"To succeed in the global market, you have to dream big and be daring"

"My motto is: Think good, do good - and you’ll reap back good things. Both in life and in business". So says Moshe Shalem, CEO of Aqwise, a company engaging in the development and implementation of water and wastewater treatment solutions. The company serves municipalities, municipal authorities and industrial companies. To this day, its technologies have been implemented at over 600 sites, spread across over 50 countries worldwide. Aqwise has offices in Mexico, Central America, England, Spain, Germany, Italy and India. It also holds a subsidiary in the Netherlands - "Aqana" - specializing in anaerobic processes yielding green energy from wastewater and providing solutions to clients in various industries.

A seminal event in the company’s life occurred in July 2021, when it was purchased by GES Co., with the intent of creating a leading international water technologies and wastewater treatment group. The purchase positioned the group as a dominant and leading player in its field - but like any purchase event, also posed a challenge, both for the company’s employees and for Moshe, the new CEO appointed as part of that step. "About 10 months ago, Generation Capital, which had purchased the company through GES, contacted me and asked that I come lead the company through its global challenges", he relates. "In my past, which includes 12 years at the Ministry of Finance, I dealt quite a lot with infrastructures. In my 8 years as in the Accountant General division, I managed budgets and large-scale reforms. Having spent 4 years as Deputy Director CEO of the Government Companies Authority also contributed extensive knowledge, as did the 4 other years of my tenure as VP of Business Development and Sales of 'Globus', a company of the 'Maman Transportation’ ’ Group. In that position I was in charge of a sales array of hundreds of millions of shekels per year in Israel and abroad - so the position at 'Aqwise' felt like a natural and requisite continuation. I love the water field and relate to the beautiful vision of making the world a much better place".

What challenges have you encountered upon taking office?

"I had to study the field - and that study is constant. But the most significant challenge is to take an organization accustomed to engaging in relatively small projects of a mere few millions of dollars or of engineering packages at a scope of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and get it to specialize in large-scale projects including financing, construction and operation. Also, in the coming years we will be required to introduce additional technologies to the company and to promote a global operating branch for water and wastewater facilities. This is a substantial and significant event which requires a rebuilding of capabilities, and effectively a restructuring of the organization, including formulating a long-term strategy. We have successfully defined a business vision and are nowadays formulating the direction the group will take and are currently in stages of completing the creation of the global strategy which I will lead in the coming years. When that roadmap is published and becomes clear - it will also be easier to harness the employees to follow it. The water and wastewater market is one where employees can easily be made to relate to the vision".

What kind of management style is required in order to implement such a comprehensive process?

"The way I see it, a CEO is a leader, and as such he has to personally set an example for the organization. The CEO’s success directly depends on a strong management and on the employees’ commitment to the business vision. The leader must lead the organization out of an understanding of his employees and of how to motivate them. A manager who leads by example and is able to harness the managers and employees - so that they all function as a single force pursuing a common goal - is a leader. That goal has to be defined collectively. You can’t lay down objectives and a vision on the organization without having your employees relate to them. When they relate - they find it easier to follow the leader and are willing to go above and beyond to attain the goal".

Making informed, snap decisions is critical

Shalem draws from his management experience to explain that in times of crisis, the most important thing to do is “take a deep breath, zoom out from the situation, analyze it clearly, neutralize the stress and fear element and make a decision as rational - and as speedy - as possible. One of the most important things for a manager is decision-making. I’ve known many a CEO who couldn’t make decisions, and that served to strengthen my belief in practicality, proactivity and the making of informed, snap decisions in order to move things forward".

What is your economic-business forecast for 2023?

"We've gotten through COVID and the world has gotten used to living alongside the disease. Still, we're starting to feel inflation rearing its head. Many segments are experiencing price hikes and great uncertainty. On the other hand - alongside this crisis, which starts in high-tech and spreads to other economies, I feel that interesting opportunities are starting to open up for players who know how to utilize the momentum. Many players will not be able to take up large and costly projects. Others will. I want to be the kind of player who knows how to take advantage of this opportunity. The considerable value of working in a group like ‘Generation Capital’ is financial backing that allows you to take up large-scale and long-term projects in the financing and operational aspect. That’s a significant asset when you enter a global market. We are already a global company, 30% of our employees are abroad. One of the strengths we’ve developed is the ability to efficiently work remotely. Today I manage the bulk of my global agenda on my computer, and I’ve learned to remotely manage global arenas and meetings with external entities. COVID-19 greatly contributed to this".

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Moshe Shalem

Age and marital status: 43, married + 4.

Residence: Givatayim.

Education: B.A. in Philosophy, Economics and Political Science from the Hebrew University. M.A. on the Public Policy Excellent Students Program at the Hebrew University. Senior Executives Program at Harvard University.

Key former positions: A series of positions at the Ministry of Finance over the course of 12 years, 8 years at the Accountant General’s Office and 4 years as Deputy Director CEO of the Government Companies Authority. VP of Business Development and Sales at Globus Co.

Hobbies: Swimming in the sea, reading, family time.

A dream you want to achieve: Go on a one-year trip around the world with my family.

People who inspire you:

Mahatma Gandhi - a leader who changed the world, the way we think and the way revolutions are led. David Grossman, because I really relate to people who write and know how to reflect faraway and daring dreams.

Three things people don’t know about you:

- I wrote a novel that was published.

- I was one of the people who led the great cellular phone reform at the Ministry of Finance.

- I led the construction and operation of the hospital at Ashdod on behalf of the state.