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-wang/
- Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/julia-lessing
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
In this interview, Bill Marella (CEO ACTEX Learning) and Julia Lessing (Author of Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager's Toolkit) discuss the power of communication and leadership skills in helping actuaries build great careers.
In this interview, Bill asks Julia:
- What inspired you to write Aspiring Actuarial Leaders?
- Many actuaries are highly technical. What are the biggest challenges they face when moving into leadership roles?
- Do you believe actuarial education adequately prepares professionals for management? Why or why not?
- With AI and automation changing the profession, how do leadership skills help actuaries stay relevant?
- Can you share any real-world examples of actuaries who successfully transitioned into leadership roles by developing soft skills?
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
After graduating with high honors from the Wharton School of Business, Linley pursued a successful actuarial career. She quit to raise her 6 children for 19 years in 4 countries. During this time she worked part-time as a college professor in China and the US, teaching China’s first actuarial college courses, and also earned a master of music degree in viola performance from Ball State University.
Linley returned to her profession and in 5 years was promoted to full vice president. She currently works as an actuary for Unum Group in Voluntary Benefits. Linley has volunteered with the Society of Actuaries’ Education and Examination Committee since 1990. She speaks 4 languages and is also an international best-selling author.
In this interview, Linley shares:
- Her experience taking a 19 year career break to raise her six children and successfully returning to her actuarial career,
- How skills she learned raising a family helped her get promoted, and
- Her suggested steps and advice for those wanting to take a career break.
Connect with Linley on LinkedIn.
Read Linley’s books:
- Don’t Be Afraid to Do What You Really Want to Do – Reach All Your Life Dreams.
- Wickedly Smart Women: Trusting Intuition, Taking Action, Transforming Worlds
- Betrayed, Not Trashed (coming in 2025)
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Qualified actuary, motor pricing manager and author Catrin Townsend reflects on the importance of being able to explain what you do as an actuary to others, and how she does this.
In this interview, Catrin shares:
- The importance of being able to describe what you do at work,
- How she describes what she does as an actuary, and
- A simple process anyone can follow to discover their own mission statement.
Connect with Catrin on LinkedIn.
Read Catrin’s book, “A Risky Business: An Actuary’s Guide to Quantifying and Managing Risk in Society”
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
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Tell us what you thought of this episode!
Ben qualified as an actuary through the Actuaries Institute of Australia and is also certified as an actuary through the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) in the UK. In Australia, he has worked in actuarial consulting across long tail reserving and pricing, perils modelling and government projects. He currently works in the London market for a Lloyds syndicate as a reserving actuary.
Outside of his professional life, he enjoys keeping active and travelling.
Read more about the Ambassador Program.
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Elaine Collins, BSc(Hons), MEc, FIAA, FAICD, is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She spent 10+ years in Appointed Actuary roles, firstly with KPMG, then as Partner of Deloitte.
Subsequently, Elaine has spent 10+ years a Non-Executive Director, ten years on the Board of Zurich Insurance, nine years as a Board Member of the ARPC and currently holds three Boards roles: RACV, ANZLMI and Ivory Insurance. Throughout this time, she chaired Board Committees, including Risk, Audit, Customer and Pricing.
Elaine has 25+ years’ insurance industry experience with expertise in capital efficiency, strategic risk and effective governance within organisations. She enhances linkages between the industry and academia in her role as a Professor of Practice in the School of Risk & Actuarial with the UNSW Business School. Elaine has served on several Institute Committees, including the GIPC and the Professional Practice Committee.
In this interview, Elaine shares:
- How she sees actuaries adding value in the boardroom;
- Current topics organisations are facing and how she sees actuaries adding value;
- Why collegiality is critical for boards to be effective;
- Tips for actuaries wanting to contribute in the boardroom; and
- How she creates balance in her life, while enjoying a diverse and challenging career.
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
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Holly Briffa is an experienced consultant and actuary with a passion for transforming data into strategic insights that drive meaningful change. With a background in actuarial science and a career that includes roles at Ernst & Young (EY) and Strategic Project Partners (SPP), Holly specialises in using data analytics to inform decision-making, optimise outcomes, and shape strategies for government, public sector, and corporate clients.
Throughout her career, Holly has led a range of high-impact projects, from developing forecasting tools for government departments to enhancing operational models for not-for-profit organisations. Her work blends analytical precision with strategic vision, empowering stakeholders to make evidence-based decisions that deliver results.
Recognising the pivotal role strategy consulting played in shaping her career, Holly values how this experience has sharpened her problem-solving abilities and broadened her approach to tackling complex challenges. She is eager to share these insights, believing that strategic thinking and data-driven decision-making can benefit professionals in all industries.
In this interview, Holly shares:
- What she learned from strategy consulting;
- How she uses data to help government and private sector clients optimise outcomes and shape strategies;
- Examples of strategy consulting frameworks that can be helpful for actuaries; and
- Why she decided to return to study to pursue her Fellowship exams.
Read Holly’s article on the Double Diamond framework.
Connect with Holly on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
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Dominic is an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society. Originally from Jamaica with 13 years of experience in property & casualty insurance and software presales, he is now a Senior Solutions Advisor at SAS where he has been for the last 3 years. In addition to his actuarial career, he is one of the most dynamic content creators in the profession, proficient in 16 different content forms. He is also a professional keynote speaker, focused on maximizing impact and value for quantitative professionals on a global scale.
Finally, Dominic lives in Los Angeles, California with his girlfriend, two dogs Ziggie and Kent, and enjoys watching European football whenever possible.
In this interview, Dominic shares:
- His personal mission as an actuary and content creator,
- Common pitfalls actuaries make when creating content or using social media, and
- Advice for actuaries wanting to build their personal brands using social media.
Visit the Maverick Actuary Website: Your Home For Actuarial Science, Risk Management, And Analytics.
Listen to Live With The Maverick Podcast.
Connect with Dominic on LinkedIn.
Find Dominic on Instagram.
Watch Dominic’s talk “Beyond Insurance - Actuarial Science TED-style Talk”.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
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Sidd is a qualified actuary with the Institute of Actuaries in Australia. He has worked across general insurance pricing, actuarial consulting and currently working at the Australian Government Actuary (AGA). He is working on the Priority Investment Approach, which uses actuarial analysis to estimate Australia’s future lifetime welfare costs for the current population. Originally from India, Sidd moved to Australia at the age of 13. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys hiking, trekking, and running.
In this interview, Sidd shares:
- Why he became an actuary,
- His experience of qualifying during the transition to the new education program,
- Useful strategies for maintaining good mental health,
- How he uses his actuarial superpowers to make a difference in the world, and
- His advice for actuaries pursuing Fellowship.
Read Sidd’s Under the Spotlight article here.
