Shmuel Harlap
Shmuel Harlap | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 Israel |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, businessman |
| Known for | Chairman of Colmobil Group |
Shmuel Harlap (; born 1945) is a prominent Israeli entrepreneur, serving as the chairman of the Colmobil Group (קבוצת כלמוביל) and actively investing in emerging companies. He earned his PhD from Harvard University.
Biography
Harlap was born in 1945 and grew up in Rehovot and Haifa. His father, Amichai, established Colmobil, the official importer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Israel. After completing his service in the Golani Brigade during the Six-Day War, Harlap obtained a doctorate in philosophy from Harvard University and subsequently taught political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In 1982, he assumed the role of chairman at Colmobil, broadening the company’s offerings by adding Japanese automakers Mitsubishi in 1988 and Hyundai in 1994. Under his guidance, Colmobil secured approximately a fifth of Israel’s automotive market share. His achievements in business earned him the 21st spot on TheMarker’s 2016 ranking of Israel’s wealthiest individuals, with an estimated fortune of US$1.5 billion. Beyond the automotive sector, Harlap invested in startups; notably, his net worth doubled in 2017 following Intel’s acquisition of Mobileye, where he owned close to 7% of shares.
Harlap has also engaged publicly on social and political matters, authoring an opinion piece on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for Haaretz in 2017 and voicing opposition to government proposals for deporting African asylum seekers in 2018. In response to the October 7, 2023 attacks, his family contributed 120 Mitsubishi Space Star cars to kibbutzim located near the Gaza border.