We Are Actuaries

Julia Lessing
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Careers
  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to the We Are Actuaries Podcast, where you’ll meet leaders who use their actuarial powers to solve a range of problems and make a real difference.

  1. High Performance, Human Leadership with Cosimo Maiolo

    4d ago

    High Performance, Human Leadership with Cosimo Maiolo

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! What does it take to step into your first leadership role when the safety net disappears almost immediately?  In this episode, I'm joined by Cosimo Maiolo, a qualified actuary whose career has taken him from Sydney to London to Dublin, and through just about every leadership challenge you can imagine along the way. Cos was nominated as one of our greatest actuarial leaders of 2026, and it's easy to see why. He's someone who's thought deeply about what it means to lead people well, and he's generous enough to share the moments that tested him most.  We cover a lot of ground. Cos shares what it was like to step into his first management role, only to have his own manager leave two weeks later. He talks about what moving overseas taught him about humility and influence, including how building a simple tool for a client in Ireland became the foundation for real credibility. And he opens up about a performance management experience that reshaped the way he gives feedback, including a lesson that many of us in the profession need to hear.  Key takeaways:  - Say yes, even when you're not ready. Leadership opportunities don't come around often, and feeling uncomfortable is usually a sign you're about to grow. - - Your success as a leader is tied to the success of your team. Getting to know what motivates your people isn't a nice-to-have, it's the job.  - Humility is a leadership skill. The willingness to step back, listen, and earn credibility from scratch (especially in unfamiliar territory) can separate good leaders from great ones.  - Direct feedback is a kindness. The "compliment sandwich" sounds nice but often means the message gets lost. Clear, unequivocal feedback (delivered with care) is what actually helps people grow.  - Unaddressed performance issues affect the whole team, because your other direct reports are watching! Kicking the conversation down the road is rarely the neutral choice it feels like.  What's the feedback conversation you've been putting off, and what's it actually costing your team?  Cosimo is the Chief Actuary & Product Officer at Teachers Health, an Australian-based not-for-profit private health insurer.  His team oversees Actuarial, Pricing, Business Intelligence, Product, and emerging member health initiatives, with a focus on delivering meaningful, sustainable value for Teachers Health members. A Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, Cosimo brings over 15 years of experience across life insurance, superannuation, and health insurance. He has more than a decade of leadership experience, having led diverse teams across Australia, the UK, and Ireland. Connect with Cos on LinkedIn. Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.  Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    32 min
  2. High Performance, Human Leadership with Jessica Lilley

    May 26

    High Performance, Human Leadership with Jessica Lilley

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! Experienced actuary and senior leader Jessica Lilley shares her leadership lessons. Jessica Lilley is a Senior Actuary at the National Disability Insurance Agency, where she leads a team of more than 75 actuaries and analysts providing advice to the NDIA Board, senior leaders and government. She has almost 20 years’ experience across general insurance and the disability sector, and has been involved with the National Disability Insurance Scheme since its establishment — first at PwC, and then at the NDIA, where she’s worked since 2014. In her current role, her focus is on understanding how reform is shaping the long‑term sustainability of the Scheme. In this interview, Jessica shares:  -  Why genuine recognition, modelled by the great leaders she's worked for, became a cornerstone of the culture she's built with her own team,  -  How an unconventional communication experiment during a period of organisational change became a permanent and central part of how her team connects, and  -  What it really takes to build a culture where people feel safe to fail, and how she measures whether it's actually working. - Connect with Jess on LinkedIn.    - Connect with Julia on LinkedIn. Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    30 min
  3. Presidential Perspectives with Andrew Gale

