Actuary of the Future: Helen Turner

Although you’ll never catch her queue-jumping, Helen Turner of Barnett Waddingham LLP still stands out as an Actuary of the Future

Date entered profession?
September 2006.

Employer and area of work?
Barnett Waddingham LLP; pensions consultancy.

Describe yourself in three words.
Made of tea.

What is the best thing about your job?
The fantastic team I work with.

And the worst?
Filing — I just don’t understand where it all comes from.

Study day sleeper or shopper?
A bit of everything — sleep in, study hard and then reward myself with shopping.

Tell us your formula for success.
Don’t be afraid to take on an unfamiliar task.

What is your best attribute?
Confidence.

Your worst habit?
Drinking too much tea.

What is most likely to irritate you about others?
Queue-jumping.

Alternative career?
My childhood plans to be an architect were scuppered when I realised I couldn’t draw and tried to design a spherical glass house that you could roll away if you wanted to live somewhere else.

Favourite book?
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons — the only book that improved after I studied it at school.

How do you relax away from the office?
Cooking, watching television and shopping — the usual stuff.

Tell us something unusual about yourself.
I’ve probably spent more Christmases on the beach than in the UK, so I know that Father Christmas arrives in a speedboat on Christmas morning wearing a red coat and swimming trunks to distribute presents.

Who would you most like to be stuck in a lift with?
The man of my dreams.

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If you would like to nominate someone for Actuary of the Future, please e-mail AOTF@the-actuary.org.uk