From “You Can’t Be Promoted” to VP Actuarial
Every chapter of my career started with someone telling me “no” — or hitting a wall. My response was always the same: level up.
The Trigger
In 2008, I was a computer engineer at Accenture Thailand. After 1.5 years, my boss told me point-blank: “You won’t be promoted further unless you can communicate with clients in English.”
Most people would take an English class on the weekend. I quit my job and flew to London.
London: Starting from Zero
I spent 1.5 years in London doing nothing but studying English. Pure immersion. My IELTS score went from 4.5 to 6.5 — enough to qualify for university admission. That grind set the tone for everything that followed.
The Pivot: Engineering to Actuarial
While researching what to study next, I discovered that actuarial science was ranked the #1 profession in the US. The computer engineering job market was a red ocean. Actuarial science offered a career with differentiation and upside.
I applied and was offered a scholarship by Viriyah Insurance — one of Thailand’s largest non-life insurers. They chose the University of Kent for me because Kent specialized in P&C (general insurance) actuarial science. The other university offered life insurance. That single decision by Viriyah set my entire career direction into non-life insurance.
The deal: 2 years of funded study = 4 years of bonded employment.
I earned a PgDip in Actuarial Science (Merit grade) in 2010-2011, then a Master’s in Applied Actuarial Science in 2011-2012.
Viriyah: The Company That Built Me (2012-2017)
I returned to Thailand to honour the bond. Viriyah’s actuarial team was tiny: one head, two juniors, and me. I started as an Actuarial Analyst, and within two years was promoted to Senior Actuarial Analyst.
Two things defined this era:
-
I introduced SAS programming — Viriyah had massive data and no good way to analyze it. My computer engineering background gave me the edge. I automated processes and started delivering insights that underwriters and executives could act on.
-
I passed 8 CAS exams in 4 years (2013-2017) — while working full time. That exam momentum built my technical credibility.
In January 2017, while still at Viriyah, I started teaching at Thammasat University — a visiting lecturer role I’ve held for 8+ years now, teaching “Mathematics for Non-Life Insurance” to over 400 students.
When the 4-year bond ended, I left. Not because anything was wrong — I was bored. I wanted to see the world, do more, learn more. I chose actuarial consulting.
Key people: K. Pravit (Deputy MD, direct boss) and K. Kritvit (Director, senior sponsor). They shaped me.
JPWALL Consulting: The Double Life (2017-2018)
At JPWALL Consulting Partners, I got thrown into the deep end: an interim Head of Actuarial role at Allianz Thailand. During the day, I ran pricing and underwriting strategy for motor and personal accident lines. At night, I reviewed consulting work — reserving, M&A evaluations, employee benefits.
The double workload was unsustainable. But it proved I could operate at a senior level.
It also created a connection that would come back later: Allianz knew my work firsthand.
When I decided to move on, a headhunter in Singapore connected me to Tokio Marine Asia. TMA’s regional office recommended me to the local Thai operation. I wasn’t a random applicant — I was acquired.
TMSTH: 8 Years of Growth (2018-Present)
I joined Tokio Marine Safety Thailand as Assistant Director, Head of Pricing. Over 8 years, the scope kept expanding:
- 2019: Led the actuarial side of the Safety Insurance M&A — bridged the gap between Japanese and Thai actuarial practices. Absorbed the Head of Reserving role after that person resigned.
- 2022: Allianz recruited me — they already knew me from JPWALL. I was about to resign when CEO Suteechai personally convinced me to stay, matching the entire Allianz package. From that point, he became my champion.
- 2023: Added Retail Underwriting to my responsibilities — a rare actuarial + UW dual scope.
- 2025: Promoted to VP Actuarial & Head of Retail UW — dual scope, rare combination. YAMA 2025 Finalist (Young ASEAN Manager Award, Top 3). Passed DISC DA in October — restarting my CAS exam journey after an 8-year gap.
- 2026: Became Appointed Actuary — handed off Retail Underwriting to focus entirely on actuarial. Currently studying for CAS Exams, targeting FCAS by 2029.
