Directors & senior management
Shlomo Nehama
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Shlomo Nehama has served as a director and Chairman of the Board of Ellomay since March 2008. From 1998 to 2007, Mr. Nehama served as the Chairman of the Board of Bank Hapoalim B.M., one of the largest Israeli banks. In 1997, together with the late Ted Arison, he organized a group of American and Israeli investors who purchased Bank Hapoalim from the State of Israel. From 1992 to 2006, Mr. Nehama served as the Chief Executive Officer of Arison Investments. From 1982 to 1992, Mr. Nehama was a partner and joint managing director of Eshed Engineers, a management consulting firm. He also serves as a director in several philanthropic academic institutions, on a voluntary basis. Mr. Nehama is a graduate of the Technion – Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, where he earned a degree in Industrial Management and Engineering. Mr. Nehama received an honorary doctorate from the Technion for his contribution to the strengthening of the Israeli economy.
Hemi Raphael
Director
Hemi Raphael has served as a director of Ellomay since June 2006. Mr. Raphael is an entrepreneur and a businessman involved in various real estate and financial investments. Mr. Raphael also serves as a director of Cargal Ltd. since May 2004 and of Dorad Energy Ltd. Prior thereto, from 1984 to 1994, Mr. Raphael was an active lawyer and later partner at the law firm of Goldberg Raphael & Co. Mr. Raphael holds an LLB degree from the School of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and he is a member of the Israeli Bar Association and the California Bar Association.
Ran Fridrich
Director and Chief Executive Officer
Ran Fridrich has served as a director of Ellomay since March 2008, as Ellomay’s interim chief executive officer since January 2009, and as Ellomay’s chief executive officer since December 2009. Mr. Fridrich is the co-founder and executive director of Oristan, Investment Manager, an investment manager of CDO Equity and Mezzanine Funds and a Distress Fund, established in June 2004. In January 2001 Mr. Fridrich founded the Proprietary Investment Advisory, an entity focused on fixed income securities, CDO investments and credit default swap transactions, and served as its investment advisor through January 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Fridrich served as the chief executive officer of two packaging and printing Israeli companies, Lito Ziv, a public company, from 1999 until 2001 and Mirkam Packaging Ltd. from 1983 until 1999. Mr. Fridrich also serves as a director of Cargal Ltd. since September 2002 and since 2007 as a director in Plastosac Ltd. Mr. Fridrich is a graduate of the Senior Executive Program of Tel Aviv University.
Mordechai Bignitz
Mordechai Bignitz has served as an external director of Ellomay since December 20, 2011. Mr. Bignitz is involved in economic and financial consulting and investment management and currently serves as the CEO of OWC Pharmaceutical Corporation (OTC: OWCP) and as a director and CEO of One World Cannabis Ltd., a subsidiary of OWC. From 2006 to 2015, Mr. Bignitz served as the chairman of the investment committee of Migdal Capital Trust Ltd. and from 2017 he serves as a director of this company. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Bignitz served as CEO of Geffen Green Energy Ltd., an Israeli private company. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Bignitz served as a director of Leader Capital Markets Ltd. (TASE: LDRC), from 2007 to 2010 he served as a director of Leader Holdings & Investments Ltd. (TASE: LDER) and from 2010 to 2013 he served as a director of Ablon Ltd. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Bignitz served as CEO of Advanced Paradigm Technology. From 1992 to 2004, Mr. Bignitz served as director and CFO of DS Capital Markets. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Bignitz served as Managing Director of Dovrat, Shrem & Co. Trading Ltd. From 1991 to 1994 Mr. Bignitz served as Vice President and CFO of Dovrat Shrem & Co. and prior to that he served as Vice President of Clal Retail Chains (a subsidiary of the Clal Group) and Vice President & CFO of Clal Real Estate Ltd. Mr. Bignitz serves as a director of ARAD Investment and Industrial Development Ltd. (TASE: ARD), TechCare Corp. (OTC: TECR) and Globe Oil Explorations Ltd. Mr. Bignitz is a CPA, holds a BA in Accounting and Economics from Tel-Aviv University and completed the Executive Program in Management and Strategy in Retail at Babson College in Boston.
