Avi Gabbay
| Avi Gabbay | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | 22 February 1967 |
| Place of birth | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 2015–2016 | Minister of Environmental Protection |
| Other roles | |
| 2017– | Leader of the Israeli Labor Party |
Avraham "Avi" Gabbay (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם "אָבִי" גַּבַּאי, born 22 February 1967) is an Israeli politician and the current leader of the Israeli Labor Party. He was CEO of the telecommunications company Bezeq from 2007 to 2013, then entered politics. He served as Minister of Environmental Protection between 2015 and 2016.
Gabbay was born in the Baka neighbourhood of Jerusalem, the seventh of eight children born to Moïse and Sara Gabbay, Jewish emigrants from Morocco and originally from Casablanca. His father worked for Bezeq, and in his youth he would also work at his father's company during his vacations. He studied at the Geulim primary school, where he was identified as a gifted child, and attended high school at the prestigious Gymnasia Rehavia. After graduating from high school, he did his national service in the Israel Defense Forces in the Intelligence Corps, reaching the rank of lieutenant. After leaving the army, he completed a BA in economics and an MBA at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Gabbay began his career by working for the Ministry of Finance for four and a half years.
In 1999, he joined Bezeq as an assistant to CEO Ami Harel. Soon afterwards, he was appointed Vice President of Human Resources, and shortly after that, became the Vice President of Economics and Regulation. In 2003, he was appointed CEO of Bezeq International. In 2007, after Bezeq CEO Yaakov Gelbard was forced to resign, Gabbay was appointed CEO of Bezeq. He served in this position until he left the company in 2013. During his 14 years of working with Bezeq, Gabbay became wealthy, and is thought to have earned about 50 million shekels ($14.1 million). Shortly before entering politics, he tried and failed to buy control of El Al, Israel's national airline.
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