Gantz in Australia for UIA
Former Chief of General Staff of the IDF, Benny Gantz will be a keynote speaker at UIA events in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.
Benny Gantz
He served in this prestigious position from 2011 until his retirement in 2015, after 38 years of decorated service in the IDF in which he was instrumental in leading Operation Pillar of Defence and Operation Protective Edge.
Among his service highlights is his command of the Shaldag Unit – in the capacity of which he commanded the Special Forces securing ‘Operation Shlomo.’ He later served as Commander of the Liaison Unit with Lebanon.
Since retiring from the IDF, Gantz has been appointed as the Chairman of Fifth Dimension, a leading Israeli data company working on deep learning artificial intelligence. Gantz is considered by many as one of the great leaders of this generation and he is regarded as a potential future Prime Minister of Israel.
Born in Kfar Achim (Israel) in 1959 to Holocaust-surviving parents from Hungary and Romania, Benny Gantz grew up in an environment of Zionist pioneers, in a world of values that emphasised the connection of the Jewish people to its homeland.
At the age of 18, Gantz joined the IDF’s Paratroopers Brigade – the beginning of a military career that was going to include all command echelons, from platoon leader to the Chief of the General Staff of the IDF.
Among the highlights of his service are the command over the 890 “EF‘E” Airborne Battalion, the Shaldag Unit – in the capacity of which he commanded the special forces securing ‘Operation Shlomo‘ (bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel), and the Paratroopers Brigade. He later served as commander of the Liaison Unit with Lebanon, and in 2000 was the last Israeli soldier leaving Lebanon. During the start of the second Intifada, Benny Gantz served as Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division Between (2000-2001).
After his promotion to Major General in 2001, he served as commander of the IDF Northern Core and later of the Northern Regional Command. From 2007-2009 he served as the IDF Ground Forces Command, after which he was appointed Israel‘s Military Attaché to the United States and Canada. Upon his return, he served as the Deputy IDF Chief of General Staff.
In February 2011, Benny Gantz was appointed to serve as the 20th Chief of the General Staff of the IDF, a position he held until February 2015. During his tenure – in the context of a drastically changing Middle East – Gantz improved the IDF‘s future military capabilities on all geo-political fronts. Besides supervising ongoing operational activities and covert special forces operations, he lead the IDF through three major campaigns: Pillar of Defense (‘Amud Annan‘), Operation Brother’s Keeper (‘Shuvu Ahim‘), and Protective Edge (‘Tzuk Eitan‘).
Gantz is a graduate of the Command and Staff College and the National Security College. He has a Bachelor‘s degree in history from Tel Aviv University, a Master‘s degree in Political Science from Haifa University and another one in management of national resources from NDU University in the United States. In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Bar Ilan University, in acknowledgment of his efforts to ensure the security of the people and State of Israel.
He is married and has four children.
Benny Gantz will speak in:
Victoria – General Division Campaign Launch Gala Dinner – Monday 7 March. For more details please contact UIA Vic 1300 ISRAEL (1300 477 235) or www.uiavic.org
NSW – General Division Sunday 28 February, Monday 29 February Tuesday 1 March and Young Leadership Wednesday 2 March. For more details please contact UIA NSW 9361 4273 or info@uiansw.org.au
WA – General Division Campaign Launch – Thursday 3 March, tickets at: www.trybooking.com/JYBA or call (08) 9275 1186
