Tag: Employee Spotlight

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… Ali Sarkis, Director of Engineering.

Name: Ali Sarkis
Department: Engineering
Title: Director of Engineering
Location: NYC

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Over five and a half years.

Tell us about your day-to-day at Ideon.

Every day is different, and my schedule pivots depending on team and company priorities. Still, usually, my day starts with a handful of team stand-ups discussing current work and blockers.

Then I spend the rest of my day pairing with team members on their work, writing my own code, researching new technologies that would benefit the engineering department, and joining team and client meetings throughout the day.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I started at Ideon as a Senior Engineer, and since then, I have worn so many hats. I was interested in management, so I took the manager’s path instead of the IC (individual contributor) track.

I went from team lead, to engineering manager, to senior engineering manager, to now director of engineering. I grew with the team and because of the team. I learned new skills and sharpened others, like learning Ruby on Rails (coming from a .Net background), building and growing an effective engineering team, being agile and adaptable while keeping the team motivated, engaged, and efficient. The list goes on and on, and I still learn something new daily.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

When I started at Ideon the engineering team was a team of four. I have seen the team grow to over 23 now and I am looking forward to growing the team even more. I’m also excited about continuing to build the pipes connecting the health insurance and employee benefits industry. Our products are going to change the industry.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

I joined Ideon because of the people and I have stayed for this long because of them too. I love the collaborative culture that we have cultivated. I enjoy working in a fast-paced environment where it is ok to make mistakes, knowing that other team members are always happy to jump in to help.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

I love to cook, all cuisines but especially Middle Eastern and Italian.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Rome, Italy and Beruit, Lebanon are my two favorite cities in the world.

Beirut because it is as close to home as I can get, with great food, fantastic nightlife, and a lot of history.

Rome because it reminds me of Damascus, Syria, and obviously for the great food, outstanding museums, and historical sites. Notice a theme yet?

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I travel for food and museums, so instead of lists of places to see and things to do, I have spreadsheets of restaurants I want to try and museums to visit.

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

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… Jess Slabaugh, Sales Director, InsurTech.

Name: Jess Slabaugh
Department: Sales
Title: Sales Director, Insurtech
Location: Knoxville, TN

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Six months. I started in the Spring of 2022.

What was your onboarding process like?

Everyone was so welcoming and excited to see Ideon growing. Ideon is made up of so many collaborative individuals with deep industry knowledge and technical ability, which made my onboarding process extremely informative and valuable. I was able to meet all our department leaders and most of my peers and collaborate on strategy almost immediately.

What do you like most about your job as a Sales Director?

I’m really proud of the solution we put out in the market. Digital Transformation is not easy, but it is necessary, and I get to help companies think strategically about how they accomplish this every day.

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

Over the last decade, I’ve somehow become the person that my friends call to answer their insurance questions and help them with annual enrollment. Insurance is so complicated and I loved the idea of working for a company who wanted to simplify it.

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

Our employees are a mix of people with and without insurance backgrounds. The combination creates a perfect balance of understanding the industry challenges and pushing the boundaries on the status quo with modern technology.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

I’m a sucker for a DIY project!

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Istanbul, Turkey or Dubrovnik, Croatia. It’s a tie!

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I like to renovate houses! I’m on house number 4 and have 2 rental properties in downtown Knoxville.

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

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.

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… Amy Ekart, our Operations Support Representative.

Name: Amy Ekart
Department: Solutions Delivery
Title: Operations Support Representative
Location: Colorado

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

A little over four months — I started in April 2022. 

What was your onboarding process like?

Quick and easy. The People team was great at communicating the onboarding process before my first day, and once I started, I met other new members of the team who joined around the same time. It was nice to experience onboarding with a group of peers. 

Tell us about your day-to-day work as an Operations Support Representative.

My typical day centers around facilitating correspondence with carriers on data acquisition, support questions, and testing. But every day is different, as I support two separate teams: Data Operations and Carrier Relations.

How was the transition from working at a large carrier to joining an InsurTech like Ideon?

I worked in Small Group underwriting at a large insurance carrier before transitioning over. One of the biggest changes has been moving from an established corporation to a growing company, where we have more opportunities to solve problems through innovative solutions and processes. It’s exciting to be part of a company transforming the customer experience. 

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

It’s hard to make decisions about your health insurance and benefits. Having worked at a large insurance carrier before, I was drawn to Ideon’s mission of making the world of health insurance more transparent and consumer-friendly to help individuals make informed decisions. 

What do you like about Ideon’s company culture?

I like the collaborative and fast-paced environment, filled with a bunch of health insurance geeks who have extensive knowledge and understanding of the healthcare industry. And I could tell instantly that my new teammates are genuinely good people.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

I live in Colorado, so it depends on the season! Skiing in the winter and hiking and camping in the summer. But I’m always trying out new craft breweries during all seasons. 

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Iceland and Thailand. Iceland for the insane geography and Thailand for the culture (the food was tasty, too!). 

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I played softball in college and one year our NCAA Regional games in Arizona were broadcasted on ESPN.

