Meet the actuaries

Dave Sandberg

FSA, MAAA, CERA
Vice President, Corporate Actuary
Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America

It's a story that might sound too good to be true, but Dave Sandberg's career as an actuary started, as an unemployed graduate, responding to an ad that simply read, "Wanted, person with math aptitude."

And while he still says he loves math, these days Dave has a much broader role. Serving as a vice president of Allianz Life Insurance, Dave functions in many ways as a consultant to his company's pricing, financial reporting, accounting, product management, ERM, government relations and legal/compliance functions. So what does that entail? Dave says he finds himself, engaging in a lot of, "listening, building consensus, making recommendations, writing and speaking." The people he works with look to him to provide advice and answers to a variety of questions. How should I price a financial promise? How should I value a promise once it's sold? How should I manage the risks of that promise to ensure it can be met? How can a regulator ensure that companies can meet their promises to policyholders?

Looking back on his professional experience, Dave considers being part of a company that has grown from $200,000 in assets to $60+ billion as the most rewarding experience. And while he says that being a part of that growth over the last twenty or so years has been rewarding and allowed him to grow his skills, he also admits that at times he's struggled with work-life balance. In fact, he says that's been the most challenging part of his career. "It's a struggle to learn to say 'no' sometimes," Dave says. "I've had to learn how to balance the interests of a great career with the interests of a great family."

It might surprise students to know that while Dave has always had strong math skills, he graduated from Brigham Young University with a major in Economics and a minor in Philosophy. Ask Dave about his favorite class and he'll happily tell you about his Graduate course in The Divine Comedy. He says he enjoyed the variety such courses brought to his academic career and the fact that it helped him graduate with a more well-rounded education.

Dave continues to believe in the importance of a well-rounded education, and counsels aspiring actuaries that they will benefit from acquiring skills beyond a strong math and statistics background. He also offers this advice: "Be willing to work hard and learn to think critically, to communicate and to love what you do and who you work for."