Neel is an Associate Director at WTW, working in the Retirement Team.

Neil began his actuarial career in Kenya before moving to the UK. We discuss everything from how he discovered the actuarial profession, securing his first role, progression quickly into a management position and his reasons for seeking a move to the UK. We explore some of the differences between working in pensions consulting in Kenya vs London, his experiencing of interviewing for UK roles and why he chose to join WTW.

Neel also shares his views on the importance of finding the right balance between work, the actuarial exams and personal life during the early stages of his career.

I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website

Emma is an Associate Partner at Aon and leads the Bristol Trustee Retirement Team.

We discuss everything from how she discovered the actuarial profession existed, why she chose to work in pensions consulting, understanding the role of a pensions actuary, and how her role evolved over time. Emma shares her experiences of seeking opportunities and stepping out of her comfort zone, and how some of these opportunities influenced her career development.

Emma also shares her experience of going on maternity leave twice, finding the right work-life balance, all whilst going through promotion processes and taking on people leadership responsibility.

I loved getting to know Emma, she is incredibly impressive and I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Please connect with Emma here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-moore-63399713a/

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website

Steve is an Actuary & Corporate Consultant at First Actuarial, based in Manchester.

Steve shares his journey into the actuarial profession, discussing his experiences, challenges, and insights gained over 20 years in the industry. We explore how his role has evolved over time, including becoming a Scheme Actuary before specialising in corporate advice, with a particular emphasis on finding enjoyment & fulfilment in each role rather than focusing on job titles.

Steve also offers advice to graduates and young professionals, including his thoughts on what to look for during the interview process, embracing every opportunity which comes your way, and sharing his views of the future of the profession.

I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Please connect with Steve here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdeverellsmith/

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website

Niraj is an Investment Analyst at LCP. He shares his journey into the actuarial profession, his experience of studying and working during the pandemic, beginning his career in pensions consulting and transitioning to investment consulting.

Niraj shares his insights on balancing work, study, and personal life, encouraging early career professionals to prioritise their well-being alongside their ambitions. We learn some of the differences and similarities between working in pensions and investments, and how his career has progressed to date.

Niraj also touches on his journey of unmasking and being his authentic self, which has influenced his perspective on career progression and personal development. I'd highly recommend following his LinkedIn posts and blog, which focus on topics related to his own lived experiences.

Please connect with Niraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niraj-shah-aia-a9783317b/

It was a pleasure to get to know him, hope you enjoy the conversation!

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website

Andrea is a Partner at K3 Advisory, where she leads K3’s solutions for schemes moving through the buy-in phase of the transaction to ultimate buy-out. She also manages key relationships with insurers, reinsurers, K3’s business partners and trustees.

We explore how Andrea discovered the actuarial profession, and follow her career path which includes working for two consultancies, the PPF, the bulk annuity team of an insurance company and now K3 Advisory.

We discus the differences between some of her key roles, the challenges and opportunities she encountered along the way, her experience of moving into a people management role, and her love of specialising in the bulk annuity market.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Please connect with Andrea here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-mendham-6976a762/

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website

The Actuarial People podcast returns this week, and I'm delighted to be joined by Grace Holtom!

Grace is an Associate and Senior Consulting Actuary at Barnett Waddingham. As well as supporting Scheme Actuaries and leading various projects, she also leads the development of BW’s Lloyds 3 offering, she is a people manager & mentor, and part of a group which oversees the South West actuarial teams in Bristol and Cheltenham.

We discuss everything from how she joined the profession, seeking her first role and her career progression to date.

Grace talks about the importance of people management and mentoring, as well as the unique approach to management at Barnet Waddingham. She highlights the focus on future development, training, and non-chargeable roles within the company. Grace also discusses the exams and the balance between work, study, and personal life.

She shares her experience of balancing work and motherhood, the challenges she faced returning to work after maternity leave, and the importance of building a supportive team. We also explore her involvement in the Lloyds 3 GMP equalization project and the evolving role of actuaries in the pensions industry.

I loved getting to know Grace, and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Please connect with Grace here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-holtom-56a06565/

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website

Mark is the London Practice Leader & Head of GMP Equalisation at Buck, a Gallagher Company. He is an experienced People Leader, Scheme Actuary and a Council member at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

We discuss everything from how Mark initially entered the actuarial profession, beginning his first role with WTW in Reigate, gaining line management experience at an early stage, moving to PwC after 12 years to experience a different type of role, and then joining Buck in a Leadership role where he has gone from strength-to-strength.

Mark gives amazing insight to his love for the people side of actuarial teams. We learn about the concept of ‘locus of control’, how he helps people to avoid a career plateau a few years after qualifying, and the importance of creating an environment where people have open discussions about their careers. Mark also shares how he came to take a lead on setting up and running the GMP equalisation team, the breadth of skills you can develop working in this area, his views on the future of the pensions industry, and advice for anyone starting their actuarial career in pensions today.

I hope you enjoy the conversation!!

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website

Felicia is an ex-Life, Pensions & GI Actuary who is now a Wealth Coach in the field of Pensions, Property and Stock Market Investments.

We discuss everything from Felicia’s entry into the actuarial profession, working in Life, Pensions and General Insurance, how she balanced this with running her own property business, through to life after being an Actuary. Today, Felicia has set herself a goal of helping one million women to become financially independent through education, and empowering them to take control of their finances. She wants to normalise talking about money, savings, pensions and investment strategies and we explore how she is doing this via workshops, podcasts, Instagram and YouTube.

Felicia was wonderfully open and honest about her own life experiences, and how events in her life have provided the motivation and inspiration for what she does today.

I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Please connect with Felicia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicia-flinders-b1359618/

You can follow her Instagram account here: https://www.instagram.com/ff_women_wealth_creation/?hl=en

Mentioned in this episode:

Actuarial People is sponsored by my recruitment company Turner Perkins. I specialise in helping pensions actuarial professionals across all experience levels with their career moves. Please visit https://turnerperkins.com or email james.turner@turnerperkins.com to arrange a confidential conversation!

TP Website