Meet our people - Catriona

Actuarial trainee - Retirement, risk and finance consulting

BSc actuarial maths & statistics, Heriot-Watt University

"The financial and study support has been really useful. We get a study day each week which we are always encouraged to take and catch up on if we miss."

I joined Mercer along with a number of other graduates in 2005. The induction was great as it gave us a chance to get to know our fellow graduates, including those working in other business areas. Having a buddy was really helpful; they knew how scary it was to start work and were there to show me the ropes and answer any questions I had.

I am involved in completing calculations for individual members of pension schemes, drafting reports to be sent to clients and following up on any updates to pensions legislation. I am currently working on putting together a pack of documents for a trustee meeting. I am also project managing an actuarial valuation of a pension scheme which aims to assess the current financial position of the scheme.

I find the variety of work interesting and I enjoy seeing what I’ve learned in the actuarial exams translate into a business context. I also enjoy meeting clients and understanding their roles, for example the role of pension trustee. It’s great to be part of a team, not only for the social benefits but also because you get to work alongside and learn from senior consultants.

I’ve completed 13 of my 16 actuarial exams - so almost there! The financial and study support has been really useful for this. We get a study day each week which we are always encouraged to take and catch up on if we miss. We have a study champion we can go to if we have any study-related concerns.

Mercer is a great place to work – it’s a global organisation with a strong portfolio of clients, a real depth of expertise and plenty of opportunities to get involved in a wide variety of work.

Learn more about our Retirement, risk & finance consulting business