The Actuarial Mentoring Programme aims to encourage the retainment and progression of women within the profession by supporting female actuaries, as well as men who work with them
The IFoA is delighted to announce that the Actuarial Mentoring Programme (AMP) is about to enter its third year. Sponsored by Pension Insurance Corporation plc and run by specialist mentoring, diversity and inclusion organisation Moving Ahead, the aim of the programme is to retain female actuaries within the profession by matching them with a senior leader from another organisation in a nine-month mentoring relationship.
As most HR directors will tell you, gender diversity has evolved. Organisations are coming to understand that women's career development is not only about women, but also about their male allies. So this year, organisations taking part in the AMP can invite applications from mentees who are female, male managers of female actuaries, and male and female actuaries experiencing a career transition
Here, two female mentees explain how taking part in the AMP 2018-19 has helped them in their careers.
Katie Dunsford, senior actuary at Axis Capital
"I'd recently had a change in my role, so the programme was very timely. I was able to navigate the changes I needed to make, including spending a long time talking to my mentor about recruiting someone into my team. My mentor was a completely independent sounding board; I was able to ask him anything."
Amrin Patel, trainee actuary at Zurich
"As a trainee, it's really valuable talking to senior actuaries who are not in your company. It was interesting to learn about my mentor's journey and experiences, which provided guidance for me. I was definitely more confident towards the end of the programme. My mentor helped me look at things from a different perspective."
It's not just the mentees who benefit, though. Mentors have also noted a beneficial effect. For Adrian Baskir, a senior actuary at Bupa, seeing his mentee - Just Group's Crystal Lam - thrive was just the beginning:
"Internal mentoring is great, but in my experience it ends up straying into work-related matters. This was about the needs of the individual. I saw really positive changes in Crystal's mindset and enthusiasm over the year, which was really rewarding. We're from different organisations, so we both invested in listening really deeply. My highlight was Crystal asking if we could continue mentoring beyond the programme, which we are doing."
What's involved?
Participants meet every four to six weeks. In addition, they are invited to three milestone events - the launch, progress and graduation. These provide core education, inspiration and further networking.
How do I register?
The programme is open to any UK organisation that employs actuaries. Registration for AMP 2019-20 is now open, so please get in touch by the end of October to secure your organisation's place on the programme. To find out more, including participant criteria, key dates and programme information, visit the Moving Ahead website (www.moving-ahead.org/amp). To register, please contact [email protected]