by Eva Glassman | Nov 11, 2024 | Blog, Featured
Lisa Collins is the CEO of Optum Advisory Services, a healthcare consulting firm within United Health Group. With an educational background in industrial engineering and healthcare administration, Lisa began her career in healthcare installing electronic medical record systems (ERMs). Passionate about the opportunities the healthcare space has to help people and evolve, Lisa has remained in healthcare to this day. Outside of work, Lisa enjoys outdoor sports like skiing (both water and snow), dirt biking, and golf, and enjoys family time with her husband and two adult sons. Lisa has been a member of C200 since March 2024.
Eva Glassman: Tell me a little bit about your role at Optum and what the company does.
Lisa Collins: I’m the CEO of Optum Advisory Services. We’re the 4th-largest US-based healthcare-focused consulting firm and sit within the United Health Group organization. We focus on helping payers and providers in the healthcare ecosystem with the challenges they face. For example, we help with setting strategic direction, addressing affordability, and driving efficiencies, along with leading our clients through digital transformation, AI, and automation, with a heavy reliance on data and insights in all we do. Most importantly, we’re always focused on creating outcomes and value for our clients.
EG: What’s your day to day as CEO of Optum?
LC: I attempt to balance my days by focusing on our clients, our talent, and leadership—and, of course, our key business and financial metrics. We continuously drive to meet our targets all while myopically focusing on delivering client value. I’m excited that we had 20% YOY growth last year and expect to achieve that again this year.
EG: What do you love about your job? What’s challenging about it?
LC: Certainly, achieving our key targets and growth rates are incredibly important. However, what I truly love about my job is the impact I make: 1) in helping our clients improve healthcare, and 2) with our people. I have a passion for helping women in leadership and encouraging them to be fearless, curious, and innovative. I’m dedicated in my desire to make sure other women don’t have to go through some of the struggles and glass ceilings I had to go through. I want to break down those barriers when and wherever possible. I hope that will be my legacy and not just: “Hey, she grew the business 20% YOY and hit the targets.”
The most challenging (and exciting) part of what I do is building and enabling a team that solves the difficulties within the healthcare industry—an industry far behind others in many ways. I am committed to incrementally improving the healthcare industry. There is certainly no lack of opportunities, and I will never run out of things to do before I retire!
EG: I’m curious about your educational background and career journey. When you first started your career, was this where you thought you would end up?
LC: I studied Industrial Engineering during my undergrad and have a master’s in healthcare administration. When I graduated college, I started my career at a company called Shared Medical Systems (eventually acquired by Siemens Medical) implementing electronic medical record (EMR) systems at health systems across the country. I fell into that job because it was convenient at the time; it was a mile from my parents’ house, so I was able to take the job, live at home, and save some money for a couple of years. That’s how I got into healthcare, but I feel extremely fortunate that I landed a career where I can truly make an impact to society, clinicians, and patients.
During my tenue at Siemens Medical, I gained experience in consultative and management type roles leading various sales, services, and development organizations. Eventually, I moved from the software side of the business to the medical imagining and laboratory diagnostics side, where I ran services for North America. I certainly gained a deep appreciation for the importance of having discipline around quality, compliance, and regulatory requirements throughout all parts of the business—something that was engrained in me and has helped guide me throughout the duration of my career.
After Siemens I joined Accenture, where I worked for several years running one of the regions within their healthcare space. Another fantastic organization from a culture standpoint, along with their ability to form and deform teams to bring the best to their clients. I left Accenture only due to an opportunity to move over to Cerner to run Global Services, which eventually acquired the Siemens Software business. Having worked with that business for so long, it was a logical transition and, in some ways, felt like going back home.
After Cerner was acquired by Oracle, I decided to join Optum for an opportunity to be the CEO of our Advisory Services organization. I’ve been here for about two years now and absolutely love the culture of United Health Group.
EG: What do you believe are the biggest factors that led to the success of your career?
LC: I had some fantastic mentors along the way, all of whom gave me great advice regarding how to navigate politics, how to intentionally and consistently plan and socialize my career, and how to tell my story to others so that people would feel compelled to sponsor me in my journey.
In addition, I believe my range of business experience contributed to my success and ability to be a good CEO. My overall goal always was to be a CEO. Given that, I consciously sought out experiences that would help me achieve that goal. It was important to have experience with leading R&D, Sales, and Services, and deep understanding of managing large P&L’s. I intentionally changed roles so that, by the time I could become CEO, I had the full breadth and depth of what was required. I knew where I wanted to go, what I wanted to be, and made sure that I was getting professional experience that was required of me to rise up the ranks.
