Career Path Of A Head Of Transformation At Optum
Zach's career path demonstrates a fascinating blend of diverse experiences, starting with internships in cinema and then pivoting through commercial real estate, a period of travel following the Great Recession, and a consultancy focused on "corporate citizenship and sustainability." This led to an MBA from UCLA's Anderson School, Deloitte consulting, and finally a role at Optum in population health, allowing Zach to combine "impact-driven work" with refined management consulting skills.
Career Exploration, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Leadership, Management Consulting
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Zach Goldman
Head of Transformation
Optum
USC, 2007
UCLA Anderson MBA
Political Science, American Studies
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Strategic Management and Executive
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. He started with internships in cinema and entertainment, then transitioned to commercial real estate, showcasing adaptability.
2. After the Great Recession, he started a consultancy focused on corporate citizenship and sustainability, demonstrating passion for impact-driven work.
3. He pursued an MBA at UCLA Anderson School and worked with Deloitte's strategy and operations consulting, highlighting the value of further education and consulting experience before his current role at Optum.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
Coming out of college, I had a couple of internships in the cinema and entertainment space. I also ran a small videography organization to pay my bills.
I spent a couple of years working in business development for a commercial real estate investment fund. This was an interesting chance to travel, learn about modeling, and manage relationships.
The Great Recession happened around that time, and I lost that job, along with many others in that space. I spent a year traveling and had wonderful experiences seeing the world and meeting different people.
Then, I partnered with a colleague from my real estate investment days to start a consultancy focused on corporate citizenship and sustainability. I was very passionate about that topic and had the opportunity to work in that space.
Through that, I got the chance to live and work in Asia for a couple of years, in Indonesia, focusing on corporate citizenship efforts. After that, I was interested in staying close to impact-driven work but wanted to gain more mainline skills.
So, I went to UCLA's Anderson School to get my MBA. After that, I spent a few years working with Deloitte's strategy and operations consulting practice, which was a wonderful experience.
Then, I joined a company that eventually became part of Optum, working in population health and value-based care. This was a nice way to combine my experience in impact-driven work and sustainability consulting with the skills I had gained.
This work allows me to use my MBA skills to solve a huge social problem in this country.