Under the Spotlight with Jacky Poon

Coming from a background in general insurance pricing and analytics, Jacky leads the Young Data Analytics Working Group (YDAWG) while serving on the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries’ (IFoA) Machine Learning in Reserving Working Party, and is also a member of the Health Practice Committee.

Why did you start volunteering with us and what did you hope to achieve by volunteering?

I was inspired to join YDAWG after realising the transformative potential of data science in actuarial work, sparked by Kaggle competition results where the most predictive models used machine learning rather than traditional statistical methods.

By volunteering, my goal is to aid our actuaries in supporting our organisations and the community, and keeping our profession at the forefront of technological advancement amidst the data science and AI revolution. 

Can you share any special moments from volunteering that made you proud?

Volunteering has brought many moments of joy. One special moment was when I was attending an event, an attendee who I had just met mentioned how the Data Science newsletter had helped him keep abreast of the latest developments in the field. It really brought home the reach that volunteering with the Institute can provide. 

How do you manage volunteering along with your other responsibilities?

When it is in a field you’re passionate about, volunteering doesn’t feel like work; it’s energising.

Balancing this with my other responsibilities requires a bit of time management. With YDAWG, our activities tend to be small, impactful projects, allowing us to schedule and contribute during our less busy periods. Being mindful of my own capacity has been important to avoid overcommitting. 

Did you learn anything new about yourself while volunteering?

I always preferred Maths to English during high school and I was not expecting to be good at writing. However, many Data Science newsletters and Actuaries Digital articles later, I’ve realised that I really enjoy writing – and maybe I have a knack for it, too!

What advice would you give to someone who’s not sure about volunteering?

I would encourage those thinking about volunteering to reflect on what motivates and excites you. If there is a direction you want to see the profession take, why not join a practice committee and make it happen yourself?  Consider how much time and energy you can give and just do what you can. 

How do you think volunteering can help with building a personal brand?

Volunteering is like having access to low-cost capital markets to build out your personal brand.  It provides opportunities to make connections with like-minded people, use your influence for good in your fields of interest, demonstrate your leadership potential and add a unique edge to your professional identity.

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