Quick Facts
Biography
Yasser Elshantaf (Arabic: ياسر الشنتف , Yāsir Elshāntāf; born January 20, 1983) is a German entrepreneur of Palestinian origin and co-founder and CEO of PhoenixBird Diversity Management GmbH.
Early life and education
Yasser Elshantafwas born in Al-Shati camp in Gaza Strip. His parents became refugees after they fled their homes in Jaffa during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He studied computer information systems, political science and crisis management.
In 2009, he traveled to Germany after winning the Konrad-Zuse-Program as an entrepreneur. The prize was presented by the German Foreign Office, and focuses on research and development in the information technology field.
Career
Elshantaf started his career in Palestine as IT consultant and served in various capacities in the field of organizational development and strategy. Since 2004, he carried out consulting projects for the World Bank, and other international organizations such as European Union, and the American Friends Service Committee.
He is currently the CEO, of PhoenixBird Diversity Management GmbH in Berlin, that focuses on a wide variety of industries including business management, education, energy and utilities, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, innovation management, infrastructure and transportation, technology, media and telecommunication.He is also Co-founder of PhoenixBird Information Technology and Systems L.T.D.
On 29 January 2014, Elshantaf talked to Deutsche Welle about the public concern over China's growing economic power, classification criteria for leading companies, and challenges facing the German private sector.
On 29 and 30 March 2012, Elshantaf was invited by the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation and Center for International Peace Operations to a workshop under the title of Corruption and Compliance in Transition Countries in North Africa to talk about strategies and best practices for international legal cooperation in the fight against corruption in transitional societies.
Elshantaf participated in the 12th German-Arab Business Forum, which was held in cooperation between the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.He presented a lecture under the title "ICT, the future for Palestine".
Elshantaf is a co-founder of the German-Palestinian Business Council DPW e.V.; a member of the International Non-Profit Business Association for CEOs and Entrepreneurs, the Junior Chamber International, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin, and the Palestinian Information Technology Association.
He has also been involved in many activities supporting the community and the Palestinian economy.
Political views
Elshantaf is liberal and a democrat who believes peace has to be made between people, rather than between governments.