Connect with Sidd on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
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Victor Bajanov is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and a seasoned analytics leader with nearly two decades of experience in data science. Currently serving as Executive of Product Analytics and Generative AI Centre of Excellence at Quantium, Victor has a diverse background spanning consulting and product development across industries including financial services, retail, and telecommunications. Victor is a member of the Data Science Practice Committee and has served as an expert witness for the Federal Court of Australia. With his blend of actuarial knowledge and cutting-edge data science skills, Victor brings valuable insights to the intersection of traditional actuarial work and modern analytics.
In this interview, Victor shares:
- Why analogies are so powerful,
- Examples of powerful analogies in business, and
- His process, and tips, for generating powerful analogies.
Connect with Victor on LinkedIn.
Read Julia’s new book "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
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Mike has over 30 years’ experience in life insurance, wealth management, pensions and educating actuaries. Whilst in Europe, he led a team of over 30 actuaries covering product design, reserving, embedded value profit reporting and built up a risk management function for a large, multi-national insurer. Mike set up the Part II program at Monash university and is now leading all aspects of the Institute’s education activities.
In this interview, Mike shares his:
- career journey in becoming an actuary and now an educator,
- reflections on the ‘new’ Education program in Australia, and
- tips for actuaries wanting to future-proof their careers beyond qualification.
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn.
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Maathu Ranjan is an actuary with experience in the disability, health and general insurance sectors. She is also an award-winning researcher and a recognised leader in the Australian Public Service, having been awarded the prestigious Sir Roland Wilson scholarship to conduct doctoral research at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy. Prior to this, Maathu was a Senior Actuary at the National Disability Insurance Agency, leading the Actuarial Strategic Initiatives team to evaluate key priorities in strategic policy and service delivery.
Maathu is an advocate for the use of rigorous evidence and the actuarial skillset to inform decisions and policy design. She has a keen interest in social policy, with her doctoral research focusing on the impact of government support systems on autism and younger onset disability relating to neurodevelopmental conditions.
In this interview, Maathu shares:
- How she built her reputation as a successful actuary and researcher in social policy,
- What she’s found in her research into childhood autism prevalence in Australia,
- The evolving data landscape in Australian social services, and
- Her tips for actuaries wanting to contribute to social policy
Connect with Maathu on LinkedIn.
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Colin Priest is an actuary/data scientist/marketer/communicator/educator who has held several CEO and general management roles, where he has championed data-driven initiatives in financial services, healthcare, security, oil and gas, government, and marketing. With a passion for how humans and AIs can work together, Colin has contributed to Singapore Government projects on AI ethics, AI governance, and the future of work. Colin strongly supports the science of healthcare and does pro bono work for cancer research.
In this interview, Colin shares:
- What mistakes actuaries commonly make when communicating results,
- Why getting to know your audience and what matters to them is key to building trust, and
- How to use more than just data to build C-Suite trust in AI.
Connect with Colin on LinkedIn
Watch: The Behavioural Science of AI Governance – ICA2023
Watch: How to Build C-Suite Trust in AI
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Jeff is the founder of The Actuarial Nexus, an online platform specializing in preliminary SOA exams. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and was employed as a Medicaid pricing actuary from 2012 through 2022.
In March 2022, Jeff left the traditional career path to pursue his passion for technology, coding and education, eventually building The Actuarial Nexus. He has implemented several generative AI features on the platform, with the goal of making generative AI a viable tool for actuarial exam preparation. He routinely uses generative AI for coding, creating course material, and writing practice questions/solutions.
Jeff is also a budding content creator, having started a YouTube channel in 2023. He plans to upload more AI-related content in the future.
In this interview, Jeff shares:
- How his online learning platform uses AI to help students prepare for actuarial exams,
- How educators can use new approaches in teaching actuarial studies, and
- How we can work together in an AI world so students can learn to use AI and still uphold academic integrity.
Jeff Yang on YouTube.
The Actuarial Nexus.
Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.
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Jared is passionate about artificial intelligence and its potential to transform ways of working. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, with a career spanning two decades within the Life Insurance industry. He is currently the Head of Actuarial Systems, Data, and Process Optimization at AIA. His focus is on harnessing AI to boost company-wide productivity and empowering actuaries to be at the forefront of responsible AI implementation.
Jared also recently delivered an innovative presentation at the Australian Actuaries Summit titled ‘The Artificial Actuary.’ In this presentation, he showcased how AI models can be transformed into artificial actuaries. Through an insurance repricing example, Jared demonstrated how artificial actuaries can leverage tools like projection models and collaborate to tackle more complex tasks.
In this interview, Jared shares:
- An illustration of how teams of artificial actuaries can perform actuarial work,
- The key skills human actuaries need to learn to thrive in an AI world,
- How human leaders will need to change as society embraces AI, and
- Why human actuaries should be at the forefront of AI adoption within our organisations.
Connect with Jared on LinkedIn.
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Win-Li Toh is a principal at actuarial and analytics consultancy Taylor Fry, and Senior Vice President of the Actuaries Institute of Australia. From her childhood in a small mining town in Malaysia to an international career spanning more than 25 years, Win-Li’s diverse experiences have indelibly shaped her approach to life and work.
With a strong focus on collaboration, fresh perspectives in problem solving and advocacy for young people, Win-Li is a guiding force in the insurance industry. She brings deep understanding as a trusted advisor to self-insurers as well as publicly underwritten schemes, Appointed Actuary to several Australian and New Zealand insurers, and mentor to many.
Win-Li was named 2023 Insurance Leader of the Year, and is regularly approached for her commentary on critical issues affecting insurers and the community, including customer fairness, affordability and cyber vulnerabilities. She was lead author on the Actuaries Institute cyber green paper, exploring the challenges and opportunities for decision-makers in creating a vibrant, sustainable cyber insurance market.
She believes finding common purpose is key, and that actuaries are uniquely placed to bring multiple voices together to give clear insight into the shades of grey in situations towards finding pragmatic, workable solutions.
In this interview, Win-Li shares:
- Insights from living, studying and working across different cultures,
- How both culture and curriculum impact maths ability,
- What speaking several languages has taught her about communication, and
- Why enjoying the journey, in your actuarial career and in life, is so important.
Connect with Win-Li on LinkedIn.
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Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Naomi Edwards is a highly experienced chair and non-executive director who is also a proud actuary. She is passionate about the contribution that people with a STEM background can make to boards, public policy and society. She currently sits on the boards of TAL, Propel Funeral Partners and Yarra Funds Management. She is the Chair-elect of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was the 2023 President of the Actuaries Institute. She was also the Chair of industry super fund Spirit Super for over a decade.
As an executive actuary, Naomi focused on life insurance M&A, Prophet and Margin on Services (yes, she is that old!). She was a director of Trowbridge Consulting and a partner at Deloitte, where she ran the Australian Financial Services Industry Group across all professional disciplines.
