Meir Shamir

Meir Shamir is an Israeli businessman, he is currently the Chief Executive Officer and main shareholder of Mivtach Shamir Holdings Ltd. Shamir is an active philanthropist and since 2012, has served as the Head of "Taglit Israel" (Birthright Israel).

Shamir was born in 1951 in Kibbutz Be’erot Yitzhak and relocated to Petah Tikva with his family upon turning five years old, where he was later raised and educated. In 1969, Shamir joined the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as a Navigator in the 69 Squadron ("Hammers") of the Israeli Air Force, and took part in the Yom Kippur War. After completing his military service, he pursued a BA in Management, Business Administration and Economics from Bar-Ilan University.

Shamir began working as an Insurance Agent at Mivtach, a subsidiary of the Sahar Insurance Group. In 1981, at the age of 30, Shamir purchased 50% of the company's shares and changed its name to Mivtach Shamir Holdings Ltd. In 1992 Shamir went on to purchase the remaining shares of the company, thus becoming its sole owner and director. In the following years, Shamir sold the company's insurance business, turning it into an internationally active Israel-based investment company that invests mainly in technology and communications, real estate and industrial companies.

Under Shamir's leadership the company's market value in the stock exchange grew from 20 million NIS (approx. $5.6 million) in 1992 to 830 million NIS (approx. $230 million) by Jun/2017.

Mivtach Shamir is a diverse and active company in Israel and around the world, investing in the fields of technology and communications, income-producing real estate and venture capital, with a special focus on medical, biotechnology and biotechnology companies. Some of the companies in which Mivtach Shamir has invested in include; Tnuva Food Corporation, Alony-Hetz, Gilat Satellite Networks, Teldor/Eldor, Solbar and Scitex, as well as the high-tech company Lipman Electronics (now VeriFone Israel), which deals with clearing and securing online money transfers.

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