EG: I want to go back to what you were saying about mentors. Did you have any women mentors over the course of your career?
LC: Early on, my mentors were mostly men, mostly because there weren’t many women in executive roles at the time. In the last ten years, I’ve gained more and more mentors who are women—in fact, now they’re mostly all women!
To be honest, I don’t know if I’d even call them mentors at this point; we are all part of a “squad” that helps each other. I’m always trying to bring more women into our squad. Right now, there are ten or twelve women executives that I rely on heavily and we depend on each other for problem solving and general support.
Over the years, my view of “mentorship” has evolved from “true,” formalized mentorship to just a group of us that bring together different skills and talents. We certainly mentor and bring positive energy to each other.
EG: I love hearing how your idea of what mentorship looks like has changed—less formal and more human. It sounds like you’ve created a positive environment for yourself and for other women in your network. I know that many women, even if there were other women in their industry, didn’t feel looked after as they advanced through the ranks.
LC: I remember being in meetings where I was literally the only woman executive in the room—thank goodness it’s not like that at all anymore.
I’m one hundred percent about bringing women along. In my late 30s, early 40s, there was a shift in my mindset when I stopped and thought, “Okay, I’m confident where I’m going—but what am I doing to bring others along?” I also started thinking more about the gaps in my own skills and how to build diverse teams around me to fill those gaps.
I don’t understand leaders who create teams by hiring people who are exactly like them. What does that do for you, truly? I want a team that is comfortable to challenge and question each other, including me—this is what creates innovation and solutions. We limit the art of the possible if we don’t question and push each other!
EG: More to your point, the shift to more human-centric leadership within professional environments is good for innovation, and lots of women are the leaders for that approach.
LC: There was a day in the workplace when you couldn’t show who you were as a woman, whether it be any emotional sensitivity or just talking about kids (whether it be because you had them or wanted them). This is still a consequence for many working women today—it’s ridiculous. As much as I love my career, it’s still a means to an end; my family is what’s most important to me. At the end of the day, the company will go on without me, which is not a bad thing to admit.
EG: What does being a woman in business mean to you, if anything? How do you apply that thinking to what you do?
LC: Again, it’s about bringing a diversity of strengths to a single team. In general, women tend to be good connectors and more in touch with their emotional intelligence, which is critically important as a leader. It is possible to hold each other accountable, be strategic and innovative, and have humility and grace in the workplace.
I’m not into a hierarchical workplace culture. Recognizing and expressing gratitude for your hardworking team goes a long way, and it’s important to do it for all levels across the team; we’re all in the same boat together, driving forward. I encourage folks to bring forward ideas, whether they are an intern or SVP; even if the idea is a little off, it may spark something great.
I don’t know if any of this has to do with being a woman, but it’s what’s important about being a strong leader.
EG: Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?
LC: Work hard, play hard! I’m a very active, outdoorsy person. I’m all about dirt bikes, wave runners, skiing—snow and water. I run and weightlift every day. Lately, I’ve had a bit more time on the weekends to golf—something I’ve always loved to do, but really enjoying having more time for right now.
And then, of course, I love to spend time with my husband and two sons. My kids are grown and have their own lives, but we still meet up for dinner and go on vacations as a family as often as possible.
As a boy mom, it’s always been interesting figuring out how to stay connected with my sons. I was always a bit of a tomboy, though, and had a dirt bike since I was twelve (and still have my first one—a Honda XL75). When my sons were young, I introduced them to all the outdoorsy activities I’ve always enjoyed, and we’ve bonded through them over the years.
EG: What is your advice to aspiring women business leaders to advance their careers?
LC: Network, network, network! I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times—but it’s still true. It’s important to have strong networks in the space where you spend a good portion of your time. That’s why I love C200; it’s another opportunity to forge strong networks with amazing women across other industries. It will be really interesting for me to learn from C200 members and bring my learnings back to the healthcare space.
It’s important to consciously work at it, to the point where I put it in my calendar to reach out to someone. Regardless of how you network—on LinkedIn, emails, social media, or grabbing a coffee—the key is to put in the effort, because the return can be significant.
EG: Basically, network before you need to.
LC: Exactly. You have to give in order to get in return. Even getting involved in your local community can be so beneficial—you never know who you’ll meet with and develop a connection. For example, I’m on the board for the Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital and involved with Community Volunteers in Medicine. It’s helpful to think about networking as opportunities to help others.
