Gorda Godoladze, now the global lead in Finance and analytical reporting at Amazon Music, embarked on his Amazon journey in 2022 as a Financial Analyst on the Amazon stores team.
As Gorda shares with Forbes, before receiving an offer from Amazon, there were few setbacks, but this did not deter his ambition to work at the headquarters of a leading global company “Tell Me About a Time When You Failed…One of the first things that struck me about Amazon, even during the interview process, was the company’s approach to failure. It’s empowering when your team members understand that failure can happen to anyone and value the ability to overcome challenges quickly. Thanks to this kind of approach and my deep passion for my profession, I was given the opportunity to be here today”.
Given his years of accumulated experience, educational background and his role at Amazon Music, Gorda Godoladze was named among the winners in the Finance category of Forbes’ “30 UNDER 30” project. The Finance category brings together outstanding young talents who achieve success through their knowledge, efforts, and enthusiasm, shaping the future of their respective fields.
Gorda has been living in the United States for several years, with most of his education and career happening here. His first professional experience was in Birmingham, during his MBA program at the University of Alabama:
“While studying in the MBA program at the University of Alabama, I was also part of a university-managed fund and a scholarship recipient. Initially, I served as a portfolio manager in the energy sector for the fund, where I created financial models for companies such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Valero Energy, and others. By the end of the program, I became the chief economist. In that role, I would listen to portfolio managers’ presentations, assess their work, and participate in the fund’s strategic management and trading decisions.”
Following this experience, Gorda secured his first full-time position in the United States as a Financial Analyst at Jack’s Family Restaurant, a quick-service restaurants chain headquartered in Birmingham that managed over 220 locations across five states in the U.S. During this time, in 2021, Gorda also completed a Business Analytics certification course at Harvard Business School, which, as he mentions, helped him refine his skills in business, finance, and statistical analysis:
“While working at Jack’s headquarters, I came across an interesting job posting on Amazon’s website and decided to apply. I wasn’t expecting a response, but couple months later I was contacted by a recruiter who informed me that one of the managers at Amazon had shown interest in my resume.
In 2022, I started working in the Amazon Style/Amazon Go department, where the financial modeling and industry analysis I developed included companies such as Nordstrom, Zara, H&M, Macy’s, and others.”
After spending 11 months in the Amazon Style/Amazon Go division, Gorda joined Amazon Music finance team. Amazon Music competes globally with major companies such as Spotify, Apple (Apple Music), Google (YouTube Music), Sirius XM (Pandora), and others.
At Amazon Music, his role as a financial lead involves business analysis and forecasting for Prime and Free tiers, conducting weekly business reviews to analyze current trends, and managing strategies for both short- and long-term perspectives. In his Forbes interview, Gorda discussed his experience at Amazon Music and reviewed trends and challenges in the global music industry:
“Amazon has provided me with invaluable experience at each stage of my career. The company’s rapid growth fosters an environment where employees learn to make timely decisions and are right a lot too. The most crucial aspect has been the team’s strategic approach for me. I am in constant contact with senior managers—discussing strategies with team leaders, which makes me an integral part of the business. I have the opportunity to participate in large-scale, highly interesting projects.
Amazon Music is distinguished by its unique integration within Amazon’s ecosystem, offering additional services through Prime membership, which significantly helps attract and retain customers. In my opinion, similar integration will be one of the defining factors shaping the future of the industry. Every platform is constantly innovating to increase market share, but I believe that ultimately, a quality user experience, data-driven personalization, and exclusive content will be the factors that determine success in the market.
Future technologies, like AI and machine learning, will further transform music discovery, and platforms that heavily invest in these technologies are likely to maintain their leadership.”
It was after assuming the financial lead role at Amazon Music that Gorda was named among the winners of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 project. As he says, being listed among the winners is a significant achievement and recognition for him:
“Being named among the 30 Under 30 winners was a major accomplishment for me. The fact that industry-leading experts select the winners brings a sense of responsibility. Being included reaffirmed that I am heading in the right direction and gave me extra motivation for further development.”
