Uri Ben-Ari is a seasoned international businessperson with 30 years of experience in senior management and entrepreneurship. Uri specializes in developing and implementing strategic business and smart city master plans for municipalities and technology companies. Over the course of his career, he has undertaken senior management and business/market development activities in the United States, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Israel, India and the Far East www.linkedin.com/in/uribenari
Uri has developed expertise in the area of “smart cities". Over the last 9 years, he has aided 8 cities in Israel in becoming “smart cities” using methodologies developed by Uri in tandem with models developed by leading universities and research institutes in Europe. Uri also help these cities in implementing the smart city master plans and accompanies these cities on their way to become smarter. Uri has consulted to the Ministry of Defense in planning the new military bases (2.5 million square meters) to become smarter bases, he consulted to the Prime Minister's office in planning a Cyber protected smart city in Haifa and with the Ministry of development of the Negev and the Galil in developing smart periphery in 142 municipalities in the periphery.
Uri has developed a methodology to create a master plan for smart cities that includes an analysis of the current situation in the city according with 140 indexes for smart city, and according with 6 characteristics of the city (Governance, Environment, Mobility, Life, People and Economy) and the digital status of the city. Thereafter Uri is working with the city to find solutions out of 150 possible solutions for smart city and develop the master plan with the city leaders.
Please review this video that describes the development of Eilat city as smart city based on Uri's methodology - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_FDDhgqRCQ
Uri has been lecturing in Israel, in China and in various cities in Europe about the Smart Cities, about the new trends in technology and Technology in Education and published articles in various magazines. Recently he has been interviewed in a leading magazine in China. (Please see cover below)
Uri is also a social entrepreneur who is the founder and president of Athena Fund, which is dedicated to empowering teachers (85% are women) in Israel by providing them with laptop computers and professional training www.athenafund.org. To date Athena Fund has provided laptop computers and professional training to over than 28,000 teachers in 172 municipalities in Israel. Athena's activity has been acknowledged by UNESCO and an NGO consultative status has been granted to Athena Fund by ECOSOC (Economy and Social Council) at the UN.
Uri was a member of the senior management team that led the successful IPOs on NASDAQ of two leading Israeli companies – Ness Technologies (NSTC) in 2004 and Internet Zahav (IGLD) in 1999. Over the past decades, he has been involved in more than 10 M&A deals of companies in Europe, the US, Israel and India.
From 2001 – 2007, Uri Ben-Ari acted as Executive Vice President (EVP) for Global Marketing and as Senior Board Member in Ness Technologies. Ness Technologies is a global provider of end-to-end Information Technology (IT) services and solutions with operations in 18 countries; Uri Ben-Ari was part of the IPO team when the company went public on the NASDAQ in September 2004.
Prior to joining Ness Technologies, Uri Ben-Ari was the CEO of Internet Gold International and orchestrated business development and acquisition in developing countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Uri Ben-Ari was part of the IPO team when the parent company Internet Gold went public on NASDAQ in September 1999. For a short period, Uri Ben-Ari also acted as Chairman of Queenco, which is traded on the Tel-Aviv stock exchange and as CEO of Queenco Leisure International, which was traded on the London stock exchange.
After retiring from Ness Technologies, Uri Ben-Ari started his own business - UBA Ventures - for strategic planning, consulting, business development and investment banking for companies wishing to penetrate the global market.
Uri holds an MBA in Marketing and a BA in Economics from Tel-Aviv University. He is a graduate of the Directors Training of the Executives Program at Tel-Aviv University.
Please review some of Uri's interviews on Smart Cities:
https://www.youtube.com/cards?ar=2&v=-FeFXzyKvHY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx5g30DsooA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZurAWCG-Mc
Please read an article about the activity at:
http://m.jpost.com/Israel-News/Recognizing-exceptional-teachers-of-students-with-special-needs-515365
LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/uribenari
Contact details
e:[email protected] Cell: +972-528-544335