Blackstone (NYSE:BX) has announced the appointment of Yifat Oron as a Senior Managing Director and head of the firm’s new office in Tel Aviv, Israel. She will lead Blackstone’s growth and tech investments in Israel for Blackstone Growth (BXG), the firm’s growth equity business, and assist with other investing efforts across the firm.

Ms Oron brings more than twenty years of experience as a tech investor and executive in Israel, with leadership roles in venture capital, banking and consulting.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Yifat Oron was the CEO of LeumiTech, a leading Israeli technology banking platform, servicing and financing several thousand technology companies and supporting their global expansion via LeumiTech’s global footprint. She spent most of her career as a Partner at Vertex Venture Capital (an Israel-based venture fund), where she invested in and served as a board member of companies across the tech ecosystem.

Before joining Vertex, Ms. Oron was a technology investment banking associate at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. Previously, she spent three years at the Directorate of R&D of the Israeli Ministry of Defense where she achieved the rank of Lieutenant in the Economics, Budget & Control Department.

Ms. Oron holds an M.B.A. from Tel-Aviv University and a B.Sc. in Economics and Management from the Technion, also known as the Israel Institute of Technology.

BXG recently completed the final close of its oversubscribed, inaugural $4.5 billion growth equity fund – the largest first-time growth equity private vehicle ever raised. BXG began deploying capital in 2020 and has already made a number of significant investments, including in Bumble (which recently completed a successful initial public offering); Oatly; ISN; GeoComply; Ginger Health; Hydrogen Health and Epidemic Sound.

Ambassador Dan Gillerman, former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, has served as Blackstone’s Senior Advisor in Israel since 2013. With the establishment of Blackstone’s new office in Tel Aviv, Ambassador Gillerman will become Chairman of Blackstone Israel, continuing to serve as an advisor to the firm and the Israel-based team.

Stephen A. Schwarzman, Blackstone Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, said:

“We are increasingly focused on investing in fast-growing sectors, such as technology, life sciences and the digital economy. Israel is one of the most promising markets in the world in these areas and Yifat is the perfect choice to scale our firm’s presence and investments there.”

Yifat Oron added:

“I’m thrilled to join Blackstone and lead the firm’s growth investments in Israel. The breadth of what Blackstone can deliver to entrepreneurs in terms of capital and operating expertise is truly world-class. I’m excited to help fast-growing companies in Israel become global leaders through Blackstone’s resources and global network.”