Andrea Gluyas has become the New Zealand Society of Actuaries’ first female President in its nearly 60-year history.

The consulting actuary at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Wellington office and former Actuaries’ Society VP has described her appointment as “an honour”.

She intends to further develop the society’s relationship with key stakeholders and forge closer ties with its sister organisation in Australia.

“This is an exciting time for our profession,” Ms Gluyas said. “Actuaries play an important role in New Zealand’s insurance industry [and] we are increasingly contributing better outcomes in the public sector through our long-term worldview.”

She wants to encourage young people with a talent for maths and “an interest in our wider society” to consider the profession.