Two new partners promoted at First Actuarial

Professional services firm First Actuarial has created two new partnerships, to recognise the efforts of a duo of long-standing members. Peter Norman and Kirk Hinton are credited by the firm as “having played an instrumental role in business growth at the Peterborough office.”

Managing Partner David Joy commented, “Peter and Kirk have performed brilliantly for their clients, their colleagues and of course, First Actuarial as a whole. Partner status recognises and rewards their efforts. I am delighted to be in business with these two highly talented and motivated individuals, who live and breathe the values of the firm."

First Actuarial is a consulting firm which specialises in pension advisory services. Founded in 2004, the firm’s headcount across its five offices now tops 430, with locations in Leeds, Manchester, Peterborough, Tonbridge and Basingstoke. Amid the continued uncertainty in the pensions sector, the consultancy’s services have been in keen demand of late – and First Actuarial reported record revenue levels last year, with turnover growing by 19% in the year to 31 July 2023.

Part of the driving force for this success was the contributions of staff in the firm’s growing Peterborough office. Kirk Hinton is described by First Actuarial as “a real home-grown star,” having joined the firm in 2006 after graduating from Nottingham Trent University. He took responsibility for winning new business and worked as a client lead from an early stage, and managed the actuarial team in Peterborough for several years.

Speaking on his promotion, he noted, “I’m overjoyed to be promoted to Partner – it’s fantastic to receive the recognition. First Actuarial has been so good to me over the years. I’ve been able to follow in the footsteps of some exceptional people who have given me training, encouragement and valuable opportunities to grow and succeed. I’m keen to do the same and nurture the next generation of First Actuarial superstars.”

At the same time, Peter Norman is said to be a “focused and high-achieving professional” by the firm. He started his career at LCP, where he qualified as an actuary and worked for nine years before moving to First Actuarial’s Basingstoke office. He began practising as a scheme actuary in 2016, supporting a variety of high-profile clients, and moved to the firm’s Peterborough office in the same year.

Norman commented, “Partnership is something I’ve been working towards for many years. But with so many talented people here, I never took it for granted. Besides offering training, support and a varied workload, First Actuarial encourages its Scheme Actuaries to think and act independently when advising their clients. I’m confident that this has been the right environment for me to flourish and reach my full potential.”

Both professionals are keen to get started as newly-promoted partners. Norman noted that he wants to help the business thrive, and give clients “the support and reassurance they need to navigate oncoming challenges such as the new funding code, the general code and pensions dashboards.” At the same time, Hinton added that he hopes to help his colleagues develop by “handing over some interesting work” – a move which will also free him up to win new business, and “keep the First Actuarial ethos and values alive as the firm continues to grow.”

Hinton and Norman’s promotions are First Actuarial’s latest move to recognise highly talented staff who have made outstanding contributions to the business. They follow the recent creation of a new layer of 14 associate partners.