AMCHAM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- VP Development & CEO Afeka Yissumim, Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering
- VP Development of Afeka
Mr. Barnea serves as VP Development of Afeka and CEO of its commercial arm "Afeka Yissumim Ltd." He is also a founding Partner at Netvizio, a French-Israeli startup developing unique solution for Online Video augmentation.
Job Titles:
- CEO, Rafa Labs
- Member of Committee
Sharon began her career at IAI in 1998 at IAI's Elta Division.
Her first position at Elta was as Systems Engineer, radar systems.
A couple of years later, she was promoted to lead the Systems Engineering Management methodology and implementation, Airborne Early Warning (AEW).
In 2010, Sharon was appointed Project Manager for Elta's large-scale, complex Integrated Microwave Systems development project.
After 13 years at Elta, Amira Sharon moved to IAI's Lahav Division in 2011 to head the Systems Engineering Department with over 50 system engineers. At Lahav, Sharon led new systems development at the technology, avionics and robotics front.
In 2016, Amira Sharon was named director of Technology, Innovation and R&D at Lahav Division, where she remained until her appointment as Executive VP.
Sharon holds three degrees from Israel Institute of Technology (Technion): B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, M.Sc. in Industrial Design and Ph.D. in Information Management Engineering.
Job Titles:
- TOR & ACCO - FOUNDING PARTNER
Mr. Acco heads the Israeli inbound team of the firm.
He holds an LLB Honors degree from the Faculty of Law of Thames Valley University, London, U.K
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- Member of Committee
- Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Manager, Karyopharm Israel Ltd
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- CEO, SAREL Logistics Solutions & Producrs for Advanced Medicin Ltd
- Member of Committee
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- General Manager, Roche Pharmaceuticals ( Israel ) Ltd
- Member of Committee
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- General Manager Israel, Abbvie Biopharmaceuticals Ltd
- Member of Committee
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- Israel County Director, Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Member of Committee
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- CEO, Eli Lilly Israel Ltd
- Member of Committee
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- Chairman
- Head
- Corporate Affairs Manager, Chevron Mediterranean Limitd
Binyamin (Bini) Zomer acts as Head of Foreign Affairs and Administration at Chevron Mediterranean Limited. Before joining Bibi acts as Noble Energy Israel Country Manager since October 1, 2014. Befor he was AIPAC's Deputy Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Washington based Israel lobbying organization. He has also served as legal advisor to former Oklahoma Senator Don Nickles. Zomer is a graduate in Political Science from the University of Texas and Washington University Law School in St. Louis.
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- Member of Committee
- VP Market Access & External Affairs, Pharma Israel
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- Member of Committee
- VP Regulatory Affair, PolyPid Ltd
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- Chairman
- General Manager, Bristol - Myers Squibb Israel
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- Member of the Finance Committee
- Arba Finance
Ariela joined the Chamber on 1982
Ariela holds PhD. in Mediterranean Studies
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- CEO, Vascular Biogenics Ltd
- Member of Committee
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- Executive Director, Israel - U.S. Binational Industrial R & D Foundation ( BIRD )
- Member of Committee
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- Member of the Finance Committee
- CFO & COO Microsoft Israel R & D
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- CEO, Indolex Pharmatech
- Member of Committee
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- Chief of Staff, Teva Global Operation, Teva Pharmaceuticals
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- Business Consultant
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Director, New York State Israel Office
- New York State Trade Office Representative in Israel
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- Chairman & CEO, Deloitte Israel
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- Deloitte Israel 's Chairman and CEO
Ilan Birnfeld is Deloitte Israel's Chairman and CEO since 2013 after period of 8 years as the Managing Partner, and has over 20 years of managerial and professional experience. He is active in global forums of Deloitte's management and strategy, and is a member of the Global Executive Committee for innovation implementation in Deloitte. Also, he is a volunteer member of several NGOs dealing with education, Zionism and reinforcing weaker populations, and also serves on the board of Variety Israel.
