I am an industrial engineer from Colombia with two and a half years of actuarial experience in the reinsurance business.
I am an industrial engineer from Colombia with two and a half years of actuarial experience in the reinsurance business.
My interests and skills are mainly focused to the technical and statistics area, however I have good commercial skills, which results in a good combination.
I am 23 years old and my passion is to do any kind of sports, especially surfing which I am a big fan of. I recently moved from a multi-line non-life pricing actuary role to a marine-specialised job.
I used to be one of the many people in Colombia that didn't know anything about actuarial science, until I saw a very interesting job offer looking for an actuary. Once I took the job and started to discover how my skills fitted the profile of an actuary, and the great growth opportunities I would have, I decided to continue my career to become an actuary as a long-term goal.
I am a member of the Society of Actuaries (SOA).
Which actuarial fields are most dominant in Columbia, and why?
The fields related to social security and mortgages.
Tell us a bit about the industry or market that you work and study in?
I have been working in the Latin-American market, and as an emerging market it is much less standardised than other markets, such as Europe or the US. This means that there are a lot of challenges but also lots of growth opportunities and innovative ideas to implement, which creates a good learning environment, as there are a lot of things yet to be achieved in the region.
What kind of support do students get in your company, and elsewhere in the market?
In my company, students get not only support with exam fees and study materials, but also study days - non-working paid days dedicated to study for an exam - and incentives such as salary increases for approved exams. However, this is not a common situation in other companies within the market.
Could you tell us about an interesting project you have worked on?
I participated and was a finalist in a regional (LatAm) competition of operations research.
It was very challenging as we didn't really have the required knowledge and didn't know any of the team members either. Day-by-day we not only had to learn about operations research and the software we had to use, but also how to work as a team. At the end we got a very positive result and good lessons for the future.
What do you believe are the social and economic drivers for actuarial work in your region?Throughout history, the main driver has been pensions issues and other business related to social security.
What is the reputation of actuaries and the professional body in your country? What kind of activities does the professional body engage in to promote the profession and its actuaries?
The Colombian Actuarial Society (Asociación Colombiana de Actuarios) is an accredited full member of the International Actuarial Society.
It promotes the profession by giving support to actuarial students and inspiring candidates with study materials and exam fees. It is also linked with two universities to promote the masters programme for actuarial science.
How do you see the role of an actuary evolving in the future - can you see actuaries working outside their traditional sectors?
Risk management is something that companies from different sectors are investing in, and the desire to develop new techniques and assess risk better keeps increasing. Also, in a globalised world the actuarial skills are well suited to several industries.
How often and in what way do you use social media? How does it help your professional work as an actuary?
In addition to using social media for personal use, I have used it to stay in touch with colleagues in a less formal way. I recently got a new job that was offered by an ex-colleague, who is now my boss, because of the good relationship we maintained through social media, even though we were not working together any longer.
What have been the influences that shaped your career decisions to date?
My family and the desire to give back for all the efforts my parents have made to empower and help me develop my career.
Could you tell us about your immediate and longer term goals?
My immediate goals are to continue developing my technical skills by gaining actuarial experience and passing my actuarial exams.
I am also interested in developing my commercial skills set.
Once I have both technical and commercial skills, as a longer term goal I would be interested in developing managerial skills and have a well-rounded profile.
Have you ever thought of moving abroad?
If so, are there any challenges you are facing with regard to this?
I am very interested in moving abroad, however the main challenge is that I have had great opportunities locally so far. Nonetheless, at some point I will look for more personal and professional growth by working overseas. I am interested in London, because now that I am specialised in marine business, I think it will be a very interesting market to learn and develop in.
What do you say when asked, "What is an actuary"?
It's someone with, what has been considered to be several times, the best job in the world.
How will you celebrate the day you qualify?
With people that have seen my pain while studying for the exams.