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I am an Actuary: November Edition
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From piano performance to perceptive teacher nudges, five actuaries share how unexpected beginnings led them into the profession in this edition of I am an Actuary.
They reveal their evolution from curiosity to impact – discovering how technical expertise and real-world problem solving combine to shape outcomes across superannuation, insurance and beyond.
My journey into the actuarial profession stemmed from a love of maths in high school, but I first learned what an actuary was at a university open day. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when my mind that day said, “Let’s give it a shot”, but it seems to have worked out pretty well!
I went on to complete a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Actuarial Science, at the University of Melbourne and — perhaps the most unique part of my journey — a concurrent Diploma in Music, studying piano performance.
Pursuing this music degree gave me a great balance in university as it allowed me to continue to enjoy playing the piano while avoiding getting ‘tunnel vision’ on my actuarial studies. I’m sure there are many actuarial musos out there, so here’s a fun fact - my favourite composer is Rachmaninoff!
I then started my career at Mercer as an intern and now work as an Associate in the Actuarial Consulting team. In my role, I work with clients across the superannuation industry and help solve challenges in product, strategy and retirement incomes. I’ve also had the privilege of contributing to various thought leadership papers, including co-authoring Mercer’s Shaping Super 2025 Report. Given my experience, it was a natural choice for me to take Superannuation and Retirement Applications as my final Fellowship subject, and I was honoured to receive the Andrew Prescott Prize.
What I've learned to enjoy most about being an actuary is the combination of technical modelling with real-world impact. Looking ahead, I’m excited to use the skills I have developed to help build a superannuation system that delivers better retirement outcomes for all Australians, while still making time for music outside of work.
My journey into the actuarial profession began with a nudge from a perceptive high school teacher. With not needing too much convincing, I decided to study actuarial science at the Victoria University of Wellington, where it was still a relatively new course. During my time there, I was lucky to meet people with similar interests, and together we formed the Actuarial Society Club of Victoria University.
My first actuarial role was in the Reinsurance Team at AIA New Zealand. Having no experience in the private sector, I was just as excited to learn about the products as I was about the day-to-day operations of the business. I joined the Pricing Team a year later, which was responsible for retail business and experience investigations. This change of scenery opened a whole new perspective for me.
Today, I work in life insurance at Azuria Partners, where my role involves various consulting projects, not limited to group pricing, valuation and reinsurance.
What I enjoy about being an actuary is the constant learning and adaptability. I have always been particularly interested in programming languages - whether it be JavaScript, Python, SAS, SQL or others. I appreciate how actuaries are increasingly embracing more technical tools and coding skills to solve complex problems.
While the pathway hasn’t always been straightforward, each step has helped shape my perspective and sharpened my skills. I am excited about where the profession is heading as it evolves beyond the non-traditional areas.
I’ve always been good at maths, but when it came time to choose a university degree, I had no idea what to study. My mum was the one who introduced me to actuarial studies. I didn’t really know what an actuary was — all I understood was that it involved lots of maths and (apparently) made good money. I was sold.
I took a degree in Actuarial Studies and quickly realised it wasn’t just about maths. There were economics, finance and accounting – subjects I didn’t enjoy quite as much. After graduating, I joined Azuria Partners, a boutique consulting firm specialising in life insurance and superannuation.
Then came the Part II and III exams. To my surprise, they were even less about maths and more about communication, reasoning and professional judgment. That definitely wasn’t what I thought I’d signed up for — I liked numbers, not explaining them!
Fast forward four years and I finally qualified. Looking back, my journey at Azuria Partners has completely changed how I see the profession. I’ve realised it’s not just about numbers — actuaries turn numbers into insights that help people make better decisions.
One of the best things about this career is how close-knit and supportive the actuarial community is. I’ve been lucky to have mentors who guided me through both my exams and my career.
To me, being an actuary means being good at maths (so I wasn’t wrong there!), finding solutions amid uncertainty, understanding people’s problems and helping solve them and being part of a respectful, growth-minded profession.
When I first signed up to study actuarial science out of high school, I was often asked, “What is an actuary?” to which I didn’t really know. Now that I know what an actuary does, no one seems to ask anymore.
Like many, I was pushed towards the actuarial pathway based off an interest and affinity for maths, and a maths teacher who encouraged me to take on the challenge. I also sought a degree that would open as many career doors for me as possible and actuarial science did just that.
I studied at Curtin University in Western Australia and interned in both an External and Internal Audit Team, which exposed me to interesting non-actuarial perspectives on financial work and risk management.
Out of university, I packed my bags and moved from the sunny West Coast to cold Canberra to kick-start my career in EY’s Actuarial Consulting Team. There, I’ve had the chance to work on a wide range of rewarding projects, from financial modelling to providing advice on health care system designs.
Currently, I’m on an international secondment in Wellington, New Zealand, which has been an exciting opportunity to work with and learn from different people in a new environment.
While the actuarial pathway can be demanding - particularly while studying - the challenges are always rewarding and I look forward to seeing what my actuarial future holds.
Ever since high school, I have been interested in the mix of commerce and maths. I dropped science and arts to focus on subjects like accounting and economics because I liked the way numbers could explain real-world decisions.
My parents were always quite relaxed about what I wanted to do, but they were actually the first to mention actuarial work. At the time, all I knew was that it would let me study commerce while still keeping a strong level of maths, which sounded like a good balance.
At university, I tried out a few different things. I worked in tech, banking and consulting, and was involved in a number of student societies. These experiences helped me see just how flexible actuarial skills can be. I started my career at ANZ in their data analytics function, which gave me the chance to apply what I had learned in a practical way.
Now I work at Aware Super in a role that works on both the traditional DB side of superannuation but also the less traditional and newly emerging data science and retirement side of superannuation. It has turned out to be a really good fit because I still get to use my technical side in data analytics and modelling, but I also work across areas like investments and policy submissions. The variety keeps things interesting and has shown me how actuarial thinking can be applied outside of the usual industries.
Looking ahead, I want to keep making a difference with my skills and continue to enhance the technology side of actuarial work. I see a lot of potential in combining actuarial thinking with modern data and tech, and I am excited about the impact that can have on the future of super and beyond.