Job Titles:
- Principal, Head of Markets, KPMG Israel
Mark Gazit has over two decades of experience in the high tech industry, with a track record of maximizing revenue, net earnings, and shareholder value for startup, turnaround, and rapid growth global organizations in emerging markets and economies.
Before joining ThetaRay as CEO, Mr. Gazit served as a Managing Director of Nice Cyber & Intelligence Solutions, an autonomous division of Nice Systems Ltd. That provides software and hardware
solutions to government agencies worldwide in the areas of Information Intelligence, Cyber and Safe Cities. He transformed this division into a fast growing, profitable revenue generator.
Between 2002 and 2010, Mr. Gazit served as Group President & CEO of SkyVision, a global telecommunications company that he took from the start-up stage to an international company serving over 50 countries worldwide and operation centers on three continents. He has also held pivotal roles in leading companies such as Deltathree, NetVision, NetMedia and Widecom. Mr. Gazit Gazit took Computer Science and Mathematics courses at Hebrew University and studied Senior Business Administration at Tel Aviv University. He also attended an Executive Management seminars at
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- CEO, Aion Labs
- Member of Committee
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- Country Manager, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel
- Member of Committee
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- Dir Government Affairs, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd
- Member of Committee
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- Vice President for International Business Development
- Vice President, International Business Development, RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd
Neil Corney was nominated as the Citi Country Officer for Citibank N.A, Israel in November 2013.
Prior to this, Mr. Corney joined Citibank in August 2004 as Country Treasurer. He was promoted to Managing Director and head of FICC in 2008, afterwhich he became Head of Markets in 2011.
Prior to Citibank, Mr. Corney ran a team of 15 as Head of the Trading department in the Treasury at Bank Hapoalim, Israel's largest Bank, where he was employed for 7 years. Previously, Mr. Corney ran a private hedge fund in Israel investing in a plethora of instruments ranging from Interest Rate Derivatives to Commodity Futures.
Mr. Corney also worked as a Portfolio Manager for a South African group with ties to ABSA bank. Mr. Corney graduated with Honors in the field of economics and statistics from Manchester University in England.
He is married with 7 children.
Job Titles:
- Public Policy and Government Relations Senior Manager, Google Israel
Noa is a mother of three girls. She recently published her first poetry book. She has a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in political communications.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- CEO of the Israel - America Chamber of Commerce
Oded serves as the CEO of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce since April 2016. The chamber is a private organization whose aim is to increase trade, investments and economic relations between the countries. Previously, Oded served as CEO of Flow industries since 2008. Flow develops and markets worldwide its patented Airshock and Silo-Flow technologies that are used in heavy industries, water and the oil & gas industries. Previously Oded served as VP Marketing and Sales of Atlantium Ltd., a leader in industrial and municipal water disinfection equipment market. Prior to that Oded served as Managing Director of Aurum, a venture capital fund focused on life sciences and served on the boards of directors of over twenty companies including medical equipment and biotech as well as telecom and software start-up companies. Oded has also worked as a consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton (today Booz & Co.) out of their New York office, and prior to that as a software engineer at Scitex Co in Israel. Oded earned a Master's of Science in Medical Research from Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, an MBA from the Wharton school of business, University of Pennsylvania, and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Oded studied his 11-12th high school grades at the IB Lester B. Pearson College in Canada (www.pearsoncollege.ca). Oded serves as the CEO of the Eastern Mediterranean International School Foundation, a non-for-profit organization whose mission is to make education a force for peace and sustainability in the Middle East. Its main activity was to found the EMIS international boarding school in Israel (www.em-is.org) that brings in high school students from around the globe for a two-year International Baccalaureate (IB) program (11th-12th grades). 20% of the students are Israeli, 20% are non-Israeli Arab and Muslim students and 60% from over 40 countries.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner
- Partner, Corporate Department, Fischer & Co. Mr. Sitton Is a Partner in FBC 's Corporate Department. He Familiar With Both American
Mr. Sitton is a partner in FBC's Corporate Department. He familiar with both American and Israeli business cultures and legal systems, and his broad network of global contacts to better advice Israelis doing business abroad and international clients doing business in Israel. He is experienced in structuring, negotiating and driving multiparty/multidisciplinary domestic and cross-border transactions.
