Strauss Group Chair Ofra Strauss said doing business as an Israeli has become far more complicated in the current climate, speaking at the Israel Hayom Summit in New York in a conversation with venture capitalist Yasmin Lukatz, founder of ICON and Code for Israel.
Lukatz opened the discussion by asserting that businesspeople are "certainly the best ambassadors for the State of Israel."
For years, Strauss said, identifying as Israeli opened doors in global business. "For so many years I would say, 'I'm Israeli,' and everyone wanted to do business with us. It was about innovation, growth and excitement. It's not like that these days."
Asked how the past few years have been for her as the head of an international company, particularly at a time when "new relationships can be more challenging," Strauss emphasized the strength of long standing partnerships.
"People we've worked with for 30 and 40 years, they are our people. That investment has paid off. It's not only hard for us, it's hard for them too," she said. "In business, in the end, it's about people. It's not buildings, it's people and relationships."
On balancing impact with profitability, Strauss pointed to Israel's food security. "We live in a desert. For 40 years we walked from Egypt to Israel and eventually landed in a place where everything is scarce, and yet we have food," she said, invoking the biblical narrative of the Exodus. "We proved it during COVID and we proved it now during the war."
Lukatz, whose work focuses on innovation and startups, said she found it inspiring to see technological advances across industries. "Technology is not just software, it's everything, and that's our future," she said.
Strauss agreed, describing startups as a mindset as much as a business model. "In the end, startups are also an approach, starting from nothing and building. Surrounding yourself with startups, with a different approach to life, that's part of optimism."
She revealed that Strauss Group recently opened a new dairy alternatives plant named Michael's Campus, after her father. "His vision was always to be open to the world. He wrote in his will: 'Make sure we always have roots in Israel, but develop in the world,'" she said. "We are citizens of the world. I don't believe in closing borders. And if they close the door, knock on it."
Turning to gender, Lukatz noted, "As two women on stage, I have to ask you about gender."
Strauss recalled that in her first interview as chair, a journalist asked what it was like to be the only woman in the TA-50 index, which tracks the 50 largest companies on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. "I was shocked," she said. "We need to see more women on stage. When 50% of the population is not represented, there cannot be peace in the world."
Lukatz concluded: "That message is that women have the power to change politics and reality." Strauss added that she sees this dynamic in the Israel Defense Forces as well. "We've seen women take on very important roles and make things happen, and of course also pay the price."
