15 Dec Avraham Ben Josef
Mr. Avraham Ben Josef is a renowned expert in the field of water technology, with over 30 years of dedicated experience in relevant fields, water technologies and disciplines including, but not limited to, water resource management, water quality, desalination, operations and maintenance and Command & Control. During his distinguished career, Mr. Ben Joseph was responsible for the maintenance and operation of Israel’s main water supply system. He also drafted Israel’s strategic plan for the Water Sector in 2050. He also initiated and led the brackish water desalination plant project in the South of Israel.
Mr. Ben Josef served for over 10 years as a Board Member of Mekorot, Israel’s national water company. During his distinguished career with Mekorot, he held a wide range of senior ranking capacities including, but not limited to Vice President of System Integration Engineering and Head of the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Division, responsible for all operational, engineering and maintenance activity within the company. He also carried out a number of measures aimed at improving efficiency and reduced maintenance costs overall by roughly 20 percent without comprising quality.
Prior to this he served as the Vice President of Engineering and Technology which includes responsibility over water resources, water quality, desalination, Command and Control, operations and maintenance, safety and the Research, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (WATEC). He was also chiefly responsible for drafting multi-year work plans (including energy efficiency and emergency preparedness, among other areas), managing survey and research activities and promoting collaborations between Israel and international partners, among other roles.
Also with Mekorot, Mr. Ben Josef served in the capacity of Head of Engineering for the Southern District of the State of Israel which included supervising 75 engineers as well as laboratories, maintenance, information systems and development and operating water supply systems for the entire Southern district including urban communities, settlements and agriculture, managing complex engineering systems which include electrical, cathodic, civil, electronics, machinery, pumps and hydraulic valves.
As the Director of Development and Projects Department with Mekorot, Mr. Ben Josef led a number of large-scale projects in conjunction with the Water Authority from inception and master planning thru implementation. Prior to this, he served as the Director of the Water Quality Department which included managing and overseeing operations at water and wastewater testing laboratories, the water quality engineering department and the water monitoring system. He also served the capacity of Project Manager for the construction of water desalination plans in the Arava Valley in the State of Israel. In addition these roles, Mr. Ben Josef began his career with Mekorot as a Water Engineer in the Negev and Arava regions in Israel and then as a Senior Engineer and Deputy of the Water Engineering Department within Mekorot.
Mr. Ben Josef holds a B.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and an M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) in Haifa, Israel. His Master’s Thesis was on the topic of “Flood water treatment for domestic use.”