What degree did you study at university?
B.Sc Actuarial Science (Hons.) University of the Free State
What is your role at FNB?
I am a quantitative analyst in the Provisions Team at the Rest of Africa Business Unit (also known as RofA)
Why did you choose this career?
I enjoy the challenge of data analytics and risk management and I believe financial service is a great platform from which I can make a relevant impact on the world around me.
What does your typical day entail?
I join the RofA team in our very cool office at Bank City. From there I usually continue working on a project given to me by one of my seniors. This usually entails some sort of analysis done on our data in SAS enterprise guide. The working done on such a project is usually dynamic and involves frequent communication and collaboration with other people on my team. We sometime have a few meetings to give or receive updates on some of the work being done. At 11:30 the whole grabs lunch together, and we enjoy each other’s company.
What are the highlights and challenges of your role?
The highlights are the interesting models I learn to build to make sense of the reality in the data we have. What’s makes this even better is to see how these models ensure enable the financial growth of economies and the bank.
The challenge is being patient with building models and spending a lot of time coding and recoding. It can become a tiresome process sometimes, but the reward when the models are finished is worth it.
How do you keep up to date with all the changes in your field of work?
I follow interesting pages and companies on social media and spend some time on reading their articles.
I also continuously write exams to improve my qualification with time.
I also never eat lunch at my desk. Conversing with your fellow colleagues is one of the best way to stay in touch with the changes in our field.
What do you enjoy doing outside of the office?
I originally come from the country side, so I love the outdoors. I enjoy running and hiking.
I also a proper braai with some of my mates over the weekend while watching any and all sport.
