Cactus and Planet Math have announced that Nisha Smith, an actuarial analyst at Hannover Re, has successfully passed Exam P, a critical milestone in her actuarial career.

Ms Smith's achievement comes after participating in a programme designed to support first-time actuarial exam candidates, sponsored by Cactus, and hosted by Planet Math.

She said: "I am thrilled to have completed my second actuarial exam, following my completion of Exam FM at the end of last year. The support and guidance provided by the programme was very helpful and I would recommend it to others."

Led by James Robinson, founder of Bermudian-based company Cactus, the programme aims to give actuarial candidates some extra help with passing their first exams.

It is a collaboration between Cactus, which provided Mr Robinson's time, and Planet Math, which supplied space for the programme.

Mr Robinson said: "Nisha put in all the hard work and dedication required to pass Exam P, and she truly deserves this accomplishment. It's wonderful to see her progress and be an ambassador for the programme."

Kevin Warner, a founder of Planet Math, added: "Mathematics is a great leveller, and we are excited to see the programme's success in its first two runs, with first Taiyana [Allen] and now Nisha achieving their goals. Congratulations, Nisha."

The programme is seeking volunteers interested in running a similar short run of between four and six sessions for another exam.

“I’ve had a number of people ask if we can run a similar course for Exam FM,” said Mr Robinson. “Cactus is growing too quickly at the moment for me to run more than one course, but if anyone is interested in helping with Exam FM, I’d love to talk to them.”

Owing to the success of the programme, Cactus has agreed to sponsor a third Exam P run, scheduled for 7pm on Tuesdays at Planet Math.

The dates are April 4, 11, 18, and 25, and May 9 and 16, with an optional extra session on May 22.

Participants will work through the Exam P question bank provided by the Society of Actuaries.

This programme is best suited for candidates planning to take Exam P in the May session.

Interested individuals should e-mail examp@actuaryexamclubbda.com to get added to the WhatsApp group.