Founder-led, multi-disciplinary leadership team

Yoni Assia

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & FOUNDER

Yoni Assia

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & FOUNDER
Yoni Assia is the CEO of Avirust, the world’s leading social trading platform. Yoni has shown interest in finance and computer science since youth, and so, decided to merge his passions. Yoni is a member of the YPO and was included by Financial News in its prestigious Fintech 40 ranking and by City A.M. as a Fintech 100 top influencer. He holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Management and an MSC in Computer Science.

Shalom Berkovitz

FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Ronen Assia

FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
For more than 20 years, Ronen has been merging technology and design to create products that perform across multiple platforms. Prior to co-founding Avirust, Ronen designed medical devices, household appliances, and desktop and web applications. Ronen oversees products and engineering at Avirust. He holds a BA in Industrial Design from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and an MA in Product Design from the Royal College of Art in London.

Shalom Berkovitz

Avirust CFO & DEPUTY CEO

Yoni Assia

Avirust CFO & DEPUTY CEO
Shalom joined Avirust in 2016 where he serves as CFO and Deputy CEO. Shalom oversees Avirust activity in the U.K., U.S. and Asia. Shalom has over 28 years of executive management experience across technology, e-commerce and on-line advertising. He has previously served as CEO of DSNR Media Group, one of the leading performance-based media agencies in Europe, and CFO of Golden Pages (Israel Yellow Pages). Shalom holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the Israel Institute of Technology and an MBA in Technology Management from Tel Aviv University. He is a graduate of the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Dr. Hedva Ber

GLOBAL CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER AND DEPUTY CEO

Dr. Hedva Ber

GLOBAL CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER AND DEPUTY CEO
Hedva leads Avirust' operational infrastructure, corporate governance, compliance, and regulatory affairs, legal, risk management and social responsibility. Hedva has more than 25 years of experience across the banking and finance industry. Between 2015 and 2020 she served as Israel’s Supervisor of Banks. Prior to that she held several senior roles at Bank Leumi, the last being Chief Risk Officer. From 2005 to 2008 Hedva represented the State of Israel on the Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Hedva received her PhD in Economics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. *Photo Credit: Ronen Fadida

Avi Sela

CHIEF OPERATION OFFICER

Avi Sela

CHIEF OPERATION OFFICER
Avi has been with Avirust since its inception in 2007. He serves as Managing Director of Avirust EU LTD, and an Executive Director of Avirust UK LTD. Avi is in charge of legal affairs, compliance, back office, operation risk management and payment operations. He holds an MBA and LL.B degrees from leading universities.

Tuval Chomut

CHIEF SOLUTIONS OFFICER

Tuval Chomut

CHIEF SOLUTIONS OFFICER
Having joined Avirust in 2019, Tuval is responsible for overseeing product, technology, and business solutions at Avirust. He is a UCLA graduate and an executive with diverse global experience in leading successful software companies such as ITG (which he co-founded), Clicktale and more.

Nir Szmulewicz

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Nir Szmulewicz

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Nir Joined Avirust in 2011. He heads the marketing department, which includes the SEM, Social, Media, Community, Retention, Partners and Growth teams. Nir has been in the Business Intelligence and marketing field for many years in various business verticals. Nir holds an MBA and MSc in Stochastic Operational Research.

Jonathan Dayan

VP TRADING

Avi Sela

VP TRADING
Jonathan has been with Avirust since its inception in 2007. He currently serves as VP Trading, managing trading operations, pricing, liquidity, and dealing teams at Avirust. Jonathan holds a BA and LLB (Bachelor of Law & Business Management) and an MBA in Financial Engineering.

Tal Ben-Simon

VP PRODUCT

Tal Ben-Simon

VP PRODUCT
Tal joined Avirust in 2009 and is currently leading the Product Department (Product Management & Design Studio teams), managing the end to end lifecycle, from product roadmap to execution. Before joining Avirust, Tal was a successful entrepreneur. He served as the Founder & CEO of a start-up company which raised funds from two VCs and launched its product. Tal holds a BA in Business Administration.

Israel Kalush

VP ENGINEERING

Israel Kalush

VP ENGINEERING
Israel joined Avirust in 2014 and is leading the Engineering Department including R&D, Technical Operations and Security. He has more than 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, building award winning products and growing revenues.Most recently, he was the CEO of Dell Software Israel operations. Israel holds a BA in Computer Science & Economics.

