Yair Shamir Officially Joins Yisrael Beytenu

Published on: September 20, 2012

Reserve Colonel Yair Shamir (b.1945) and one of Israel’s leading businessmen has this week made public his becoming part of Yisrael Beytenu.  The son of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and  Israeli Air Force  reserve officer has always been a great advocate and activist in encouraging aliyah (immigration to Israel) and other Zionist causes.

Yair Shamir served in the Israeli Defense Forces from 1963 to 1988 as a pilot, engineer and commander in the IAF. While in the army, Shamir completed a degree in electrical engineering at the Technion. In 1988, Shamir was discharged with the rank of colonel and turned his talents to the business world.

Shamir served as CEO and Vice President of Scitex (1994-1988), CEO of Elite (1995-1994), Vice President of the Challenge Fund, an Israeli venture capital fund (1995-1997), president and CEO of VCON Telecommunications (1997-2002), director of Catalyst a venture capital fund (since 1999), Chair of Shamir Optical Industry Ltd. and a member of the boards of high-tech companies such as Mercury, Longitudinal, DSP Group and Capital Markets.

Between 2004 and 2005, Shamir served as chair of the board of directors of El Al.

From 2005 to 2011, he served as unpaid chair of Israel Aerospace Industries and oversaw the company’s phenomenal recovery. During his first months, Shamir replaced 13 of the company’s 19 directors. Upon taking office, net profit amounted to $2 million. By 2010, the figure was $94 million. Under Shamir’s leadership, Israel Aerospace Industries issued $1.4 billion in bonds. During this period the company entered the Russian market, established a leading position in the drone industry and launched four satellites into space.

In 2012, Shamir was elected Chair of the National Roads Company, Israel’s leading company in road design and construction.

Shamir also has several public roles and sits on the Board of Governors of both the Technion and Ben Gurion University.  Yair Shamir serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Shalem Center.

Yair Shamir lives in Savyon and is married to Ella, with whom he has three children.