To protect itself against the financial effects of a major claim, an insurance company can purchase its own insurance—called reinsurance. Robinson alumna Wendy Wang manages these types of deals on behalf of SCOR, one of the top reinsurance companies in the world.
Wang completed Robinson’s dual degree Master of Actuarial Science/M.S. in Quantitative Risk Analysis & Management program in December 2019. She started at SCOR as an intern the prior summer. The resourcefulness she demonstrated during the internship led to a full-time offer.
“At a team meeting after I got recruited, my manager said, ‘I chose Wendy because I only gave her five percent of the instructions, but she took it on, and collaborated with the right people to finish the job 100 percent as expected,’” Wang recalled.
Wang picked up soft skills as president of Robinson’s Actuarial Student Association. She served as a liaison between recruiters and professors, and organized networking events.
“As an entry-level employee, you need to be able to coordinate resources, mesh with new people, learn from your colleagues and communicate with all the managers to finish your tasks,” Wang said.
The program prepared Wang to pass her actuarial exams, but she cites technical training in Python, R and risk analysis as her most valuable takeaways from the program.
“Anyone can pass an exam, but you need business knowledge,” Wang said. “You need to understand not just a number but what’s behind the number, and exactly what your manager wants you to do with it.”