Data and curiosity – the perfect combination

Mimi Maiorana joined NGS 2 years ago as a Financial Planning Administrator and in the last year, moved into the role of Strategy and Product Analyst. In this busy position, Mimi analyses market information and shares it with the wider team to inform decisions on projects and initiatives. With a passion for analysis, Mimi brings her unique skillset to NGS to ultimately help members achieve their financial outcomes.

Data and research to achieve growth

At NGS, Mimi works with a range of team members across the business. She brings an analytical lens to review projects, reviewing any gaps, forecasting outcomes and anticipating challenges. It’s with this information that Mimi can advise the various business units about how to devise an effective strategy. ‘I really enjoy working with the different business units at NGS. It’s a highly analytical role that requires a team effort. I work closely with my colleague Alex, who is an Actuarial Analyst, to constantly review the numbers. Once we’ve assessed our position in the market and any potential opportunities, the next step is to coordinate efforts across the organisation to harness those opportunities.’ Mimi draws on the Fund's performance and market analysis to inform future strategic initiatives and projects which will drive the Fund to achieve its overall strategy. "I’m constantly looking at data and information to inform decision-making and keep improving the member experience."

Curiosity and numbers

Mimi is in her fifth year of Business and Law – a combined degree, majoring in management. "My studies are an interesting addition to my role. Starting in the financial planning team at NGS taught me so much of what I now know about super and served as an excellent foundation to inform my understanding of business activities. In my current role, while it’s more about the numbers and analysis, I also bring my law knowledge. My ability to interpret legislative requirements allows me to deliver on annual reporting obligations, ensuring compliance at every step of the way. I also naturally bring a risk lens to my role. How may the language we use and initiatives we set have wider implications on our duty to members. I think the two key skills for this role are the ability to review data and the ability to be curious. Data will give you the facts, but curiosity will enable you to ask the right questions to determine the best strategy to take.’

Digging deeper to find results

While Mimi enjoys a lot about her role, she says it’s the deep analysis from which she has found the most satisfaction. "When looking at data sets, it can be tempting to take the data at face value. However, to be a good analyst, you really need to dig deeper. It’s like a puzzle; there are many pieces, and while there are some obvious pieces that fit together, you need to keep working your way around to get the bigger picture." Most recently, Mimi worked on the Member Outcome Assessment. The assessment uses a set of metrics to report on the member outcomes that the Fund delivers. Mimi has been working to review the metrics to see if there are ways to improve the quality of the insights coming out of the assessment. These insights are pivotal to improving our offering. "What I love about working with data is that it’s never what you think. There are many nuances and variables; the more you dig, the higher the quality of the results you can gather. The key is to have a holistic understanding of the external environment and its implications on all aspects of the organisation so that we can draw quality insights from the data."

Outside of work, Mimi enjoys travelling, having recently visited Greece, where she was able to explore part of her family heritage. She is also learning Italian and enjoys health and fitness, you’ll often find her at a pilates class, walking, and at the gym.

Connect with Mimi here.