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Jake Vander Zanden

PARTNER, Executive Search

Jake Vander Zanden serves as a Partner at McDermott + Bull and is part of the firm’s Technology and Healthcare + Life Sciences Practices, based in Irvine, CA. 

Jake spent over 25 years as a turnaround and growth leader completing business transformations as a senior executive at companies like Allergan, Medtronic, and more. He has lived and worked throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe, and managed businesses in all the major regions of the world. Jake’s success has come from his ability to quickly and continuously develop high-performing teams and guide their achievement of company-changing initiatives, regardless of country, language, culture, or product group.

Jake actively engages with the Life Sciences community, serving on the Leadership Board of DeviceAlliance™, acting as a Growth Services Advisor for OCTANe, and judging the OCTANe High Technology Awards. An OWL Champion Member, he’s dedicated to fostering ophthalmic innovation and collaboration. Jake offers expertise at Applied Innovation and mentors MBA students at the University of California, Irvine, also reviewing grants for the NIH POP program. He holds a BA in marketing and management from St. Thomas University, St. Paul, Minnesota.