Eliran Tal

Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University

Hometown: Tel Aviv, Israel

Fun Fact About Yourself: Cook fusion Yemenite food and ride a motorcycle. Grew up as an ultra-orthodox (Jewish) until the age of 18. Then, I decided to leave the religious life and joined the Israeli Army for four years. At the age of 24, I got out of the closet and married my first boyfriend.  Contributor and organizer of Midburn (the Israeli version of “Burning Man”).

Undergraduate School and Major: Tel Aviv University, Law Faculty (LL.B, LL.M)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Erdinast, Ben Nathan, Toledano & Co. Advocates, Associate, Real Estate & Commercial Department

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Consulted and represented the biggest bank in Israel, Deutsche Bank & Hutchison Whampoa LTD, in financing US $2b for an energy project to generate electricity from water in Israel.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Most of the students I have met so far have a great awareness to social impact. The classmates that I have met so far care much about being part of a positive change in their home country or anywhere else in the world where they will choose to live in.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this programme for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? In my decision-making process, RSM stood out since the school emphasized its commitment to positive change and social responsibility. In a world where most business schools care mostly about self-development and post-graduate salaries, RSM was the only school where I felt that I could relate. For me, the orientation of the school is the main key since it will determine the student who will chose to join such a school. Now, I can see that I was right since the quality of my classmates is exactly what I have expected.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Surprisingly, though the journey of my MBA, I have realized how much I love finance and how good I am at it. For that, I am excited to see what activities the Private Equity and Finance Club are going to bring and how align are they going to be to the RSM agenda.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After more than nine years of experience in different fields (Army and Law Firm), I felt that I was ready for another journey of exploration and self-development. Through my life, I have learned that I grow most when I was facing challenges and new beginnings. The MBA was a great opportunity for such journey.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Deciding if I wanted to do the MBA was not a rational or calculated decision for me. I followed my heart and my instincts and have concluded that life is what happening while you analyse decisions. As a result, I stopped analysing and decided to invest in the most valuable asset that I have – myself.

What other MBA programmes did you apply to? I have applied to law schools in the US (Columbia, NYU & Chicago) and got admitted to all. However, I decided to change direction to MBA.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? While I was working at the law firm, I got the chance to work with the biggest companies in Israel and the most successful business people. I have learned a lot from them, but I was never their lawyer, I was more of an advisor. One day while I had just finished handling a very big and complicated commercial transaction of one of my clients, I realised that I am sitting in the wrong chair and that I am more thrilled to be the one who is initiating and dreaming about the enterprise.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I am planning to focus on the financial sector and mainly in investment strategy.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Having my own enterprise that will create a sustainable and positive social impact in my society.