BIOGRAPHY
Imad Telhami is a businessman and entrepreneur who has substantial management experience and a long and successful history in global management. In the past, he served in various management positions and as CEO of Delta Galil’s international divisions for 25 years.
In 2008, Telhami founded Babcom Centers in northern Israel and in 2018 the company employed approximately 2,500 employees, of which 70% are from the Arab sector, and 80% women . Babcom has eleven sites across the country (Tefen, Teradion, Migdal Haemek, Dalit El Carmel, Petah Tikva, kiryat Gat, Netivot & Beersheba). The company provides call center services to leading Israeli companies (Cellcom, Arkia, YES, Isracard etc.) as well as software development services, primarily software QA and Hi-Tech Operation services. Babcom focuses on two main objectives: investing in people (especially young Israeli Arabs, women and men) and providing excellent, high-quality services including call centers, technologies, software and other services. Babcom is a multicultural company whose managers, as well as employees, Arabs and Jews, are committed to providing their customers with first-rate service. In line with Telhami’s vision, the company has Arab and Jewish stakeholders and was co-founded with the late distinguished Israeli industrialist, Dov Lautman.
Telhami is committed to empowering and advancing the Arab community in Israel. He believes that companies like Babcom will help empower the younger generation of Israeli Arabs and facilitate their integration both in the domestic economy and the global economy. While this is a social mission, his vision is ultimately based on the strong business desire to convert Babcom into an outstanding service provider in Israel, and to reach a position where it will compete globally with the best service providers. For this purpose, Babcom implements strict procedures and unique methods in order to recruit the best candidates, provide excellent training, and maintain exceptional quality throughout.
Telhami has served in positions on several councils and boards of directors and has participated in a number of projects with partners who share his commitment, including: The Lautman Fund, Appleseeds Academy, member of the Board and Executive Committee of the University of Haifa. He is a member of the Board of Kav Mashve (a non-profit organization which through academic work seeks equality between Arabs and Jews), and a member of the Advisory Committee for Economic Development in the Arab, Druze and Circassian sector, in the Prime Minister’s Office.
In 2014 Telhami founded Takwin Labs, an internet incubator for Arab entrepreneurs in Haifa, together with Chemi Peres and Erel Margalit. The incubator was founded with the intention to enable more Arabs to successfully integrate into the Start-up Nation in Israel, to realize their potential and to create successful high-tech companies.