Twenty Years On...

This year marks 20 years of work for me (including five years of building & running Protagion), so is a natural point to reflect on the journey so far… Two decades ago, I completed my actuarial exams (in the Investments, Pensions, Life Insurance and General/P&C Insurance specialisms) and started my first job in the finance team of a large financial services company, valuing the insurance liabilities of its business operations across Africa. I’d worked in that team previously as a vacation student / intern, so was aware of what I was getting myself into, and it proved a helpful first role. 

Of course, my university classmates started their first roles around then too. We’d made it through a demanding 4-year business degree (or 3-year science degree plus honours for some), and arrived innocently into our first jobs. It was around 20 of us who survived, as the programme was notorious for forcing people to evaluate what they really wanted career-wise and weeding out many (60%-80% of the naive teenagers who began – they mostly shifted to other degree streams).

​A number of the survivors had bursaries, and perhaps extra impetus to see things through until graduation. So, fast forward 20 years, and what has happened to our group of survivors? Read more to find out… 

The university crucible was an incredible multi-cultural experience that brought us together, so even now, I’m still in contact with a number of my classmates – although I haven’t attended any reunions. Some of us remain great friends. There have been plenty of marriages (including two different pairs who met in the programme), lots of kids, and even some divorces so far. But, this post focuses more on how our careers have evolved in 20 years. 

One of the things that’s amazing to me is how global our group has become over the past two decades: a significant proportion of us, me included, have settled in and earned citizenship of other countries. Yes, some stayed in South Africa, and others travelled to gain international experience and returned. But, many of us are all over the world: US, Canada, Australia and the UK, with some stops along the way (such as Ireland). 

The iPod made its debut around the time we started working...

Work wise, we have a fair share of consultants, either at Associate Director or Partner/Principal level, including one who built the African practice of a specialist actuarial consultancy – he kindly spoke as part of our 2021 ProWeek Conference. While my classmates are mostly in the insurance or analytical practices of these consultancies, at least one works as a benefit consultant (i.e. more on the employee benefits / pensions side), and another in strategy & digital consulting. 

One went straight into management consulting from university, and is now CEO of an industrial company. Banking/trading, brokerage, and marketing have been other individuals’ career choices. 

A few work in reinsurers or directly in insurers, with one now at General Manager level, having consistently worked her way up that organisation across different divisions, and another a Chief Actuary. Yet another has worked as a CFO, and is now VP of Risk & Actuarial at an Insurtech. And one is a CEO of a mutual insurance company (and recently also a Non-Executive Director). Three of us (at least) are entrepreneurs, having started our businesses in our mid-30s. 

Some of us gained further professional qualifications (such as CFA or FRM) or have obtained an MBA, mostly in the US (at Stanford or Emory). And, while the group size here is too small (and from just one undergraduate programme at one university) to draw general career conclusions, hopefully this recap sparks some ideas about what is possible in two decades, and prompts you to reflect on your own career path since you began starry-eyed and hopeful, like me! Please do contact us if you’d like to discuss yours.