Craig Thornton, CEO of life and health, Swiss Re

From trainee actuary to CEO

While I was at school, financial companies gave presentations on the opportunities within financial services. These sounded exciting and I contacted one of the speakers to ask whether they had any holiday work available. After doing this, I went to university and decided to become an actuary. When I started working I had to complete professional examinations to become chartered. I found working while studying quite pressured but from the start I took the view that I should finish them as quickly as possible as my whole career was ahead of me.

'The proof that you’re a good leader is in how well things run without you.'

After I qualified, I moved to my current employer, where I’ve been for ten years. In this time I’ve had the opportunity to experience a variety of roles and different markets, as well as having a secondment with an investment bank. I quickly found that the financial services sector is a genuine meritocracy: if you do well and add value to a company you’ll get noticed and rewarded by your employer.

Inspiring a team

You’ll find as you start working in the industry that, unless you specialise in a quantitative area, the emphasis isn’t so much on academic capability as it is on commercial, practical and people skills. You’ll have to become comfortable with there not always being a right or a wrong answer. As you go into management, your ability to motivate and inspire your team is more important than your technical capabilities – the proof that you’re a good leader is in how well things run when you’re not there.

Don’t dismiss insurance

Don’t immediately dismiss the insurance industry: it offers a range of opportunities whatever your educational background. I like working in the industry because there is a constant intellectual challenge in managing risk and you can see the impact of your work on society. If you like people and want to make a difference, it’s a good career for you.