Emily says: “I’ve advised on most aspects of pensions over the past 22 years, including buy-outs, scheme design and pension accounting. I'm a pragmatic and no-nonsense Scheme Actuary who delivers clear and effective advice. I’m also hard-working, taking ownership of projects, and I think people really value that.”
First Actuarial has historically focused on smaller clients, but Emily fully expects to maintain her breadth of client experience at the firm. She says: “Larger schemes have many of the same issues as the smaller ones. The number of members doesn’t affect the advice needed – factors like scheme complexities and covenant strength matter much more. I think First Actuarial can make big inroads into the mid-market, and I see myself as part of the team that achieves that.”
Emily Brown joined Mercer after graduating in Mathematics from Durham University. At Mercer, she spent 20 years working on the actuarial team. She advised trustees and sponsors on Defined Benefit (DB), Defined Contribution and hybrid schemes, which ranged in size from £10m to £5bn. In her last two years at Mercer, she was a lead strategist on the fiduciary management team, designing, managing and implementing long-term journey plans.
Emily’s arrival at First Actuarial marks a return to her career as a Scheme Actuary. But while Emily missed the day-to-day client interaction of the Scheme Actuary role in her fiduciary management work, she acknowledges the value of her investment experience. Her two years in fiduciary management have cemented her view that a well-rounded actuary brings immense value to DB schemes.
Emily says: “My investment experience brings a fresh dimension to the Scheme Actuary role. In fiduciary management, I designed and implemented journey plans. The new funding code requires schemes to integrate their asset journey plan and liability journey plan. So I think First Actuarial’s clients will benefit from my skills.”
Emily concludes: “What drew me to First Actuarial was its ethos, which aligns with mine. I’m a big believer in delivering for clients by being pragmatic and mucking in. It’s a firm that's been designed by actuaries who understand the pensions market and how to make the work efficient. And they really do live up to their values.”
|