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

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… Nadine Bal, our Data Operations Analyst.

Name: Nadine Bal
Department: Data Operations
Title: Data Operations Analyst
Location: New York. NY

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

I was among the first few hires! It’ll be 7 years in January.

Tell us about your day-to-day at Ideon.

Like Ross and his couch I’m pivoting most of the time! (IYKYK.. If you don’t… Friends reference) My main responsibility is acquiring data from insurance carriers and public sources — it’s a collaborative role, working with various teams to get the job done. Additionally, I’m currently partnering with our product team on enhancing internal tooling for our data operations staff. It’s really interesting!

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

I liked the idea of transforming the confusing world of health insurance data into something consumers can actually understand. And the work is important, as it helps people make better decisions for themselves and their families.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

The sky is the limit for Ideon. We have a great product and the right team to make the “what if we…?” and “could we…?” questions a reality.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

When I first started at Ideon, we didn’t have the robust processes and structure that we have in place today. It’s been an incredible experience to develop those processes, and now, with a much larger team, seeing them really be utilized to create efficiencies and a better customer experience. I’ve learned that communication between colleagues and across departments is essential. And taking pride in what you do makes all the difference!

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

Reading (I know, boring but true)! Harry Potter is still my favorite series to date.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Costa Rica. Friendly people, amazing food, and gorgeous waterfalls.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I love a good true crime documentary or podcast. Sword and Scale is one of my favorite podcasts and Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is an amazing documentary.

 

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

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… David Gonzalez, Director of Carrier Growth.

Name: David Gonzalez
Department: Carrier Relations
Title: Director of Carrier Growth
Location: Miami, FL

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

One year — I started in July, 2021.

What do you enjoy most about Ideon’s company culture?

Ideon looks and acts the part of a modern technology company, but the people are highly attuned to the challenges in the industries we serve: health insurance, employee benefits, and InsurTech.

The cultural result is a blend of the maturity you expect from a long-standing insurer and the innovative intensity of NASDAQ-leading technology firms.

What is the best part about your job?

Very few jobs give you the opportunity to talk strategy with leaders from the world’s most successful insurers. This is one of them.

What excites you about the future of Ideon?

Ideon has the potential to create the type of buying experiences in employee benefits & health insurance that we already see in other digital markets. And I believe those are the type of modern experiences customers deserve.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

Working at Ideon allows me to experience first-hand how companies think about digital transformation. As a result, I have a much better understanding of how executives think about risk management, operational efficiency, and distribution strategy. I don’t think I could have gotten that anywhere else at this stage in my career.

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

I loved my career in voluntary benefits before Ideon. But nearly every issue that kept me awake at night was connected to data exchange between the insurance carrier and the benefits administration platform. Once I understood how Ideon solved these issues, I was sold.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

Reading and exercising. Classic lit & non-fiction. Weights & basketball.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Either New Zealand or Turkey. Wait…maybe Costa Rica.

New Zealand because we rented a car and drove through both islands.

Turkey because of the Mediterranean vibes and a legendary sunrise in a hot-air balloon.

Costa Rica because I lived there for two years and saw every nook and cranny. Incredible people and supreme views.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I spent two years living in Costa Rica helping international volunteers do meaningful work in schools, hospitals, and construction sites. In the process, I co-created after-school programs in marginalized communities that still exist today.

 

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

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… Colin Crihfield, Product Manager.

Name: Colin Crihfield

Department: Product

Title: Product Manager

Location: New York

 

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Seven months. I started in July of 2021.

What do you enjoy most about Ideon’s company culture?

There’s a genuinely positive atmosphere at the company. We work hard but we also have fun, which goes a long way in brightening up meetings, especially in a primarily remote working environment.

What is the best part about your job?

The collaboration across teams and willingness to help each other out is fantastic. The learning process at Ideon is endless because of the complexities inherent to our industry and our products. But I feel incredibly lucky to learn from great people every single day.

Tell us about your day-to-day on the product team?

My favorite part of product management is that no two days are the same. My days are a mix of creating innovative products and features for our customers and new internal tooling for our operations team. I also have the privilege of working with Ideon’s marketing, sales, and engineering teams to research, plan, develop, test, launch, and enhance our products.

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

I was drawn to Ideon for two reasons. First, the problem we’re solving is incredibly important: people need more choice, transparency, and information to make better decisions about their health insurance and benefits. Second, I wanted an opportunity to work on innovative products. We’re building API infrastructure that has never existed in our industry.

What do you find interesting about managing Ideon’s quoting and decision support (QDS) products?

Over the last five years, the team has done an amazing job establishing our QDS products as the industry leader. Still, there are avenues for us to improve and expand these products. It’s really exciting to face this challenge head-on, through creative problem-solving and analytical thinking.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

I love to cook, but recently that has been trumped by the addition of a new furry friend to our family. Now going to the Madison Square dog park is at the top of my list. 

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Vermont. Not the most exotic, but dirt roads, trees, and fresh air are such a welcome change from my home in NYC.

Interesting fact about yourself…. Go!

