We Are Actuaries Julia Lessing

Jon is a Data Science Actuary who has designed and delivered successful AI initiatives across all areas of insurance and banking, including pricing, customer personalisation, claims operations, web and mobile app development, and intelligent automation.  
Jon believes actuaries have an integral role in managing the responsible use of AI in society. To this end, he has actively participated across all aspects of the Actuaries Institute’s data science strategy, including education, events, and public policy submissions.  
Jon is a regular speaker in data conferences and podcasts, a Councillor of the Actuaries Institute, and in 2022 he was recognised as one of the Top 10 Analytics Leaders in Australia. 

In this interview, Jon shares:  
How he uses his actuarial superpowers to help insurers better serve their customers, Whether he thinks AI will take our jobs, and What actuaries can do now to future-proof their careers.  Connect with Jon on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.

Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.

Kelly is currently a Senior Actuarial Consultant at WorkSafe Victoria, providing internal consultancy support to the scheme. She started her career as an actuarial analyst in workers' compensation at Return to Work South Australia. She then worked as a Senior Manager at PwC, specialising in working with accident compensation schemes and government insurance authorities for 10 years.  

She was born and raised in Malaysia, and currently lives in Melbourne with her family. Outside of work, she loves watching her 3-year old son grow into a cheeky and curious little human (and tries to bake/cook/read whenever she can)! She is also an active volunteer with the Actuaries Institute. 

In this interview, Kelly shares: 
Her challenges in starting her actuarial career as an international students, Her experience of combining work and parenthood without local family support or childcare (hello, Covid lockdowns!),  How she made time to complete the GA Leadership Program while working full-time and parenting her young son, How taking an alternative career path has come with unexpected benefits, and What she’s learned from combining parenthood with her actuarial career. Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.

Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.

Charlie is a Senior Valuation Actuary from SCOR Reinsurance APAC L&H Reserving, located in Singapore. His role primarily involves reviewing and supporting APAC local valuation teams in Group reporting activities, including IFRS17 and Solvency-II reporting, experience analysis, Prophet modelling, internal retrocessions, and process enhancements. Currently he is working closely with Korea valuation team to support their Group reporting stream. 
In 2022, Charlie relocated to Singapore with his young family, thanks to SCOR’s internal mobility, allowing him to transition from ANZ valuation team. Prior to SCOR, Charlie worked in reporting roles for direct life insurers, including economic valuation, regulatory capital, and Prophet modelling. 
In this interview, Charlie shares: 
His experience moving from China to Australia as a teenager,  His recent experience moving his young family to Singapore for work, What he’s learned working as a leader with new teams across different countries, Lessons about great leadership he’s learned from working with his own managers, How he learned the skills he needed to be effective in a leadership role, and  His top tip for actuaries wanting to build their skills to take on leadership roles. Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.

Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.

Adam Butt is the Head of Actuarial Studies at Australian National University.  Prior to commencing his career in academia in 2005, he worked as a superannuation consultant at Aon Consulting.  Adam’s research interests focus on superannuation and personal financial decision making, and actuarial education.  Adam’s research has been published in a number of top-ranked journals including Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Annals of Actuarial Science, The Economic Record, and Journal of Economic Behaviour & Organisation.  He is passionate about actuarial education and ensuring that graduates are prepared not just with a technical education, but also with knowledge of themselves and an orientation to lifelong learning. 

In this interview, Adam shares: 
Why he chose to become a university lecturer after qualifying, His philosophy on teaching and education, The most valuable skills actuarial students can learn at university and elsewhere, How to improve gender and other representation in actuarial student cohorts.Connect with Adam on LinkedIn.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.

Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.

Daphna Horowitz is a qualified actuary currently based in Israel. But these days you won’t find Daphna calculating insurance premiums or reserves – she is a Master Certified Coach who helps high-performing CEOs to up their game in business and become confident, inspiring leaders. Daphna works with leaders and teams across the globe to transform leadership effectiveness and workplace culture by digging deep into leadership habits of self-awareness, leading people, purpose, strategy, leading change and enabling extraordinary leadership in themselves and their teams. 
She’s worked across Africa, Europe, China and India, with large organisations such as Barclays Bank and Coca-Cola. 
Before establishing her coaching career, Daphna worked in insurance and consulting, quickly rising to Director level. She held the position of Lecturer at the two largest universities in Johannesburg while managing her own actuarial consulting company and corporate event management company.  
Daphna hosts the Leadership Live podcast and is a published author of Courage to Lead: Leadership Lessons from Kilimanjaro and Weekly Habits for Extraordinary Leaders. 
In this interview, Daphna shares: 
How she helps actuaries make the transition to the C-suite, Common challenges she sees actuaries making as they transition to the C-suite,  What a CEO coaching session looks like and how it typically works, and  Her top tip for actuaries aspiring to C-suite roles. Learn more about Daphna and her work here.
Connect with Daphna on LinkedIn.
Read Daphna’s books: “Weekly Habits for Extraordinary Leaders” “Courage to Lead: Leadership Lessons from Kilimanjaro”
Read “What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful” by Marshall Goldsmith.
Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.

Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.

Elayne Grace, CEO of the Actuaries Institute, leads the actuarial professional body known for its education program, professional standards and contribution to public policy thought leadership.  
With 25 years of international experience spanning consulting firms and insurance companies, she provided strategic, economic and financial advice, Elayne played a pivotal role in nurturing early collaborations between businesses, scientists, and NGOs to address climate change and risk. She is a frequent presenter at conferences and has contributed to various thought leadership papers ranging from climate change to Big Data. Elayne's advisory roles have included serving on Commonwealth Treasury expert panel and advising the Indigenous Land Corporation Board on long-term investment sustainability.  
In 2019, Elayne was recognised in The Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence awards. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries.  
In this interview, Elayne shares: 
Her journey, wins and challenges as the Actuaries Institute CEO, What successful actuaries have in common, How being clear on her “purpose” has helped to become an authentic and confident leader, and Her advice for actuaries wanting to achieve actuarial success. Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.
We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.

Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.