Of course, there’s a lot you can do within your company to advance your career, too. Be the one who raises your hand, and step up if you have an idea. If you can jump on an opportunity that can get you recognized and differentiated within the company, people will see what’s different about what you bring to the table. Bottom line: be fearless!
by Eva Glassman | Oct 28, 2024 | Blog, Featured
Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz serves on the Board of Directors of the Charles Schwab Corporation. In 2023, she retired from her executive position at Charles Schwab, where she wore many different hats since 1983. Carrie is a nationally recognized expert in financial literacy and a leader in democratizing access to financial services. She is a force for addressing both business and critical social issues as a former Managing Director, Consumer Education and President, Charles Schwab Foundation. Since her retirement, Carrie enjoys playing tennis, civic engagement, angel investing, and taking care of her new puppy. Carrie has been a C200 member since March 2024.
Eva Glassman: What was your executive role at Charles Schwab?
Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz: I was a long-tenured senior executive at the Charles Schwab & Company and have worn many hats over the years at the company. I went from starting out as a file clerk, to working as a financial consultant serving clients, to building a national financial literacy program that permeated inside and outside Schwab.
Over my career, I’ve learned that people from all economic backgrounds lack financial knowledge. It’s a national issue to this day, and Schwab and I were able to do our part in spreading awareness and providing resources. One of my greatest prides was building longstanding partnerships with organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Girls Scouts, and AARP, giving millions of people the knowledge and skills to have financial security in their lives. In addition, I was publicly educating and advocating for financial literacy with a national personal column, books, and serving on the US President’s Council on Financial literacy.
I was also Chair of the Board of Schwab Charitable for over ten years, which is the second-largest national donor-advised fund in the country for investors. Our clients were giving $4 billion a year to charity.
Fifteen months ago, I retired from my executive position and currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Charles Schwab Corporation, which I’ve been doing for the past two years.
EG: I read that you’ve been at Charles Schwab since 1983; not everybody has a career where they stay on with the same company for so long, especially one that is in the family. What was that like? I’m especially curious about this since, even today, there aren’t a ton of women in finance.
CSP: While I did work at another company for a few years and got my MBA in between there as well, my career pretty much has always been at Schwab. In fact, I started there when I was sixteen years old, when the company was a start-up. Recently, over breakfast with my dad, we were reminiscing about when the company had about ten employees, and our Christmas parties were in the back corner room of a restaurant. Now, the company has about 34,000 employees.
When I first started out in the company, it really just felt like working for my dad. Literally and figuratively, it was like a family to me. I was “one of the kids”—not just my dad’s kid, but the kid around the office that everyone knew. The culture, even today, is very inclusive and team-oriented. There are no false pretenses. I always felt very comfortable there and that it was a place to thrive as an individual in my career.
When I was twenty-three, I had just gotten my broker’s license and was in our San Francisco headquarters. After I went through a rotational training program, I asked my father for his opinion about where I should go within the company for my permanent position. He said, “Carrie, if you want to learn the business, you should go out in the branches and serve clients.” Today, I can say it became the foundation of who I am as a senior executive. I understood how important it is for businesses to see things through the client’s eyes and have empathy and a pulse on their needs.
While I was serving clients in my younger days, I was very passionate about economic empowerment for everyone, especially helping women with their finances. Unfortunately, I’ve seen so many smart women—many of whom my friends and family—abdicate their finances, and it didn’t end so well. I organized lots of events while at Schwab and joined a philanthropic group of women in finance to help less fortunate women gain economic parity. Word got out within the company about this, and then I was asked to create and run what we called the Women’s Initiative, which allowed me to be even more vocal about the topic and ensure that Schwab was truly welcoming to women investors.
Running the Women’s Initiative really launched me as an advocate for women’s financial literacy and beyond—and because of that, I was asked to run the Charles Schwab Foundation. I refocused the foundation’s strategy to have greater impact on financial literacy for all to reflect the company’s heritage and collective passion. I wanted it to be something everyone at Schwab could own and be a part of. We could bring not only our money to the foundation, but also our expertise.
When I was asked to run the Schwab Foundation, many of my mentors advised me against it, since it’s “relegated as a ‘soft side’ of business.” However, I saw it as a way to create my own business, something that would be a complete asset to the company. While I had naysayers here and there, I stayed focused on what I was trying to achieve—to make Schwab a national leader in financial literacy. The foundation not only helped our communities, but it also helped Schwab expand its market and be a better partner to our clients.
EG: Financial literacy for women is still such an important topic.
CSP: It’s getting better today, but there’s still a difference between the way parents talk to their sons versus their daughters about money and investing. Over the years, I have read so many studies that show parents are more likely to talk about investing with their sons than their daughters. Several years back, Schwab conducted a study that showed young men were about twice as likely to have investment accounts than young women. Families aren’t equipping young women well enough to go out into the world and develop good financial habits so that they can have options and a more secure life.
