“I am a professional and efficient team player, always looking for added value.”
hometown: Kibbutzrawi, Israel
Fun facts about yourself: I was a cowboy for most of my teenage years!
Undergraduate schools and majors: Bachelor of Economics and Social Sciences
Recent employers and positions: Purchasing Manager, Viola Ventures
What makes London a great place to get an MBA? London is an exciting city with endless possibilities and opportunities, one of the most diverse in the world. London’s rich people and culture make it truly unique. Combined with the fact that London is an important strategic global business centre, it makes London a successful place to shape the next generation of business leaders.
London Business School is one of the most culturally and professionally diverse MBA programmes in the world. How do you see these global perspectives enhancing the value of your business education over the next two years? I hope the diversity of LBS will expose me to new ideas, areas and opportunities that I didn’t know about or considered before. Israel is a culturally and ethnically diverse country, so I am familiar with the value that different backgrounds and perspectives can bring to a team, and I wanted to expand my knowledge of other cultures and industries. I’m especially excited about the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and learn which properties are global and which are local. I have no doubt that I can learn a lot from such a diverse and talented peer group.
In addition to your classmates and location, What was a key part of the LBS MBA programme that made you choose this business school and why is it so important to you? The flexibility of the LBS programme and the many opportunities to work with top business organisations such as those involved in LondonCAP (London Core Applied Practice) make the programme the perfect blend of theory and practice to help me achieve my goals.
What course, club or activity excites you most at LBS? I can’t wait to take the Global Business Experience course. In these programs, LBS students travel to different destinations around the world, learning first-hand about the specific industries and unique ecosystems of these countries. I am especially looking forward to visiting Stockholm to learn more about sustainability and innovation.
Describe your biggest career achievement so far: I was promoted to head of a department that was underperforming and had a lot of difficulties. 80% of employees expressed their willingness to leave! I was assigned to do an overhaul. The first thing I did was redefine the department’s core values, develop a vision, and set clear goals. I built a recruiting and retention program that tripled the number of applications and increased employee retention to 90%. I also created a new management training program that later became the flagship program for all departments. I think the biggest achievement was regaining the trust of management and the board, which resulted in quadrupling the department’s budget, which I used to spend on R&D, new markets, and partnerships.
What’s one thing you’ve read, watched, or heard recently that you would highly recommend to a future MBA? Why? recently reread almanac In Navy Lavikant. The book details Naval’s boundless wisdom in excerpts he has collected from Twitter, podcasts, and essays. He combined them into a wonderful “Guide to Wealth and Happiness.” I found this book to be not only inspiring but very practical, including many tips on life and business skills.
What motivated you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? Having worked as an analyst, product manager, brand manager and department manager in the same field for several years, I gradually understood that I wanted to change the industry and experience new business challenges. My ultimate goal is to build my own stuff. I hope the MBA experience will open up new opportunities for me and provide me with business and leadership skills that will aid my journey.
What advice do you have for helping potential applicants get into the LBS MBA programme? Whether you’ve been accepted to LBS or not, the journey to an MBA can be challenging and will teach you a lot about yourself, your abilities and your future goals. So anyway, I believe it’s worth it.