The Team

  • Ron Huldai

    Ron Huldai

    Chairman

    Ron Huldai, Chairman

    Ron Huldai was elected for his fifth consecutive five-year term as Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo on October 30, 2018. Mayor Huldai’s most important goal has been to maintain Tel Aviv-Yafo as a bastion of the cherished values of tolerance, acceptance, diversity, and democracy. To this end, he has actively promoted policies and budgets to support the various groups that reside in the city. These include Affirmative Action for minority employees in the Municipality; establishing a municipal center for the LGBT community; building and financing of facilities of Special Education facilities to serve children from dozens of municipalities across the country; upgrading services to Holocaust survivors; approving far-reaching extensive welfare programs; and more.

    Thanks to Mayor Huldai’s long-term economic vision for Tel Aviv-Yafo, the city has positioned itself as a global center of innovation and creativity. Under his leadership, Tel Aviv-Yafo has become known as “the Startup City of the Startup Nation”. The city boasts more technological startups per capita than any other city in the world – 1,700 at any given moment. The city also boasts the highest density of accelerators in the world, numerous top-ranking research universities, and R&D centers for global enterprises.

    Mayor Huldai’s administration has had a demonstrable impact on the city. Among his many accomplishments, Mayor Huldai has eliminated the municipal deficit. For the past 20 years, he has maintained a balanced budget while completely transforming the city’s infrastructure, public sphere, and municipal institutions. In light of this economic turnaround, Standard and Poor’s has awarded the city with the coveted AAA Stable rating. The Mayor has also further positioned the city as the major cultural center of Israel, upgrading dozens of cultural and historic assets. The city received international recognition in 2003 when UNESCO proclaimed it a World Heritage Site. In 2014, UNESCO acclaimed Tel Aviv as a Creative City for its excellence in digital media activity.

    Mayor Huldai has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for the local residents. Much emphasis has been placed on returning the public sphere to the residents, with the creation of over 120 kilometers of bike trails, 14 kilometers of the beachfront boardwalk, and renovation of many of the city’s historical assets. During Huldai’s tenure, the city’s population increased by more than 10% after four decades of negative growth. One demographic in particular that has increased is that of young people, which doubled since Huldai took office. Today, one of every three residents is between the ages of 18 and 35.

    Of special note is Mayor Huldai’s increased allocation of budgetary funds to improve the living conditions and infrastructure of the lower-income areas in the south. He has also provided funding to build and improve schools and community centers and expand services, making lower-income neighborhoods a budgetary priority.

    This is especially true for Yafo (Jaffa) where the Mayor has improved the infrastructure, living conditions, and the social fabric of this part of the city. With a $250M investment over the past decade, great progress has been made. These include: the restoration of the tourism complex – including the historic port and market, creating a massive waterfront park with unprecedented use of recycled materials and substantial upgrades to the educational system, including the new Academic College of Yafo.

    Under Mayor Huldai’s tenure, Tel Aviv-Yafo has truly become a global city, which has further developed and enhanced its broad international activity in numerous fields. In addition, in recent years, Tel Aviv-Yafo joined many city networks worldwide that exchange know-how, such as C40 for climate change; 100 Resilient Cities; OECD’s Inclusive Growth; the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, U20, to name a few. Tel Aviv-Yafo has also been awarded international recognition in almost every sphere.

    Ron Huldai was born in 1944 and raised in Kibbutz Hulda. He joined the Israeli Air Force in 1963 and served as a combat pilot for 26 years, including during the Six-Day and Yom Kippur Wars. He served as commander of two of Israel’s largest air force bases and retired from the Israeli Air Force with the rank of Brigadier General.

    After his military service, Huldai had the opportunity to pursue his life-long dream. Following in the footsteps of his parents, who were educators, he became principal of the renowned Gymnasia Herzlyia. During his tenure, he transformed a much-deteriorated high school into a pedagogical showcase of educational and organizational excellence.

    Huldai is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force’s American Air War College (’81) and holds a Bachelor of General Studies from Auburn University of Montgomery (’81).

    Mayor Ron Huldai is married to Yael, and they have three children and nine grandchildren. He enjoys cycling along the city’s beachfront, is an avid reader, an amateur musician, and is a frequent sampler of the city’s cultural offerings.

  • Dr. Hila Oren

    Dr. Hila Oren

    CEO

    Dr. Hila Oren, CEO

    Dr. Oren is a city maker with a deep passion for urbanism and a vast experience in city-making, marketing, and branding. Prior to the Tel Aviv Foundation, Dr. Oren was the CEO and founder of Tel Aviv Global, an initiative started by the Mayor’s Office of Tel Aviv-Yafo, dedicated to elevating the city’s brand and global positioning.

