We Are Actuaries: 2023 Roundup
Now that we’ve recorded the final episode of We Are Actuaries for 2023 I wanted to recap the top episodes and themes across all of the interviews with actuaries since the We Are Actuaries podcast was born.
Now, I’ve loved every one of the 30 conversations I’ve had with actuaries! Together we have showcased the diversity of how actuaries can use their superpowers to make a difference in the world. My guests talked about data science, climate change, making a difference with their work, moving into leadership roles, reflecting on being experienced leaders, how to support wellbeing and loads of valuable career advice.
So let me give you a quick summary! I’ll include each of the actuaries and their episode numbers in the show notes to help you find the full interviews.
Data science
It’s probably no surprise that the most downloaded episodes of We Are Actuaries were those on data science. Life Actuary and Data Scientist Daniel Stone shared his story in episode 6 about how he started working in data science and he shares some tips for actuaries of all career stages about how to build data science skills.
Actuarial Educator Amanda Aitken teaches Data Science Applications with the Actuaries Institute and she also shared some tips for actuaries wanting to build their data science skills in episode 4.
Fellow Actuary and Host of the Value Driven Data Science Podcast, Dr Genevieve Hayes shared her advice for actuaries wanting to get into data science in episode 12:
“I think a good starting point would be to learn some basic programming skills. So I've worked with actuaries who are doing a lot of their work in Excel, and that's fine. But if you're going to go into the data science side of things, the first thing you need to do is be able to program.
So just start by doing even just a free online course on how to program in Python. And that's not going to make you a data scientist, but it's at least giving you a taste of what's involved with programming. And then start trying to use those skills to create some projects.”
Dr Genevieve Hayes
Climate Change
Climate change was a popular topic and we heard from 2023 Actuary of the Year Sharanjit Paddam in episode 9. We also heard from new Fellow Ruby Smith, who almost didn’t get qualified because she knew she didn’t want to work in insurance, but then realised an actuarial qualification would help her build a great career in climate risk. In episode 28 she says:
“I sort of realised that even if I am not working in a traditional role, it'll still be to my advantage to be an actuary in a non-traditional role similarly because, you know, actuaries are a respected profession.
And even in the climate space, especially like, I was thinking, you know, if government wanted some recommendations on a potential policy, like a climate-related policy that they wanted, and there's an actuary there, suggesting something based on actuarial modelling, like that's going to be very credible.
And so I decided to do it and I just finished this year.”
Ruby Smith
Actuaries making a difference
But data science and climate change are not the only way actuaries want to make a difference with their careers. We heard from Kirsten Armstrong in episode 21 about how she built a career on passion:
“I’ve always, throughout my career, wanted to do something that I feel passionate about, and I feel proud of. I’m very privileged, as are many actuaries, we’ve got a really useful skill set that we can use for a range of different things.
And for me I get the most passion and achieve the most when I’m working in a space that I’m actually delivering an impact that matters to me. So I guess connecting with purpose.”
Kirsten Armstrong
We also heard from NDIS Scheme Actuary David Gifford in episode 19 about how all actuaries have transferrable skills that would allow them to make a difference in the disability space.
Stephen Huppert shared how actuaries are making a different in the Australian superannuation space episode 11 and we heard about the opportunities for actuaries to help shape public policy from Aidan Nguyen in episode 29:
“It's really any areas of society that that we collectively decide we want to an interest in, in getting the policy right, whether it's our environment, whether it's our health, our health system, and whether it's our financial health and our financial system. And then it's how we come up with those common rules to improve our lives.”
Aidan Nguyen
Emerging leaders
One of the sponsors of the We Are Actuaries podcast is the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program, which is a small group program for actuaries to network and build key communication and leadership skills over a three month period. We had 8 graduates from the GA Leadership Program on the podcast this year, who shared their reflections and advice for actuaries wanting to become managers.
In episode 1, Laura Zhao shared her top tip for young actuaries wanting to build their careers:
“Volunteer. That’s the most practical advice I can give to younger actuaries, because building a network is important and building a network in an effective way is even more important. You get to work with someone through volunteering or through any other problem that's of interest to you. The connection is closer and deeper and that's how you meet people and build connections with people in an effective way.”
Laura Zhao
We also heard from Desmond Muzorewa in episode 7, who described how he raised the profile of his small actuarial team across his organisation one conversation at a time.
In episode 8, Dan Wang encouraged others to invest in soft skills training to accelerate their careers, and in episode 13, Alison Visser talked about the importance of tailoring your communication style so that your message lands.
In episode 18, Michael Storozhev confesses to loving his technical work, but acknowledges that an important shift for any leader is to step away from some of the detail.
