Office Depot CEO's Journey From Military Police to Business Turnarounds
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
The CEO of Office Depot, a former military police officer and accountant, has successfully turned around the struggling office supply company. After revamping Avis, he was brought in to implement a similar recovery plan for Office Depot, which has since diversified its product range and expanded its branch network. He attributes his success to a strong upbringing focused on excellence and accountability, and he balances his demanding career with a religiously diverse family life.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Office Depot CEO previously led a successful turnaround at Avis, saving it from significant losses.
- The CEO served in the military police, conducting undercover drug investigations.
- Office Depot has diversified beyond office supplies to include electronics and appliances.
- The company operates 33 branches nationwide and is undergoing renovations.
- He is married with four children and lives in Modi'in.
The CEO of Office Depot, a 47-year-old father of four living in Modi'in, has a remarkable career trajectory that includes turning around struggling companies and a stint in the military police. Born and raised in Afula, his parents immigrated from Bukhara in 1973. His father, who served as a combat ambulance driver and was wounded, later managed a dairy for 30 years, while his mother owned a hair salon. He credits his parents for instilling in him a drive for excellence and accountability.
Despite early challenges with attention and concentration, he excelled academically in math, physics, computers, and English, while also pursuing a dream of becoming a professional basketball player for Hapoel Afula. However, his height and a back injury ended that aspiration. He served in the Migdal Haemek police, engaging in patrol, detective work, and investigations, including undercover operations to purchase marked drugs.
After earning a degree in accounting under Professor Yaron Zelicha at Ono Academic College, he worked at EY, rising to the position of manager. In 2008, he moved to Kardan Israel, a holding group, where he advanced to finance manager of its communications and technology division. He also served as a director for companies like Unicell and Pango.
His most significant turnaround was at Avis in 2016, where he was appointed CFO with the mandate to revive the company, which was losing nearly 100 million shekels. Within two years, Avis became profitable, leading to his promotion to VP of Procurement and Sales. He managed a division with 200 employees and annual sales of approximately 2 billion shekels.
Following Avis's growth into a profitable services group, it acquired Office Depot. He was then tasked with replicating the Avis success at Office Depot. The company has since diversified its offerings beyond office supplies to include electronics and appliances, employing 280 people with annual revenues exceeding 100 million shekels. Office Depot has expanded to 33 branches nationwide and is undergoing renovations to improve employee workspaces. He is married with four children and lives in Modi'in, a city that accommodates their religiously diverse family life.