What it takes to be an expat manager in Israel

Ronny Frydberg, Country Manager for Israel at Pedersen & Partners, spoke with the Romanian magazine BIZ about Israel: living there, building social and professional networks, working and most importantly, succeeding.

Romanian managers, seeking work experience in Israel have no easy task. They will face challenges, but it is worth a try - a mid-level manager with 6-years experience can reach salary level of 85,000 € and above per annum.
 
Ronny Frydberg decided to move to Israel more than 30 years ago and admitted that it was a tough decision. He had visited the country several times before settling there, all the while going through a real cultural shock. As an American, who had lived all his life in Brooklyn, New York, Ronny finally took the plunge and came to Israel and had been serving as the CFO at Hewlett-Packard Israel for many years. Since 2007 Ronny has been the Country Manager for Israel at Pedersen & Partners. In this role, he has recruited hundreds of executives from all over the world who have chosen to develop their careers in companies in Israel.
 
For professionals who want to move to Israel, Ronny suggests doing a thorough research about social interactions and business culture, specifically the soft skills. “I think Israel is not for everyone,"- stated Ronny, - “there is no 9 to 5 schedule here.” It is not the place for someone who is used to regular working hours and is waiting for money to come, but for someone proactive, who comes up with new ideas, dares and encourage innovation, even if sometimes this may imply failure.
"If you are a Romanian manager who has worked in several countries, the Israelis will respect you. A rich international experience gives a set of skills and ways of conducting business to which local managers are not exposed, and this gives you an advantage,“ - said Ronny Frydberg.
Israeli employers are looking for the expat managers mainly because of their strategic thinking and experience in a multinational environment. The salaries are directly proportional to the requirements and are above the level of those in Central and Eastern Europe and similar to those in Western Europe. Counting all bonuses and dividends you sometimes may double your income.
 
Ronny Frydberg, the Country Manager for Israel at Pedersen & Partners, offers 10 recommendations for Romanian managers seeking executive position in Tel Aviv:
  • Results, not your diplomas speak for you,
  • You have to be direct,
  • Be quick in making decisions (but don’t expect the same speed when you are waiting for reply),
  • Your actions and decisions will be constantly questioned,
  • There are no fixed working hours,
  • Learn the language,
  • You need to build connections/network,
  • Make a couple of visits before settling,
  • Work permits are hard to obtain.

Read the whole interview (in Romanian) here.

Photo (C) - Revista Biz

Ronny Frydberg is the Country Manager for Israel at Pedersen & Partners. Mr. Frydberg joined the firm in 2007. He brings over 20 years of management experience from Hewlett-Packard Israel where he served as Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of the company’s operations with over $400 million in annual revenues and 800 employees.
Mr. Frydberg has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University, U.S.A. He speaks fluent English and Hebrew.

Pedersen & Partners is a leading international Executive Search firm. We operate 57 wholly owned offices in 53 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia & the Americas. Our values Trust, Relationship and Professionalism apply to our interaction with clients as well as executives. More information about Pedersen & Partners is available at www.pedersenandpartners.com

If you would like to conduct an interview with a representative of Pedersen & Partners, or have other media-related requests, please contact: Anastasia Alpaticova, Marketing and Communications Manager at: anastasia.alpaticova@pedersenandpartners.com

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