Pamela Neil of Aviva
Employer and area of work
Aviva - international actuarial consultant, currently based in Paris.
How would your best friend describe you?
Caring, committed, with a passion for travel.
What motivates you?
I love having a target to aim for, be it climbing a mountain, cycling across the country or running a marathon.
What would be your personal motto?
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
Name five guests you would invite to a dinner party?
Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Graham Norton, Richard Dawkins, the Dalai Lama.
What's your most 'actuarial' habit?
Using spreadsheets to plan my personal budgets.
Favourite Excel function?
Pivot tables.
How do you relax away from the office?
I love running and have just completed my second marathon. My other passions are Ashtanga yoga, cycling and enjoying a glass of red and some cheese - working in Paris has its perks.
Alternative career choice?
A yoga instructor.
Tell us something unusual about yourself
I can speak basic Nepalese.
Greatest risk ever taken?
Giving up a career as a chef to become an actuary - thankfully, it all worked out well.
What's your most treasured possession?
My grandmother's violin.
What are your top three things to achieve in your lifetime?
To run a marathon on every continent; travel to Mysore India and study Ashtanga yoga under Sharath; become fluent in French before I leave Paris.
If you ruled the world, what would you change first?
I'd remove the stigma surrounding mental illness.