There are so many financial issues unique to women that we need to be more prepared for. To name just a few: on average, we get paid roughly 80 cents for every dollar a man makes, we go in and out of the workforce to care for children or elderly parents, and we live longer than men. It’s imperative for young women to plan for these things early to protect their future—and feel comfortable doing so.
EG: What do you believe are the factors that contributed to the success you found in your career?
CSP: People talk about having mentors, but I honestly didn’t have a lot of mentors. It was much later in my career that I developed a community or network of support, which made all the difference for me going forward. In my early 40s, I went to the International Women’s Forum’s leadership development program for young, rising women, and it was a total launching pad for me in terms of confidence. I was exposed to the power of networking, but in particular, the power of women helping women. Creating that village fostered a lot of courage in me to do things and get out of my comfort zone. I used to be shy about asking somebody more senior than me to help me or talk about career things. Being in the opposite position now, it’s an honor to help young people. I wish I had started advocating for myself in that way much earlier.
Another factor that helped me succeed in my career is my ability to stay focused on my goals. I had a mission and vision for where I wanted to go, and while I had naysayers along the way who would try to bring me down, I didn’t let them take me from where I wanted to go and what I felt was right. I just kept my chin up and kept going.
EG: How did you find C200? What made you join?
CSP: I’m a part of many networks of women who have been there for me for different needs at different times of my life. Today, one group in particular happened to be mostly C200 women in the Northern California area. We became close, and they would invite me to their dinners. Eventually, I realized that I was the only one who wasn’t in C200! Somehow, they adopted me, and all advocated for me to join.
I wasn’t looking to join a group; when you get to my age, you have a lot in your life already. But these women bring so much energy, love, strength, and knowledge to me, that I thought, “Why not?” They were so happy to put my application in!
I always look forward to our dinners when we get together, and I can’t wait to host my own dinner. I’ve now been to one official C200 dinner and an overnight retreat. Both were so lovely; we talked about some very personal things. It’s a very trusting group that you can get great advice from.
EG: What does being a “woman in business” mean to you, and how do you apply that thinking to what you do?
CSP: As you can tell, my life has been about advocating for women to have equal opportunities. Recently, my college friends reminded me that I was a big feminist back then, when the Equal Rights Amendment was being tossed around. I think advocating for women is part of my DNA.
My parents divorced when I was nine. I saw my mom, even though she was very smart and had a great education, still dependent on having a husband. I knew it was not a good thing to see. In retrospect, that was a huge reason why I became such an advocate for women.
I believe women having financial independence is a key factor for women’s overall freedom. That’s where I feel I can help women get started, particularly young women, so that they can focus on everything else, not worry about money, and be able to take advantage of it. I saw what my mom went through, being a single mom and a homemaker. I sincerely believe that financial literacy is a great equalizer—not the great equalizer, but a great equalizer. It’s foundational.
EG: Outside of work, how do you like to spend your time?
CSP: Right now, I’m obsessed with tennis. I’m playing on two USTA teams and I’m co-captain of one. I’m having so much fun and made a whole other group of friends from it. I find myself—how should I put it—inappropriately competitive! I have to laugh at myself, though!
My other obsession right now is my puppy, which I got three months ago. Her name is Mabel, after my grandmother, who was a strong-minded woman and somebody really important in my life.
EG: What’s your advice to aspiring women business leaders to advance their own careers?
CSP: Act the part. If you want to be the manager, senior manager, director—whatever it is, try to find ways to do the work. Perform like an executive or whatever position you’re trying to achieve. Get as much experience in different positions as possible. A general background in business, getting exposed to different disciplines of the business—marketing, finance, tech, general management, leadership etc.—is a huge win. Those skills are all transferable.
Be visible. It’s important to make yourself visible within the company, especially with more senior people. You can be smart and hardworking, but if you’re not being seen by people who might promote you, you might not advance at the pace you could be. You want yourself and your work to be known throughout the company. Networking and building relationships will help you gain advocates.
EG: Why C200?
CSP: The women! For me right now, the C200 women are who I want to connect with. Regardless of whether they are retired from executive life or still working, these women are still in the game, so to speak: continuing to grow, lead, and do important things in the world of business and beyond. That’s how I think of myself these days, and that’s how I want to be.
I am so excited to learn, grow, and be better because of my relationships with these incredible women. Everyone brings something to the table, especially at C200, where there are businesswomen across so many industries with so many perspectives. We all can and should learn from each other!
