Standard Life
The Standard Life group operates across the UK, European, Canadian, Indian and Chinese markets with total assets under administration of £200 billion at the end of June 2011.
With a history that goes back to 1825, Standard Life is one of the UK’s leading financial services companies with substantial international business interests. From its headquarters in Edinburgh it provides life assurance, pensions and investment management to around six million customers worldwide.
Key role for actuaries
With a strong portfolio in insurance and long-term investment products it’s no surprise to learn that actuaries play a key role in the company’s operations. Standard Life employs around a 100 qualified actuaries and has a regular annual intake of graduate trainees to supplement this force.
John Gill, Chief Risk Officer for the UK business, said that Standard Life provides a great opportunity for actuaries to develop in their careers – and he should know as in his 25 years with the company he’s held numerous roles including Finance Director and Chief Executive of Standard Life Bank and Group Actuary for Standard Life’s international product development arm.
Market leader
He explained: “We see ourselves as a market leader in the pensions and savings industry, in terms of size and the amount of business we write.
“Because of the breadth of the business we have, this offers great opportunities for actuaries to get involved in different elements of the organisation, whether it’s risk management, product development and marketing, or pure financial reporting.
“We try to make sure our actuaries get as much exposure to as many parts of the business as possible. This gives them a really good understanding of the way the organisation works and it means they are well placed in the future to take on senior management roles.”
For more information visit www.standardlife.com