    May 12

    Presidential Perspectives with Andrew Gale

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! Martin Mulcare asks Andrew Gale to share reflections from his senior leadership experience, including his role as President of the Actuaries Institute in 2005. In this interview, Andrew shares:  - Why he gravitated towards the Actuaries Institute and ultimately the Presidency, - How a career defined by stepping outside comfort zones shaped his leadership approach, - What made his Presidential year unexpectedly demanding, - His overriding leadership philosophy, and - His top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.  Andrew Gale BA, FIAA, MBA, FAICD, has over 45 years’ experience in the financial services sector in executive, consulting, and non-executive director (NED) capacities – especially in the wealth management, financial advice, superannuation, insurance, and mortgage broking sectors. Andrew is a Past President of the Actuaries Institute (2005), was a NED and Chairman for the SMSF Association, and was a trustee director (NED) for one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds. Andrew has had strong involvement in the NFP sector over the last 25 years, especially through various Global Access Partners (GAP) initiatives. He is Chair of Top Blokes Foundation, a NFP dedicated to the personal development of well-balanced young males, with positive values. Andrew has had extensive involvement in public policy issues in the above capacities.  He has authored many papers and articles, especially relating to superannuation and retirement matters, including co-authoring (with Stephen Huppert) the Actuaries Institute’s Dialogue Paper ‘Retirement Matters’ (Dec ‘23) and chaired the Institute’s ‘Help, Guidance and Advice Working Group’, with its final Discussion Paper ‘Financial Advice Reform and Help, Guidance and Advice’ released October 2025. Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project. Connect with Andrew and Martin on LinkedIn.   Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    39 min
  4. Presidential Perspectives with Dr David Knox AM

    Apr 28

    Presidential Perspectives with Dr David Knox AM

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. You can also listen to the interview on the We Are Actuaries podcast episode number 84. Martin Mulcare asks David Knox to share some reflections from his senior leadership experience, including his role as the 2000 President of the Actuaries Institute. In this interview, David shares:  -          Why he was motivated to serve as President of the Actuaries Institute,  -          How a career spanning academia, consulting and public policy shaped his approach to leadership,  -          Why integrity and trust are the foundation of everything,  -          The importance of the President thinking in decades, not years, and  -          His top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.  Dr David Knox AM, was a Senior Partner at Mercer and Senior Actuary for Australia until his retirement in 2024.  He was the National Leader for Research and Policy and was the lead author of the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index for 16 years. Before joining Mercer in 2005, David was at PricewaterhouseCoopers and prior to that was the Foundation Professor of Actuarial Studies at The University of Melbourne.   David was an independent Board member of APRA from 1998 to 2003 and President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia in 2000. In 2023 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the finance industry. Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project. Connect with David on LinkedIn.         Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.    Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    29 min
  5. Presidential Perspectives with Bozenna Hinton

    Apr 14

    Presidential Perspectives with Bozenna Hinton

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare.  Martin Mulcare asks Bozenna Hinton to share some reflections from her senior leadership experience, including her role as the 2010 President of the Actuaries Institute. In this interview, Bozenna shares:  -   Why she put her hand up to serve as President of the Actuaries Institute, -   How a career built on volunteering (rather than a conventional corporate ladder) shaped her path to the Presidency, -   What the role of President really requires and why a clear, unifying vision is key, -   Her remarkable pathway to leading the International Actuarial Association, and -   Her top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles. Bozenna Hinton, FIAA, GAICD is the Immediate Past President of the International Actuarial Association, which represents more than 90,000 actuaries across 115 countries and 74 full member associations. She served as President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia in 2010. Her 30-year career in financial services has included senior executive and consulting roles, with leadership positions as General Manager of Product & Pricing at MLC Life and senior roles at EY and TAL.   Her expertise spans product development, pricing, valuation, risk management, and portfolio management across life insurance markets. She has also worked in general insurance, superannuation, reinsurance and non-traditional areas such as energy pricing. Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project. - Connect with Bozenna on LinkedIn.        - Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.     Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    36 min
  6. Presidential Perspectives with Barry Rafe

    Mar 31

    Presidential Perspectives with Barry Rafe

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. You can also listen to the interview on the We Are Actuaries podcast episode number 82. Martin Mulcare asks Barry Rafe to share some reflections from his senior leadership experience, including his role as the 2011 (and part of 2018) President of the Actuaries Institute. In this interview, Barry shares:  -          Why he put his hand up to serve as President of the Actuaries Institute, -          How his winding corporate career — from AMP to Accenture to running his own consulting firm — shaped his approach to leadership, -          What it really means to chair a board, -          The importance of holding firm opinions loosely, and -          His top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles. Barry is a financial services professional with experience as a director, CEO and consultant. Barry is currently a director of a public relations and media business. He presents courses on board governance, strategy and finance for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  Barry is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Barry has published several research papers on board governance. Namely,  • The Special Needs of Financial Services Boards, and  • CEO's Say One Thing and Do Another: An Insight Provided by a Royal Commission  Barry has also collaborated on several other research papers and is a reviewer of the governance notes prepared by the AICD. Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project. Connect with Barry and Martin on LinkedIn.   Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    31 min
  7. Presidential Perspectives with Trevor Matthews

