About SID-Israel

Zafrir Asaf is a partner at Zafrir Asaf is a partner at Blue Laurel Advisors, a consulting company that promotes business opportunities under complex conditions, mainly in the Arabian Gulf. Mr. Asaf served in the past as the director of the emerging markets and development economy department at the Ministry of Economy and Industry in Israel, and was also the head of the Israeli economic and trade delegation to Vietnam.

Ilanit Litai is the director of the Ein Mezion organization. She began working there in 2014, and was the organization's operations manager. Ms. Litai has a master's degree in public policy from Tel Aviv University. She has close to 25 years experience in management positions in the tourism industry, specializing and focusing on managing international conferences and working with large groups. Ms. Litai has worked for several years together with civil society organizations in both paid and voluntary positions.

Naftali Moser has been active in the fields of economic development and international development for many years. Mr. Moser worked at the Israel–USA Binational Foundation and then at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, where he worked closely with the World Bank and the US government. He also initiated and led the Israel–India innovation project at Mossad Na'im at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology. Mr. Moser holds degrees in economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of New South Wales in Australia.

Shay Bialik is the Global Director - Head of Sustainability and Impact at the Strauss Group.

Ms. Bialik specializes in sustainable development and working with international organizations. In the past, she worked as a consultant for economic–social affairs in the Israeli delegation to the United Nations in New York, as well as in the Israeli delegation to the OECD, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe in Paris. In this framework, she represented Israel in the OECD's Development Assistance Committee. Ms. Bialik has a master's degree in development policy and economic analysis from The New School University in New York, and a bachelor's degree in history and international relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Sciences Po in Paris. In 2023, Shay received an award from the United Nations for her activities to promote sustainable development goals (SDG Pioneer).

Yotam Polizer is the CEO of the IsraAID organization. In his role, he leads a team of 300+ activists who are currently in 14 countries, including a large-scale operation in war-torn Ukraine. In 2023, Mr. Polizer won the Charles Bronfman Award for his activities. He has 15 years of experience in education, humanitarian aid, and international development and has led humanitarian missions and activities in Greece, Germany, Japan, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, and Nepal. Prior to his work in Israel, Mr. Polizer worked at the Israeli Embassy in Nepal and was the program coordinator of the Tel Aviv University and the Israel Open University where he studied African studies and international relations.

Ivri Verbin is the CEO of Good Vision, a company specializing in corporate responsibility. His work deals with the planning, management, and implementation of corporate responsibility and ethics' programs for leading corporations. Mr. Verbin lectures and writes on these topics at Tel Aviv Academic College, and is the author of Corporate Responsibility in the Digital Age published in Hebrew by in English by Routledge. He has served as an economic advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a senior assistant to the director general of the Office for Regional Cooperation. Additionally, he has worked at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation as a special projects manager. Mr. Verbin is a member of the executive committee of various organizations and also serves as the chairman of the audit committee at Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel

Shirley Ben-Dak - General Partner, Mazarine Climate
A strategic investor in water risk and climate adaptation as General Partner at Mazarine Climate, Shirley has spent 12+ years supporting early-stage startups that use digital tools to help industries understand and manage climate-driven water challenges. Shirley also serves as the Senior Advisor of The Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN), leading innovation and strategic activities, and supporting SWAN’s regional and global expansion. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), she is the CEO & Founder of Bird Eye Consulting, an impact-driven project management firm working with public, private and non-profit clients across water, smart cities, digital transformation, and sustainability. Shirley completed an MSc. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University focused on water resource management and sustainable cities. Prior to her graduate studies, Shirley led capacity building programs for the official MASHAV training affiliate, The Weitz Center for Sustainable Development, empowering international development collaboration via the Israeli entrepreneurial lens.