Sally Bridgeland. Career model

Sally Bridgeland FFA/FIA: 1989 Company: BP Pension Trustees Limited Role: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Other actuaries: At least two other actuaries work in the organisation - the head of global pensions policy within the HR team and the head of the pensions investment management team in the finance function.

First job: 1986 - trainee pensions actuary, Bacon & Woodrow

Key steps between first job and current one:

• 1994: As a qualified pensions actuary started working half-time knowledge - sharing initiatives.
• 1995: Moved to central research and process improvement team.
• 1999: Joined investment practice to initiate changes in knowledge and management and working practices. Six months later became Head of Research, overseeing manager research and quantitative research.
• 2000: Formed Financial Institutions Team to provide analytical services to fund managers.
• 2001: Took on responsibilities for quantitative investment research activities.
• 2002: Extended scope of research to include innovation in communicating risk to employees and employers.
• 2004: Maternity leave
• 2005: Returned to work (three days a week) to lead work on customer segmentation and transforming the business model for investment consultancy.
• 2006: Headhunted to join BP Pension Trustees Limited.

Current work

As CEO I have the delegated authority to direct all aspects of the Trustee’s activities. This includes oversight of the fund valuation, advising the Trustees and consulting BP plc about funding and investment strategy. It also involves setting performance targets and monitoring delivery for both investment management and benefits administration.

Opportunities for others

Formal CEO roles, spanning a mix of pensions and investment issues, are relatively rare and in the UK are currently limited to the largest pension funds. However, they are well suited to consulting actuaries who have had exposure both to liability and asset work and to corporate decision-making.

Hurdles to surmount

Although my range of experience opens up a wide array of opportunities, my desire to work three days a week has been a limiting factor. First Hewitt Associates and now BP plc have been particularly progressive in being so flexible.

Original reason for becoming an actuary

Wanted to use maths skills in a business/financial area rather than narrowing down into academic work post-graduation.

Subsequent thoughts

No regrets! I am still using maths skills in a business and financial area! Found pensions actuarial work increasing legislation and compliance driven with less scope to tackle new problems but no shortage of opportunities in the investment area.

Career history

In 20 years at Hewitt Associates (and previously Bacon & Woodrow) I was lucky to be part of a fast-growing organisation where its horizons and scope kept pace with my desire to develop new areas of interest. The CEO role for BP Pension Trustees Limited is an exciting change and seems an ideal way to pull all my experience together in a single role.