Born and raised in Nice, France. He studied at a business school in France and the United States. Kevin came on Masa to intern at Ernst & Young, one of the “Big Four” global accounting firms, operating in over 140 countries. Kevin was already registered for a very prestigious master’s program abroad but decided to make Aliyah anyway. He later accepted a full-time position at EY.
Within four years, Kevin advanced to a senior manager position, and 3 years later to his current position, Managing Director at only 31 years old. Kevin also employs Masa interns, and he says that at any given moment he has 2-3 interns on his team from Masa, “and I have already hired four interns full-time”.
MEET KEVIN:
Tell us about Your Work/project:
I made Aliyah on October 2015 and started an Ulpan to learn Hebrew. I didn’t know a word in Hebrew at the time. In March 2016, I joined a small team at EY in the IT Risk department focusing on cybersecurity compliance (SOC/ISO audits). Back then, we were only 3 people with a dozen projects. We had everything to build from scratch: methodology, deliverables, market recognition, etc.
We have invested a lot of time in training, developing automations and finding creative way to bring value to customers using our services. Over the years the team have developed to become leaders in SOC reporting. I am now Managing Director in EY with 45 employees and managing hundreds of clients in the Israel High-Tech sector.
What is your proudest achievement?
I had my own entrepreneurial experience within a big company. I’m proud to say that I was there when we started the activity and that I greatly contributed to build it all. The fact that I was able to advance quickly within EY is a testament of my implication at every level of this business.
I am also proud to manage a team of such talented individuals coming from very different backgrounds. This gets easily translated as every week I receive calls and WhatsApp from potential customers that heard great things about me and my team and that want to work with us.
How would you describe the impact of your Masa program on your life and professional path?
Masa had a tremendous impact on my life. I arrived in Israel by chance. I was accompanying one of my friends to the Aliyah fair by the Jewish agency and read a brochure about Masa. A few months later I was doing my internship in EY.
I enjoyed every day on the program. I discovered Israel in a way that I didn’t know before: a professional way. Since I joined EY, I was also very happy to be able to give back to Masa. I have many Masa interns on my team. 4 of them made Aliyah and are now full-time employees. I often participate in Masa events and make myself available.
Who is your role model?
I have several role models that have shaped my path. My parents who arrived from Morocco to France in their 20s and worked so hard to give me every opportunity to succeed. My lifelong friends and siblings, we never talked about these things, but seeing them succeed, go to elite schools and build careers pushed me to work harder. More recently my wife who had the courage to launch a business in Israel despite not being originally from here.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In Israel, with my wife and kids enjoying life and looking forward to the next 10 years.
What is your advice for young Jews around the world who want to make a difference?
Be proud of being Jewish, it is the greatest gift. Even in a society that makes it tougher for us to succeed, work hard and it will pay off!