Ronald Poon Affat, BSc (Hons) FSA FIA MAAA CFA HIBA, was recently honoured by the Brazilian Institute of Actuaries as an Honorary Member, making him only the second recipient of this honour in the Brazilian profession’s 77-year history. Ronald is a former student of St Mary’s College, where he won an Open (Maths) National Scholarship. He then pursued Actuarial Science at the University of London, City, in the UK, graduating with First Class Honours.
Subsequently, he attained Fellowship status with both the USA and UK actuarial institutes, in addition to the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Ronald is also an impassioned volunteer with the US-based Society of Actuaries (SOA). He was elected to the SOA’s Board of Directors for a three-year term and received the SOA’s highest honour, the Presidential Award, for his contribution to the American profession.
This interview was conducted by Kyle Rudden past president of the Caribbean Actuarial Association, and Society of Actuaries’ Ambassador to Trinidad & Tobago and originally posted by social publishing platform Medium on June 4, 2024. KR: How did you first become involved in the field of actuarial science, and what inspired you to pursue it as a career? The actuarial profession is indeed niche, and I believe every qualified actuary has a unique story about how and why they entered this field. In my case, my father, an advertising executive, had several insurance clients who were close friends.
Observing my intere.