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Ofra Strauss

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Ofra Strauss
Born (1960-08-22) 22 August 1960 (age 64)
Nahariya, Israel
OccupationChairperson of Strauss Group
Years active2001–present
Spouses
Dan Lahat
​
​
(m. 1987; div. 2001)​
Adi Keizman
​
​
(m. 2005; div. 2010)​
Children4
ParentMichael Strauss

Ofra Yasmin Strauss (Hebrew: עפרה יסמין שטראוס; born 22 August 1960) is an Israeli business magnate and industrialist. She is the Chairperson of Israeli food corporation Strauss Group which is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange,[1] and the second largest consumer food manufacturer in Israel.[2][3] She was appointed to the position of chairperson in 2001, after being groomed for the job, following the retirement of her late father Michael Strauss who had continued involvement in the firm in various capacities following his formal retirement and until his death in 2020.

Early life

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Strauss was born in Nahariya, Israel. The eldest of three children of Ella (born 1935 in Yugoslavia, died in 1985), a nurse and holocaust survivor, and Michael, chairperson of Strauss Group, the son of the founders Hilda and Dr. Richard Strauss. However, her parents divorced in 1981.

Strauss has a younger sister Irit (former advertiser and current business partner of brother) and a younger brother Adi, a businessman.[4]

Strauss grew up in the family business. Her father Michael said in an interview[5] that as an 11-year-old girl, she would join his night delivery route, during which she used to help carrying 20-kg containers of dairy products, listen to his business talks and follow carefully how many cartons were delivered and registered. She filled a number of roles in the company through the years.

She graduated in 1987 from Tel Aviv University Law School. As a student, she met Dan Lahat, the son of then Tel Aviv mayor Shlomo Lahat and married him.[6] They later divorced in 2001.

Business career

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During 1987–1989, she worked in the marketing department of the Estée Lauder Companies Inc. in New York City, the American cosmetics line. During this time, she led a marketing campaign for the company in Japan.

In 1989, upon Strauss' return to Israel, she filled a number of roles in the family business and was groomed to succeed her father Michael as chairperson. She was appointed Marketing director of the ice cream division and then head of the food division in the corporation. In 1993 Strauss was nominated director general of the Strauss salads company.[7] During this time the Strauss company grew, led by her father, via a series of major acquisitions in the Israeli food business most notably Elite in 1996, following which she was appointed as CEO of Elite. In 2001, following the formal retirement of her father, she was appointed chairperson.

From 2002 to 2004, Strauss managed the integration and merger of Elite[8] into the Strauss group, following the Elite acquisition in 1996 which left Elite as a separate company with common controlling ownership. In 2007–2008 Elite was dropped from the company title (which was Strauss-Elite) and company-wide branding, remaining a chocolate and coffee brand.[9][10]

Strauss has developed strategic partnerships[11] with Danone, PepsiCo, Haier, São Miguel[12] and Virgin, for the sale of dairy, coffee, water, dips and spreads. The partnership with PepsiCo also created the US-based Sabra Dipping Company, since 2009 the largest hummus manufacturer worldwide.

Since 2011, Strauss has been Chair of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce. Strauss' field of food technology is a significant issue in the Chamber's work.[13][14][15]

Philanthropic activities

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  • Strauss is President of the Israeli NGO Jasmine, promoting Jewish and Arab Israeli women's entrepreneurship. The 2016 Israeli Knesset Parliament Speakers` Quality of Life Prize was awarded to Jasmine for its work on promoting a respectful and tolerant society.[16]
  • In 2008 Strauss launched,[17](with the Israel's Women Network)[18] the Israeli Catalyst census of women in corporate/public company boards[19]– taking after the global Catalyst organization.[20]
  • She is a member of the ICWBL[21][22] International Council on Women's Business Leadership.
  • Former Chair of WIZO (Women's International Zionist Organization) fundraising.[23][24][25]
  • She founded a scholarship program named after Hilda Strauss,[26] her grandmother and co-founder of the family business.
  • Strauss is a board member of HESEG,[27] the Israeli Foundation for Former Lone Soldiers who came from the diaspora with their families and now live and work in Israel.
  • She is a board member of the Taub Center[28] for social policy studies in Israel research of social policy in Israel.
  • During the 2000s Strauss was chair of the public council of[29] the "Together at Home" project for integration and absorption of newcomer Ethiopian Jews in Israel[30] with the Jewish Agency, as well as being the public chair of the Amez Lohem project[31][32]
  • She was Chair of the Israeli MAALA CSR and Corporate Governance Forum[33]

Awards and recognition

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Personal life

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Strauss is a mother of four: Michaela, a photographer; Tom, co-founder of design start-up Tailor Brands;[38][39] and Jasmine[40] are her three children from her first marriage to Dan Lahat.[41] Daniel is her daughter from her second marriage to Adi Keizman.[42][43]

