About

The Israeli Foreign Trade Administration at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, is responsible for managing and directing the international trade policy of the State of Israel. The main fields of activity include activities for the promotion of trade and export, initiating and maintaining trade agreements for the improvement of Israel’s trade conditions, attracting and encouraging foreign investments and creating strategic cooperation with foreign companies. Together with the activity in Israel, the Administration operates a network of economic representatives who constitute the operational arm of the Ministry in markets around the world.

Objectives:

• Assisting the Israeli industry in deepening the activity in existing markets, and penetrating new markets.
• Accompanying and supporting the individual exporter in the marketing activity abroad.
• Initiating and applying international trade agreements and maintaining existing agreements.Raising investments and strategic cooperation.
• Improving the image of the Israeli industry and economy.Preventing unfair competition – dumping

About the Economic Attaché

Nili Shalev has been the Economic Minister to North America since August 2011.  She has more than 20 years of experience representing the Ministry of Industry and Trade in a wide range of executive positions both in Israel and overseas.

Prior to her recent appointment, Nili served as the Director of the International Projects and Financing Department at the Foreign Trade Administration at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor. She managed several multimillion dollar funds in order to promote and finance Israeli industries, and prior to that was the Executive Director of the Foreign Trade Administration’s elite cadet course for commercial attachés.

Nili has served as the Israeli Trade Commissioner in Australia and New Zealand.  In this position, Shalev was instrumental in initiating and concluding the first R&D agreement between the State of Victoria and Israel. During her tenure, several financial groups initiated activities in Israel, and cultivated business relationships in the areas of high technology, infrastructure and cleantech.

Since first joining the Ministry of Industry Trade and Labor in 1995, Nili held several other senior positions. She was the Director of the Government SEED Fund at the Office of the Chief Scientist, a multimillion dollar support program aimed at providing incentives for prospective investors in Israeli high-tech start-up companies. She also served as the Advisor to the Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Nili holds an MBA (1996), as well as degrees in Communications International Relations, from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is married with two children.

Supporting Nili at the Economic Mission are:

• Oded Grinstein (Deputy Economic Minister)- High tech, New media, Telecom, HLS.
• Hanna Kamionski- Retail, Design, Food & beverage.
• Rebecca Weinberg- Nano, Biomed, Life Sciences, Cleantech.
• Josh Berliner- High Tech, Telecom, HLS, Social Media.
• Fay Cleveland- Administrator.
• Beth Belkin- Public relations.

Nili Shalev (Economic Minister to N. America)- In addition to her role as the commercial attache, Nili is covering the investment and financial services industry.