Actuarial Analyst Kayleb Butterfield on predicting outcomes in a world of curve balls

Starting out as an intern in August 2020, Kayleb was but taken on full time at the end of a significant year that has, in her words, “thrown every curve ball there is”. After graduating that June from Western University in London, Ontario, she has found her work with the pricing team surprising, challenging, and above all enjoyable. A member of the CSR committee, Kayleb also volunteers for a food programme every weekend. She plans to become a fully qualified actuary in the next four to five years as she balances work and study.

On work…

I enjoy how challenging it is. It’s very different to anything that I’ve ever been involved with before. It’s definitely forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and think a little more about the processes – how we do business, the different models we’re using, how we price different pension plans. What excites me the most is how prominent the Life insurance industry is becoming in Bermuda. For the longest while everything was Property & Casualty. The Life insurance industry was never on my radar. It seems to be growing and a lot of young people are looking at it as an option for their career.

On mentorship…

Everything moved quite quickly when I first started, but I had a lot of people on my team that were willing to give me extra help when I needed it. I like the size of the company. It allows me to get to know different people within the organisation on a more personal level. There’s a lot of involvement with employees throughout the exam process, helping to create a schedule that balances work and study, which provides a lot of support.  I’ve had multiple chats with different members of the company asking me what my interests are – what I would like to see more of, is there any particular project I would like to be a part of? They’re very open to giving me opportunities to broaden my horizons.

On the future…

I’ve always enjoyed working with numbers and I’ve always been very analytical. In high school, I work-shadowed at different companies in Bermuda and sitting with actuaries was the work I found most interesting. I could see myself in that role. I thought, how useful it would be to be able predict the outcomes of certain events in the future. That said, this year has really shown us that, as much as we try, we can’t really predict what’s going to happen. It has forced a lot of us to evaluate our vulnerabilities and try to be better equipped for whatever situation is thrown our way.