More about my professional background

I began my full-time career in 2006, qualifying as a pension actuary in 2010. Whilst working in this area I developed a specialism in mortality risk, which I pursued in the 2010s.

As part of this journey I spent three years at a risk modelling firm, specialising in the life sector. My focus was on modelling both the uncertainty of policyholders living longer than expected (a concern for pension providers) and the threat of mass casualty events (an issue for insurers providing protection policies). In particular this gave me exposure to pandemic risk modelling.

This expertise in the area of mortality risk modelling leaves me well-positioned to conduct a creditable investigation into aspects of the Covid response which might be more challenging for lay people to pursue.

I want my Covid investigations to be independent of my day-to-day actuarial work and so I took the decision to change roles at my employer during 2024, gaining experience of Matching Adjustment matters. Thankfully my former experience as a DB pension actuary has proved invaluable in helping with this shift!

You can read a more detailed account of my professional experience here:

Sheridan's actuarial career so far

My concerns about the Covid response

It is indisputable that the government measures taken in response to the Covid pandemic represent the most significant global event of my lifetime and were unprecedented in human history. Yet I have been disappointed by the limited evaluation of this government intervention in the wake of the crisis.

Although I was initially accepting of the measures (i.e. the Spring 2020 lockdown) on the understanding that it was a short-term tactical manoeuvre, I was strongly opposed to this approach becoming the long-term strategy we ultimately experienced. I disagreed on principle (because I appreciate the importance of individual freedom); however I could also see that the actions might prove self-defeating as there was a strong probability of the State measures doing more harm than good to the well-being of the country.

Post-pandemic I feel my position has generally been vindicated, yet I see no serious attempt to evaluate the situation by those in authority. This is concerning because we should genuinely be looking to learn lessons from such a significant event to inform our future choices. I am determined to do what I can to refocus the reflections on Covid to question the merits of the unprecedented actions that were taken. This has motivated me to stand for IFoA Council, which will enable me to pursue investigations into key aspects of the Covid response.

Please see here for more detail on how the Covid crisis has prompted me to run for IFoA Council:

Why I am standing for IFoA Council

How I would describe myself

I think the best way to convey an idea of me is to present three different angles: the professional side, my personal background and what I am like day-to-day.

From a professional perspective:

I’m an outcome-focused individual. The best way to win an argument with me is to demonstrate that my stance has bad consequences. This attitude is reflected in my campaign for Council: I’m very clear on the SMART goals I am looking to achieve.

I have strong technical skills, which helped me come in the top 10 of my cohort at Warwick University for my MMath degree. Whilst I am no Einstein, I am capable of engaging with very challenging and complex subjects. I had little difficulty with the actuarial exams, save for one: the modelling course (“CA2” in my day), which I needed to resit. I’m glad I failed it though, because this setback helped discipline me into producing much better audit trails when completing projects.

However my colleagues most value me for my communication skills. I’m able to translate technical content into intelligible reports which draw attention to the main commercial considerations. It helps that I am a visual thinker – I endeavour to capture key messages within a visual format, ideally an image which conveys the crucial point at a glance. My judgement is not perfect so invariably I won’t get things right first time, but I’m adept at responding to the editorial feedback of my stakeholders.

In terms of my personal background:

I was born in the 1980s in leafy Hertfordshire. I took it for granted, but growing up through the 90s I had the good fortune to experience a remarkably vibrant and optimistic period in the UK’s history. It certainly wasn’t perfect but looking back I really appreciate the positivity of that culture and I’m grateful to have known such a benign era which only started to darken after 9/11.

My mother was a history teacher and a devout Roman Catholic. I am very much a product of her upbringing: she ensured that I was well-educated with a clear sense of right and wrong.

Unfortunately my mother passed away many years ago, but I am reminded of her by one of my main influences as an adult: the Canadian psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson. Like many others, I came across Dr Peterson’s lecturing during 2017 and one of my main takeaways was an improved understanding of the historical lessons and wisdom that my mother had tried to impart to me.

Day-to-day:

I’m able to see the funny side of things and do my best to make work interactions interesting, whether that’s striving to make a report more readable, ensuring a presentation has the perfect meme or simply joking about the potentially cynical motivation behind a client project! Others have often said that I am enjoyable to work with.

I have a very conscientious approach to life – I’m the kind of person who would go out into the road to move some stray rubbish out of the way.

These days my main leisure activity is listening to YouTube, although I try to multitask this with chores and exercise. I’m also not immune to the lure of social media, but fortunately I have a wife and son to ensure I don’t spend too much time online!