References

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  1. ^ "Strauss Group". Strauss Group. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  2. ^ גביזון, יורם. "מעלות מאשררת את דירוג AA+ ואת התחזית השלילית לשטראוס". TheMarker. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  3. ^ "שטראוס גייסה 200 מיליון שקל בהנפקה פרטית של מניות למוסדיים". calcalist.co.il. 4 April 2017. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. ^ "השטראוסים מחפשים קונה למרבית המסעדות של עדי'ס לייף סטייל". calcalist.co.il. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  5. ^ Spector, Peled, Dana, Asafa (June 22, 2011). "שומרת על השמנת". Yedioth Aharonoth "7 Yamim". Israel.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "עפרה שטראוס - נשים עובדות". Retrieved Oct 18, 2020.
  7. ^ "Ofra's World". www.campdenfb.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  8. ^ Coren, Ora (1 January 2004). "Strauss, Elite Sign Merger Agreement". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  9. ^ Strauss-Elite changing name to Strauss (Hebrew), YNET, 2007
  10. ^ New Branding for Strauss including new Elite logo (Hebrew), Calcalist, 2008
  11. ^ "Danone, Strauss Partners". strauss-group.com. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  12. ^ "São Miguel, Strauss Partners". strauss-group.com. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  13. ^ amcham. "The Israel-America Chamber of Commerce - Israeli Food-Tech Delegation to the U.S. - March 2017". www.amcham.co.il. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  14. ^ "Launching the Strauss FoodTech Incubator – The Kitchen". strauss-group.com. July 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  15. ^ "Ofra Strauss". DLD Tel Aviv 2013. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  16. ^ "The 2016 Knesset Speakers Quality of Life Prize - Jasmine". jasmine.org.il. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  17. ^ "מדד קטליסט ישראל: אילו חברות הנסחרות במדד ת"א 100 הן השוויוניות ביותר?". TheMarker. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  18. ^ "שדולת הנשים - לינקים מומלצים". Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  19. ^ "דוח קטליסט 2014: הפתעה לא נעימה". Mar 6, 2014. Retrieved Oct 18, 2020.
  20. ^ http://www.strauss-group.co.il/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/דוח-קטליסט-2013-עברית-סופי.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  21. ^ "International Council on Women's Business Leadership". giwps.georgetown.edu. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  22. ^ "Summary of Discussions of January 24, 2012 International Council on Women's Business Leadership". state.gov. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  23. ^ a b "Food firm with a big appetite". Jewish Chronicle. October 7, 2010.
  24. ^ "גברת עפרה שטראוס, ישראל | ועידת הנשיא 2013". Archived from the original on 2015-11-22. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  25. ^ "Stocks". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  26. ^ "חלוקת מלגות לימודים I קבוצת שטראוס". strauss-group.co.il. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  27. ^ "About". www.heseg.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  28. ^ http://taubcenter.org.il/wp-content/files_mf/sept2011.pdf [dead link‍]
  29. ^ ynet (11 July 2005). "המועצה הציבורית של פרויקט "בבית ביחד"". Ynet. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  30. ^ "עפרה שטראוס, יו"ר מועצת המנהלים, קבוצת שטראוס-עלית". www.herzliyaconference.org. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  31. ^ "קרן אמץ לוחם תעניק מלגות בהיקף של 10 מיליון שקל". 29 August 2001. Retrieved 2 May 2017 – via Ynet.
  32. ^ דברת, זהבה (18 April 2001). ""אמץ לוחם" והענק לו מילגה - גלובס". Globes. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  33. ^ "ההיסטוריה של מעלה". מעלה. Retrieved Oct 18, 2020.
  34. ^ "מקבלי פרס תעשייה". www.industry.org.il. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  35. ^ a b "Ofra Strauss". DLD Conference. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  36. ^ "Israel's top 10 female executives". israel21c.org. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  37. ^ "International Power 50 – Ofra Strauss (46)". archive.fortune.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  38. ^ Mooney, Attracta (18 September 2014). "The business guru: Ofra Strauss". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  39. ^ "In Design We Trust Interview With Tom Lahat from Tailor Brands". inspr.co. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  40. ^ "מי היורשת שסיימה קורס קצינים בהצטיינות? - מחלקה ראשונה". mako.co.il. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  41. ^ http://www.nrg.co.il/online/archive/ART/106/446.html [bare URL]
  42. ^ "עדי קייזמן ועפרה שטראוס חגגו בת מצווה לבתם". mako.co.il. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  43. ^ Goldgrube Wohnungsnot Profite mit rabiaten Methoden, von Peter Podjavorsek und Adama Ulrich, ZDF Frontal21 3. Dezember 2019
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