Graduate Stories

Ellis, Actuarial Consultant

I’ve been working at Broadstone as an actuarial consultant within the IRR team since September 2024. Within IRR I’m part of the Life & Health branch of the insurance consulting team and I work closely with the financial modelling to provide the best service to our clients.

On a day-to-day basis I can usually be found updating spreadsheets, carrying out data analyses and generally supporting the more senior actuaries on various projects. This includes things like producing financial reports and updating our financial models which analyse asset and liability data, carry out valuations and much more.

I have also had the opportunity to work on various internal projects e.g. developing an app for fitting and assessing generalised linear models when I first joined in September and I’m currently producing a tool for assessing solvent exit analyses.

Excel and data skills are vital, for example understanding how different spreadsheets interact and getting your head around incredibly large datasets are skills I use every day. Communication is very important for working with your teams to overcome issues that arise as a result of data (which are the majority), audit queries, client communications etc. You also need to be flexible in your approach to work. We work directly with clients so you will need to adapt your methods to their needs and what they’re looking for specifically.

Get excited about and enjoy the work that you’re doing. Exams and hard work, and studying will take up a lot of your time, but enjoying what you do on a daily basis makes it ten times easier. What we do is interesting, relevant, and gives you a unique perspective on how financial agents interact with each other, so don’t forget why you first chose this career.

Broadstone have been incredibly supportive in these early stages of my professional development as an actuary. Resources are available for a variety of different professional qualifications with professionals across the business ready and willing to help you through them.

Rozina, Investment Analyst

Having been at Broadstone for just over half a year, I can confidently say I am now in the ‘swing’ of the role!

Rewinding back to my first day, I remember how nervous I felt joining a new company and officially be part of the working world. In the months leading up to my first day, I was introduced to key members of the team and was also paired with a buddy as part of the Broadstone Mentoring Scheme. This allowed me to ask any questions I had before joining, set expectations of the role, and be directed to information to get my financial knowledge up to speed!

There is never a dull moment being an Investment Analyst at Broadstone. Some days are more client focussed, with Trustee meetings and strategy presentations taking priority. Other days may involve asset transition work, coding with asset-liability software, or attending in-person investment workshops, so always being kept on my toes! An insight to a project I was recently involved with is illustrated below:

Example Project

The client wants to move to a ‘Buy-Out Aware’ Strategy. Set up a meeting with the lead Consultant to discuss the current asset portfolio, and steps involved to transition to a new strategy.
Obtaining external information. Contact the investment manager, to obtain a recent asset valuation statement and ask questions about the process of transitioning the Scheme’s assets.
Calculations. Create detailed hypothetical portfolios in Excel to balance competing client needs i.e. % assets to re-invest, optimal hedging ratio, diversified portfolio (credit, equity, bonds).
Check, review, accept. Working closely with other members of the client team, to ensure accuracy and receive real time feedback on analysis undertaken, before discussing findings with the lead investment consultant to agree how to take the project forward.
Strategy Paper. Once calculations and strategy has been finalised, create a slide deck which sets out our investment proposal with flexibility to present key analytics in new and interesting ways.
Trustee Meeting & Strategy Presentation. The strategy is presented to the client and (hopefully) receives agreement to proceed. Our client meetings are in person, so a great opportunity for travel.

A common misconception about the financial industry is that your work-life balance is long gone. However, I can provide a glimpse of hope that Broadstone culture prioritises a healthy work-life balance. A typical day follows the 9am-5pm structure, and in weekly team meetings we discuss workload capacity to ensure no-one is drowning from unmanageable workloads and effectively study towards professional qualifications (I’m a CFA candidate).

Speaking of studying, I best get back to my textbooks, but exciting investment days are ahead!

Oscar, Actuarial Consultant

One of my favourite parts of this job is that every day feels different. Even when I’m doing the same task, it can vary from time to time. This makes each new day a fresh challenge and a new opportunity to learn.

I usually arrive at work around 9 a.m. and check my emails to see if there are any member calculations to start or responses I need to follow up on. Then, I’ll spend a bit of time planning out my day and prioritising tasks. If I have any meetings or training sessions, they may affect how I structure my day, but I always ensure my deadlines are organised by date, which helps me stay on track. I typically dedicate two afternoons a week to studying for my exams.

Broadstone supports us with study days to help you prepare and revise. There’s still plenty of time to go out, relax, and enjoy yourself. Keeping a healthy balance can be new and hard at the start but it will come, and it makes a huge difference in the long run.

The atmosphere at Broadstone was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to work here. Even from a brief look, it was clear that everyone genuinely wanted to help and be friendly with one another and that impression only grew stronger once I joined.

One of the best things about our office is the open layout. Our department feels so incredibly open and welcoming, and there’s a great balance of fun alongside the work. When I felt like I was asking silly questions, everyone always took the time to help and answer me. The socials we do really helped me feel like I belonged from the start and gave me the chance to get to know everyone. Honestly the culture here and the people are the main reasons I’ll never regret working here.

It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed when applying for jobs. Most importantly, just be yourself and not who you think they want you to be. It’s so easy to try to fit a mould, but that’s not what people are looking for, they want to see you. Everyone knows you’re nervous, but they still want to get to know you. That’s why I believe it’s so important to go in as yourself.

For me, the key part of the whole selection process was getting to know the company. Just as much as you’re being interviewed, you’re also seeing the culture and the people you might be working with and that’s just as important. Doing the research into the company and the role made me want to be here while also helping talk in the interviews, that enthusiasm was noticed it was even mentioned when I joined.