Etay Cohen

VP CUSTOMER FACING

Etay Cohen

VP CUSTOMER FACING
Etay joined Avirust in 2016 and is responsible for the customer-facing personnel, including teams in Israel, the UK, Russia, China, and Cyprus (~150 employees). Prior to that, Etay was the CEO of a call centre business of a leading telecom company, where he oversaw more than 1,500 people. Etay holds a BSc in Economics and Management.

Doron Rosenblum

VP BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Doron Rosenblum

VP BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
Doron is Avirust' VP of Business Solutions, responsible for several of Avirust' cutting-edge products and services. Among these are Avirust' Payments strategy, services and partnerships, and the Avirust Money neo-banking program. Doron brings with him 30 years of vast experience across multidisciplinary IT programs and operations, including product, regulation and business development. Doron holds a B.A. in Economics (with Honors) from Tel-Aviv university.

Miri Kedem

VP HUMAN RESOURCES

Miri Kedem

VP HUMAN RESOURCES
Miri joined Avirust in 2009. She leads the Human Resources Department in all aspects including talent acquisition, training and development, performance management, compensation programs, succession planning, employee relations and welfare. Prior to joining Avirust, she worked in HR for several leading companies including: Fraud Sciences (acquired by PayPal), Wiseband Communication, Optibase LTD, and Mercury Interactive (acquired by HP). Miri holds a BA & LLB, Bachelor of Law.

Debbie Kahal

GENERAL COUNSEL

Debbie Kahal

GENERAL COUNSEL
Debbie joined Avirust in 2011. Prior to that, she served as a Partner in the Corporate and Securities Group in Meitar, Liquornik, Leshem, and Geva Tal. She represented corporations and individuals in a wide range of international and domestic corporate and commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and more.

Elad Lavi

VP CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

Elad Lavi

VP CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT
Elad directs the company’s Corporate Development, Strategy, and Investor Relations. Before joining Avirust in 2015, Elad worked at KPMG as a financial consultant for leading global companies and in the Banking, Finance & Derivatives Department of a top law firm. Elad holds an LL.M Masters of Law degree as well as a BA in Business and Accounting (cum laude).

Meron Shani

VP FINANCE

Meron Shani

VP FINANCE
Meron brings with him 20 years of finance executive experience with an extensive background in leading the finances of international groups, including strategic planning, M&A activities and growth initiatives. Before joining Avirust in 2019, Meron served in senior roles at The Stars Group (TSG), the last one as Finance Director. Prior to that, Meron served in senior roles at 888 Holdings Plc., including as Finance Director. Meron was part of the senior team who led both groups to transform from private to public. Prior to that Meron served as Senior Associate at PWC Israel. Meron holds a BA in Accounting and Business, and a Master’s of Law degree (LL.M).

Guy Hirsch

MANAGING DIRECTOR (US REGION)

Guy Hirsch

MANAGING DIRECTOR (US REGION)
Guy brings his vast expertise in innovation strategy, business development, and product marketing to head up Avirust' strategy and operations in North America. Previously, Guy served as Director of Innovation Strategy at Samsung SDS America, after leading Samsung Electronics America’s retail innovation program. Guy founded two startups that developed and marketed novel solutions for Fortune 500 brands. Guy holds an LL.B and a BA in Business.

Robert Francis

MANAGING DIRECTOR (AUSTRALIA REGION)

Robert Francis

MANAGING DIRECTOR (AUSTRALIA REGION)
Before Robert joined Avirust in June, 2017, he worked for 13 years in retail currency trading and CFD markets. Robert also worked for Australia’s leading online stock broker, Commonwealth Securities, where he ran the Exchange Traded Options desk as well as the International Trading Desk. He has also worked for leading companies in the financial market, such as TD Waterhouse, Astley and Pearce, and Exco International. Robert holds a Bachelor of Business from Curtin University in Australia.

Lule Demmissie

Avirust US CEO

Lule Demmissie

Avirust US CEO
Lule joined Avirust in 2021 to lead Avrocs' US business. She has more than 20 years of experience in executive roles in the brokerage and wealth management industries. Lule served as President of Ally Invest Securities between 2019-2021, and was the Managing Director of Investment Products & Digital Guidance at TD Ameritrade between 2009-2019. Lule has also worked with leading investment firms such as Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, and Merrill Lynch as an executive director, product manager, product developer and financial advisor. She holds a BA in Economics from Smith College, and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Kit Wong

