Changing the Game Rules (International Women’s Day 2019)
TAU Alumni Organization continues to salute their Alumnae with International Women’s Day events, and this time it chose the East-TLV club, where it was celebrated with women who are changing the game rules.
The event started with a speech about social activism and womanhood by Talia Harel Bejerano, CEO of Krembo Wings – Youth with and Without Disabilities, and Alumna of the Coller School of Management. Following her, Prof. Joseph Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University and the only male speaker at the event, said the following words: “Tel Aviv University works to promote egalitarianism and reduce gender inequality in the academic staff. And specifically, about our world- female researchers. Within the goals we set for ourselves as the largest public university in Israel, we are the leaders among the research universities in Israel on gender fairness. I call on all female graduates to act for each other, alumnae to alumnae, and alumnae to female students. Women's power will be strengthened if every woman helps her neighbor”.
At the center of the evening was a performance by the singer Dikla, but not before three female stars had a talk on stage about changing the rules of the game – as they experienced it: CEO of Facebook Israel Adi Soffer-Teeni, an alumna of the Buchmann Faculty of Law and Coller School of Management, Sarit Firon, managing partner at Cerca Partners, an alumna of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Coller School of Management , and the writer and journalist Lilac Sigan, who also graduated from Coller School of Management, who moderated the conversation.
Sarit Firon, who donated a scholarship as part of the Alumni Organization’s campaign to raise 300 aid scholarships for 300 students, explained the background to her decision: “When I started my studies I couldn’t follow my heart – I wanted to study physics or medicine, but my financial situation didn’t allow me. A week before the studies began I enrolled in accounting and economics studies, I was told that accountants make a lot of money and that’s what I needed. I hoped to prevent, at least from one student, what I went through”.
She added about the decision-making process for women: “A right decision comes both from the gut and the mind. This is my philosophy and that’s what sets us apart as women”.
Adi Soffer-Teeni, CEO of Facebook (Meta) Israel, spoke about the difference between the manager in the past and the manager nowadays: “20 years ago a chief had to be a chief, the one with white hair, who knows everything and has the most experience. That chief, today, is not supposed to be the smartest man in the room, and if that is the case then either he or those present in the room should be fired. He’s supposed to be the one who knows how to generate discussion and bring to light the potential of the people he recruited. It’s a more significant role than ever before”.
The event sponsors were the Japanese luxury car brand Lexus, which revealed at the event, for the first time, the new urban crossover Lexus UX – even before it was presented to the general public. Among the attendees were Dror Goralnik, the CEO of the company and an alum of the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences and Coller School of Management.
The son and CEO of the Israeli fashion brand, Daniella Lehavi, Ori Lehavi, who’s also a Coller School of Management graduate, also attended the event and the brand gave a gift to all the event participants. He also donated a scholarship as part of the Alumni Organization’s campaign.
In addition, the alums benefited from alternative treatments from “Broshim Campus”.
