El Al Airlines names Amikam Cohen as chairman

Cohen served until 2007 as chief executive of Partner Communications, Israel's second largest mobile phone operator
 
El Al Airlines, Israel's flag carrier, issued a statement on Thursday naming Amikam Cohen as chairman from Feb. 1st.
 
Cohen replaces Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, a former chief of Israel's armed forces who had been temporary chairman.
 
Cohen served until 2007 as chief executive of Partner Communications, Israel's second largest mobile phone operator. Previously he acted as Chief Executive Officer Elite Industries Ltd., Managing Director Strauss Dairy Ltd. General Manager of the Refrigerator and Air Conditioner Division Tadiran Home Appliances Ltd. and General Manager of the Public Switching Division Tadiran Telecommunications Group.
 
Most recently, he has been CEO of Hutchison Water, a company dealing with desalination and water treatment.
 
Amikam Cohen has been Partner's Chief Executive Officer since the commencement of its operations and a director in the Board of Directors of Partner since April 20, 2005.
 
The appointment represents a further strengthening of influence by British-Finnish businessman Poju Zabludowicz over the company.
 
El Al's board also approved the nomination of Ms. Harel Gross as new board member.
Since 2006, Ms. Harel Gross the chief executive of Zabludowicz's company Tamares Capital Ltd., a private investment group with interests in real estate, technology, manufacturing, leisure and media.
 
Prior to joining Tamares Capital, from 2004 to 2006, she was the corporate director, medical imaging, of Orbotech, Ltd., a company providing high-tech inspection and imaging solutions for bare printed circuit board (PCB), flat panel display (FPD) and PCB assembly manufacturing worldwide.
 
Ms. Harel Gross holds a B.A. in Communication and Political Science from Bar Ilan University and an executive M.B.A. from Bradford University, Great Britain. She has also completed programs in Directors' Studies and Advanced Advertising and Marketing at the Israel Management Center.