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1/2 Actuarial Science
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KEEPING UP WITH
KENT GRADUATES
ACTUARIAL SCIENTISTS
This issue of KENT finds
out what some of our
graduates in Actuarial
Science have been up to
since they left university.
Gordon Beard R82 (Actuarial Science)
I worked for Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society in
the investments team for a number of years before
joining Police Mutual Assurance here in Lichfield,
Staffordshire in 1998. I am part of the team that
manages over £1bn of investments on behalf of
police officers and their families throughout the
UK. I specialise in bond investments, which involves
a broad knowledge of economics and its influence
on the financial markets.This has led to the
establishment of different types of financial products,
from savings to pensions, designed to meet the
needs of Police Mutual investors at different stages
in their careers. My role also includes meeting and
explaining the investment process to many police
officers, most of whom are knowledgeable about
the markets, and frequently ask searching questions!
Jane Brown E87 (Actuarial Science)
After Kent, I worked for RNPFN, a small pension
fund in London, as a computer programmer for
three years, then in their Investment Department
for a further seven years. I now work as a fund
administrator with Deutsche Asset Management
where I have been for five years. I live in Anerley,
South London and spend my spare time doing
voluntary work at West Wickham Police Station
helping members of the public, and shopping and
gardening for the elderly.
Bal Chauhan E88 (Actuarial Science)
Did not go into actuarial science as too corporate
for me. Ended up in marketing and advertising and
currently working at Carlson Marketing Group as a
data consultant. Have travelled a fair bit and now
thinking of going into teaching.
Sarah Elwine K88 (Actuarial Science)
I started my actuarial career working in a couple
of actuarial pensions consultancies before eventually
qualifying as an actuary in 1998. Work mainly
involved serving the trustees of pension schemes
in a compliance-type role. I joined Deloitte in 1999.
Working in a broader consultancy firm has enabled
me to use my pensions and actuarial knowledge in
a more rounded and business-focused way, and to
learn from working with other disciplines and
actuaries around the world. I have worked on a large
number of projects from strategic reviews of pension
schemes to high-profile court cases assessing the
pensions losses members may have suffered. Last
year I even got the chance to spend five weeks
working in New York!
Phil Simmance R96 (Actuarial Science)
I graduated from UKC (as it was then!) with a BSc in
1999. I secured a position at Watson Wyatt (a global
firm of consulting actuaries) before graduating and
started with them in October 1999. Initially I was
working in the UK benefits practice, doing general
pensions-related actuarial work for a number of UKbased
clients and based in the head office in Reigate,
Surrey. I was then seconded to spend half my time
in the International Practice. Over five years on I am
now full-time in that area, working with a number of
multinationals, many of whom are household names,
and based in our London office. Still desperately
trying to qualify – only one exam to go! My time at
Kent was among the best years of my life and I also
feel that my degree gave me excellent grounding for
the work that I am now doing.
Jide Oyelami D97 (Actuarial Science)
Since graduating in 2001, I’ve worked in pensions
consultancy with Gissings Consultancy Services Ltd.
Gissings specialises in employee benefit provision, and
caters for a number of clients in the FTSE100. My
role has evolved since I started from data analysis
and pension scheme valuations into a more clientfacing
role, which I am enjoying tremendously. It has
been difficult combining studying for actuarial
qualifications and full-time employment, but I am
making progress. I hope to qualify as a Fellow of the
Institute of Actuaries very soon.
Natalie Alexander R00 (Actuarial Science)
Since graduating in 2003, I have been working
in the Building Solutions Division of Halifax General
Insurance in the East Midlands, as a supplier liaison
Analyst. My job entails managing builders and
suppliers on a daily basis for household insurance
claims. My ambition is still to become an actuary, and
I am using both my experience in the insurance
industry and my current study for CII qualifications
to further this aim.
Next issue: Did you do American Studies or British
and American Policy Studies? If so we’d like to hear
from you for the next issue of KENT.Where did
your degree take you and what are you doing with
it now?
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