“I love the technical side of my actuarial roles, the analytics, doing data science, pricing models, even Excel. But in a leadership role, I had to give up some of that fun to the team to let them develop in the same way that I had developed or even in a better way. Being able to identify what you have to give up is a skill in itself.”
Michael Storozhev
Cameron Morris pointed out in episode 20 that you don’t have to be someone’s formal manager to take on a manager role.
Alex Leung reminds us that if we are doing the work, we are not actually managing! An important point in episode 26.
And US based Actuary Alan Hsu reminded us that our direct reports will all want different things:
“You could be doing the exact same thing for two people and one person can think that you're micromanaging them and someone can say that you're not giving enough guidance. So it's about learning the people who you work with, making sure that they have the resourcing that they need and talking it over with your peers and understanding that mistakes are okay.”
Alan Hsu
Leadership reflections from experienced leaders
We also heard from experienced leaders, including Ryan Boyd who shared his definition of career success in episode 3. Stephen Huppert talked about the importance of being aware of the emotional wake we leave after every interpersonal interaction on episode 2. And industry legend Jennifer Lang shared her top tips for any actuary wanting to become a great leader in episode 10:
“I think it comes back to curiosity for me, just be really interested and curious about where you are, the difference that you make and the environment that you're in. So learn as much as you can from what you're doing. So to me, it's all about curiosity.”
Jennifer Lang
Wellbeing
Without intentionally doing so, I interviewed four guests who shared life advice to support your wellbeing. Martin Mulcare talked about the different ways actuaries can contribute to society in episode 14. Janice Jones shared her own experience of burnout and recovery and offered tips to build resilience in episode 15:
“You might feel like everything's going really well. But when you think, well, I'm drinking a lot of wine on a Friday night or have a lot of coffee to get through the day, I jumpy, I'm not sleeping well. There's, signs that you're agitated, that you're not comfortable, but you're not able to pin why that is. But at least be observant. There's something going on here. And what am I anxious about?”
Janice Jones
Canadian based actuary James Beng Lee shared his story of addiction and recovery and the importance of finding your life path in episode 17, and Actuary and Yoga teacher Sheridan Daniels shared a tip for improving wellbeing in episode 25:
“In yoga there's a practice called pratipaksha bhavana, which means developing the opposite feeling. So it means each time any sort of negative quality or reaction or emotion arises, it's to catch that immediately and flip it to the positive opposite quality.
So it means if you're feeling unhappiness, how do you connect to something that brings you to happiness? If you're feeling irritation, you turn that to acceptance or if you're feeling anger, you utilise the force of that emotion to turn it to peacefulness.”
Sheridan Daniels
Career advice
Finally, we had six guests who shared career advice, which is always valuable to hear!
Kim Clough talked about her experience leaving a stable corporate role and joining a start up in episode 5, and Vy Le talked about how she became an influencer and YouTuber in episode 30.
Irish actuary John Harney talked about the benefits of storytelling in episode 27, and 2022 Actuary of the Year Chris Dolman shared his three “thought leadership” personas in episode 22.
I asked Mark Baxter his advice for actuaries considering working overseas in episode 24 and he said:
“Just do it. It just opens up your life or it has actually opened up my life. I've been really, really lucky with all the travel and it's just been absolutely fascinating. And I think it's sort of just an exciting thing to do. So just do it!”
Mark Baxter
I also asked expat Mark Barda for some practical tips about preparing to move overseas with your family in episode 16. He said:
“Plan, but don’t over plan. So, you know, we looked at places that we might want to live. I’d already started trying to build a bit of a professional network in Israel before moving.
But it was not, OK, yeah let’s make sure I’ve got the job by this time and we’re going to be living in this particular house, and the kids are going to be at this school forever. Not being too detailed on it.”
Mark Barda
So what’s next in 2024?
2024 will kick off with Stephen Huppert turning the tables and interviewing me! I’ll be talking about career transitions and my tips to navigate them. Then we’ll hear from the Chair of the Professionalism Committee, Stuart Turner, about how actuaries can build their ethical muscles.
We will also hear from the Actuaries Institute CEO Elayne Grace, talking about actuarial success and what she’s observed of other actuaries who’ve carved out successful careers. Head of Actuarial Studies at ANU, Adam Butt, and new council member Jon Shen will also be joining the show in 2024.
I hope you have enjoyed listening to We Are Actuaries in 2023! I’d love to hear your questions, feedback or suggestions about the podcast and I look forward to bringing you more insights and inspiration in 2024 from more diverse actuaries who will showcase how they use their actuarial superpowers to make a difference in the world.
Thank you for supporting the We Are Actuaries podcast!