Ron Sitton
Partner, Corporate Department, Fischer & Co. Mr. Sitton is a partner in FBC's Corporate Department. He familiar with both American…
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- Head of HR, Intuit Israel
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- CEO, Ichilov TLV Hospital
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- CEO & President at Strauss Group
- Chief Executive Officer, Strauss Group Ltd
Shai Babad is currently serving as the CEO & President at Strauss Group, where he brings his expertise in financial management and strategic leadership. Shai served as Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Finance, CEO of the Second Authority for Television and Radio and the CEO of ZIM Israel & Near East. Shai holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Finance & Economics from The London School of Economics (LSE), and LL. B in Law and Economics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a senior management course from Harvard University.
Shai has a broad macroeconomic global and local business perspective, including extensive experience in both the public and private sector. Shai is a highly experienced business executive, skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, Operations Management, and Strategy.
Job Titles:
- General Manager, Amdocs Israel
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- Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies
- Founding Director and President of Atid EDI Ltd.
- President, Atid E.D.I. Ltd
Sherwin Pomerantz, is a founding director and President of Atid EDI Ltd., a Jerusalem based economic development consulting group which, for the last 29 years, has specialized in operating regional overseas trade and investment offices on behalf of different US states, Canadian provinces and Hong Kong. EDI currently represents the trade and investment interests in the region of Delaware, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania, the City of Cedar Park, Texas, and Invest Hong Kong in addition to being a contracted consultant to Ukraineas well.
Prior to starting EDI, Sherwin was Vice-President of Luz Industries Ltd. having senior management responsibilities in policy development, public relations, administration, international relations and operations ץ
Prior to moving to Israel, before 36 years, he was President of Controls for Industry Inc. in Chicago, a data processing service bureau. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from NYU, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and received advanced MBA education at Northwestern University.
Mr. Pomerantz has been both Jerusalem Regional Chairperson and National President of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel. He is a founding director and now Chairperson of the American State Offices Association, the umbrella group for the 14 US state offices operating in the region. He was also a founder and General Secretary of Israel's Visit USA Committee (VUSACom), a group that encompassed a number of tourism service providers encouraging additional tourism to the US.
Community wise, Sherwin is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and president of Congregation Ohel Nehama in Jerusalem., He is a past Director of the Committee for the Economic Growth of Israel and the Israel Life Sciences Industries Association. In addition, he has been involved in leadership positions in many other community activities in Israel and the US.
Sherwin's op-eds are published regularly in the Jerusalem Post as well as numerous Anglo-Jewish publications in the U.S. He is a regular blogger for the Times of Israel as well.
Job Titles:
- Head of Commercial and Strategic Partnerships, Medronic Trading
- Member of Committee
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- Co - Chairman, FaireFund First American Israeli Real Estate Fund
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- CEO of Spectronix Emerson
Tal Laufer is the CEO of Spectronix Emerson, a hi-tech company, part of the Emerson Electric Corporation business, working worldwide with its headquarters located in Sderot. Spectronix Emerson is a world leader of fire detection & suppression systems for combat and tactical vehicles, optical flame detectors and flash type open path gas detection systems, suitable for flame and gas detection applications, including the oil and gas industry, petrochemical and pharmaceutical plants.
Prior to joining Spectronix Emerson, Mr. Laufer was one of the founders and VP of Operations at APM Automation Solutions LTD., a startup company acquired by Emerson in 2013. Tal served as Captain in a Combat Parachuting unit in the IDF and worked for 8 years in the Prime Minister's office in Israel and abroad. Tal holds an Executive International Masters (LL.M.) in Commercial Law from Tel Aviv University and U.C Berkeley in California USA and a Bachelor's Degree (B.A) in Government, Diplomacy & Strategy from IDC Herzliya, both with honors.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, MSD Israel
- Member of Committee
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- Chairman / Partner, Kan - Tor & Acco Law Firm
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- Country Manager Israel, United Airlines
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- Chairman of the Finance Committee
- Founding General Manager of Abbott Israel
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- Yaniv Garty Former Vice President at Intel, and the Product Lines GM of the Next Generation and Solutions ( NGS ) . in
Yaniv Garty
Yaniv Garty former Vice President at Intel, and the Product Lines GM of the Next Generation and Solutions (NGS). In…
Yaniv Garty former Vice President at Intel, and the Product Lines GM of the Next Generation and Solutions (NGS). In this role, Yaniv was responsible for shaping and driving the NGS strategy for technological and product solutions, from vision into realization.