In her spare time Naomi has been a stand up comedian, an extreme bushwalker and a rock-climber.
In this interview, Naomi shares:
- What she learned from her experience as a stand-up comic,
- Her highlight serving as the Actuaries Institute President in 2023,
- How people with a STEM background can make a contribution to boards, public policy and society,
- How organisations can be more inclusive, particularly for neurodivergent employees, and
- Her top tips for actuaries wanting to make a difference.
Connect with Naomi on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
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Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Ilan Leas is a founder of an actuarial start-up, retender. He has worked in Australia, the UK and South Africa and is a former Chair of the Life Insurance and Wealth Management Practice Committee at the Actuaries Institute. He has a real passion for encouraging others to try the start-up path, at least once, and has written a book about all the things you shouldn’t do if going on this journey.
In this interview, Ilan shares:
- How he found the courage to leave stable employment to build a business;
- What supports he found helpful on his start-up journey, and
- His advice for actuaries considering leaving employment to start a business.
Find out more about Ilan and retender
Connect with Ilan on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
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Andrew is currently a Director at Taylor Fry and has 14 years’ experience as an actuary in Australia and overseas, advising numerous injury schemes, insurers and government clients in the health and social sectors. He specialises in using advanced analytics to help his clients make better policy, pricing and operational decisions. Andrew has developed social investment simulation models to help governments understand how people interact with their services, and ultimately to help them evaluate and implement better policies for vulnerable people. Andrew has also advised on reserving and pricing for government schemes and private insurers, particularly in workers compensation and builders warranty.
Beyond his day job, Andrew is also a three-time Microsoft Excel World Champion and was the Financial Modelling World Champion in 2019.
In this interview, Andrew shares:
- How he has developed his world-class Excel skills,
- How he used data for good in general insurance, and
- How he uses advanced analytics to derive insights for governments.
Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Dr Jananie William (FIAA, PhD) wears many hats: she is an academic at the ANU, a Research Affiliate with the Global Institute of Women's Leadership (ANU) and Advisor to The Social Outcomes Lab. She worked as an actuary in general insurance before transitioning into her current roles. Jananie now spends her time educating new generations of actuaries while researching and consulting on matters relating to public health and public policy, with a focus on issues that adversely affect women’s health and economic security across their lifetime.
In this interview Jananie shares:
- Her actuarial career path to date,
- Her views on “imposter syndrome” and why people can experience this,
- Her tips for people building their confidence as presenters,
- Her tips for people building their confidence speaking in meetings and delegating tasks, and
- Her advice for actuaries stepping into their first management roles.
Connect with Jananie on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Shivani Juneja is an experienced actuary who has worked in life insurance for over 10 years. She has worked across valuations, pricing, actuarial systems, pricing review, supporting appointed actuary CPS 320 advice and is currently working in a project-based role within the reinsurance and capital space.
Shivani was born and raised in India, where she started her actuarial studies. She then moved to Australia where she completed her fellowship exams. Shivani is married and is a mum to two beautiful boys.
In this interview, Shivani shares:
- How moving from India to Australia taught her valuable leadership skills,
- What she learned about leadership from working across a range of actuarial functions, and
- What she sees as key characteristics of effective people leaders.
Connect with Shivani on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Emma Vitz is a consultant working in general insurance pricing, natural perils and climate risk at Finity Consulting. Originally from New Zealand, Emma studied Psychology and Statistics before pivoting into an actuarial career. She has a strong interest in communicating complex topics in an interesting and accessible way for a broad range of audiences. Following on from the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, Emma appeared on live TV and radio to discuss the impact that the largest non-earthquake disaster would have on insurance affordability and availability. She has also written data journalism pieces on everything from housing to healthcare and truancy. Her data visualisations have been presented to the New Zealand Housing Minister on live television and viewed hundreds of thousands of times online. Emma has also presented at a variety of conferences in New Zealand, Australia and in international forums.
In this interview, Emma shares:
- Her unconventional path into actuarial science,
- Why she has spent so much time focusing on communication skills, and what other actuaries could gain from developing similar skills, and
- How she applies actuarial thinking to her career more broadly
Connect with Emma on LinkedIn.
More of Emma's work:
- Articles: The Spinoff
- Article: Climate change and insurance: Weighing up the risk
- Interview: Emma Vitz: How Cyclone Gabrielle will affect insurance industry | Q+A 2023
- Article: Insurance retreat: Homeowners in flood-prone areas abandoned and facing risk
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Jon is a Data Science Actuary who has designed and delivered successful AI initiatives across all areas of insurance and banking, including pricing, customer personalisation, claims operations, web and mobile app development, and intelligent automation.
Jon believes actuaries have an integral role in managing the responsible use of AI in society. To this end, he has actively participated across all aspects of the Actuaries Institute’s data science strategy, including education, events, and public policy submissions.
Jon is a regular speaker in data conferences and podcasts, a Councillor of the Actuaries Institute, and in 2022 he was recognised as one of the Top 10 Analytics Leaders in Australia.
In this interview, Jon shares:
- How he uses his actuarial superpowers to help insurers better serve their customers,
- Whether he thinks AI will take our jobs, and
- What actuaries can do now to future-proof their careers.
Connect with Jon on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
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Kelly is currently a Senior Actuarial Consultant at WorkSafe Victoria, providing internal consultancy support to the scheme. She started her career as an actuarial analyst in workers' compensation at Return to Work South Australia. She then worked as a Senior Manager at PwC, specialising in working with accident compensation schemes and government insurance authorities for 10 years.
She was born and raised in Malaysia, and currently lives in Melbourne with her family. Outside of work, she loves watching her 3-year old son grow into a cheeky and curious little human (and tries to bake/cook/read whenever she can)! She is also an active volunteer with the Actuaries Institute.
In this interview, Kelly shares:
- Her challenges in starting her actuarial career as an international students,
- Her experience of combining work and parenthood without local family support or childcare (hello, Covid lockdowns!),
- How she made time to complete the GA Leadership Program while working full-time and parenting her young son,
- How taking an alternative career path has come with unexpected benefits, and
- What she’s learned from combining parenthood with her actuarial career.
Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn.
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Charlie is a Senior Valuation Actuary from SCOR Reinsurance APAC L&H Reserving, located in Singapore. His role primarily involves reviewing and supporting APAC local valuation teams in Group reporting activities, including IFRS17 and Solvency-II reporting, experience analysis, Prophet modelling, internal retrocessions, and process enhancements. Currently he is working closely with Korea valuation team to support their Group reporting stream.
In 2022, Charlie relocated to Singapore with his young family, thanks to SCOR’s internal mobility, allowing him to transition from ANZ valuation team. Prior to SCOR, Charlie worked in reporting roles for direct life insurers, including economic valuation, regulatory capital, and Prophet modelling.
