Welcome to the CAS Staff Spotlight, an interview-style column featuring the CAS staff you interact with on a regular basis. In this spotlight, we are proud to introduce you to Michael Chou.
- What do you do at the CAS? As international relations manager based in the Hong Kong Office, I help to promote CAS initiatives in Asia. These include university engagement, seminars and events, and I act as a liaison with other actuarial organizations. I am also responsible for all kinds of general support tasks for CAS members, candidates, and actuarial students in the region.
- What do you enjoy most about your job? Working with a group of dedicated professionals and volunteers to help promote the CAS brand in a diverse, challenging, rapidly changing and developing market.
- Hometown: Hong Kong, China
- College and degree: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, B.S. in computer systems engineering and MEng in industrial and management engineering.
- First job out of college: Analyst programmer at Warburg Dillon Read, a financial services firm. I was hoping to get work experiences in the U.S. after graduation, but the job was an Asia-Pacific position, based in Hong Kong.
- Describe yourself in three words: Determined. Creative. Progressive.
- Favorite weekend activity: Going to the cinema — During my first few years living in London, my apartment was within walking distance of a cultural center with three independent cinema screens. I pretty much watched every screening available, going there at least twice a week. Sometimes I would buy a ticket without knowing what the movie was about. In Hong Kong, the movies are mostly limited to commercial releases. The most recent film I watched was Blackhat by Michael Mann, one of my favorite directors since Heat.
- Favorite travel destination: European cities — I really enjoy the wonderful architecture, the traditional cuisines and the museums, and I like watching how people go about their daily lives. Touring Paris on bike and visiting Moscow in the middle of winter are my most memorable trips in recent years. I also would love to take short trips to New York City and London in the future, though both are more like my second hometown than a travel destination.
- One interesting or fun fact about you: I used to be a semi-professional wedding/events photographer.
Alice Chambers is the marketing and communications coordinator for the CAS.