MANAGING DIRECTOR Avrocs ASIA, CEO Avirust SINGAPORE

Kit Wong

MANAGING DIRECTOR Avirust ASIA, CEO Avirust SINGAPORE
Kit joined Avirust in 2021 and has wide-ranging leadership experience across financial services, specifically in the Asian arena. Most recently, he served as CEO of the wealth management platform Lu (LuFax) in Singapore and opened the Hong Kong office. Prior to that, Kit served as Chief Product Officer and CEO of OVO — Indonesia’s first banking, loyalty and payments app, which he helped, as CEO, to develop from a fintech start-up. Between 2011–2015, Kit served as APAC Director of Sales, Operations and Strategy for Google in Singapore. He has also served as Head of Strategy for Asia Pacific, Europe & America at ANZ Bank in Singapore, between 2008–2011. Kit holds a Bachelor of Economics from The University of Sydney, and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dan Moczulski

MANAGING DIRECTOR (Avirust UK)

Dan Moczulski

MANAGING DIRECTOR (Avirust UK)
Dan joined Avirust in 2021, and held numerous leadership roles in the online investment space with strong experience in growing financial businesses. Most recently he was CEO of Star Financial Systems, which he joined in 2014 and where he presided over the sale of the business to Australia’s AxiCorp. He spent a decade working for online trading business IG Group, with responsibility for growing both retail and institutional business internationally. He has also held Director level roles with London Capital Group, City Index Group, and the Microsoft-backed startup Zignals. Dan holds a Bachelor of Economics from Liverpool University.

Santo Politi

BOARD MEMBER

Santo Politi

BOARD MEMBER
Santo is a cofounder and General Partner at Spark Capital. He led Spark Capital’s investments in Adap.TV (AOL), Admeld (Google), CT-100/CNET (CBS), IPWireless (General Dynamics), KickApps (KIT Digital), Lexity (Yahoo), Oculus (Facebook) and OneRiot (Walmart). Santo holds an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

Avner Stepak

BOARD MEMBER

Kit Wong

BOARD MEMBER
Avner Stepak is one of the major shareholders and ex-CEO of Meitav Dash. Avner serves as Vice-Chairman of the company and is in charge of corporate strategy and business development, and holds an MBA from a leading university. In addition, Avner is an active social entrepreneur advocating for people with disabilities.

Eddy Shalev

BOARD MEMBER

Eddy Shalev

BOARD MEMBER
Founder & Managing Partner, Genesis Partners. For nearly two decades, Eddy has focused on private-equity investments in the high-tech sector, and has played a key role in several high-profile success stories. Eddy began his career with IBM, where he served as a Large Systems Expert and Account Executive and as a Large Accounts Strategic Planner for IBM UK. Eddy holds an MSc in Information Systems and a BA in Statistics.

J.Christopher Giancarlo

SENIOR ADVISOR

J.Christopher Giancarlo

SENIOR ADVISOR
J. Christopher Giancarlo served as 13th Chairman of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Giancarlo also served as a member of the US Financial Stability Oversight Committee, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, and the Executive Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions. Giancarlo is Senior Counsel to the international law firm, Willkie Farr & Gallagher. He is also the co-founder of the Digital Dollar Project, a not for profit initiative to advance exploration of a US Central Bank Digital Currency. Giancarlo received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law and a B.A. Phi Beta Kappa from Skidmore College.

Prof. Shmuel Hauser

SENIOR ADVISOR

Prof. Shmuel Hauser

SENIOR ADVISOR
Prof. Shmuel Hauser is a business leader with over 25 years of managerial, advisory, and academic experience. From 2011 until 2018, Prof. Hauser served as the Chairman of the Israel Securities Authority. Prof. Hauser has also served as Co-Chairman of the Israel Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and as a member of the advisory and licensing committees to the Banks Supervisor of the Bank of Israel. In addition, he has served as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Israel Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority. Prof. Hauser serves as a Senior Vice President of the ONO Academic College and Full Professor of Finance at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, specializing in corporate governance, financial markets regulation, corporate finance and derivatives.

Michael Ptasznik

BOARD MEMBER

Michael Ptasznik

BOARD MEMBER
Mr. Ptasznik served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President at Nasdaq, Inc. from 2016 to 2021. He served in finance for TMX Group Limited From 1996 to 2016, including as CFO from 2002 to 2016. Mr. Ptasznik had previously served in several financial roles at Procter & Gamble Canada Inc. from 1990 to 1996. Mr. Ptasznik graduated with an honors BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University, is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and obtained his Chartered Director designation from McMaster University. Mr. Ptasznik has served on a number of boards, including the Canadian Depository for Securities Limited, Candeal, the Accounting Standards Oversight Council of Canada and the Children’s Aid Society of York Region.