Talented mathematicians at HDI

That's why HDI gets in early and sponsors the Federal Mathematics Competition. By setting challenging problems the competition is intended to motivate school pupils in classes 9 to 13 to spend some time engaged in an intensive exploration of mathematics.

Yet HDI does not stop at this sponsorship activity. The company welcomes outstanding young people into its offices so as to share insights into the many and diverse ways in which mathematics is used in the insurance industry.

14 pupils jumped at the opportunity in their summer holidays and completed a two-week internship at Group headquarters. By the time it was over they were all excited about the career possibilities and working conditions at HDI. But let's not get ahead of ourselves:

Eckard Grießing from HDI International opened up the world of quantitative risk management to the students – interest calculation, present values and other numerical acrobatics. "We were tasked with building a model in Excel for life insurance. In so doing, we internalised this input and experienced the everyday working life of an insurance mathematician", Fabian Kraus explains. In his previous internships he had only been permitted to look over the shoulder of staff members. At HDI "I was challenged to contribute ideas and tackle tasks on my own. That's what makes this internship the most instructive I have taken so far", Fabian Kraus adds.

Björn Hille, HDI Global SE, Dynamic Financial Analysis, similarly enabled the interns to get down to work independently. "It is fascinating to familiarise yourself with new mathematical tasks and to immediately see applications for them: in this case I was able to simulate yield curves myself", Louisa Weber comments. "I gained a very broad picture of the task areas covered by a mathematician in the insurance sector. Becoming an actuary could well be my career direction later on."

The natural catastrophe simulation system ARGOS also featured on the internship programme: this is used to estimate losses from natural perils by combining mathematical, meteorological and engineering methods. Presentations on operational controlling and machine learning rounded off the varied mix of content.

The interns also had some fun when they toured Lower Saxony's state capital together. Everyone had a chance to admire the view over Hannover from the New City Hall before rounding off the evening at a local Italian restaurant.

The internship at HDI left a lasting impression on most of the participants. "I can definitely imagine working there later on", Konrad Unger explains. "The working environment is very cordial. And whether it's the workplace itself, the lunch or the working hours, there are lots of things that make HDI stand out as an attractive employer."

By the way: the intern adventure is by no means over. Mandy Hoffmann, the youngest ever student from Lower Saxony to pass her Abitur examination with the best possible grade of 1.0, has been on a four-week internship at our company's offices since 2 September. We are delighted to support such talented young people in their journey towards making the right career choice!