The Full Arc
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ARTHAPAS (ART) — CAREER ARC ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
KMUTT Accenture TH London University of Kent
BEng CompEng IT Consulting English Course Viriyah Scholarship
┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐
│ ~?-2007 │────────▶│ 1.5 yrs │────────▶│ 1.5 yrs │────────▶│ PgDip (Merit) │
│ │ │ ~07-08 │ QUIT │ ~09-10 │ IELTS │ MSc Applied Act. │
│ CompEng │ │ │ "Won't │ │ 4.5→6.5 │ 2010-2012 │
└─────────┘ └──────────┘ promote └──────────┘ └────────┬──────────┘
w/o │
English" Scholarship bond ────┘
2 yrs study = 4 yrs work
│
┌───────────────────────────────────────▼──────────────────────┐
│ VIRIYAH INSURANCE (Dec 2012 — Feb 2017) │
│ "The company that built me" │
│ │
│ Team: 1 Head + 2 Juniors + Art │
│ Boss: K. Pravit (Deputy MD) Sponsor: K. Kritvit (Director) │
│ │
│ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Actuarial Analyst│───▶│ Senior Act. Analyst │ │
│ │ Dec 2012-Dec 2014│ │ Jan 2015-Feb 2017 │ │
│ └──────────────────┘ └────────────────────── │
│ │
│ ★ Introduced SAS programming (own initiative) │
│ ★ 8 CAS exams passed (2013-2017) │
│ ★ Started teaching at Thammasat (Jan 2017) │
│ Left: bored, hungry for more, bond fulfilled │
└──────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
│
┌──────────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────┐
│ JPWALL CONSULTING (May 2017 — Sep 2018) │
│ │
│ Day: Interim Head of Actuarial @ ALLIANZ THAILAND │
│ Motor + PA pricing & UW strategy │
│ Night: Reviewing consulting work (reserving, M&A, EB) │
│ │
│ Left: double job unsustainable │
│ Exit: Singapore headhunter ──▶ TM Asia ──▶ TMSTH │
└──────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
│
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐
│ TMSTH — TOKIO MARINE SAFETY THAILAND (Oct 2018 — Present) │
│ │
│ 2018 Asst Director, Head of Pricing ·········· reported to Regional Actuary │
│ │ │
│ 2019 M&A: Safety Insurance ················· bridged Japanese-Thai actuarial gap │
│ │ + absorbed Head of Reserving │
│ │ │
│ 2022 ★ ALLIANZ RECRUITED ART (they knew him from JPWALL) │
│ │ ★ CEO SUTEECHAI personally retained │
│ │ → Promoted to Director │
│ │ → Suteechai becomes Art's champion │
│ │ │
│ 2023 + Added Retail Underwriting dept │
│ │ │
│ 2025 VP Actuarial & Head of Retail UW (dual scope) │
│ │ YAMA 2025 Finalist (Top 3) │
│ │ │
│ 2026 Appointed Actuary │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PARALLEL TRACKS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
TEACHING ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────▶
Thammasat University | Jan 2017 — Present | 8+ yrs | 400+ students
"Mathematics for Non-Life Insurance" (ASC 331)
CAS EXAMS ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────▶
2013 ██████████ 2017 2017 ░░░░░░░░░░ 2025 2025 ████▶ FCAS 2029
8 exams passed 8-year gap
(career, marriage, son)
The Pattern
Looking back, I see a thread connecting everything:
“You won’t be promoted” → Quit → Learn English → Pivot to actuarial → Viriyah scholarship → Kent (P&C) → SAS pioneer → 8 exams → Consulting → Allianz interim → TMSTH via Singapore headhunter → M&A bridge → Allianz tries to recruit back → CEO retains → VP → Appointed Actuary
Every chapter started with hitting a wall, and my response was always to go bigger — not retreat.
What’s Next
I’m studying for CAS Exams. The goal is FCAS by December 2029 — completing a 17-year exam journey that started in 2013.
I’m still teaching at Thammasat. Still building AI tools. Still showing up.
The title might change. The company might change. But the pattern won’t: hit a wall, level up, keep going.