Born in 1949, Amos Shapira is a sixth generation Israeli. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Haifa where he studied Economics, and a master’s degree in Industrial Management from the Technion. Mr. Shapira has extensive business experience and is one of Israel's leading business figures.
He began his career at Hogla-Kimberly Ltd. in 1975, where he rose through the ranks to become managing director in 1993. In 2002, he was appointed managing director of El Al Israel Airlines where he oversaw a smooth privatization process and made it a profitable company. In 2005, Mr. Shapira took on a new challenge as managing director of Cellcom Israel Ltd. and under his direction it became Israel's leading cellular provider.
Mr. Shapira decided to leave his very successful career in the business world and to follow his heart and his beliefs. The issues close to his heart include education - academic education and excellence in research in particular. He assigns high priority to these matters, as they are key success factors for the State of Israel. He also believes that academia should promote coexistence between the various sectors and strata of Israeli society - between Jews and Arabs, between the secular and Jewish Orthodox populations, and others. He is also devoted to creating equal employment opportunities for people of all backgrounds and to promoting relationships between Israelis and Palestinians through sound business relations. As such, he has served as co-chairman of the Israeli Palestinian Business Council, a nonpolitical organization sponsored by the World Economic Forum, aimed at promoting business ties between Israelis and Palestinians.
Mr. Shapira believes that the University of Haifa is uniquely positioned in Israeli society - as Israel's most pluralistic University and located in northern Israel - to lead in academic education and research, and to make a significant and valuable contribution to coexistence between the various sectors of Israeli society.
Mr. Shapira was elected as the 10th President of the University of Haifa.
