Ines Bouchouchi, who graduated from ESILV in 2023, was awarded the Covéa and Caisse des Dépôts 2024 prizes at the 35th edition of the International Economics and Finance Thesis Competition. Since joining ESILV in 2017, Ines has combined engineering and actuarial science throughout her academic and professional career. She shares her journey with us, as well as the awards she received for her thesis on climate risk.

Prestigious awards: the Covéa and Caisse des Dépôts prizes

The International Economics and Finance Dissertation Competition, organised by the Financial Industry Centre with the support of the AFG, Caisse des Dépôts, Covéa and the Institute of Actuaries, brings together students, researchers and professionals to promote societal development. This event is crucial for the association because it supports economic and financial education in higher education, preparing the young professionals of tomorrow and promoting understanding of financial and societal issues.

ESILV's Double Degrees: An Opening onto Multiple Specialisations

With a scientific baccalauréat, Inès chose to study science at ESILV, a general engineering school known for its wide orientation and international scope. On joining ESILV in 2017, Inès followed a double degree programme with EMLV, combining engineering and management. She took advantage of the internships offered by ESILV and gradually specialised in finance, a discipline that particularly interested her.

"I applied for a double degree at the Institute of Statistics of the University of Paris (ISUP), one of the eight French schools accredited to award the title of actuary, in order to enrich and complete my course", explains Ines. In her fourth year, she specialised in actuarial science, a key field for financial sciences.

ESILV's support for double-degree students

To achieve her goals, Ines took a double degree in actuarial science for two years, eventually graduating from ESILV, EMLV and ISUP. The double degrees offered by ESILV in collaboration with other institutions enable students to develop or expand their initial skills.

"ESILV has played a decisive role in my career. Thanks to the many internship opportunities and the double degree programme, I was able to acquire a solid background to succeed at ISUP and start my professional career", says Ines.

ESILV students following the double engineer-actuary degree obtain the ISUP Master 2 in Actuarial Science and the title of actuary by following the classes of the last two years from the end of the fourth year of the ESILV curriculum.

Becoming an actuary thanks to ESILV

Ines' course at ISUP ended with her writing a Master 2 dissertation in actuarial science, which she presented to the Institute of Actuaries, where she was congratulated by the jury and awarded the distinction "Publishable". With the support of her work-study company, Actualia, and ISUP, she was encouraged to take part in the international competition for theses on finance and economics, where she won the Covéa and Caisse des Dépôts prizes.

Her dissertation, entitled " Climate challenge and sustainability, towards the limits of insurability ", aims to measure the impact of climate change on the insurance business and to assess its consequences for a non-life organisation. Strategies and levers are proposed to ensure business continuity faced with the climate challenge.

This subject has found particular echo with Caisse des Dépôts, which places climate risk at the heart of its concerns, and Covéa, France's leading non-life insurer. These awards are the reward for six years of intensive study and open up many new opportunities for Ines in the actuarial field.

Advice for future actuarial students

Ines shares her advice for those wishing to follow a similar path: "Don't hesitate to apply for double degrees and to take advantage of all the opportunities for training and internships to enrich your career and discover the different aspects of this profession". She also encourages students to be curious and to keep informed about developments in the actuarial and finance sector.