At Ideon, we’re proud to have such a talented, diverse team leading the charge for a better and more connected health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our ongoing Employee Spotlight series showcases the people behind our product and unveils what life is like at Ideon. Next up… Zach Wallens, our Director of Content & Communications.
Name: Zach Wallens
Department: Marketing
Title: Director of Content & Communications
Location: New York
Work
How long have you worked at Ideon?
Around 3.5 years — I started at Ideon in March, 2019.
Tell us about your day-to-day at Ideon.
Every day is different, as I’m involved in many different marketing functions. My responsibilities range from developing content—such as blog posts, webinars, customer interviews, and whitepapers—to drafting social media content and assisting with press strategy and customer-facing communications. Most of my projects require collaboration across several internal teams, and I also work closely with our external partners at a marketing agency.
How have you grown professionally while on our team?
Three things come to mind, and they’re connected: industry expertise, confidence, and opportunity. I joined Ideon having never worked in the health insurance and benefits industry. But over the past 3+ years, I’ve embraced the challenge of educating myself on the industry’s numerous stakeholders, their unique technical issues, and trends in this evolving, complex ecosystem.
Naturally, that acquired knowledge bred confidence. Having a deep understanding of our industry, from both a technical and business perspective, is empowering. It’s allowed me to confidently raise my hand and say, for example, “this message will resonate with our audience,” and “this customer has a powerful voice around industry trends… let’s feature them in upcoming content.” Gaining that underlying knowledge is really a building block—it’s a prerequisite for creativity and content ideation.
Lastly, as our marketing team has expanded from three people to around seven, I’ve had more resources, freedom, and support to experiment and develop outside-the-box ideas.
What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?
When I was seeking a new job, I had a few main requirements: I wanted to work at an early/mid-stage technology company that had massive growth potential and, if successful, would make a difference in people’s lives. Ideon checked those boxes. Health insurance and employee benefits impact almost every American’s physical, financial, and mental wellbeing—I was immediately drawn to solving challenges in this industry.
What excites you about the future of Ideon?
Our potential. If Ideon achieves its long-term goals, we will have fundamentally improved how millions of people buy, understand, and experience health insurance and other benefits.
What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?
Collaboration, knowledge sharing, and open-mindedness. I’m constantly working with various internal stakeholders across the organization to meet our collective goals. And as Ideon has grown—from 35 employees when I started in 2019 to now about 100—we’ve hired incredibly talented people with decades of benefits-industry experience. Those coworkers have been invaluable to me, transferring their wealth of knowledge and acting as sounding boards for my content ideas. We’re also a highly open-minded company, accepting and valuing new ideas and input from our entire team.
Interestingly, our internal culture matches what we ask of our industry: transparency, information sharing, openness, and collaboration.
Life
Favorite activity when you’re not working?
I play in several hockey leagues—roller hockey and ice hockey—and we have some truly fantastic team names, the NYC Puck Pigeons being my favorite. Additionally, I enjoy hiking, biking, traveling, and walking around NYC with absolutely no destination in mind.
Favorite place you’ve traveled?
Greece—incredible food, beautiful Islands, and overall a great experience. Domestically, I’ve really enjoyed visiting Colorado, in both the summer and winter. And one bonus mention: Quebec City is awesome—feels like Europe, but only a short flight from New York.
Interesting fact about yourself… Go!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I ended up having FOUR different wedding dates. In the end, we got married in Sept. 2021, about 16 months after our original date.
Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.
