International business lawyer gives his bid on the future of Japan-Israel relations

Exclusive interview | Gilad Majerowicz (Partner at Herzog Fox & Ne’eman)

Gilad Majerowicz is an international lawyer who has played a key role in nurturing the business relationship between companies in Japan and Israel – and he has high hopes for the future. In spite of the pandemic, the first half of 2020 saw an increase of 15% in Japanese investments in Israel.

In this interview, he tells us how working in an international environment came to shape his professional outlook, his work with Japan, and his thoughts on the future of Japan-Israel relations.

From Israel to New York: Gilad’s transition to international business

״My career path had several unexpected turns throughout the years. Now, after many years, I can see how all points were actually connected” says Gilad with a smile.

When Gilad started as a lawyer over twenty years ago, he had no idea that his career would lead him abroad. He mainly handled local cases in Israel but overtime began working on cross-border projects.

After 5 years of working in Israel, Gilad decided to go abroad and obtain a master’s degree in Law at New York University.

“Studying in New York opened up a new world for me and changed my course of life. I studied with students from over 80 countries. I learned from this experience that even if we are interacting with someone who speaks another language and has a different set of values ​​and culture, we are still all human beings and we all have common themes that can connect us.”

His first job post-graduation was at a New York based telecommunication company where he supported a team within the company that focused on implementation of new technologies. He later earned a position as a lawyer in the New York office of one of the largest law firms in the U.S. The firm provided Gilad with a pivotal opportunity to work with lawyers from around the world.

“Kirkland & Ellis is an international law firm and I worked on domestic and cross-border transactions with colleagues from different countries around the world. This exposure has affected me personally and professionally in a significant way״.

Herzog Fox Ne’eman and a new door to Japan

Today, Gilad is a part of Herzog Fox Ne'eman, one of the biggest law firms in Israel. To provide context, Herzog Fox Ne'eman is known for thinking outside the box and a front-runner when it comes to working with Asia. Since 2011, the firm has been operating in China, Singapore, and India – and since 2013 also in Japan.

In the case of Japan, Gilad was the initiator. The decision to work with Japan was an easy one.

“During my studies at NYU, one of my best friends was a Japanese lawyer and we kept in touch over the years. In 2013 he visited Israel for business purposes, he opened a few doors for me and quickly, one thing led to another.”

“I was looking for a new challenge, and I was drawn to this world and was fascinated by the beauty of Japan and the Japanese culture. I realized the huge potential it has and luckily, the firm’s management believed in this initiative and we started to develop our practice of Japan.”

“One of the first milestones was a large lawyers conference in 2014, which is held every year in a different country. That year, it was held in Tokyo and attracted 6,000 lawyers. The management of the firm challenged me and told me that if I wanted to develop the practice of Japan, I should produce a conference about investments in Israel in parallel with this huge conference happening in Tokyo. At first, the idea sounded very challenging because there was not much business activity between the countries at that time. However, the significant challenges only increased my motivation. Within weeks we found a local partner to arrange the seminar with us. It was a very successful seminar and since then we have been very active in the Japanese market.״

Developments in Israel-Japan relations

Gilad sees Herzog Fox Ne'eman flourishing activities as a reflection of developments in Israel-Japan relations. “It did not happen overnight, and first and foremost it happened thanks to the help of both governments. Both prime ministers, Abe and Netanyahu have visited each other in their respective countries, this opened the door for visits by more senior political echelons.”

The prime ministers’ meeting took place in 2014, 2015 and 2018. Since there has been a steady increase and a double-digit increase each year in the volume of activity. In the last 5 years, the Japanese investments in Israel amount to billions of dollars.

“Even in 2020, a very challenging year, we saw in the first half of the year a 15% increase in the total amount of Japanese investments in Israel. Also, according to research, Japanese investments made up to 9% of the total investment made in Israel in the first half of 2020.”

Many of the Japanese companies that are active in Israel are Herzog Fox Ne'eman clients. 

“We helped large Japanese clients to open offices in Israel. We helped many companies to make investments in high-tech companies. We helped one of Japan’s largest trading houses to set up an investment fund of over $ 100 million for investments in Israel alone. The positive progress means that there is a trust from Japanese investors in the Israeli market, and they recognize the potential of working together.”

The Israel-Japan Chamber of Commerce 

Gilad also serves as a board member of the Israel-Japan Chamber of Commerce. The non-profit organization, which has existed for more than 60 years, aims to create bridges between businesses in Japan and Israel.

“Herzog Fox Ne'eman” has extensive activities with the Chamber of Commerce. We’ve collaborated on many occasions. Before Covid-19, we held many events and seminars in our office together with them and the Embassy, JETRO and other government organizations.”

“For example, a delegation from the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, the KEIZAI DOYUKAI, first arrived in Israel in 2016. We hosted them at our office together with the Chamber of Commerce. We have hosted many more delegations together and have a fruitful collaboration.”

A positive outlook on the future

Despite the hardships caused by the pandemic, Gilad has a positive outlook on the future.

“Even in these challenging times, we are active in several projects for our Japanese clients. A recent project that I am especially proud of is an investment that happened in the middle of the lockdown by a Japanese company in an Israeli startup that has developed a product that tests for Covid-19 and gives an answer within 30 seconds. If there is such an accurate kit, it can change our lives in many ways, and allow easy travel and flight.”

Gilad is planning to continue the success by connecting with even more Asian countries in the future.

“I would like to develop activities with other Asian countries, like Thailand and Taiwan. I am very happy to see that Asia is becoming the most significant market for Israeli companies and I believe that in a few years it will be at the same level as the American market.”

Website:

https://www.hfn.co.il/lawyer/gilad-majerowicz/main