Jeremy Zung

Jeremy Zung has been Chief Information Officer for professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) since 2021. He says: “When I joined A&M during COVID, there was no playbook or manual to tap into. It became very clear, though, that our primary focus needed to be about stabilising the core – this included not just technology, but our staff.”   

Based in Florida, Zung previously enjoyed a 30-year career at professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He started as an actuary and held multiple client-facing and internal roles through times of significant growth for PwC including being the US Advisory IT leader for 12 years, leading over 13 acquisitions.

It was a big career move when he made the switch to A&M – but Zung himself is not afraid of change, given that his career has been about continuous improvement and transformation and his 30 years at PwC had prepared him for this opportunity.

“One of the things that really attracted me to A&M was its history based on relationships and not relying on commercials or TV ads,” he explains. “It’s a people business. That really stuck with me – that its work is through referrals, word-of-mouth, people saying what we’ve done for them.”

For a business consulting firm that is focused on its clients’ needs, it can often be difficult for companies like A&M to think introspectively about its own challenges. As global CIO, Zung is responsible for all internal IT matters including all back-office technologies like core systems, email, and phones as well as engaging other members of the broader A&M family with technology matters.

Small savings beget larger efficiencies

His job includes finding ways to reduce time spent by staff on ‘admin-type tasks’ so that they have more time to service world-class clients. 

“If you save somebody 15 minutes a week, assuming they work 45 weeks a year, and multiply that by thousands of employees – boom, all of a sudden you’re talking about millions of dollars in time savings. Even something that’s a 5 or 10-minute task for end users can scale up to be over a seven-figure benefit to the company right away.

“While AI gets all the fanfare right now, I still believe that most companies who haven't gone through a transformation can see much bigger cost savings and cost avoidances by automating all these little internal things first.”

Modern CIOs have to be so much more

As for Zung himself, he is a vastly experienced IT executive who recognises the changing landscape around him. Modern CIOs must understand that IT is a business within a business, with its own budgetary considerations, and must possess skills beyond the technical.

Away from the office, he loves American football and is an avid if not fully adept DIY-er. Together with his wife, Zung has purchased multiple properties and renovated them. “If we can find a video on YouTube, we will try it,” he says, marvelling at the wonders of modern technology.

His approach to leadership has evolved through the years as well. He used to think that the key to success was to move quickly, but now he encourages his teams to be agile but to always validate and test. “Don't just assume something's going to work,” he advises. “Trust – but verify.”

Read the full story HERE.