The 2018 Best Firms to Work For: ZS

Consulting service lines:  Strategy, Operations, IT

Chris Wright, Managing Director of ZS says the firm has reached a critical moment where the application of data science has become mainstream. Since ZS has been using data to predict and inform decision making for 35 years, seeing the conversations happening among others in this space is very exciting, he says. 

ZS started applying data science to sales long before data and analytics became business essentials, even before most firms had personal computers. "Once the technology was available, they created an algorithm to predict the value of the work we conducted on behalf of clients before we took action," he says. "That groundbreaking work led to a significant change in how the pharmaceutical industry worked, effectively jumpstarting the growth of what would become the pharmaceutical sales force. Just as that work transformed our industry, it also started a transformative journey for ZS."

The firm continues to apply data science to everything it does, "obsessively looking at how we can help clients identify the best course of action," he says. "As more and more industries start to express genuine interest in how things like artificial intelligence and machine learning can change their business, there's a lot of opportunity for ZS to continue driving progress on their behalf."

Wright says ZS has been in a prolonged period of growth, which means each day brings the promise of new experiences and challenges. "We're expanding into new industries beyond healthcare and solving tough, new problems for our clients," he says. "We learn, we grow and we adapt together. For many of our people, that's all they've known at ZS. That's our normal. We make sure we never get too comfortable."

Despite changes within the firm, within clients' organizations and within the industries ZS works in, there's one thing that hasn't changed: the firm's optimistic, friendly culture, he says.  "We depend on a collaborative environment, we have each other's backs and we don't let hierarchy stand in the way. We work shoulder to shoulder at all levels of the business to help our clients and their customers thrive."

But culture is the true standout at ZS, Wright says. "It's built around trust and people, and we're very protective of it. Regardless of title or tenure, our first instinct is to trust one another."

As far as being one of the Best Firms to Work For this year, Wright says he hopes "this acknowledgement makes our people proud to be ZS people. It's not about size or revenue. This recognition confirms ZS is one of the best places to grow and thrive in a consulting career. That's an award worth winning."

What's unique about your firm? What sets it apart?

Wright: "It's our culture that sets us apart, hands-down. We put our culture front and center. We're very protective of it because we care a lot about it—our extraordinary people, our flat structure and our ability to make an immediate impact for clients. No matter what level you're at, you can drive value. That's true for each of our ZSers, whether it's their first day or they've been with us for decades."