WoW Woman in HealthTech | Irina Groysman, Business Consulting Manager at ZS

Irina Groysman is a Business Consulting Manager at ZS, a global professional services firm that leverages deep industry expertise, leading-edge analytics, technology, and strategy to create solutions for clients that work in the real world.

Irina spent her professional life working in the healthcare sector – starting with caring for patients as a clinical pharmacist to then working with a large FMCG organization, helping them enter the natural beauty care market. She became passionate about understanding consumer behaviors and how psychology and culture influence the choices they make, specifically around something so personal as healthcare. After working for a global advertising firm where she helped launch several products in the wellness space as well as healthcare, she transitioned into working for a global healthcare consultancy where she currently leads an incubator focused on designing immersive experiences which leverage technology such as VR, AR, and games with a purpose to help engage audiences and transform their thinking. Irina is most excited to see how the world of healthcare evolves from its focus on treatment towards prevention, and she believes that technology will play a huge role in that – from increasing access to quality information to enabling and building positive habits to keep us healthy.  

Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far. How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?

I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare – I come from a generation of doctors in the family, so I grew up hearing medical stories as a child. I saw how much my mom loved her job as a pediatrician/neonatologist (she was so committed that she ended up re-studying medicine when we immigrated to the US from Russia, after working as a doctor for 20 years!) I ended up getting a doctorate in clinical pharmacy (in New York City) but then started looking for a job in an industry that seemed more exciting in the dynamic in terms of the opportunities it had to offer. I started working in R&D / Product Design at Procter & Gamble in Germany, studying how consumer behaviors influence their choices of beauty care products and translating that into the products we were launching. I then transitioned to a role in marketing – which was really tough as I didn’t have a business background, so I had to learn a lot on the job. I then decided to move to London, where I started working at Ogilvy, a global advertising agency where I focused on launching products in health and wellness. I absolutely loved defining patient engagement strategies and working with creative teams to bring those strategies to life via cool campaigns. I remember casting a patient for one of the campaign shoots aimed at raising awareness of a very rare condition affecting predominantly women –we talked about how doctors often underestimate the suffering that these patients go through, as the symptoms are invisible and difficult to measure. That really stuck with me, and I try to remember that we truly never know what people are going through from how they present to the world. 

I got recruited by ZS just over 3 years ago – and when HR described the role to me it really seemed like it combined a lot of the things I love doing. My team and I design solutions using immersive technologies to engage patients and healthcare professionals to solve a variety of challenges – from clinical trial participation to immersive education/habit building. I’m excited to continue learning about the fast-developing space of health tech / immersive technologies!

How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in? 

I’ve been working in the industry for the last 10 years, but I think I definitely did not take a traditional path to get to where I am. I love trying new things and working in dynamic environments – I am motivated by change. But change is also challenging – I always felt like an outcast in every job I had, because I never had a “traditional” background for the role. I’d like to say that I learned to use that to my advantage – the different skills I picked up in the various roles I’ve held helped me succeed, but it’s definitely not easy when you feel like the new kid on the block - the learning curve is always steep in the beginning! 

In terms of industry challenges – I would say that the pharmaceutical industry is a tough one to be in when it comes to driving innovation. The industry is highly regulated and as a result, I often find that companies are slow at adapting innovation within digital, health / immersive tech. 

What are your biggest achievements to date?

Building our incubator at ZS which focuses on designing immersive experiences/solutions – I loved being involved from the time when it was just a concept on paper, to now - where we have a small but growing team working on bringing a variety of solutions to market.

What are the projects you are currently working on?

My main focus is on helping our clients use virtual reality to educate and prepare patients for medical procedures. I’m also exploring how we could use virtual reality to enable at-home patient monitoring so that they don’t need to come to the clinical trial center. 

Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why? 

The technology industry has traditionally been dominated by men, and it’s exciting to see so many women leading innovations and shifting that paradigm. Specifically, when it comes to health tech and feminine health, I believe that women are best placed to come up with solutions to support women throughout our lifespan. I am ecstatic to be part of the community and continue developing my knowledge in this area. 

What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see it heading?

Telemedicine and AI will continue making headway, patients will continue feeling more empowered to drive their own care, and overall, I believe we will finally see a shift towards a consumer model where the patient experience sits at the center of all decision-making.   

What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?

Be brave and be prepared to disrupt – the [pharma] industry can be very conservative and hard to shift, but the results can be very rewarding. 

Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?

Keren Leshem of OCON Health – I’ve recently started following OCON and am really excited to see the innovation they’re bringing in the space of long-term contraception and intra-uterine health! So long overdue! 

Claire Novorol from Ada Health – I am very impressed by how they were able to launch a platform combining expert knowledge, the power of AI, and a consumer-first interface to deliver a solution that is truly valuable to patients and healthcare professionals globally.

Lone Thomson – former exec at Coca-Cola and Meatless Farm as well as a good friend and a mentor of mine. Lone has taught me to be fearless in how I pursue my goals, she always pushes me to strive for more and calls me out when I’m not being true to myself. I’m always inspired by Lone’s continuous self-development and feel lucky to have her as my dear friend and guide! 

Find out more about ZS on their website, and connect with Irina on her LinkedIn.

This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.