Dr. Doron Avital

Dr Doron Avital has a celebrated military history from the time he commanded a leading paratroopers company in the Lebanon war of 1982, to the planning and commanding of numerous complex special operations in Israel elite Special Forces Unit, Sayeeret Matckal – AKA “The Unit” – all the way to holding the position of chief-commanding-officer of “The Unit” in the early 1990s. His tenure as a commander is registered as one of the most complex and shaping chapters in the history of the Unit. During his service Doron Avital received numerous IDF military and special operations awards. He is considered a commander and a thinker who shaped an overall philosophy and strategy of planning, execution and command – if in the battlefield and if in the domain of special and secretive operations – that stands to this day as a leading point of reference to commanders of the IDF and to the classified security establishment of Israel.

Completing his tenure as a commander of “The Unit” and equipped with a letter of recommendation from the late prime minister of Israel, Yitzchak Rabin, Doron Avital enrolled in a PhD program with the school of philosophy of Columbia University in the City of New York, where after a few years he completed his Doctoral thesis in Logic and Philosophy. He was awarded Columbia University’s Presidential Fellowship for the years 1995-2001 and taught there classes in advanced logic and analytic philosophy. Dr Avital holds in addition a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science (1985) as well as MA (Summa Cum Laude) from the Cohen Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas (1996), both from Tel Aviv University.

Upon returning to Israel, Dr. Avital headed the Georges Leven High-Tech Management School at Tel Aviv University, and later established and directed the BRM Institute of technology and society at the Faculty of Management. In the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr Avital held the prestigious post of the Director-General of the Jewish National and University Library. Alongside his academic pursuit, Dr Avital served as a consultant and venture partner to one of Israel’s leading venture capital firms, Evergreen Venture Partners.

With the 2009 elections, Dr Avital moved into politics, and served on behalf the Kadima party as MP in the 18th Knesset, Israel parliament. Dr Avital served on the foreign and security committee as well as the constitution committee and led the parliamentary Knesset delegation to the Council of Europe. Together with his friends, Doron established YAAD – “Destination” in Hebrew – a movement dedicated to rethinking the political landscape of Israel and he continues to be active in political and public life in the country.

Apart from his public engagements, Doron is engaged in Strategic Consulting and Advisory to leading technological companies and startup ventures at the frontline of technology, from cyber space to the blockchain revolution, the new engaging challenge of our times: the reinvention of money.

In Doron Avital’s book, “Logic in Action” (2012), the reader can find the main tenets of Doron’s thinking on logic and strategy of action. The book offers a new conceptual framework and tools for rethinking the concepts of planning, execution and the economy of risks as these must be reevaluated against the backdrop of 20^th century models to meet now the challenges of the 21^st century. The book takes its inspiration from the world of warfare and special operations but carries a wider significance and weight to all projects’-oriented domains. (In fact, the book emerged out of the non-classified parts of Doron’s notes prepared for lectures he used to deliver to commanders and officials of Israel celebrated secret service, the Mosad.) This book as testified by his many readers and followers is indispensable to any decision or policy maker.