Episode 7: How endemics and war affects pension modelling

In this week’s episode, hosts Ben Ashby and Tom Threlfall spoke with Patrick Bloomfield, who sadly passed away in September. Patrick was a leading figure in the pensions industry for more than 25 years, joining Humans Robertson in 2004 and being made a partner of the firm in 2006. Alongside his work at Hymans Robertson, he chaired the Association of Consulting Actuaries between 2020 and 2022. In this conversation, Ben, Tom, and Patrick covered a broad range of topics, from the endemic effects of Covid-19 on life expectancy and the data used to map it, to the ongoing ramifications of the conflict in Ukraine, to what the pensions industry may look like in decades to come. As you’ll hear from the conversation, Patrick was a joy to speak to, and while podcasts like these often focus on the technologies and new frontiers of our industry, it’s important to remember that it’s the people and connections you make that make working in investment worthwhile.