Nikki Grinstein

BCom Hons (2004)

Actuary Nikki Grinstein has turned a lifelong love of learning into a career that continues to benefit society and gets Victorians back to work.

Actuary Nikki Grinstein has turned a lifelong love of learning into a career that continues to benefit society and gets Victorians back to work. After several roles across the actuarial industry in Australia, Grinstein has found herself at WorkSafe, a job that gives her a sense of purpose and the stability she wanted to raise her two kids. Grinstein is vision-impaired and studied a Bachelor of Commerce in an era when the importance of accessibility was only just starting to emerge in the minds of the broader community.

Studying

Grinstein liked studying maths as a high school student, but she didn’t see a career in it initially. Her mind was set on pursuing law, until a family friend recommended having a look at actuarial studies.

“Maths wasn’t what I was best at… I just enjoyed it,” she said.

In the end, she came to the University of Melbourne and took up double bachelors degrees in Commerce and Science. She had done well academically at high school and had found useful strategies to study and succeed in worlds not built for students with vision impairments. Despite her past success, she recalls, arriving at the University was still intimidating. The support available for students with disability was mixed, though a newly established program set Grinstein up with a Disability Liaison Officer, which she found “really useful.”

Grinstein still appreciates the attitudes of many of her classmates and teachers, who’d help clarify any notes written on the board that weren’t being articulated orally.

“If people knew I couldn’t see and were happy to share notes or whatever, that was really helpful” she said.

Even today, she reminds everyone it’s best to ask a person what accessibility needs they might have.

“People often make assumptions about what others need,” she says.

“Just talk to them.”

Actuary Nikki Grinstein

Life as an actuary

Finding what she loved in actuarial sciences, Grinstein completed her honours year with the Centre of Actuarial Studies, qualifying as an actuary. Looking back now, Grinstein felt the Centre’s program prepared her for the challenges of her career.

“[The honours program] gave you such good building blocks for thinking like an actuary,” she said.

“It’s not purely academic… it’s a little bit of everything.”

She looks back fondly on the tight-knit community of the Centre, and today is married to a classmate she met while studying her BCom. After graduation, Grinstein took roles with several insurance firms, before spending more than ten years consulting with PwC Australia. Just a few years ago, with two primary school-aged kids at home, she decided to find a steadier routine and moved into a role with WorkSafe Victoria. She says she’s pleased every day that she can contribute to something that focuses on helping those in the workforce.

“People often think that [actuaries] sit in the background and crunch the numbers,” she says.

“But our work is relevant to society… at WorkSafe, it’s focused on trying to get people back to work.”

Love of learning

Grinstein still feels inquisitiveness within herself every day, and she’s passionate about ensuring everyone has the same opportunity to learn. Up until recently, she was on the board of Access Inc, a local charity that advocated for better education opportunities for people with disabilities. For more than 30 years, Access Inc helped people with disabilities from across the community learn valuable life skills.  Last year, unfortunately, financial pressures forced Access Inc to close its doors.

As disappointing as this was, Grinstein is optimistic she’ll return to advocacy in the future. In the short term, however, she’s focused on her family and her career. She’s reminded every day why she loves being an actuary.

Whenever I’m enjoying anything in my job now, it’s usually because I’m curious. I just want to keep learning.

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