Maia Kutner

Runs the cities field at CDP – an organization for monitoring environmental hazards, London.

PPE graduate – class 7

MA degree in Environmental Policy, LSE.

An expert in voluntary reporting of environmental information, with an emphasis on climate and greenhouse gas emissions, ran the unit that was in charge of this topic. Gained experience in environmental accounting and developed indexes in this field, which are used by over 5000 of the largest companies in the world.

In the past, worked in the Knesset with Knesset Member Dov Khenin on environmental legislation issues, as well as at the Israeli embassy in London.

Resides in London.

Shaul Meridor

Former Commissioner of Budgets and Director General of the Ministry of Energy

PPE graduate – class 1

Served as Director General of the Ministry of Energy in the years 2015-2017 and in various positions at the Ministry of Finance Budget Division, the last of which Commissioner of budgets (2017-2020).

Resides in Jerusalem, married and has four children.         

Yael Marom

Leader of the customer experience field at riseup.

PPE graduate – class 8

MA degree in Philosophy, Tel Aviv University. Former Deputy Director General and Customer Success Manager at the Israeli Green Building Council.

At riseup, a technological start-up company with a social mission of helping Israeli men and women to grow economically, she is in charge of characterizing the human factor involvement in the customers’ experience of the service.

Mother of Gali and Amir and life partner of Aviad.

Ofer Berkowitz

Chair of Awakening movement in Jerusalem, Chair of the Opposition in Jerusalem Municipality

Former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem

PPE graduate – class 11

Initiated the establishment of the Awakening movement and serves as its head. President of Lev Ohev, an NPO that acts to connect large businesses to disadvantaged neighborhoods in order to promote social mobility.

Ran the First Station complex in Jerusalem during its year of establishment, is in charge of the field of economic development and employment in Jerusalem, the field of culture, and the central town’s renewal. Leads the development of the technological entrepreneurship scene in Jerusalem and the increase in the number of start-up companies and cultural thriving. Acts to strengthen the position of artists and craftspeople and to encourage cultural activity in neighborhoods, as well as to promote attainable housing.

Born in Jerusalem, married to Dina and father of Ariel, lives in Nachlaot neighborhood.

Daniella Gera

Deputy Chief of the Smart Transportation Administration at the Prime Minister’s Office

PPE graduate – class 5

MA degree in Economics and Financing, Hebrew University.

Occupied a number of positions at the Budgets Division of the Ministry of Finance and took part in consolidating and implementing the Israeli government’s economic policy: Agriculture Referent, Macro and Environment Protection Budget Coordinator and Transport Coordinator, a capacity in which she advanced the “Open Skies” reform, the ports reform and more.

Now Daniella is Deputy Chief of the Smart Transportation Administration at the Prime Minister’s Office. In this capacity, she acts to assimilate smart transportation solutions (ridesharing, interconnected, electrical and autonomous transport) at the local market and to promote and position the Israeli ecosystem as a research and technological leader in the field throughout the world.

Married to Michal (also a PPE graduate) and mother of two sweet children.

Dr. Lior Herman

International Relations Lecturer, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

PPE graduate – class 1, and International Relations, the Hebrew University

MA and PhD degrees in International and European Political Economy, LSE

Specializes in International Political Economy, with an emphasis on international trade, service economics, energy and geopolitics and the European Union.

In the past, ran the Israeli Insurance Companies Regulation and Supervision Department at the Capital Market Division of the Ministry of Finance, and was the Europe and International Organizations Coordinator at the International Division of the Ministry of Finance. Among other things, ran Israel’s process of joining the OECD, served as Secretary of the Inter-ministerial Committee for Israel’s joining of the organization and was a member of Israel’s negotiations team with the World Trade Organization.

Picture taken by: Andres Lacko

Netta Moshe

Researcher, the Knesset Research and Information Center

PPE graduate – class 9

MA degree in European Studies, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

MA degree in Law (for non-lawyers), Bar Ilan University

Doctoral student at the Department of Political Science in the Hebrew University, writes about the immigration of asylum seekers.

Alongside her doctoral studies, works as a researcher in the economical team of the Knesset Research and Information Center, with an emphasis on topics in education economics. In this position, she writes information documents, comparative reviews and cost estimates, to the requests of Knesset committees and Knesset members, in a range of topics on the Knesset agenda. Prior to this, served as an accompanying researcher for the Special Committee for examining the foreign workers problem at the Knesset, chief at the Knesset Unit for parliamentary supervision coordination, and took part in the Parliamentary Investigation Committee for financial system management.

Married to Avner (PPE graduate, class 7) and mother of Ayala and Gur. Lives in Jerusalem.       

Shaul Amsterdamski

Calcalist, Economic Reporter

PPE graduate – class 6

Winner of the Sokolov Prize for written press in 2013, for a series of articles on the pension system.

Worked as the Knesset reporter for Calcalist, and as head of the paper’s news editorial (including in summer of 2011, during the social protests). Today, Shaul writes about his topics of interest, such as the relationship between the state and the individual, personal and collective responsibility, distributive justice and intergenerational equity, with all of these disguised under topics such as pension, the education budget, the healthcare system and decision-making processes.

Father of two sweet small children. Lives in Mesilat Zion.

Dr. Shirlee Lichtman-Sadot

Lecturer of Economics, Ben Gurion University of the Negev

PPE graduate – class 2

MA degree in Economics, Hebrew University

PhD degree in Economics, Stanford University

Staff member at the Department of Economics in Ben Gurion University, conducts empirical studies dealing primarily with economic, social and health-related inequality and policy tools that may influence indexes of inequality.

Mother of Lior, Inbar and Roee, married to Nimrod.

Elli Gershenkroin

Executive Director at the Union of Journalists

PPE graduate – class 8

MA degree in Economics, Hebrew University

Took part in establishing Lobby 99 and Ofek Cooperative Bank

In the past, served as economic advisor and parliamentary assistant to the Chair of the Opposition and assistant to the Investment Center Manager at the Ministry of Economics.

Picture taken by: Or Kaplan

Michal Fonea-Alexandron

Manager of Institutional Investor Networks, the UN Responsible Investment Organization, London

PPE graduate – class 9

MA degree in Environmental Policy, Oxford University

As part of her job, took part in the steering and implementation team of the world responsible investment standard that was launched in 2012 and constituted a historical turning point for the transparency requirements in this field. In charge of conducting trainings and lectures on this topic for pension funds and institutional investors in Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia.

Mother of Romi, married to Tom.

Dr. Shmuel Abramson

Senior Deputy Chief Economist, Ministry of Finance

PPE graduate – class 4

MA degree in Financial Economics, Hebrew University

PhD degree in Policy Analysis, Rand Institute, United States

In the years before his current position, worked at the Accountant General Division in the Ministry of Finance and the National Economic Council at the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as in research institutes in Israel and the United States. Among other things, studied policy issues regarding pension savings in Israel, environmental effects of energy production, security industries, macro-economic policy and decision-making methodologies under uncertainty conditions.