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Actuarial As part of a programme to boost development of actuaries in Ghana, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) and the Worshipful Company of Actuaries are supporting Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in launching a master’s degree course in actuarial science. The aim is to provide a qualification comparable to at least the UK core technical (CT) exams. A number of employers have signed up to release actuaries for up to two weeks to assist in the teaching programme. Six actuaries from Barnett Waddingham, Aon Hewitt, Canopius, Pacific Life Re and Punter Southall Transaction Services will be travelling to Ghana to run lectures.
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Minute-long masterpiece
Lucky strike
Michael Hall, an actuarial analyst at Broadstone Corporate Benefits, reached the top five UK entries for the Done in 60 Seconds category of the Jameson Empire Awards 2013, a short film competition run by Empire magazine and Jameson Irish Whiskey. Michael created a spoof version of the memorable 1987 sci-fi action film RoboCop that lasted just a minute. He directed filming over two weekends in early January at friends’ houses and local businesses, and took two weeks to edit the video down to its current length and complete the visual effects. Michael’s version of the film has all the action of the original crammed into just a minute of running time, with jokes, car chases, shoot-outs and killer robots. In the past three years, Michael has created minute-long spoofs of The
The Worshipful Company of Actuaries (WCA) held its fifth annual ten-pin bowling event at the All Star Lanes in Holborn, London, on 12 March with eight teams competing for the trophy, including, for the first time, Charles Taylor & Co. The average score of the 24 players was 101, with half of them achieving over 100. Top individual scorers were Mike Lawson (194), Oliver McCulloch (186) and Mark Paxton (158), all from Barnett Waddingham’s ‘Snakes Alive’. Mike and Oliver beat the previous record of 169. But ‘Snakes on a Lane’ from Amersham was the winning team, with Mike, Jo Loder and Oliver producing a new record total of 449 to lift the WCA ten-pin trophy for the first time. Barnett Waddingham’s London team came second with 330 and last time’s winners, SwissRe’s ‘Size 16 Balls – Bigger and Rounder’ were third with 310.
Top five: Michael’s homegrown RoboCop spoof Ladykillers, The Towering Inferno and Where Eagles Dare for the competition. His three previous entries all made the UK top 20, but didn’t attract enough votes from the public to make it through to the final five – until this year. This year’s winner was Blade Runner.
Go End to End with Deloitte
Could you boost your local area?
The annual Deloitte Ride Across Britain event sees over 700 cyclists take on the legendary ‘End to End’ route from John O’Groats to Land’s End. The cyclists set off on 8 June 2013 and cover over 960 miles in nine days. This year the contingent will include Deloitte actuaries Rachel Malpass-Brown and Ken Starr, who are raising money for the British Paralympic Association. This money will help disability sport in the UK build on the fantastic momentum created by last summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games and inspire the next generation to take part. To find out more or make a donation, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ RachelMalpassBrown http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KenStarr
By Bryan Judson In 2009, the Malvern Small Business Forum (MSBF) was established to provide a meeting place for people starting their own businesses who would welcome the opportunity to share ideas with like-minded people. If you are a retired actuary, would you consider starting a Forum to provide a small boost to your own local economy? If so, your local council’s economic development department may be able to offer a venue and publicity for your first few meetings. For information about the Malvern Forum, please explore our website www.msbf.biz, particularly the download section.
THE ACTUARY • May 2013 www.theactuary.com
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SHUTTERSTOCK / ISTOCK
23/04/2013 08:45
