Actuarial specialist enjoys improving lives

Darren Diergaardt joined Old Mutual Namibia as an intermediate actuarial specialist. He completed a bachelor's and honours degree in actuarial science at the University of Cape Town and subsequently spent three years at the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) as an actuarial specialist.

He began working at Namfisa during the Covid-19 pandemic, which taught him to be agile while acclimatising to the working world. This, he says, taught him to be flexible and more welcoming of change.

At Old Mutual, he would love to get hands-on, practical experience of the insurance industry from the unique point of view of the organisation.

A positive view

After learning about actuarial science, he viewed it as a career that would allow him to apply technical mathematical and statistical concepts to solving problems in the business space.

The prospect of being able to apply problem-solving techniques in different spaces is what attracted him to this career.

Additionally, he believes a career in this space allows one to enact positive change in the lives of others. This is done by ensuring that the needs of people are considered in the financial products and services available to them and that they are protected from scams and mistreatment by financial service providers, he says.

He says his career decisions are guided by the pursuit of greater financial literacy in the country.

He greatly enjoys the human aspect of the job; taking technical concepts and results and applying them to improve the lives of people is his favourite thing about the work that he does.

Career lessons

He says there is always more to learn, and you can learn from anyone. "It is important to approach problems from different angles and sometimes consider unconventional solutions."

Looking forward, he is excited to fully assimilate into his team and learn as much as possible in this role. "I would like to add as much value as I can to the organisation, and this will be aided by me working towards qualifying as an actuary," he said.

Diergaardt believes that the best way to measure success is through continuous improvement. He says it is vital to learn from mistakes and provide more value with each iteration.

‘Be curious’

He encourages young people who would like to work in this career to remain curious, especially in the actuarial space. He says it is important for them to learn as much as possible and speak to someone in the actuarial space to gain perspective on what would be required of them when the opportunity presents itself. Additionally, maintain humility and integrity in everything that you do, he says.

He lives by a quote from Nelson Mandela: "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

In his free time, Diergaardt enjoys staying active. Be it jogging, going to the gym, or going on hikes. "I believe a healthy body supplements a healthy mind", he says.

Diergaardt also cites baking as a growing passion due to the influence of his sister. "Baking is a great expression of imagination and creativity, as well as a great family bonding experience."