Business Scene

Nortel Networks announced that Sorin Lupu, in addition to serving as President for Israel, would add Turkey to his list of responsibilities.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Sorin Lupu 88 224 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Sorin Lupu 88 224
(photo credit: Courtesy)
IN SOME countries advocacy is required to enable weaker sectors of society receive certain benefits that might otherwise be denied them. In Israel, several companies and organizations have taken it upon themselves to give special attention to the elderly and to people with special physical or mental needs. Among the companies that needed no prodding in this regard is Teleforma, which has recently completed the construction of an access path in the Givati Forest for people with mobility problems. The access path, which was specially designed to accommodate wheel chairs, was constructed at a cost of NIS 30,000. This was by no means the first venture by Teleforma on behalf of the physically challenged. One of the company's policies, says Teleforma CEO Nitzan Shekel, is to give physically or mentally challenged people who want to work the opportunity to do so. The company has 70 such employees on its payroll, some of who have severe hearing impediments, some are deaf mutes and some are IDF veterans who have sustained serious injuries. Teleforma recently received the Access citation from the nonprofit organization Access Israel. Teleforma also has a delivery system to take medications to the elderly and people who are housebound due to various disabilities. PEDERSEN & PARTNERS, a leading executive search firm in Central and Eastern Europe, has announced the appointment of Ronny Frydberg as country manager for Israel. Frydberg joined Pedersen & Partners last year. He brings more than 20 years of management experience at Hewlett-Packard, where he started as purchasing and logistics manager, became the business operations manager and then served as chief financial officer. IN LINE with its significant expansion of activities abroad, Dori Media has announced the appointment of Michal Nashiv as president of Dori Media Contenidos, a production company that is a subsidiary of Dori Media Distribution. In announcing the appointment, Dori Media president and CEO Nadav Palti, credited Nashiv with much of the responsibility for the company's success over the past 18 months. Prior to her promotion, Nashiv, 39, served as deputy marketing manager. NORTEL NETWORKS announced at its annual media conference that Sorin Lupu, in addition to serving as President for Israel, Russia and Central Europe, would add Turkey to his list of responsibilities. Lupu joined Nortel in 1996 and has served in a series of managerial positions. Prior to that, Lupu spent 12 years with Bezeq. AT A recent media conference, Zvia Leviev announced she would be spending much more time in Russia supervising the development of malls owned there by Africa Israel, which is controlled by her father, Lev Leviev. But malls are not the only business interests in Russia of Africa Israel or the Leviev family. Seven months ago, Africa Israel purchased a 260-dunam property in the Koa Gas industrial zone, not far from Moscow. The area contains factory plants that specialize in construction and infrastructure materials. More recently, Danya Cebus, which is part of the Africa Israel Group, signed a contract in Russia for four major construction projects. Over the past few days, Africa Israel Industries, which is a subsidiary of Africa Israel Investments, completed the acquisition of 65 percent of the Russian steel company Apogey, with an option to purchase the remaining 35%. All this is just the tip of the iceberg. REPRESENTATIVES OF eight Scottish companies arrived in Israel this week as members of a trade mission sponsored by Scottish Development International, the main economic development agency in Scotland, and organized by Business Gateway Edinburgh & Lothian. The group is in Israel for a six-day visit to encourage cooperation between Israel and Scotland, especially joint ventures and investments. Scotland and Israel are two countries with much in common. Members of the mission have been recruited from the hi-tech and life-science sectors, areas that are a high priority for both Scotland and Israel. Scottish Enterprise recently launched a bold 15-year life-sciences strategy, ensuring that Scotland will be well positioned to dominate in the areas of stem cell research, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. To support the future of the life sciences industry, Scotland is making important infrastructure investments, such as the development of the $1 billion state-of-the-art Centre for Biomedical Research in Edinburgh. Scotland is also building international relationships to reinforce its position in the global life science community, as evidenced recently by a $86 million agreement with Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. to create what it believes will be the world's first Translational Medicine Research Collaboration in Scotland. The mission members are holding a series of meetings with the Israel Life Science Industry, Hadasit, MATIMOP, Ramot at Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science. The mission leader is Wavell Magor MBE, who served for four years (1995-1999) as director of trade and investment at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv. Magor said he was "particularly pleased" to be back to Israel, especially at the head of a group of companies that have the potential to form successful commercial relationships with Israeli companies. Four Israeli companies participated earlier this month at the sixth BioTech conference in Scotland. THE ESTABLISHMENT of a renewable energy park in the Arava has been announced by the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura. The park will be used for research, education and tourism. Believed to be the first of its kind, the park for renewable energy and energy saving is being established at the initiative of Arava and the Arava Power Company. The research center will be a joint project of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Weizmann Institute, and will be funded with donations from the Toronto community and the Jewish National Fund, among others. The park will be named in honor of Bryan Medwed, a member of Kibbutz Semer who was killed in a car accident in 2002.