In this interview, Charlie shares:
- His experience moving from China to Australia as a teenager,
- His recent experience moving his young family to Singapore for work,
- What he’s learned working as a leader with new teams across different countries,
- Lessons about great leadership he’s learned from working with his own managers,
- How he learned the skills he needed to be effective in a leadership role, and
- His top tip for actuaries wanting to build their skills to take on leadership roles.
Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Adam Butt is the Head of Actuarial Studies at Australian National University. Prior to commencing his career in academia in 2005, he worked as a superannuation consultant at Aon Consulting. Adam’s research interests focus on superannuation and personal financial decision making, and actuarial education. Adam’s research has been published in a number of top-ranked journals including Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Annals of Actuarial Science, The Economic Record, and Journal of Economic Behaviour & Organisation. He is passionate about actuarial education and ensuring that graduates are prepared not just with a technical education, but also with knowledge of themselves and an orientation to lifelong learning.
In this interview, Adam shares:
- Why he chose to become a university lecturer after qualifying,
- His philosophy on teaching and education,
- The most valuable skills actuarial students can learn at university and elsewhere,
- How to improve gender and other representation in actuarial student cohorts.
Connect with Adam on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
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Daphna Horowitz is a qualified actuary currently based in Israel. But these days you won’t find Daphna calculating insurance premiums or reserves – she is a Master Certified Coach who helps high-performing CEOs to up their game in business and become confident, inspiring leaders. Daphna works with leaders and teams across the globe to transform leadership effectiveness and workplace culture by digging deep into leadership habits of self-awareness, leading people, purpose, strategy, leading change and enabling extraordinary leadership in themselves and their teams.
She’s worked across Africa, Europe, China and India, with large organisations such as Barclays Bank and Coca-Cola.
Before establishing her coaching career, Daphna worked in insurance and consulting, quickly rising to Director level. She held the position of Lecturer at the two largest universities in Johannesburg while managing her own actuarial consulting company and corporate event management company.
Daphna hosts the Leadership Live podcast and is a published author of Courage to Lead: Leadership Lessons from Kilimanjaro and Weekly Habits for Extraordinary Leaders.
In this interview, Daphna shares:
- How she helps actuaries make the transition to the C-suite,
- Common challenges she sees actuaries making as they transition to the C-suite,
- What a CEO coaching session looks like and how it typically works, and
- Her top tip for actuaries aspiring to C-suite roles.
Learn more about Daphna and her work here.
Connect with Daphna on LinkedIn.
Read Daphna’s books: “Weekly Habits for Extraordinary Leaders” “Courage to Lead: Leadership Lessons from Kilimanjaro”
Read “What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful” by Marshall Goldsmith.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
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Elayne Grace, CEO of the Actuaries Institute, leads the actuarial professional body known for its education program, professional standards and contribution to public policy thought leadership.
With 25 years of international experience spanning consulting firms and insurance companies, she provided strategic, economic and financial advice, Elayne played a pivotal role in nurturing early collaborations between businesses, scientists, and NGOs to address climate change and risk. She is a frequent presenter at conferences and has contributed to various thought leadership papers ranging from climate change to Big Data. Elayne's advisory roles have included serving on Commonwealth Treasury expert panel and advising the Indigenous Land Corporation Board on long-term investment sustainability.
In 2019, Elayne was recognised in The Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence awards. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries.
In this interview, Elayne shares:
- Her journey, wins and challenges as the Actuaries Institute CEO,
- What successful actuaries have in common,
- How being clear on her “purpose” has helped to become an authentic and confident leader, and
- Her advice for actuaries wanting to achieve actuarial success.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Stuart Turner is an actuary with over 25 years of experience working in life insurance and wealth management, in both corporate and consulting roles. He is currently working at Zurich Financial Services, and was previously a Partner at EY.
Stuart is the Chair of the Professionalism Committee. He has developed an interest in ethics through being a volunteer ethics teacher at his children’s primary school and presenting the Actuaries Institute Professionalism Course content on ethical reasoning.
In this interview, Stuart shares:
- How a career break created an opportunity to become a volunteer ethics teacher,
- The types of ethical dilemmas that actuaries might face across the career continuum,
- Some future ethical dilemmas actuaries should be prepared for,
- Practical ways that actuaries can improve their ethical decision-making skills, and
- His advice to actuaries who find themselves facing an ethical dilemma.
Read: “Flexing your ethical muscles” by Stuart Turner, Actuaries Digital article
Professional training videos (Actuaries Institute members only link)
Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
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Julia is a qualified actuary, certified coach and the Director of Guardian Actuarial. She is leading a mission to foster forward-thinking leaders in the actuarial industry and runs the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program to help actuaries build their communication, management and leadership skills.
In this interview, Julia shares:
- Why she became an actuary,
- How she started her actuarial career as a mum of three small children,
- How she navigated the leap from stable employment to starting a consulting business,
- How she pivoted from actuarial consulting to leadership training,
- What’s next for Guardian Actuarial.
Find out more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program
Visit Julia’s YouTube channel
Read Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Connect with Stephen Huppert on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
In this episode, Julia recaps our top episodes and themes from the 30 interviews we’ve published since the We Are Actuaries podcast was born.
Episodes mentioned in order:
Data science: 6 Daniel Stone | 4 Amanda Aitken | 12 Dr Genevieve Hayes
Climate Change: 9 Sharanjit Paddam | 28 Ruby Smith
Actuaries making a difference: 19 David Gifford | Kirsten Armstrong 21
And in super: 11 Stephen Huppert | 29 Aidan Nguyen
Emerging leaders: 1 Laura Zhao | 7 Desmond Muzorewa | 8 Dan Wang | 13 Alison Visser | 18 Michael Storozhev | 20 Cameron Morris | 23 Alan Hsu | 26 Alex Leung
Leadership reflections from experienced leaders: 2 Stephen Huppert | 3 Ryan Boyd | 10 Jennifer Lang
Wellbeing: 14 Martin Mulcare | 15 Janice Jones | 17 James Beng Lee | 25 Sheridan Daniels
Career advice: 16 Mark Barda | 22 Chris Dolman | 24 Mark Baxter | 27 John Harney | 30 Vy Le | 5 Kim Clough
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Vy Le is a purpose-driven, qualified actuary based in Canada. She is the host of V Life Journal - Actuary, Career & Well-being, a YouTube channel dedicated to providing exclusive insights and advice on topics related to actuarial science, career development, productivity, and well-being. Through Vy’s channel, she guides young professionals in their career planning related to maths, data, and tech, while also sharing effective productivity hacks and learning strategies.
Vy is also a lifelong learner and multi-passionate creative-preneur. She holds several professional designations, including FSA, FCIA, CERA, CFA, and MBA. She’s also currently completing a Master’s in Computer and Information Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, exploring the intersection of technology and business and developing skills in programming, data analysis, and more. With 10+ years of experience as a risk management leader in the insurance industry, Vy is committed to driving growth and managing risk with a strong foundation in actuarial science and business strategy.
