HAIFA (Press Release)–Businessman and Colombian Ambassador to Israel Isaac Gilinski was present at the launching of a unique “Colombia Bicentennial” exhibition at the University of Haifa, and followed the event with a lecture for students of the University’s Graduate School of Management.
Mr. Gilinski is the owners of the Gilinski Group, managing a number of companies in Colombia and other Latin American countries. The Group is currently operating in banking and real estate for the most part; it acquired the Central Bank of Colombia and is today the owners of one of the country’s most profitable banks – Banco Sudameris.
Last year Gilinski was appointed Ambassador of Colombia to Israel and was hosted at the University of Haifa by Vice President of External Relations Amos Gaver to launch the “Colombia Bicentennial” exhibition, which was specially brought over from the National Museum of Colombia.
Giving a special talk at the University’s Graduate School of Management, the Ambassador discussed business development and described how his family empire sprouted from a small tannery that his Lithuanian-born father established with a friend, after arriving in Colombia from Israel. “I failed at least ten times in my life,” Ambassador Gilinski said, “But you can never be a business person without failing. How can a small business be turned into a big one? I think it’s a matter of luck – more luck than brains.”
Asked about bank management, Gilinski said that the most important thing is to remember that the money is not yours and belongs to the clients. “I have never had an account in my own bank and I don’t want to take a loan from my bank. It’s a terrible mistake when banks use the people’s money to buy assets with money that is not even theirs.”
Asked about Colombia’s reputation as a country in which advancing in the business market can be achieved with bribery he responded: “There is bribery in many countries, but if you have to pay a bribe to do business, it is better not to make the deal at all. I think that getting eight hours of peaceful sleep at night is more important than anything else.”
The Ambassador concluded his talk relating to the relations between Colombia and Israel: “Colombia is Israel’s best friend. Not the United States, but Colombia – and Israel has been very helpful to Colombia in many ways.”
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Preceding provided by the University of Haifa