Thasmira Ramsingh

I am a strategic R&D leader with 11 years of actuarial experience, which includes 8 years focused on product development and rewards and loyalty programs. I specialise in driving innovation that aligns with corporate and group strategy while meeting clients' needs within a global leader in behavioural science, loyalty and rewards programs. I have progressed from an analyst to Deputy General Manager, leading a team of actuaries and managing cross-function collaboration, with a proven track record of delivering highly innovative offerings that have been globally recognised, patented, and awarded.

I thrive in collaborative roles, solving unstructured problems, and value relationships. I have built relationships and negotiated partnerships with various directors, CEOs and executives. My approach combines data-driven and research-based insights, backed by actuarial techniques, coupled with qualitative inputs to optimise outcomes, and translating these complex considerations into understandable and actionable executive level insights that support strategic decision-making.

Head of Research and Development at Discovery Insure (2025-01 – Present)

Level: Deputy General Manager / Principal Actuary

• Lead the design, evolution, and optimisation of the Vitality Drive program integrating risk selection, shared value, behavioural science, loyalty, and customer experience.
• Drive innovation across core insurance products to maximise market opportunities and enter into new market segments.
• Define and execute the annual R&D roadmap as well as the multi-year innovation strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Continuously improving both external solutions as well as internal processes.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with pricing, risk and compliance, marketing, sales, IT, and operations to ensure successful implementation.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with external partners.
• Chair of the Product Development Steering Committee, and serve on key forums and committees, including the Actuarial Committee, Lapse Forum, Digital Lab, Digital Steering Committee, AI Steering Committee

Head of Product Development at Discovery Insure (2023-07 – 2024-12)

Divisional Manager heading up the product development team, responsible for setting and executing the annual launch for insurance and Vitality Drive

Actuarial Manager at Discovery Insure (2021-01 – 2023-06)

Manager within the product development team, focused on both personal and commercial lines products as well as the associated rewards programs - Vitality Drive, Vitality Drive for Business, and Rewards for Business

Actuarial Analyst at Discovery Insure (2018-07 – 2020-12)

Team Leader within the product development team, focused on personal lines products

Actuarial Analyst at Discovery Insure (2018-07)

Actuarial Analyst at Milliman (2016-11 – 2018-06)

Actuarial Analyst in the Short Term Insurance consulting team

• Completing SAM quarterly and annual regulatory returns
• SAM capital calculations and reserving calculations
• Workbook and reporting optimisation
• Conducting due diligence investigations and interrogating data
• Product performance monitoring
• Writing client proposals and collaborating on client reports

Actuarial Analyst at ABSA (2015-01 – 2016-10)

Actuarial Analyst in the Short Term Insurance pricing team

• Product and rates testing to attend to internal, customer, and broker queries
• Enhancing and automating various processes to reduce turnaround time and manual interventions
• Workbook and script optimisations (SQL to SAS conversions)
• Product performance reporting - technical requirements and report design
• Developing automated competitor analysis reports
• Presenting product performance to senior and executive stakeholders
• Ad hoc analyses and investigations per business requirements

Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice – Henley Business School (2021 – 2021)

BSc Honours in Actuarial Science – University of Pretoria (2014 – 2014)

BSc in Actuarial & Financial Mathematics – University of Pretoria (2011 – 2013)

National Senior Certificate – Howick High School (2010 – 2010)