In this interview, Vy shares:
- Why she started a YouTube channel,
- Tips to feel confident in front of the camera,
- Her process for selecting content and finding guests for her channel,
- What she finds challenging about running a YouTube channel,
- How she uses ChatGPT in her daily work,
- The key skill actuaries need to be successful in a world with AI, and
- Her top tip for actuaries wanting to become YouTubers.
See Vy's YouTube Channel
See Vy's interview in The Actuary "Actuarial Adventures in Social Media"
Connect with Vy on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Aidan is an actuary working in public policy. In his current role within the Actuaries Institute’s Public Policy Team, he helps to channel the voice of the actuarial profession as a trusted adviser and honest broker to get better retirement income and life insurance policy and regulation. Aidan previously worked in policy at a peak industry body and before that as an actuarial consultant both within the superannuation and the life insurance industries. Outside of work, Aidan loves to stay connected with family and friends, and planning that next adventure.
In this interview, Aidan shares:
- Why he decided to move into a policy role after qualifying as an actuary,
- His career highlights as an actuary working in public policy,
- What he finds challenging about working in public policy,
- Why intergenerational equity is an area where he thinks actuaries could play a bigger role, and
- His top tip for actuaries wanting to work in public policy.
“What is a good customer outcome?” Aidan Nguyen, Actuaries Digital article
Connect with Aidan on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Ruby is a qualified actuary working in Finity's Climate Analytics practice, focusing on physical risk, transition risk and modelling of long term climate-related issues. Passionate about the environment, Ruby is a member of the Institute’s Climate and Sustainability Working Group, with particular interests in decarbonisation, risk quantification and the social impacts of climate change.
In this interview, Ruby shares:
- Why the environment is so important to her,
- Her decision not to get qualified because she wanted to work in climate change,
- Why she subsequently decided to pursue Fellowship,
- What it was like presenting on the big stage at the Actuaries Summit, and
- Her top tips for actuaries still working towards Fellowship.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
John is a senior pensions professional, working primarily with companies who sponsor UK pension schemes. John is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary. Originally hailing from Ireland, he has worked in the pensions industry for almost 10 years, having studied Actuarial and Financial Maths at Dublin City University.
John has worked on various projects for pensions schemes, including exercises to help members have more options for the form in which they receive their benefits, as well as helping schemes develop their long-term strategies. A passionate speaker, he has told stories in an array of contexts to a variety of audiences. He is also passionate about the power of social media, particularly LinkedIn, in giving pensions issues and wider actuarial issues a bigger public voice.
Outside of work, John is passionate about walking his dogs, travel, reading, cooking and music.
In this interview, John shares:
- Why the art of storytelling is so important for actuaries and how storytelling has helped you in your career,
- Some examples of situations where storytelling has helped you to achieve an outcome at work, and
- Some practical “how to” tips and tactics that actuaries could try themselves to improve their storytelling skills.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Alex is a senior actuary of the Wealth Protection valuation team in ResolutionLife Australasia, managing the technical and delivery aspects of management and regulatory reporting. In this role, Alex is also involved in transformation projects such as separation from AMP, US GAAP, and IFRS17.
Alex has 10+ years of experience in valuation, pricing strategy, and data analytics across life insurance, wealth management, and banking practices. He spent 3.5 years working in Hong Kong in his early career but relocated back to Sydney in 2013, and in the same year he completed his actuarial and CFA exams.
Alex has been an active volunteer at both the Actuaries’ Institute and the CFA Society Sydney, focusing on education development and mentoring. He is also a graduate of the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
Alex has a strong desire to develop skills in stakeholder engagement and strategy, while at home he is expecting a second child later in 2023.
In this interview, Alex shares his reflections about:
- How great leaders use the power of “calm”,
- What he enjoys about being a team leader.
- What he has found challenging about being an actuary in a managerial role, and
- His top tips for actuaries making the transition from individual contributors to team leaders.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Sheridan is an actuary with the Transport Accident Commission in Geelong. She has previously worked in a variety of roles across corporate, consultancy, a regulator and a fintech start-up. She has also spent much of the past 20 years living and training in traditional yoga ashrams in India and Australia.
A qualified yoga teacher since 2008, Sheridan has conducted yoga classes, retreats, workshops and lectures, sharing the different branches of yogic knowledge. Her focus is on cultivating awareness and the practical application of yogic tools in daily life, and maintaining the purity of tradition.
In this interview, Sheridan shares her reflections about:
- What she has learned from training in yoga tradition and living in an ashram,
- Why she thinks that defining what wealth for ourselves is important for our well-being,
- The power of visionary leadership, and
- Her top tips for improving well-being.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
For the past 40 years Mark has had an extensive global career as a C-Suite executive and Director in complex financial services organisations in Sydney, Hong Kong, London & Cape Town with his main specialty being strategic risk management and developing and leading large complex and diverse teams.
Being orphaned in his teenage years and from a working-class background - Mark developed a strong community focus and has supported a number of not-for-profit and arts organisations, many in the LGBTQ+ community both here and overseas. Mark has also mentored a number of LGBTQIA+ students in developing their careers.
In 2018 Mark was named one of Australia’s Top 50 LGBTQ+ Role Models by Deloitte and Google. Mark prides himself on his values-driven leadership style. He acknowledges that in all the C-Suites and Boards on which he has served, he has always been “the only gay in the village” with all the baggage that includes and he is keen to see talented people from under-represented groups be included in the highest levels of corporate Australia.
Mark is currently on the Board of NSW Labor and Chairs its Audit & Risk Committee and is one of the founders of the Australian LGBTQIA+ Board & Executive Inclusion (ALBIE) initiative which is advocating for improved representation of LGBTQIA+ people on ASX Boards and better representation of all under-represented groups. He recently contributed to the 2023 Governance Institute Board Diversity Report.
He also recently obtained his Cert IV in Fitness and is a now a qualified personal trainer and group fitness instructor – and was the oldest in the class by a significant margin!
In this interview, Mark shares his reflections about:
- How his global actuarial career came about,
- What he learned from his first international leadership role in Hong Kong at age 29,
- How painting a childcare centre helped him to effectively build teams across different countries and cultures,
- The value of his global experience when he came back to Australia,
- Why he doesn’t like the term “non-actuaries”,
- How diversity of thought improves business outcomes, and
- His advice for actuaries considering pursuing a role overseas.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Alan Hsu began his actuarial career at AXA Equitable, where he quickly developed a passion for pricing and product development. He has experience pricing life insurance products in the US and Australia, and he is currently working at New York Life pricing institutional life insurance products.
A graduate of the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program, Alan is a strong believer in more personal and professional development opportunities in the workplace. In his spare time, he enjoys playing board games, dancing flamenco, and exploring new places.
