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Background
Born in 1961, Och graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics. He began his career at Goldman Sachs, where he worked on the risk arbitrage desk and later headed proprietary trading. In 1994, Och left Goldman Sachs to establish Och-Ziff Capital Management, which grew into one of the world’s largest hedge funds. In 2019, the firm rebranded as Sculptor Capital Management, further distancing itself from its founder. Following his departure from the firm, Och founded Willoughby Capital, a family office that has invested in companies such as Robinhood, Coinbase, and Instacart. 1
Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation
Daniel Och, along with his wife Jane, has been actively involved in philanthropy through the Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation. The foundation focuses on education, community development, Jewish life in the United States, pro-Israel causes, and medical research. Notably, the foundation has made substantial contributions to Jewish organizations, including grants exceeding $1 million to the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York, the Birthright Israel Foundation, and Beth-El Synagogue in New Rochelle, New York. 2
As of 2022, the Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation contributed a $1 million grant to the Anti-Defamation League, a New York-based left-of-center organization that was founded to combat antisemitism. 3
In the medical field, the foundation awarded a $50 million gift to New York-Presbyterian Hospital to expand the Och Spine program across the New York metropolitan area. This initiative claims to increase access to spinal care by establishing additional facilities, including in underserved communities, and focusing on non-operative services. 4
Beyond these efforts, Daniel Och sits on the board of Endeavor, an organization that supports high-impact entrepreneurs globally. He is also involved with the Robin Hood Foundation, which claims to combat poverty in New York City. 5
Professional Influence and Policy Engagement
In 2016, Och-Ziff Capital Management settled charges with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). 6 Daniel Och agreed to pay nearly $2.2 million to settle SEC charges that he caused certain violations. 7
In recent years, Och has been vocal about corporate governance issues. He criticized the planned acquisition of Sculptor Capital Management by Rithm Capital along with other signatories including Harold Kelly, Richard Lyon, James O’Connor, and Zoltan Varga, all former employees of Sculptor. They stated in their letter that there could have been “potential bidders who were excluded from the (bidding) process” and raised concerns that Sculptor’s current management “may have engaged with potential buyers or their representatives to sway the outcome in their favor.” 8