Early Life and Education
Daniel Och was born on January 27, 1961, and grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey. He attended the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union (now Golda Och Academy). Och pursued higher education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics with a finance concentration.
Rise to Success
Och's career began in 1982 at Goldman Sachs, where he worked in the Risk Arbitrage Department. Over 11 years, he rose to become head of proprietary trading in the Equities Division and co-head of U.S. Equities Trading. In 1994, Och founded Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, with an initial investment from the Ziff brothers, heirs to publishing magnate William Bernard Ziff, Jr. Och-Ziff went public in 2007.
Key Business Strategies
Och-Ziff Capital Management Group (rebranded as Sculptor Capital Management in 2019) employed various hedge fund strategies. The firm's success was built on its ability to generate returns through diverse investment approaches. Och's focus on disciplined risk management and a comprehensive understanding of financial markets contributed to the firm's growth.
Philanthropy
Daniel Och is actively involved in philanthropy. He is the vice chair of the Robin Hood Foundation, which fights poverty in New York City, and has served on the board of trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2005. The Spine Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital was named after Och and his wife following a $25 million donation. In 2022, The Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation announced a $50 million gift to New York-Presbyterian. Och has given more than $500 million to his charitable foundation.