In this interview, Alan shares his reflections about:
- His global actuarial career working across the US and Australia,
- The importance of playing to your strengths when planning your career,
- Why developing the capacity of your team members yields benefits,
- How ballroom dancing, flamenco and playing Dungeons & Dragons has helped his career,
- What managers can do to support good mental health in their teams, and
- His advice for actuaries stepping into their first management roles.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Chris Dolman is an actuary working at IAG. His current role of Executive Manager, Data and Algorithmic Ethics helps to ensure that modern decision-making algorithms and other advanced uses of data are designed and implemented in an ethical, responsible and thoughtful way.
Prior to this, Chris held a variety of senior management positions in the insurance industry and consulting, in Australia and the UK. Chris is an award-winning volunteer, researcher and Fellow of the Actuaries Institute, and a Gradient Institute Fellow. He was awarded ‘Actuary of the Year’ in 2022.
In this interview, Chris shares his reflections about:
- Being awarded Actuary of the Year,
- The three personas he sees in the thought leadership space,
- What he has enjoyed about becoming known as a thought leader, and
- His views and advice on career planning.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Kirsten is an experienced non-executive director and strategic adviser with a 25-year career in health, disability, social insurance and international development.
She currently leads Social Ventures Australia’s social impact bond work, supporting governments, social-purpose organisations and impact investors to create high impact projects that generate evidence and change the lives of Australia’s most vulnerable.
In previous roles, Kirsten has helped governments introduce and reform their insurance systems, such as workers compensation in Russia, private health insurance in Hong Kong, motor insurance in Mongolia and retirement incomes systems in countries of the former Soviet Union. In Australia, Kirsten focussed on health system funding and reform as a Partner at PwC and a Principal at Taylor Fry.
She was recognised as one of the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence for her work as an Executive Director at The Fred Hollows Foundation to bring impact investors to help end blindness in low income countries.
Kirsten is a non-executive Director of icare NSW, disability service provider Northcott, and Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation WIRES.
In this interview, Kirsten shares her reflections about:
- How she’s carved an actuarial career that connects with her purpose,
- Building insurance schemes and restoring vision in developing countries,
- Quantifying the financial benefits of social initiatives on a documentary,
- What she thinks needs to be done to tackle wicked problems in public health, climate change and homelessness, and
- Her tips for actuaries wanting to work in social impact.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Cameron is an actuary with four years’ experience working for a life reinsurer in Sydney. His experience has mostly involved valuation and regulatory capital work, and in addition he has recently become a manager for the first time.
He is currently a Valuation Actuary at RGA and prior to this worked as an analyst in the valuation and pricing teams at the company. In his spare time he enjoys going for hikes with his wife and cuddling up with his two cats.
In this interview, Cameron shares his reflections about:
- What he enjoys most about working as an actuary in a management role,
- What he found most challenging about becoming an actuarial manager, and
- His top tips for actuaries wanting to move into management roles.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
David is the Scheme Actuary for the NDIS. He has worked for nearly thirty years across social insurance, general insurance and government in both consulting and organisational roles. David was previously Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Risk Officer at the Transport Accident Commission, and held consulting roles for more than fifteen years, at PwC and most recently Quantium.
David has a Bachelor of Economics and an MBA from Melbourne Business School and is currently undertaking a Master of Public Health at Melbourne University.
In this interview, David shares his reflections about:
- What it’s like being the Scheme Actuary for the NDIS,
- The kind of work that the large team of actuaries and data scientists do for the NDIS,
- What he finds interesting and challenging about his role, and
- How actuaries from all professional backgrounds can carve themselves a career path in social services.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Michael is an actuary with broad pricing, reserving, and capital experience across different products and global markets. Starting his journey at IAG and RACQ, Michael loved the technical focus but sought a deeper connection to customers and make a greater impact in the insurance industry.
Following postgraduate studies abroad, Michael returned to accidentally take a temporary role in travel insurance. In it, however, discovered a captivating niche that reinvigorated his passion for the industry. It was here that Michael learned the importance of customer-centricity and data-driven innovation.
The love for the niche, and the value actuaries can provide in it, allowed Michael to take a range of diverse roles during his 7 years at Cover-More Travel Insurance, Zurich Insurance’s Global Travel Insurance Arm most recently as General Manager for Strategic Underwriting for AUNZ
Today, Michael is the Chief Underwriting Officer at PassportCard Australia, a travel insurance specialist insurtech. Combining his technical expertise, passion for customer-centricity, and innovative mindset, he looks to continue to make a meaningful impact in the industry, safeguarding travellers around the globe through a unique real-time claims processing proposition.
Michael is also deeply involved in the Actuaries Institute of Australia, volunteering on the Data Science Practice Committee, Anti-Discrimination Practice Committee and the International Committee, as well as authoring and contributing to a number of research presentations.
In this interview, Michael shares his reflections about:
- What prompted his move into management roles,
- The hardest part of becoming a people leader,
- How his view of leadership roles has changed since becoming a leader,
- The importance of connecting with people outside the actuarial team,
- What all actuaries need to be mindful about when it comes to AI, and
- His top tip for actuaries stepping into their first management roles.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
For as long as he can remember, James has been fascinated by human development and been on a quest to answer two key questions: “What makes for a successful life?” and “What makes people change?”
He thought he had all the answers as he spent two decades of his life traveling the world and rapidly gained “success” and recognition across various business, creative and spiritual spaces. Little did he know that he was slowly breaking apart inside and losing himself to unhealthy coping mechanisms and addictions. When he was finally able to confront the signs of unhealth in his life, he discovered that his view of success had been severely narrow and a new approach to living was required.
He would embark on his own personal transformation journey and after years of “road-testing” his new way of living, James started LiveHolysticTM Coaching — to help people redefine what a truly successful life looks like and show them an alternate, more holistic approach to life.
James currently resides in Vancouver, Canada with his wife and their two sons and loves exploring the outdoors, meeting new people and playing music in a band.
In this interview, James shares his reflections about:
• How he defines “success” in his career,
• The indicators people should look out for that suggest “unhealth” in their careers, and
• Some common obstacles people find when wanting to define a more fulfilling career path.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
After 20+ years working as an actuary in life insurance for insurance companies and consulting, Mark relocated to Israel 12 years ago. Mark is the Senior Pricing Actuary for Israel and Medi at Swiss Re with responsibility for costing, writing and monitoring Swiss Re's book of reinsurance life and health contracts covering life, disability, critical illness, long term care and various other life and health risks as might cross his desk.
Mark's move to Israel came mid-career and presented a range of challenges, both personal (settling his then young family and learning a new language) and professional (establishing his credentials in a new country and dealing with a rather different market and corporate culture). In parallel, Mark embraced a new work/ life balance and enjoys (among other things) cooking, growing fruits, hiking, participation in his synagogue community and attempting to adapt 80s rock to classical/ acoustic guitar.