Yaniv also served as the General Manager of Intel Israel, overseeing the company's activities and operations in Israel.
Yaniv joined Intel in 2004 with the acquisition of Envara Inc. and served in multiple positions within Intel, including the General Manager of the Wireless Connectivity Solutions, a worldwide organization responsible for delivering wireless connectivity technologies and products.
Prior to Intel's acquisition of Envara, Yaniv served in multiple engineering, business, and managerial positions in companies in the field of communications.
Job Titles:
- Chairman / Tax Partner, Deloitte Israel
- Head of the International Tax Department at Deloitte
Yitzchak is the head of the international tax department at Deloitte, He is also a partner in the TMT group.
Yitzchak provides international tax planning, transfer pricing, co-sharing agreements, ESOP and ESPP services to multinational entities and corporations. He has extensive experience in structuring mergers and acquisitions to achieve business and liquidity objectives and he also consults on reporting and business issues related to technology licensing, development, manufacturing, and other agreements.
Job Titles:
- Commercial Director for $1.8b
- Country Leader for Dow
- Managing Director Israel
In addition to his PU business role, Gafni is also the country leader for Dow in Israel. He is responsible for establishing the company's first direct presence in the country, driving the growth strategy in the region and connecting Dow with the local innovation ecosystem.
Prior to this role, Yochai was the Global Business Director for Dow's Reverse Osmosis $0.5b business. In this position he was leading the development and implementation of the business strategy including global profit and loss accountability.
Yochai joined Dow Solar in 2010 and held several business development and marketing roles. He was the Commercial and Marketing Director before joining Dow's Water business in 2014.
Before joining Dow, Yochai served in the Israeli Air Force for six years. Following his military service, he joined the Finance department at Intel where he spent three years as a Project Manager responsible for asset allocation in several Merger & Acquisition deals. From 2006 to 2007, Yochai led a startup developing and commercializing decision support system for sustainable agriculture in Europe.
Job Titles:
- Member of Committee
- VP Regulatory Affairs & Market Access, Medison Pharma
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- Senior Partner, Y. Ben - Dror, Law Firm
Yossi Ben-Dror served in the Israel Defense Forces as an Intelligence Officer (Major) in a variety of intelligence, command and staff positions.
Mr. Ben-Dror Studied Law and Economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was certified as a lawyer in 1985.
Mr. Ben-Dror worked for five years at one of the leading corporate and commercial law firms in Israel and was appointed for an interim period, as the General Counsel and Secretary of the National Coal Supply Corporation.
In 1989 Mr. Ben-Dror was invited to work for three years at the renowned and leading firm - Hale and Dorr in the United States (currently Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr). In addition, Mr. Ben-Dror is a member of the Bar Association of New York State since 1990.
Upon his return to Israel, Mr. Ben-Dror established Y. Ben-Dror Law Firm, where he practices to date.
Mr. Ben-Dror served during his career, and is currently serving, in a variety of public positions, including:
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer, Cellebrite
- Global Chief Executive Officer of Cellebrite
Yossi Carmil is Global Chief Executive Officer of Cellebrite and a member of the company's board of directors. He brings with him more than 20 years of vast experience of Executive Management, International Sales, Business Development, Commercial Management and Strategic Consulting. Prior to joining Cellebrite, Mr. Carmil held among others a Business Strategy Consulting role at Bain and Company, and served as the VP of Commercial for Siemens LTD. He holds an MBA from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. Mr. Carmil is a member of the board of CommuniTake Technologies LTD, Cellomat Ltd, German-Israeli Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) and a member of the Public HLS Committee.