Hamani has been instrumental in propelling the rapid growth of BHI, a commercial bank serving Middle Market companies in the U.S.

Bank Hapoalim, Israel’s leading banking group, has announced the appointment of Gabriel Hamani as Chief Executive Officer at BHI USA, the bank’s operational arm in the United States. He will be replacing outgoing CEO Yair Talmor, who has been appointed Chairman of BHI USA Advisory Group.

Headquartered in New York, BHI provides a comprehensive range of personally customized banking services to corporate and commercial companies throughout the U.S.

The appointments were approved last week by Bank Hapoalim’s Board. Hamani will report directly to Dan Koller, Head of Financial Markets and International Banking and a member of the bank’s Board of Management. Talmor will assume his new position in addition to his current roles as Chairman and CEO of BHI USA Holdings Inc. and Chairman of the Credit Committee. He will also report to Koller.

Hamani joined Bank Hapoalim in 1991 and held a variety of managerial positions in Israel, amassing extensive experience in retail, commercial and corporate banking while gaining in-depth understanding of the business side and all aspects of risk management.

In 2006, Hamani relocated to the United States and in 2008 joined the executive management team responsible for the bank’s overall U.S. activities. In 2014, Hamani was named Manager of U.S.A. branches where he was responsible for supervising both New York and Florida branches and the representative offices throughout the country.

Hamani earned both a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Arik Pinto, President and CEO at Bank Hapoalim, says: “We are truly pleased that Gabi Hamani will be leading our U.S. operations as BHI’s new CEO. Gabi’s distinguished career with the bank spans more than two decades and he is deeply familiar with the growth engines that are powering our successful expansion program in North America. We thank outgoing CEO Yair Talmor for his highly effective leadership and are happy that he will continue to play an integral role in implementing the bank’s growth strategy.”

Gabriel Hamani, CEO at BHI USA, says: “I’m very proud to become the CEO of this dynamic financial institution, which I know so well. We will continue to offer our customers the best of both worlds: the close personal attention and responsiveness of a prestigious boutique bank combined with the expertise and financial strength of a global bank. I’m totally committed to building upon the excellent work of my predecessor, Yair Talmor, as BHI moves forward toward further growth.”

BHI, Bank Hapoalim’s operational arm in the United States, has been active in the American market for the past 40 years. BHI specializes in the following sectors: commercial real estate; food and commodities; entertainment; apparel; healthcare and high-tech. It also has a fully dedicated Business Group for Israeli businesses that want to start or expand operations in the U.S. market.

In addition to its New York headquarters, the bank operates four offices in the U.S, in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey; Aventura, Florida; and two locations in California, downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.

For more about BHI, please visit www.bhiusa.com

For more about Bank Hapoalim, please visit www.bankhapoalim.com