In this interview, Mark shares:
- What he learned as from working as an actuarial consultant in Australia,
- The personal and professional challenges he faced when he and his wife decided to move their family to Israel, and
- Advice he has for mid-career actuaries feeling stuck but unsure how to find more fulfillment in their work.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Janice is a Non-executive director, consultant and actuary with significant experience in the financial services sector including employee benefits, investments and financial planning. After starting her career at AMP, her actuarial career spans more than 30 years and has included a wide range of activities, including providing advice to companies, trustees and government; and managing people, projects and budgets.
Janice is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, a Graduate of the Australian Institute
of Company Directors and holds a range of professional qualifications and memberships.
Today Janice is talking to us about a topic that affects us all - resilience.
In this interview, Janice shares her reflections about:
- Why the concept of resilience is important for actuaries,
- Her own experience of burnout and recovery, and
- Tools and strategies she uses to support her resilience
- One tip she has for actuaries wanting to build their resilience.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Martin Mulcare is currently enjoying a portfolio of activities where the common theme is that he loves sharing ideas. This can take the form of a facilitator, a sounding board, a mentor or a company director.
His prior experience included work as a consulting actuary, a corporate actuary and a company executive. Many of you may have met him in his role as facilitator of the Professionalism Course from 2009-2019.
Martin is involved with a number of social purpose organisations including The Growth Project and Primary Ethics. He is a strong believer in the importance of balance in life.
In this interview Martin shares his reflections about:
- Why contributing to society is so important to him,
- The different types of contributions that actuaries make to society, and
- Some practical ideas about how you can contribute to society right now.
Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
Extra resources from the episode:
- An overview of The Growth Project.
- A provocative look at charities.
- The original HBR article on Shared Value.
- An updated look at Shared Value and the importance of broader collaboration.
- A paper on actuaries in the community.
- Survey report that appeared in the September 2012 edition of Actuary Australia (Page 14).
- The Power of Activism documentary directed by Steve Pasvolsky, featuring Kirsten Armstrong.
- Diagram on the dimensions of giving.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Alison Visser is an actuary specializing in defined benefit pension funds, currently working at Mercer in Washington DC.
Alison’s actuarial career started in life insurance in Sydney and included a stint as a lecturer at the Australian National University in Canberra.
A Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program graduate, Alison draws on a wide range of experience in today’s podcast.
In this interview, Alison shares her reflections about:
- Working in different countries,
- The importance of clear communication at work and at home,
- What she’s learned from working parenthood that has helped her in her career,
- The benefits of deliberate time management, including better delegation and team development, and
- How having a growth mindset can help actuaries transition to management roles.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Dr Genevieve Hayes is the Director of Genevieve Hayes Consulting, an AI and analytics consultancy focussed on helping organisations maximise the value of their data.
She has experience in technical, leadership and academic roles, through which she has applied cutting-edge statistical and machine learning techniques to a range of business problems, including image and text classification, social network analysis and psychometric assessment design.
Genevieve is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, and holds a PhD in Statistics from the Australian National University and a Masters in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In this interview, Genevieve shares her experience and insights about:
- The range of “habitats” that data scientists occupy.
- The differences between how data science is applied in academia compared with the business world and what this means for teachers.
- The skills actuaries need in order to be effective data scientists
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Stephen Huppert is a qualified and experienced actuary who is currently enjoying a “portfolio career”. He is also the Head of Engagement at Optimum Pensions.
Stephen has over 30 years of experience in Superannuation, Wealth Management and Life Insurance in a range of consulting and corporate roles. He provides advice to organisations that are committed to improving the retirement outcomes of Australians. These range from some of Australia’s largest superannuation funds and their service providers to new entrants bringing innovative solutions to the industry.
In this interview, Stephen shares his experience and insights about:
- The role of the modern actuary in superannuation and retirement incomes.
- The Australian superannuation system, and why he thinks #Superannuation is #NotSuperYet.
- Why he is "Passionate about helping Australians improve their lives in retirement” and how this is reflected in his work.
- His top tip for actuaries considering a career in superannuation.
Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Jennifer Lang is an independent director and actuary, and is currently on the Boards of Pacific Life Re, Propel Funeral Partners, Medical Insurance Australia, Auto & General Insurance and Bicycle Network. Earlier in her career she was the CFO and Chief Actuary of CommInsure, and a Partner of Deloitte and KPMG. Jennifer was the Actuary of the Year in 2020, is a regular presenter at conferences on leadership, insurance and risk management, and is often requested to commentate on all things actuarial.
She holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University, is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute of Australia and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
In her spare time, she writes a blog, Actuarialeye, where she casts her eye over the world from an actuarial perspective, which for the last three years has been overwhelmingly about Covid-19 from a variety of angles. She also loves to travel, having taken a year out of the workforce in 2011 to travel the world with her family.
In this interview, Jennifer shares:
- What it was like transitioning from executive roles to board positions,
- Her reflections as a leader, including articulating your team's purpose, understanding the strengths of your team members, why 1:1 catchups are a good investment of time and how she manages her time,
- Some of her key lessons as an actuarial commentator, and
- Her top tips for actuaries stepping into their first management roles.
Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.
Read her ActuarialEye blog.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Sharanjit Paddam is an actuary with nearly 30 years’ experience in actuarial consulting in the UK and Australia. He is a Fellow of both the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and the UK Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
Sharanjit is a leading expert on climate change, receiving the prestigious award of “Insurance Leader of the Year” in 2022 by the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance for his work on championing action on climate change.
Currently, Sharanjit co-leads Finity’s Climate & Sustainability Risk practice and advises clients such as insurers, banks, investors and governments on climate risk assessment, management, strategy and reporting. He’s contributed to numerous national and international initiatives on the management of climate risk, and even gave a TEDxSydney talk on climate change!
In this interview I asked Sharanjit about:
- What motivated him to work in climate change and why he's stayed in the space,
- The biggest challenge he's faced as an actuary working in climate change,
- How he helps actuaries build their skills in the climate risk space,
- His experience delivering a talk on the TEDx stage,
- His top tips for actuaries considering a career move into the climate change space.
Connect with Sharanjit on LinkedIn.
Watch his TedX Talk here. Learn more about his work in climate change here.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Dan is an actuary with over ten years of experience in Life Insurance, including valuation and regulatory capital. Originally from China, Dan came to Australia to complete his University studies and has lived in Sydney ever since. He is currently an Actuarial Manager at Dataly Actuarial and Data Consulting. Prior to this, he was the IFRS17 and Data Science actuary at MetLife. Outside work, Dan is the cook at home and plays competitive tennis every week.
In this interview I asked Dan:
- About his career path to date.
- A great leader he has worked for and what was unique or different about their management style.
- What he most enjoys about working as an actuary in a management role.