Dorit Ben Simon
External Director
Dorit Ben Simon has served as an external director of Ellomay since December 2023. Ms. Ben Simon serves as the Founder & Managing Partner of BSS Capital and as a President of IFI, the primary educational entity for the local financial services industry and has previously served as a CFO and Group Chief Risk Officer (CRO) at Israel Discount Bank (2006-2011). Prior to Discount Bank, Ms. Ben Simon was CEO of Gmulot, the leading asset management company in Israel and a subsidiary of Bank Hapoalim (2001-2006). Ms. Ben Simon serves as an external director of Massivit 3D Printing Technologies Ltd. (TASE: MSVT) since 2021 and served as an independent director of Meshek Energy-Renewable Energies Ltd. (TASE: MSKE) from 2020 to 2022, Energix-Renewable Energies Ltd. (TASE: ENRG) from 2012 to 2018 and Knafaim Holdings Ltd. (TASE: KNFM) from 2012 to 2018. Ms. Ben Simon holds an M.B.A in Finance and Banking and a B.A in Economy and General Studies, both from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Anita Leviant
Director
Anita Leviant has served as a director of Ellomay since March 2008. Ms. Leviant heads LA Global Consulting, a practice specializing in representing and consulting global oriented companies in IPO process. LAGC represents and consults investors and corporations on business and regulatory issues, in Fintech and Cyber investments, in cross border and financial transactions, banking and capital markets. LAGC provides through its Tel Aviv head office and its London based subsidiary soft lending for overseas l business in Israel and in the UK. For a period of twenty years, until 2006, Ms. Leviant held several senior positions with Hapoalim Banking group including EVP Deputy Head of Hapoalim Europe and Global Private Banking and EVP General Global Counsel of the group, and served as a director in the overseas subsidiaries of Bank Hapoalim. Prior to that, Ms. Leviant was an associate in GAFNI & CO. Law Offices in Tel Aviv where she specialized in Liquidation, Receivership and Commercial Law and was also a Research Assistant to the Law School Dean in the Tel Aviv University specialized in Private International Law. Ms. Leviant holds a LL.B degree from Tel Aviv University Law School and is a member of both the Israeli and the New York State Bars. Ms. Leviant currently also serves as President of the Israel-British Chamber of Commerce, Council Member of the UK- Israel Tech Council, Board Member of the Federation of Bi-Lateral Chambers of Commerce and a Co-Founder of the Center for Arbitration and Dispute Resolutions Ltd. Ms. Leviant is a certified mediator.
Kalia Rubenbach
Chief Financial Officer
Kalia Rubenbach has served as Ellomay’s chief financial officer since January 2009. Prior to her appointment as Ellomay’s chief financial officer, Ms. Weintraub served as Ellomay’s corporate controller from January 2007 and was responsible, among her other duties, for the preparation of all financial reports. Prior to joining Ellomay, she worked as a certified public accountant in the AABS High-Tech practice division of the Israeli accounting firm of Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, an affiliate of the international public accounting firm Ernst & Young, from 2005 through 2007 and in the audit division of the Israeli accounting firm of Brightman Almagor Zohar, an affiliate of the international public accounting firm Deloitte, from 2003 to 2004. Ms. Weintraub holds a B.A. in Economics and Accounting and an M.B.A. from the Tel Aviv University and is licensed as a CPA in Israel.
Ori Rosenzweig
Chief Investment Officer
Ori Rosenzweig has served as Ellomay’s Chief Investment Officer since November 2014. Prior to joining Ellomay, Mr. Rosenzweig was the head of Cash Management at Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M. (TASE: LUMI), one of Israel’s largest banks, from 2013 through 2014, the VP Finance at AFI Investments, one of the largest international real-estate developers in Israel (TASE: AFIL) from 2009 through 2013 and a senior manager at GSE financial consulting from 2002 through 2008. Mr. Rosenzweig holds a MBA degree from the Tel Aviv University and a BA degree in business and international relations from the Hebrew University.
Yehuda Saban
Director of Operations for Israel and EVP of Business Development
Yehuda Saban has served as our Director of Operations for Israel and EVP of Business Development since April 2019. Mr. Saban served between 2011- mid 2015 as Executive Vice President Economics & Regulation at Delek Drilling, the biggest oil and gas company in Israel. Previously, Mr. Saban served over six years in various capacities with the budget department of the Israeli Ministry of Finance as Manager of the Telecommunications and Tourism unit, Manager of the Budget and Macroeconomics unit and as an economist in the Energy unit. During those years, Mr. Saban was also an active partner in a number of committees and authorities in the energy, telecommunications and infrastructure fields. Mr. Saban serves as a member of the board of directors of Partner Communications Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: PTNR, one of the biggest telecommunication companies in Israel) and of Israel Opportunity Energy Resources LP (TASE: ISOP) and as chairman of its compensation and audit committee as of June 2015. Prior to joining Ellomay, Mr. Saban managed projects and business development for Hutchinson Water between the years 2015-2017. Mr. Saban holds a B.A. in Economics & Business Management (graduated with great honors) and an M.B.A specializing in Financing, both from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.