Israel Aerospace Industries launches program to promote women in industry

Women will soon be able to participate in a school for CEOs in Israel's defense industries for the first time, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced in a press release.

The Aerospace Industries and Supersonas are launching the first cycle of a training program for CEOs in the defense industries, which aims to promote women to senior management positions in the industry.

25 women, who already are in influential positions and are destined for senior management positions, will form the first class of the school.

School for CEOs

In the classes, the future CEOs will cover studies in the fields relevant to security and administration, for example conducting negotiations in multicultural environments, the strategic value of innovation, the capital market and more.

This step by IAI aims to promote their values of occupational diversity and equality between the sexes and implement them in practice, both in the management of the company and in social and community projects.

"Being the oldest and leading high-tech company in Israel, IAI sees the importance of leading change to promote the values of gender equality," CEO of IAI Boaz Levy said.

"We choose to leverage this business and technological success for the benefit of promoting the values of gender equality, while promoting women to senior managerial and technological positions who will bring with them a new, professional and creative way of thinking to the management area in the company."

Founder and President of Supersonas Hana Rado commended the program and the statement by IAI, adding that the huge demand for the program illustrates the need for it.

"The defense industry in Israel is very masculine, perhaps the most masculine. The importance of the military in integration into Israeli society and the impact of military roles on the scope of women's integration in the business world are enormous. When girls and young women have female security and technological models to aspire to we will also see more women in these positions in the military and in the business world," Rado said.

The announcement of the program comes shortly after a State Comptroller’s Report decried the lack of diversity and minority representation in employee base and boards in state defense companies Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries and Elta systems.

According to the report, until 2022 there were no company goals for promoting women to senior positions. The report took issue with the existence of salary disparities between men and women, but attributed it to more men being in higher ranks. The report did not factor in other possible causes for the disparity.

Michael Starr contributed to this report.