Zaf was born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He completed his undergraduate degree in international economics at the National University of Uzbekistan and moved to London, UK, in 2002 to manage foreign trade activities for a small private firm. He then immigrated to the United States in early 2010 and settled in Chicago, where he earned two graduate degrees from DePaul University (MPA, MBA) and completed a professional certification program in accounting. Zaf joined the Sears Holdings’ corporate audit group where he led numerous global assurance and advisory engagements. He subsequently accepted a job opportunity with Allstate’s internal audit.
In 2018, Zaf transitioned into a leadership role in Allstate’s procurement department and relocated to Charlotte. He is currently leading the company’s third-party risk management team that focuses on the vendor risk evaluation and mitigation activities. This team conducts due diligence and monitoring to ensure the company’s ongoing protection.
Zaf continues to invest in his personal growth and development. He earned several professional designations that include Certified Supply Chain Professional (CPSM), Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). He also completed the Supplier Management Professional Development Program at Loyola University. In addition, Zaf is a licensed realtor in North Carolina, and he owns and manages a real estate business portfolio consisting of multiple residential rental properties. Zaf is confident the process of rigorous learning, collaboration and research required as part of the DBA program at UNC Charlotte will help him to further solidify his leadership and technical competence. He considers the program to be his personal capstone project, and he expects the initial heavy investment in time and effort to produce lifelong returns.
Zaf is married and has two teenage daughters and a four-year old son. Most of his weekday evenings are dedicated to his kids’ after-school activities.