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Technologies2 min read

Harel’s Amir Levy Shares the Silent Secret Behind His Company’s Digital Transformation

VMware Staff

VMware’s Agents of Change initiative celebrates technology leaders who challenge the status quo. By harnessing the power of digital transformation, they create unlimited possibilities for their businesses. Here’s the next technology leader in the Agents of Change series: Amir Levy, Senior VP for Infrastructure, Technology, and Cyber Security at Harel Insurance & Finance.

Silence is not a characteristic you would normally associate with successful leadership. But Amir Levy disagrees. Levy says Harel’s IT department acts as the “silent leader” of the organisation. It works carefully and collaboratively to steer the company in the right direction.

Harel Insurance & Finance is the biggest player in Israel’s insurance market. The company embarked on its digital transformation journey four years ago to become more customer-led. Levy spearheaded that journey. His team created an agile digital foundation that enables dynamic business. Four years later, Harel Insurance & Finance is still the leader in an increasingly competitive market.

Collaboration, Not Dominance. Action, Not Words.

“Silent leadership is about solving problems through collaboration rather than dominance and gaining influence through actions rather than words,” Levy says. “The people in our IT department are very knowledgeable about business challenges and processes. They take this knowledge, apply the technology to it and maneuver the company in the correct direction—working through their business associates and colleagues.”

Five companies own the Israeli insurance market. However, they are under threat from new start-ups. Customers increasingly search for and access insurance information online via multiple channels and different devices. The move to a multi-channel experience is well underway, with start-ups aggressively vying for position.

We have to explore new avenues, keep developing unique products and maintain our excellent standards of customer service.

Amir Levy, Harel Insurance & Finance

Customer-Centric Digital Transformation that Inspires & Supports Innovation

Innovation takes many forms at Harel Insurance & Finance. For example, digital infrastructure helps developers focus on being the creative geniuses behind its applications, many of which are used by its customers.

“Our developers shouldn't have to worry about anything like infrastructure or security. Automation is one of the most important things to us now. If you don't automate, then you're doing it manually. And that means wasted time. Our dev team needs to focus on innovation and nothing else,” Levy says.

But Levy recognises that a culture of innovation isn’t just about celebrating the successes. It’s also about acknowledging the failures. “We don’t see new ventures not succeeding as failure. Perhaps it’s not the outcome we wanted, but we’ll benefit from the knowledge and experience. And that,” he concludes, “is a very important state of mind.”

Learn from Other Agents of Change

u003cpu003eThis article is the latest in the Agents of Change series, a look at how technology leaders challenge the status quo to discover new possibilities for their organizations.u003c/pu003e