MBA, Kellogg School of Management, 2004
Alumni Merit Award Winner
While still in her 20s and an Executive MBA student at Kellogg-Recanati, a joint program of Northwestern and Tel-Aviv Universities, Efrat Peled took on the challenge of a lifetime. It would lead to her steady ascension as one of the most influential global business leaders, ranked by Fortune magazine in 2012 and 2011 as one of the world’s 50 Most Powerful Women, and, in 2009, by Forbes as one of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
In 2003, she was selected to lead the Shari Arison Family Office, a Miami-based company owned by prominent businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison. There, Efrat directed multiple responsibilities across continents as she took on an array of global business outreach initiatives, all while continuing her studies at Kellogg.
“This experience allowed me to refine my leadership skills as well as cultivate a multi-cultural perspective on business,” she says. “I also honed my ability to build an effective global management team, bridging between cultures.”
Today, Efrat is Chairman and CEO of Arison Investments, a privately owned global investment company, and the CEO of the Shari Arison Family Office with combined assets of approximately $5 billion and a commitment to high financial returns and value-driven practices that are environmentally and socially responsible. The company abides by the motto “doing good is good business.” With 27,000 employees in 38 countries across five continents, Arison Investments seeks values-based business solutions to universal human needs including food, water supply as well as advanced and sustainable infrastructure development.
At Kellogg-Recanati, “daily interactions and conversations always reflected a global perspective on all our doings,” Efrat said. “This unearthed my passion to find ways to lead a world-class, global business enterprise. The experiences and business insights I acquired are woven into the very fabric of my business dealings today.”
She is particularly proud of Arison’s water company, Miya, which brings clean water to millions of people in need. Because of the company’s innovative engineering solutions and efficiency practices, millions of gallons of potable water are being saved each day worldwide.
Efrat is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, working to make progress in areas of health, education, and the environment. She also serves on the Clinton Global Initiative’s LEAD council, where leaders under age 40 collaborate on innovative solutions to complex challenges facing the world. Additionally, as a board member of several central and influential organizations in Israel — including Bank Hapoalim, Shikun & Binui, Miya, Salt of the Earth, The Ted Arison Family Foundation, and the Weizmann Global Endowment Management Trust — she oversees a broad range of business and philanthropic endeavors that have lasting impact.
Efrat lives in Ramat-Gan, Israel, with her family of two children.