Hi,
I am Shari Arison, the daughter of the late Ted Arison and Mina Arison Sapir. I am a mother of four, grandmother of eight, and am involved in a wide range of fields.
For many years, I have been very active in business, philanthropy, and spirituality. I served as a member of the board of both public and private companies, and have headed businesses and nonprofit organizations. In partnership with several collaborators, I established a network of roadside restaurants and rest areas in Israel with the Mövenpick franchise, including one in Tel Aviv. I loved those restaurants, but regrettably had to close them down due to the security situation in Israel at the time.
Through Arison Investments, the business arm of the Arison Group, I founded Miya, which is a global water efficiency company that operates to realize the vision of bringing an abundance of pure water to the world. I was also the owner of several other businesses, operating in banking and finance, infrastructure and real estate, water, renewable energy, and salt industry.
I have always led businesses that aim at bringing added value to people, society, the environment, and economy. For many years I strived to change the “systems”, as a whole. We have been successful in many ways, and less so in other aspects. After realizing that I can no longer create the positive change I sought to make, I decided to sell these operating companies that I owned, and have transitioned from a model of ownership to a model of influence.
Today, Arison Investments continues investing globally, and does so specifically in industries that bring added value to humanity. Now I can continue creating impact through investments made from a harmonious, creative, and enjoyable place, focusing on initiatives that bring added value to our planet and humanity at large.
Over the course of many years, I developed The Doing Good Model – a practical day-to-day tool for integrating values at the core of businesses, nonprofits, communities, and individual people. The model incorporates 13 universal values that are applied as a moral compass in any endeavor. The model is taught academically at George Mason University in the USA, and The Doing Good Model guides the implementation of core values in businesses and organizations in Israel and worldwide.
In my father’s name, The Ted Arison Family Foundation was established in the USA in the 1980s and in Israel in the 1990s, as a privately held family fund that makes contributions in a wide range of fields.
I have had the honor of leading many building infrastructure projects in health, education, research, and art, by being personally involved in all the details. Through The Ted Arison Family Foundation, I founded several vision ventures that have since continued independently without me, such as Matan – Investing in the Community, for example, which I led for many years in the effort of creating a culture of giving in the Israeli business community.
Over the years, I founded and lead many other ventures, including Essence of Life, which operates to raise awareness and provide tools for inner peace. This organization runs an internet radio station, a website, and a visitor’s center called Mahuti. Another organization I launched is Goodnet, which is a social digital platform that inspires acts of goodness, connecting between people and organizations that do good worldwide.
The Ted Arison Family Foundation also houses Ruach Tova (Hebrew for Good Spirit), which works to advance volunteering in Israel by matching people who want to volunteer with organizations that seek volunteers. As part of this organization, I initiated and lead Good Deeds Day, a global day that highlights year-round activities of good, celebrated by millions of people in more than 115 countries across the globe.
It is important for me to state that all of these philanthropic and business activities have been done together with my children, managers, and employees who are dedicated and operate out of a shared sense of mission as I do.
Forbes has repeatedly ranked me as one of the most influential women in the world, and listed me as one of the world’s greenest billionaires for my environmental contribution in Israel and worldwide, which has also been translated into business dealings.
I was named Honorary Fellow of the Decade by IDC Herzliya (Reichman University), where I served on the board, and received the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL) award for my contribution to promoting the economies of Israel and America.
Additionally, I was named Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by George Mason University, in appreciation for “the application of fundamental human values to global business and organizations”, and I have been honored with the Medal of Light from the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) for The Ted Arison Family Foundation’s commitment and contribution to the wellbeing of Holocaust survivors, for its involvement in Israeli society, and activities that benefit the State of Israel.
In August 2021, I was named Honorary Doctor of Philosophy by Reichman University, in recognition of my vision of Doing Good and globe-spanning work that creates positive change in the world.
I have also published eight books, which became instant bestsellers in Israel and worldwide, translated into numerous languages. In these books, I write from the heart to share my journey on the path of raising awareness and creating positive change. My books were written from different angles in diverse fields, including spirituality, business, giving, art, and children’s stories.
The books that I have published are Birth – When the Material and the Spiritual Come Together; Activate Your Goodness; Material for Thought; The Doing Good Model; A Journey through the Kingdom of Light; A Day of Good Deeds; Or’s Journey (based on A Journey through the Kingdom of Light); and Who am I, Really?, which was written with Nurit Eldar.
I adore animals, and love to paint and create. I am vocal about my ideas and opinions on social media, and also host a radio show, all for the purpose of realizing my greatest passion – helping people connect with themselves, their very essence and soul, by discovering that divine spark within them.