    In 2010, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality undertook a municipal-national initiative designed to position Tel Aviv as a global city – a leading international business center that specializes in innovation. During her term, the Startup City vision was formed: a municipal strategic plan for investors, entrepreneurs, tourists, and students, connecting city platforms with private initiatives. As a result, Tel Aviv-Yafo was awarded the title ‘Best Smart City in the World’ in 2014.

    Dr. Oren is a board member of the Haifa Port, where she serves on the Executive Committee of Future Mobility and is a member of the Board of Directors of Amidar, the Daniel Rowing Center, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Academic College, and the Advisory Board of the Charney Forum for New Diplomacy.

    Dr. Oren holds a BA and an MBA from Tel Aviv University, a certificate from the Leadership program at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Ph.D. from the Department of Geography at the University of Haifa, where she wrote her thesis about the global branding of Tel Aviv.

    Hila lives in the historic moshav (town) of Kfar Vitkin with her partner, Eran, and three children: Noa (27), Niri (25), and Guy (11).

  • Lior Meyer

    Lior Meyer

    VP

    close

    Lior Meyer, VP

    Born in Tel Aviv, Lior Meyer is the VP of the Tel Aviv Foundation, an organization chaired by the Mayor of Tel Aviv and focused on raising the quality of life of each Tel Avivian through partnerships that enhance the city’s values of openness, innovation, inclusion, and opportunity. As part of his position, he manages an international team of partnership managers in Israel, the US, Canada, and Europe.

    Prior to this position, Lior was the Deputy CEO of Tel Aviv Global & Tourism, where he managed the process of developing and implementing Tel Aviv’s international brand and the City’s tourism activities.

    In 2019, Lior was the International Host City Director of the Eurovision Song Contest – the largest international event ever held in Israel. He has a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an M.A. in Political Marketing from IDC Herzliya.

  • Limor Benbenisty

    Limor Benbenisty

    CFO

    close

    Limor Benbenisty, CFO

  • Orly Diamant

    Orly Diamant

    Chief Engineer

    close

    Orly Diamant, Chief Engineer

    Orly is an experienced engineer and has worked for many years managing construction projects around Israel, including at Danya Cebus and Nitsba Holdings.

    As Chief Engineer, Orly is responsible for the execution of all construction projects by The Tel Aviv Foundation, working with top architects and construction companies in Israel and around the world.

  • Michal Kenan Shmueli

    Michal Kenan Shmueli

    Chief Development Officer

    close

    Michal Kenan Shmueli, Chief Development Officer

    Adv. Michal Kenan has a rich professional background as a business development manager in the high-tech industry in Israel and abroad. She is a graduate of 8200 – the I.D.F. Intelligence, and holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York, with an internship in finance and innovation.

    As Director of Development at the Tel Aviv Foundation, Michal is involved in the development of many urban initiatives, works in partnership with a variety of municipal units and private entities, and executes various projects for the residents of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

     

  • Alin Rozen

    Alin Rozen

    Donor Relations Manager

    close

    Alin Rozen, Donor Relations Manager

    Alin has been working at the Foundation since 2004. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Political Science from the Open University.

    Alin has 2 daughters.

  • Sarit Ben Or

    Sarit Ben Or

    Accounting Manager

    close

    Sarit Ben Or, Accounting Manager

    The Foundation’s bookkeeper has been with us for the past 26 years.

    Sarit loves culture. She lives in Rishon Le Tzion, married, and has 4 children.

     

     

  • Revital Genislav

    Revital Genislav

    Executive Assistant

    close

    Revital Genislav, Executive Assistant

    Revital has been working at the Foundation since 2001. She has a BA in Communications and Behavioral Science from the College for Management in Tel Aviv.

    Revital is married and mother to 3 children.

  • Michal Hanuka

    Michal Hanuka

    Marketing & Communications Manager

    close

    Michal Hanuka, Marketing & Communications Manager

  • Adar Schieber

    Adar Schieber

    Donor Communication Manager

    close

    Adar Schieber, Donor Communication Manager

  • Chen Goldwits

    Chen Goldwits

    Programs Manager

    close

    Chen Goldwits, Programs Manager

  • Ella Leibovich

    Ella Leibovich

    Assistant to the VP & Events Manager

    close

    Ella Leibovich, Assistant to the VP & Events Manager

  • Anna Fomin

    Anna Fomin

    Assistant to Chief Engineer

    close

    Anna Fomin, Assistant to Chief Engineer

accessibility

Accessibility Toolbar