29th January 2010 · 1 Comment
GAAPS are pleased to announce that we are running a photography competition in conjunction with The Actuary Magazine.
There are few travel destinations as captivating as Venice. Our first prize is a gondola ride for up to six people finishing at the world-renowned Peggy Guggenheim Collection for a private tour and the chance to see this unique assembly of 20th century art. A truly memorable experience. The four runners-up will also receive a bottle of champagne.
The theme of the competition is “International Finance” so whether it’s the buzz of a hi-tech trading floor, the unique architecture of financial buildings or a dynamic portrait of a colleague, we’re looking for your most imaginative photos that capture a new angle on your working life.
E-mail your best ‘international finance’ themed photos to arts@the-actuary.org.uk quoting ‘Snaps with GAAPS 2010’ in the subject line.
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27th January 2010 · Comments Off
We are pleased to announce that Sophie Sicard, Managing Consultant of GAAPS Europe has just celebrated her 5th anniversary at GAAPS.

Sophie says
“I am so touched and pleased from the thoughtful attention you send me through this lovely plant.
I could not resist to send you a picture of my happiness and me being so grateful towards it.
Thank you so much, it has been a 5 years pleasure to work with you and for Gaaps, I feel being part of a true-hearted family. ”
Sophie and GAAPS Europe are based in Paris, France. She is always happy to hear from candidates and clients alike.
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12th January 2010 · Comments Off
Look out for a special photography competition coming up in the next edition of The Actuary Magazine (published 28 January). We’ll be asking you for your best pics on the theme of ‘international finance’.
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Tagged: Competition, International Finance, Photography, Photography competition
22nd December 2009 · Comments Off
This year’s GAAPS party was held at the SAF restaurant with a special demonstration from their Executive Chef, Chad Sarno.

Whilst preparing our dinner in front of us he extolled the benefits of a raw-food, vegan diet. Apparently this is the ultimate healthy diet but anyone expecting an array of cold salads would have been blown away by the complexity and delicacy of the dishes that he prepared.


Between courses we had the opportunity to chat, mingle and rotate tables, ensuring an enjoyable and successful evening for all.



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Tagged: Events, party, Raw food, Vegan
26th November 2009 · Comments Off
I am very excited because I am flying to Finland tomorrow morning. A client wanted to see me on Monday morning and said that if I came early they would entertain me on Sunday evening. I have always wanted to go to Helsinki and tend to grab opportunities with both hands so I’m turning it into a long weekend. Watch this space for updates on my trip.
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Tagged: Client visit, Finland, Helsinki
2nd November 2009 · Comments Off
I am in Edinburgh ahead of the GAAPS Actuarial Careers Fair at Heriot Watt. I interviewed an excellent candidate first thing this morning over breakfast and am now working on placing him. I then went to visit a client who has given me international contacts for his organisation around the world.
As usual I have found time for shopping but rather than shoes I am now one skirt up.
At this morning’s meeting I was told about a Faculty meeting that I hadn’t realised was taking place and will now be attending the Faculty meeting and the Scottish actuaries dining club afterwards.
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Tagged: actuarial events, actuary, Careers fair, Edinburgh, Faculty, Scotland, Shopping
19th October 2009 · Comments Off
A Few days before my business trip to London I read in the newspaper that the Eurostar train had a problem which forced passengers to stay on the train for over 5 hours! I suddenly think what again will happen to me with the journey, as I have a lot of funny stories with transports since I frequently fly or use trains..,
But I arrived in Saint Pancras on time, visiting my clients in London with no delays, and meeting with candidates where some are still amazed I still haven’t managed to lose my French accent since I borrow Shakespeare’s language to express myself. Which I nicely replied back…”have you only listened to Arsene Wenger!? “
I was impressed by walking into the city and looking in the air to check if it will actually going to rain or if I could see some sun rays, which would help me deciding whether I should wear a thick jacket or a rather summery shirt for the next day, but all I could see was big tower raising their 33 floors through the sky.
Who talks about crisis? I was surprised to see the city, although already pretty compact and full of buildings, still has a few squares meters to implant a new financial head office.
Being in London for business is always a challenge against the chronometer, but I was very happy to see the clients trust us by renewing their terms, and I was pleased to realise that the development I made in Europe is of a deep interest to our clients and candidates. Since Solvency 2 is a top concern for actuaries, Gaaps Europe can contribute to provide them with the best experts and the most valuable opportunities in Europe.
I have now head back to France, ready to put my words into European actions.
It was a pleasure to meet with the London Gaaps team as always.
To talk to me about European opportunities please contact me at sophie@gaaps.com
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Tagged: actuarial, actuary, City, Eurostar, French, London, Paris, Travel
12th October 2009 · Comments Off
My last week was spent in Edinburgh for GIRO, I have been discussing with many candidates and clients the on-going needs of Solvency II. Most interesting in regards to new needs and of course on-going needs within Solvency II and other teams within the non-life parts of the business.
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Tagged: actuarial, Conference, Edinburgh, Giro, Scotlant, Solvency II
24th September 2009 · Comments Off

Yesterday both Brisbane and Sydney were affected by a dust storm that swept across the Eastern coast of Australia (over 1000km of coastline affected).
Caused by gale force winds from the west, blowing the dust from drought stricken Northern Territory over a large part of the east coast, it measured at seven times that of a “severe” dust storm.
The Australian Insurance Council are looking at setting up a task force as the cost/economic impact of the storm is likely to run into the 10’s of millions of dollars.
It was an ugly day, it looked like Armageddon!!
That said, if you love dust then register for actuarial jobs in Australia or download our Top Tips for Australia.
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Tagged: Actuarial jobs, Australia, Brisbane, Dust storm, East coast, Sydney
22nd September 2009 · Comments Off
Having our regional office in Brisbane gives me the much loved excuse to travel, and more often than not, Sydney is the destination.
It’s now Spring in Australia with the new financial year well underway, many of my clients are in budget mode. It never ceases to amaze me how many will still find the time to catch up for at least a coffee for the overview of the market. On this occasion I could only afford 4 days out of the office, but when averaging 8 – 9 meetings a day, your caffeine levels can go through the roof.
With Australia’s unemployment rate remaining steady at 5.8%, and positive sounds from the Asian and US economies, there is definitely positive sentiment in the air about the improving global economy. This seems to have many of our clients thawing out their recruitment freezes from September 08, and bringing a mixture of new and replacement roles to the table. Given Australia dodged the global trend of “mass redundancies” in the actuarial space, there is definitely more heat placed on the demand for the actuarial skill set.
With many wage freeze policies put in place at the end of 2009, there is also heat coming from the talent pool. Many young actuaries are beginning to look actively again at external opportunities to progress their careers as they are finding that staff turnover + recruitment freeze = increased workload, without increased salary compensation. And if this Spring time visit to Sydney has taught me one thing, it’s that the job market in Australia this summer may be very hot.
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Tagged: Actuarial jobs, Asian economy, Australia, Brisbane, Coffee, Sydney, US economy