    Mar 17

    Presidential Perspectives with Trevor Matthews

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. Trevor Matthews reflects on leadership, including his role as the 1997 President of the Actuaries Institute. “One of my favourite quotations about leadership comes from Napoleon Bonaparte. He said a leader is a dealer in hope", says Trevor. In this interview, Trevor shares: Why he was asked to join Council and serve as the President of the Actuaries Institute, how his corporate career shaped his leadership style, from running a small team to leading 12,000 people, why he sees leaders as “dealers of hope”, his outlook for the actuarial profession, and his top tip for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.  “I loved Trevor's suggestion that the prime skill for a leader is to be a "dealer in hope". This was particularly relevant for Trevor, President in the Institute's Centenary Year, to ensure that the profession was looking forward with optimism to its next 100 years”, says guest host Martin Mulcare. Trevor qualified as a Fellow in 1975, having attended Macquarie University on a cadetship with Legal & General. He rose rapidly through the ranks to become Managing Director of their Australian business at just 36, and that same year was recognised as the Institute's third ever Actuary of the Year. In 1996, Trevor moved to lead NAB's retail banking and financial services business and served as President of the Institute during that landmark Centenary Year. He then embarked on an impressive fifteen-year international career, leading life and general insurance businesses across Canada, Japan, Scotland and England. Returning to Australia in 2013, Trevor brought that global experience to the boardroom, chairing and serving on the boards of a number of listed and unlisted companies — among them AMP, Bupa, CoverMore, Tokio Marine Asia, CMC Markets, and currently Prudential Malaysia. Trevor is very happily married to a fellow actuary, and both of his sons have recently qualified as Fellows — a proud family legacy. He remains deeply grateful for the opportunities the profession has given him, and his enthusiasm for it is as strong as ever. Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project. Connect with Trevor and Martin. Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    30 min
  8. Presidential Perspectives with Helen Rowell

    Mar 3

    Presidential Perspectives with Helen Rowell

    Tell us what you thought of this episode! This interview is part of the “Presidential Perspectives” mini-series with guest host Martin Mulcare. Helen reflects on her senior leadership experience and her role as the 2002 President of the Actuaries Institute. “To add value in whatever role you're undertaking, you need to really be able to listen and understand the perspectives of others, try and join the dots and help navigate, particularly because there are lots of different views on all sorts of issues. A key leadership skill is being able to listen and understand those different views and then kind of build consensus and shared understanding so that you can actually find a way forward to solve whatever problem it is that you're dealing with”, says Helen. In this interview, Helen shares:  - Why she decided to run for Council and serve as Actuaries Institute President, - How she built the skills needed to perform the role of President,  - The importance of authentic leadership and choosing roles aligned with your values,  - Her outlook for the actuarial profession and her advice for actuaries aspiring to leadership roles.  “It is fascinating to hear Helen explain the skills she thinks are necessary to lead a profession at any time and then identify two leadership challenges that have only emerged recently”, says guest host Martin Mulcare. Helen was the President of the Actuaries Institute in 2002. She is Chair of Australian Retirement Trust Pty Ltd, a Director of Mental Health Australia and Deputy Chair of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority NSW. Helen was recently appointed as a member of the newly constituted ASX Advisory Group on Corporate Governance. She previously held senior roles at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) for over 20 years, including 10 years as an Executive Board Member and Deputy Chair. Helen played a leading role in APRA’s regulatory and supervision activities, with a particular focus on superannuation and insurance, and has been a key driver of enhancements to APRA’s management approach with oversight of all aspects of APRA’s operations, including strategy, finance, risk, security, audit, people and culture, corporate and regulatory affairs. Helen holds a BA, Actuarial from Macquarie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.  Our guest host, Martin Mulcare, is a qualified actuary, experienced senior leader and a talented facilitator. He enjoys working with different types of people and he loves sharing ideas. Formerly the facilitator of the Professionalism Course, Martin is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Ethics Centre and is the Chairman of the Board of The Growth Project. Connect with Helen and Martin. Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries: For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries" 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.

    29 min
See All (88)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

About

Welcome to the We Are Actuaries Podcast, where you’ll meet leaders who use their actuarial powers to solve a range of problems and make a real difference.

Information

  • Creator
    Julia Lessing
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    88
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 We Are Actuaries
  • Show Website
    We Are Actuaries

You Might Also Like