Philippe Cleary’s iA story

After graduating from university in actuarial studies, Philippe started at our company as an actuarial analyst in life insurance product pricing. “The environment at iA constantly promotes teamwork and knowledge sharing. I was fortunate to be surrounded by managers and senior colleagues who mentored me, and I was quickly called upon to work on strategic projects. The work environment here lends itself to development, and everyone has the opportunity to contribute to their full potential. There is a lot of collaboration between departments, which helps us learn about the organization as a whole. Our clients, employees and partners are always a number one concern. I can really identify with the company’s values, which include this human element.”

Personal and professional development: a priority
Philippe also participates in various professional development programs for employees and managers. “It’s important for me to keep improving. Since iA Financial Group invests in and encourages our development, I am able to attend lots of training sessions and workshops on things like continuous improvement, Lean management and leadership. Technical training to keep up with the latest in our field of expertise is also strongly encouraged.”  

An evolving career 
Career opportunities are almost endless. Mobility within different departments is encouraged. The proof is in the pudding: after three years in product underwriting, I changed roles and moved over to corporate actuarial. This gave me a bigger picture of the company's operations and helped me better understand what the different business lines do. I have now taken on a bigger challenge: Director, Actuarial Services, Individual Insurance, Savings and Retirement.

 “As a manager, I have to make sure that the directions iA takes are well understood by the people I work with and that they believe in them. Our managers also act as coaches and leaders. They ensure that their team successfully attains business objectives in line with the company’s strategic plan. They also care about their employees’ professional growth and provide positive coaching and support, all while striving to create an enjoyable, high-performance environment. I enjoy using the tools we have to identify the strengths of my team and the talents of each of our team members.”