Each spring, Jewish families worldwide sit down for their Passover Seders. A highlight of the event is reading the Four Questions. Against the backdrop of recent challenges, including the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas massacre and economic uncertainties marked by rising inflation and interest rates, there are signs of optimism in the Israeli high-tech sector. We reached out to leaders in this industry, asking them our own four questions, allowing them to reflect on their challenges, decisions, successes and dreams. Here are the responses from Shai Golan, COO of the Rimon Group, an infrastructure, water, energy, and advanced manufacturing solution provider:
Challenges
In the aftermath of October 7 and the Gaza War, what recent challenges have you faced in your industry, and how did you overcome them?
Our industry grappled with supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical tensions and disruptions. To address the challenges, we developed multiple swim lanes, diversified our supplier base, accelerated our decision-making while having risk management protocols, and optimized logistics operations. By staying proactive and adaptable, we successfully navigated the complexities of the post-conflict environment, ensuring operational continuity and delivering solutions to our customers.
Decisions
Looking back, what decision do you feel was the best for your career or business, and why?
The best decision I made in my career was to relocate from Israel to the US around 15 years ago; it was a huge chance in a corporate environment that taught me about cultural differences, business acronyms, supply chains, global relationships and alternate managerial methods in a large-scale market.
Successes
What achievement or success are you most proud of, and what lessons did you learn?
My most significant achievement was managing the development of the next-generation mega fabs for Intel in my former position and then initiating building it in four different countries in parallel in a global record time, an incredible three years.
Dreams
What are your aspirations or goals for yourself or your organization in the coming year as you look ahead?
I aspire to continue to co-lead Rimon with CEO Yossi Elmalem and Rimon's leadership to become a global leader as an expert in its core expertise of water, energy and infrastructure while expanding our capabilities and market into the advanced manufacturing sector supporting the artificial inteliggence revolution that is about to come.
Shai Golan is Chief Operating Officer at Rimon Group.