- What is something he’s found interesting / challenging / unexpected about becoming an actuarial manager.
- One tip he’d have for actuaries stepping into management roles for the first time.
Connect with Dan on LinkedIn.
In this episode Dan mentions: Wayne Brazel, Sammy Liu and Bolin Li.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Desmond is an actuary with experience in the superannuation field of practice and is passionate about big data management and automation with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. He is currently the Head of Actuarial Analysis, Super SA at the South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance. Desmond is responsible for performing actuarial analysis to identify, review and evaluate superannuation related policy options for the State and individual agencies.
In this interview I asked Desmond:
- How he came to be working as an actuary in South Australia,
- How volunteering has helped his career,
- Why he wanted to take on a leadership role,
- What moving from the private sector to the public sector was like,
- How he approaches building his network,
- The characteristics of one of the best leaders he has ever worked for, and
- His top tips for actuaries transitioning from technical to leadership roles.
Connect with Desmond on LinkedIn.
Read Desmond’s article Building my Leadership Toolkit.
In the episode, Desmond mentions: John Killick SKL, Niki Appleton and Erin Fitzgerald.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Daniel Stone is a qualified actuary and data scientist with 20 years of experience in a wide range of fields including varied-sized life offices, reinsurance, consulting and expert-level model building experience. He has worked in Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom and ASEAN.
His recent experience is in applying big data and cloud technologies, data engineering automation and the application of statistical and data science techniques in life insurance and actuarial pricing.
In his spare time he enjoys spending time at the beach with his family and making a deep run in poker tournaments.
In this interview I asked Daniel:
- How he became on of the first life insurance actuaries in Australia who adopted data science into their roles,
- His advice to experienced actuaries that are wondering if it’s “too late” to learn data science and apply it to their roles,
- How he defines good leadership,
- How he balances the need to deliver without overloading team members,
- What skills he looks for when hiring in his teams,
- How he sees the competitive landscape between actuaries, data scientists and other data analytics professionals, and
- His top tip for actuaries wanting to improve their skills in data science.
Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn.
In the episode, Daniel mentions: Darren Wickham, Francis Burgess and Andrew Yin.
Daniel referred to a range of learning options for actuaries wanting to build their data science skills, including:
- High level knowledge: Datacamp R, Python, SQL and Pluralsight
- Data Science specialisation: Udacity
- Most major universities: masters courses
- Cloud & Big Data: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals and Databricks
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Kim is an Actuary with over 15 years' experience in the corporate world with varied roles across consulting, reinsurance and life insurance, focused on pricing and product development. Kim loves to build solutions that create genuine value for end customers, having been instrumental to the launch of new life insurance product offerings and supported the entry of an international reinsurer into the Australian market.
Kim has recently taken the leap to Retender, a 5 year old start up specialising in sourcing and managing risk pools. Driven by innovation, Retender has disrupted the way insurance capacity is sourced and Kim plans to expand their offering as Director and Chief Innovation Officer.
In this interview, I asked Kim:
- About her career path to date, as well as her current role as Chief Innovation Officer at Retender,
- How she found herself ready for a role in a start-up,
- What she likes most about working in a start-up,
- What she found was the hardest thing about transitioning from a full time corporate role to a start-up role, and
- Her advice for actuaries considering a move to a start-up.
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Amanda is an Actuarial Educator at the Actuaries Institute. She has over 20 years’ experience as an Actuary in general insurance and workers' compensation schemes. Amanda joined the Institute’s Education team in 2018 to develop and teach the Communication, Modelling and Professionalism subject.
Amanda has a special interest in data analytics and is currently the Chief Examiner of the Data Science Applications subject. Amanda is a member of the Data Science Practice Committee and the Data Science Education Faculty. She brings her passion for teaching and years of actuarial experience to her role.
In this interview I asked Amanda:
- About her current role as an Actuarial Educator,
- Why she became an actuary and how she found herself in an educator role,
- What she enjoys most about teaching,
- Who has inspired and mentored her throughout her career, and
- Her practical tips or advice for other actuaries who also aspire to have a career as a future educator
Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.
Ryan is a career associate actuary with the Institute of Actuaries in Australia. Originally from South Africa with 8 years of consulting experience there including being a manager at Deloitte, he is now the Head of Corporate Actuarial for the APAC region at Allianz Partners where he has been for the last 3 years. In addition to his actuarial career he is a former TEDx speaker, United Nations Ambassador, Regional Manager of CSR at Deloitte South Africa and has 16 years of presenting experience across multiple topics. Finally Ryan is happily married to his beautiful wife Teri, heavily involved at his Church and enjoys supporting Australian rugby and cricket whenever possible.
In this interview I ask Ryan about:
- His career path to date and what you enjoy most about his current role,
- What he thinks actuaries should consider when deciding which qualification pathway to take,
- How he became an accomplished presenter, having even stood on the TEDx stage, and how this has helped his career,
- His top tip for actuaries stepping into their first management roles.
Stephen Huppert provides advice to organisations that are committed to improving the retirement outcomes of Australians. These range from some of Australia’s largest superannuation funds and their service providers to new entrants bringing innovative solutions to the industry. He has over 30 years of experience in Superannuation, Wealth Management and Life Insurance in a range of consulting and corporate roles. Stephen is active on social media, a frequent contributor to publications, and a regular speaker and facilitator at industry events.
In this interview Stephen shares his experience and insights about:
- Having a portfolio career – what it’s like and how he got there.
- Experiencing career curve balls or unexpected pivot points.
- The actuarial identity – what it is and why it matters.
- Risks and regrets in his career.
- His advice for actuaries stepping into management roles.
Laura is a qualified actuary with the Institute of Actuaries in Australia. Born and bred in China, she moved to Sydney a decade ago and formed her family here. Laura is currently a senior underwriter at Freely, a travel insurance startup. Prior to Freely, Laura worked in IAG and Suncorp, predominantly in pricing and data analytics projects. In her spare time, she enjoys building Lego sets and traveling with her family.
In this interview I asked Laura:
- What it was like moving from China to Australia,
- About her experience getting qualified and building a career while also parenting her son,
- What she enjoys most about being part of the actuarial profession,
- What she found the most challenging about her first management experience,
- What she finds most interesting about her current role,
- How she makes her career decisions, and
- Her top tip for young actuaries hoping to build their career.
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn.
Welcome to the We Are Actuaries Podcast, where you’ll meet leaders who use their actuarial powers to solve a range of problems and make a real difference.
I am your host, Julia Lessing, a qualified actuary based in Australia. I help senior leaders use data to solve complex, people oriented problems.
In this series, you’ll hear from a range of experienced actuarial leaders, actuaries doing working in different fields plus emerging leaders, our next generation of actuarial leadership.
So settle in, learn from the best, and be inspired.
Connect with us via LinkedIn or visit our website.