Space Café Webtalk - REGIONAL ISRAEL 12 - 28. July 2023

In the twelfth episode (1 year anniversary) of Space Café Israel, Meidad Pariente is in conversation with Ayelet Galili, the CFO at Tehiru Space.

Can you share something personal that isn’t written in your LinkedIn profile?

I’m very versatile, and I have a wide range of interests. I have a degree in interior design, and I worked in it for a little while. I have completed a radio broadcaster course in Radio Tel Avi (102 FM). After that, I started dancing. I was a ballroom dancer instructor for newcomers. My favorite dance is Roomba. I have practiced Pilates since I was 18. I like running, and I like to travel around the world to different places. And I finished a carpentry course, and it goes on and on. I have so many dreams to accomplish. I believe each person represents a unique universe, and I’m so excited to meet new people and learn about their perspectives, opinions, and way of life. That’s my favorite thing. Since I started dating.

So you were an interior designer, a ballroom dancer, and a CPA auditor. How did you find yourself as the CFO of a new-space launching company?

Well, it was a journey full of serendipity. And it’s an exciting journey. The vision for a future of space exploration. captivated me from the first moment I learned about it. It combines technological investment and sustainable practices, and it touches the right buttons in my personality. I was drawn to the incredible potential that Tehiru Space has to offer. I can say that. After achieving significant milestones in the Youth Village, I started asking myself, what’s next? And as I said, at the time, I started pursuing my master’s degree in public policy. I attended a lecture about Beresheet’s mission to the moon, how it all started, the changes, surprises, and budget problems, and it made me realize that the main thing impacting innovation is what space exploration has to bring to humanity. As a person that pursues social impact, I pursued the incorporation of social impact in my professional life. I really wanted to find myself doing social impact and doing good in the space industry, which is an industry that is always innovative and always has something new to bring to the table. So I started attending conferences and started conducting research. And that’s how I got to discover and meet Aaron Pratt, the CEO of Tehiru Space and took it upon myself to convince him that his startup was missing someone like me, someone that has a strategic financial vision, an expert that could establish infrastructures, develop financial business plans and bridge the gap between technological and operational trends and translate it to financial considerations. I really appreciate the opportunity Aaron was smart enough and kind enough to offer. I got the role of the CFO of Tehiru Space. It’s been six months, but it looks like a long journey. And I get the opportunity to work with an amazing team. I’m very, very grateful for this opportunity and for this ride and journey, and I’m looking forward to the future.

I think that it’s essential to recognize that historical gender biases and system variables can detain equal opportunities. So to foster gender equality in organizations and society, at all levels, from government to local authorities, to companies, in every level, we need to implement corrective measures. I think that policies that encourage gender balance representations in leadership roles are really mandatory.

The Israeli Association for gender equality selected you as one of its 51 influencers for 2022 as a social activist for gender equality. Get ready for this question. Can we promote women to senior positions in points of influence in a natural way? Or do we need corrective discrimination?

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