

Sharing the newbie experience ...

Jaden Fearon
Wellington
Studied: Bachelor of Science majoring in Financial Engineering and Economics, University of Canterbury
How are you finding the Wellington office?
We have a relatively small team in Wellington. The intimacy means that everyone speaks to everyone regularly. We often talk about sports or find ourselves doing newspaper puzzles over lunch together.
Is consulting what you expected?
To be honest, I didn’t really have an expectation about what consulting was when I started at Taylor Fry. I didn’t expect it to require the level of communication or interpersonal skills that is needed. A lot of time is spent communicating technical results and speaking with clients about their needs.
Why did you become an actuary?
The simple answer is I loved maths. The detailed answer is, a person who I worked part-time with at high school, who was also thinking about being an actuary, convinced me I might like it.
What do you value most at work?
The fact that everyone is very approachable. People with all levels of experience are sat around you on a given day and everyone is always willing to answer a question, no matter how silly. Simply being close and seeing how more experience staff work provides a lot of learning opportunities.

Maria Zhang
Sydney
Studied: Bachelor of Actuarial Studies and Commerce, University of New South Wales
What kind of work are you involved in?
With just over one year working at Taylor Fry, my work spans a diverse range of projects, from traditional actuarial tasks like insurance company valuations and financial projections to data analysis in the healthcare sector. Occasionally, I also take part in administrative activities, such as helping plan company-wide events like Taylor Fry Day. These are of course voluntary, but definitely offer a great way to develop other kinds of soft skills and contribute to the workplace culture.
Why did you choose to become an actuary?
I chose to become an actuary because I saw it as a challenging and rewarding career that will constantly allow me to grow and improve on myself. On top of that, this profession also combines so many disciplines such as mathematics, data analysis, coding, and business acumen into one role. It becomes more rewarding, when I can use my strengths in mathematics and problem solving to address real world problems.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career as an actuary?
Keep the bigger picture in mind and stay open to learning. The field is constantly evolving, and there’s always something new to explore, especially in this fast paced world.
What’s been the most memorable part of your first year at Taylor Fry?
Meeting so many talented and inspiring individuals – my colleagues have been the highlight for me. It has been a motivating and rewarding experience to collaborate and learn from others on a variety of projects.
The social events have also been a highlight, whether it’s a large company event or an impromptu Friday night dinner, there’s always something happening. Or you can choose to make something happen.

Chloe Karnon
Sydney
Studied: Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide
Why did you become an actuary?
I always enjoyed maths at school, but didn’t really have an idea of what I wanted to do career wise, so I chose to study a fairly broad mathematics degree. During uni, I gravitated towards the statistics and data science portions of my degree, so I did some research on careers in these areas which is when I stumbled upon the actuarial world. I applied for some internships for actuarial roles to find out whether I want to pursue a career in this area. After completing an internship here at Taylor Fry, I was convinced that the actuarial pathway was for me!
What’s your advice for someone thinking about becoming an actuary?
Be prepared for a lot of exams! Ensure you enjoy problem solving and thinking quantitatively. It’s also important to work on some of your soft skills like communication, as an actuary you’re often required to explain the numbers to people who may not have the same technical skills as you, so making sure you can communicate to a wider audience is important.
What type of work are you involved in?
I work across the injury schemes, government and health practice areas. I work quite heavily on projects for a CTP regulator, which has given me some exposure to traditional actuarial work. Whereas, the government and health projects I’ve worked on have been more analytics focused.
What’s been most memorable during your first year in Taylor Fry?
Meeting my awesome grad cohort and captaining the futsal team (Frystal Palace) to a grand final were some of my favourite moments from my first year. I also enjoyed reconnecting with everyone I met on my internship, and getting stuck into some interesting work!

Henry Xiong
Melbourne
Studied: Bachelor of Actuarial Studies, University of Melbourne
How are you finding the Melbourne office?
The Melbourne office has been a great place to start as a grad! Everyone is welcoming and friendly and it feels like you’re part of the crew right from the start. It’s a tight-knit office where it is easy to ask questions and learn from others. Having my own desk is a nice benefit as well.
What have you discovered about consulting so far?
The importance of thoughtful communication. The work you do is highly technical – and choosing the right level of technicality to communicate in is key to meeting clients’ needs. Communicating your findings to enable clients to make the meaningful impact is an important aspect of consulting.
What type of work are you involved in?
I’ve been working on a range of projects – from liability valuations to analytics modelling. You learn a variety of techniques and solutions from the wide range of work you do. The most interesting is when navigating through legislative changes, where you can build your own solution to capture its effects – it’s a good challenge that really makes you think!
What do you value most at work?
The emphasis of learning and development. People at Taylor Fry really value that – which is especially important for someone just starting on their actuarial journey. I’ve been given opportunities to use my judgement to make important decisions and receive feedback from experienced actuaries – the stuff that helps you become a better actuary.