Profiles

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Rosie Watson

Consultant, Insurance and Financial Services

Warwick, Mathematics

Reigate

"I joined Watson Wyatt in September 2006, straight after leaving university. Having done a maths degree, my actuarial knowledge was very limited. This was not a problem, however, as the work is extremely well organised and you have a good support network on every job.

My colleagues are really friendly and eager to help with any questions I have. This is one of the things that characterises Watson Wyatt in my mind, making it a great place to work. Nearly a year on, I have gained a huge amount of knowledge and experience and I am looking forward to building on it over the coming years.

The work I do is very varied and I learn new things all the time. I have been assigned to three permanent clients, helping to manage their money and create profitable solutions. Examples of the work I do include valuations where we assess the amount of reserves a company needs to hold in order to meet their liabilities and we help them price new products. I am starting to build up client relationships through email and telephone and visited my first client a few weeks ago. I have also worked on Mergers and Acquisitions where I have been involved in creating models and doing data analysis.

A major aspect of my job is studying for the actuarial exams. There are 15 in total which seems a bit daunting, but as you progress it really isn’t that bad. The company gives you excellent study support including a bank of study days which allows you to take time off for study each week. If you plan well, it isn’t difficult to balance your social life and study. I know that when I qualify it will be worth it as I will have an excellent, well respected qualification.

Having moved to Reigate not knowing anyone, I have built up a large network of friends. Everyone at work is so friendly and easy to get along with. We go for drinks after work at least once a week and plan other socials. We have been bowling, to cocktail parties, pub quizzes, sporting events……the list goes on!"

In the final of a game show, Simon is asked to pick one of three doors. There is nothing behind two of the doors, while the third is hiding the star prize of £10,000. After choosing a door, the host opens one of the two Simon hasn’t picked to reveal nothing but fresh air. He then asks Simon if he’d like to stick with his original choice, or switch to the one other remaining unopened door. What should he do and why?

This is based on a famous statistical problem once printed in a magazine. The correct answer is to switch, as it gives you a 2/3 chance of winning, as opposed to a 1/3 chance if you stick with your original choice. However, this goes against common sense, and many statistics professors wrote in to say that the answer was wrong. The key lies in the fact that the host didn't open the first door at random - he couldn't choose the one Simon had chosen, nor the one he knew was hiding the star prize. We can give the mathematical answer too!


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