Since high school, my claim to fame has been being able to dunk a basketball. I try it out every few months to make sure I can still do it so I’m still clinging to that!

 

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

 

 

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… Keriann Iovino, our People Operations Coordinator.

Name: Keriann Iovino

Title: People Operations Coordinator

Department: People Team

Location: New York

 

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon? 

Just shy of 5 years!

What do you enjoy about Ideon’s company culture?

I love the transparency and the people I work with every day.

How has Ideon helped you grow professionally?

Management at Ideon wants to see everyone succeed. Although I was hired as an Office Coordinator in our NYC headquarters, I was always interested in the People/HR field. Ideon’s Head of People, Emily Joseph, and our Chief of Staff, Tory Bensen, were supportive in helping me more closely align my responsibilities with my interests, eventually transitioning me into the People Operations Coordinator role that I’m in today. 

What do you like most about your job and working at Ideon?

I get to meet every new Ideon employee, ushering them through the interview and onboarding process. Our team is amazing and it’s been especially rewarding over the past 12 months, getting an opportunity to meet so many new faces, all from different backgrounds and locations!

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

In the past, I’ve worked in the medical field and saw how confusing and messy health insurance can be. When I came across Ideon, I was immediately drawn to its mission to solve these challenges at the industry-wide level. I wanted to be a part of a company making a big impact. 

 

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working? 

Besides relaxing with my family, I love crafting! I like to make shirts and tote bags.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Curacao was by far my favorite place that I’ve traveled to.

Interesting fact about yourself… Go!

I was once in a Mac Miller music video!

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

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… Kashika Whitelaw, a key member of our Omaha-based enrollments team.

 

Name: Kashika Whitelaw

Title: Quality Assurance Analyst, Enrollments

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

One year and two months 

How would you describe Ideon’s culture?

The company as a whole has built a positive culture. Our work is challenging, but at the same time, it’s refreshing being part of such a progressive, flexible, inclusive, and collaborative company where everyone works together toward a common mission.

What do you like most about your job and working at Ideon?

Constantly learning and being inspired by the openness of creativity and innovation. 

What’s your day-to-day like on Ideon’s enrollment operations team?

I provide assistance to our tech partners ensuring member management data is processed as seamlessly and effectively as possible. I’m also currently involved in developing Ideon’s Enrollments Operations Quality Assurance (QA) department by creating processes, documentation, workflows and training new team members. 

How was the onboarding process joining Ideon amid a global pandemic? Was it challenging to get to know your teammates while working remotely?

Onboarding was user-friendly and straightforward for me—our People Team laid out exactly what needed to be done and they were very responsive when I had questions. My computer, applications, and credentials were perfectly set for my first day.

Life

Favorite activities when you’re not working?

Dance, exercise, home decor shopping, work on side projects, and binge-watch shows (Grey’s Anatomy is my favorite).

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Turks and Caicos 

Interesting fact about yourself…. Go!

My daughter and I make our own natural hair products and participate in double dutch tournaments locally.

 

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.

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… our long-time software engineer, Tom Aguilar.

 

Name: Tom Aguilar

Department: Engineering

Title: Software Engineer

Location: New York

Work

How long have you worked at Ideon?

Five and a half years. I was one of the earlier employees, No. 14 to be exact!

So you’ve had a front-row seat to Ideon’s transition from a small startup to the well-funded, nearly 100-person company it is today. What’s that experience been like for you?

It’s been a great learning experience over the years. When I started, everyone wore many hats, as is common early on. We were discovering what worked and didn’t. We’ve learned quite a bit from those early days, and we now have a more established process and team structures to fully support our mission.

You started your Ideon career on the data operations team. How was the transition to the engineering team?

When I first joined, I was part of the data operations team, figuring out how our health insurance benefit and rate data should be standardized and sourced into our system. At some point, it became clear that what we were doing was closely tied to our engineering team’s effort to build out our APIs and expose the data to customers. With support from the engineering team, I transitioned from a more data-science role to software engineering, which was a fun and engaging way to learn. And I have a unique perspective that I get to share. I can help new Ideon engineers get up to speed and more deeply understand how the rest of the company functions.

What attracted you to Ideon’s mission?

I went to a public health school so I was drawn to the mission of improving access and efficiency in the healthcare system. I enjoy getting the opportunity to work for a company looking to make the system work better for everybody. 

What do you enjoy about Ideon’s company culture?

We have a really strong and diverse team that I get to work with every day. I enjoy the good balance of independent work and collaboration on the engineering side. 

What do you like most about your job and working at Ideon?

I love that I get to take a deep dive into the insurance industry’s challenges, as my workday is full of solving technical problems that impact how millions of Americans access and enroll in benefits.

Tell us about your day-to-day as a member of the engineering team?

My day starts at “stand-up”—our daily morning meeting—going through the tasks I’m currently working on and any blockers that I have run into. Then from there, I’m focused on getting features out to our customers or on improving the internal tooling for our operations team.

Life

Favorite activity when you’re not working?

Drinking natural wines and playing records.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?

Japan.

 

Interested in joining our team? Check out Ideon’s careers page.