To be smart, yet humble

Interview with Chen Bitan, General Manager of CyberArk

By: Nimrod Danishman, Bakehila alum, cohort 2009-2010

When CyberArk first went public, General Manager Chen Bitan, stood full of pride. Since then, the company's stock value has been on the rise. Chen, along with his executive staff, decided to generously donate some of the company shares to Bakehila. We asked Chen to share why they have decided to support our cause.

Throughout his childhood, Chen Bitan never dreamed he would become the general manager of one of the most successful high-tech companies in Israel. Growing up in Gilo, one of the southern neighborhoods of Jerusalem built after the six day war, he mostly remembers spending time outdoors playing soccer.

"I had a great childhood. We didn’t grow up in a very rich family, but we weren’t poor either. We were taught to always work hard and told that we were responsible for our own ability to succeed in life. For as long as I can remember, my parents have taught me that my future and my character is in my own hands."

"Both my parents were amazing. Many of the values I live by today were given to me by my parents. My mother was born in Persia, (now Iran), and my father, a true Jerusalemite came to Israel from Morocco. During those days in Israel, there was an atmosphere of discrimination towards Jewish immigrants from Middle Eastern countries, referred to as the "Mizrachi" community in Israel. But my parents always said- 'discrimination or not, if you work hard, you will succeed. If you are good at what you do, you will succeed. If you push yourself, you will succeed.' I think that their attitude is what really guided my entire family throughout life."

Today, Chen is the General Manager of CyberArk, an international company specializing in defending inter-organizational cyber-attacks, founded in 1999, during the initial ".com and high-tech boom". After nearly two decades, CyberArk has grown into one of the most successful companies in its field, according to Bitan. Today, 17 out of 20 of the leading banks worldwide use CyberArk's products. Last year CyberArk went public in NASDAQ and has since tripled its value, exponentially increasing investor returns. The CyberArk leadership generously decided to designate some of its shares to charity and give back to the community in Israel.

Why did you decide to donate some of the company's shares to charity?

"We are building a business that is connected to the community and to the society, and throughout the years we have really tried to put an emphasis on that. Whether it's focusing on a specific mission like packaging and delivering food for the needy, implementing volunteering into our employee’s regular work schedule, or the decision to take a bigger role and invest in a nonprofit organization whose cause that resonates with us, such as "Elem" in Petach Tikva and Bakehila in Jerusalem.

"My definition of a successful company is not only of one that is profitable, yet one that's built on a set of values. I think CyberArk is based on very humane values; our motto is "be smart but humble". We demand of ourselves to be the best that we can in every professional aspect, and also be modest enough to listen to those around us, such as our staff, peers, clients, analysts and the society as whole. I learn from everyone- the guard at the door, the CEO of another company, fans at a soccer game and from this conversation with you."

Bakehila works with the youth in Gilo, the neighborhood you grew up in. We don’t see many kids from the community with goals and aspirations such as becoming the CEO of a successful company.

"Up until 7th grade I wasn’t very invested academically. I was a pretty wild kid, a real punk. When I reached 7th grade, I realized school can actually have an impact on my future, and that's when I started applying myself and improving my grades. By the end of 8th grade, I was in the top of my class. My goal was to get into a good high school, "Ort"- which at the time was the only technology high school that taught computer sciences. "

"I really think my parents did a good job with us. We were three brothers, and even though it was cool to wear brand names, we wore hand-me-downs. And we didn’t care. We knew that if we were to aim for a high standard, people would like and respect us, even if we didn’t have the best clothes. I look at families today who struggle financially, and even when there is a bit of extra money, people just don’t know how to spend it. They want their child to be part of the social elite, but they are focusing of the wrong aspect of the society. "

So as someone who had grown up in a similar environment to the that of the youth that Bakehila works with, what message would you like to share?

"First of all, believe in yourself. It is all up to you, and when you understand that, the sky is the limit. There are so many examples of kids, who grew up in difficult neighborhoods and have succeeded. Yes, it's a challenge, but once you overcome it, suddenly everything else seems like a piece of cake. When you’ve work hard as a kid, and know you are in charge of your life choices, you'll breeze through other struggles in life. I would tell kids that grow up with some sort of disadvantage or a struggle to look towards their future and tell themselves, 'my surroundings will not dictate my future. No one will tell me if I will succeed or not. I know I will.'