Moti Finish is much more than just another manager in Elbit’s Land & IMI division: he’s a legend. “For the past twenty years, Motti has been leading special tasks within the company – ranging from routine project management to completing nationally significant missions.” Moti says the process always starts with five simple words: “Moti, there’s a problem – we need you.”
My story
Behind Moti is a distinguished military career, culminating as head of the Ground Forces planning division, at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He joined IMI, which was later acquired by Elbit Systems. He serves as the head of the Launchers department and is responsible for building all the launchers the company makes for the IDF and other armies around the world.
Managing the Launchers department is Moti’s main role, but his knowledge of engineering and managerial capabilities have made him the company’s “special operations man”. He’s been involved in many other projects where a fast, creative and professional solution was needed. For him, thinking outside the box isn’t an option: it’s a way of life. “When I began at IMI, I managed to close a $40 million project for the company. That was, actually, the first time they saw my abilities. Shortly afterwards, rocket fire from Gaza towards the Gaza envelope settlements started and the company received the mission of protecting the school and kindergarten roofs.”
The project was received at the start of the summer, and the challenge was to complete the protection solution in two months, before the school year began. “The former prime minister came on a tour to the Gaza envelope settlements and asked if everything would be ready by September. The CEO of the IMI answered, ‘Ask Moti’, and eventually, we completed the project on schedule.”
Success is not unusual for Moti, whose career is full of achievements that illustrate his ability to make the impossible possible. “The challenge is to see the system, spot the elements that could cause delays in the supply chain – and decipher the big picture,” he explains. “When Elbit acquired the company, things changed and it enabled me to act with enormous freedom. The trust they placed in me is touching.”
When he isn’t building launchers or working on special-operations projects, Moti devotes his time to his family – his wife, their four children and their grandchildren. One of his passions is to volunteer at the neighborhood synagogue, where he teaches the neighborhood children to read and write, prepares boys for their Bar Mitzvah, and also tutors children in mathematics and physics. “When the results can be seen, the feeling of achievement is huge,” he says.
