Lior Koriat of Quali: 5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Manage a Team

Don’t be afraid to take initiative and encourage your team to do the same as long as it is done in a coordinated fashion and is aligned with your strategy.

As a part of our series about the five things you need to successfully manage a large team, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lior Koriat.

Lior Koriat has served as Quali’s CEO since November 2008. As a former pilot with degrees in computer science and economics, Lior has 25 years of experience in the fields of cloud, automation, infrastructure, communication, real-time and embedded applications, robotics, and avionics.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”?

I started out as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force. After my military service, I went to study computer science and economics at Tel Aviv University while founding my first company for system engineering, leading the development of mission critical solutions in aviation, robotics, and simulation.

I also led the architecture and design of the first autonomous vehicle that was built in Israel. Many of the technologies developed, implemented, and integrated are still present today in production vehicles.

A few years later, I had the opportunity to join Quali as a VP of R&D as we were launching the company. I was appointed COO and eventually, CEO and Board Member.

Can you share an interesting story that happened to you in your career?

Considering my flight career to be a meaningful part of my professional life, I had the privilege of taking a leading role in a multi-national training program where I led hundreds of crews in a coordinated campaign, from the detailed mission preparation and briefing to successfully commanding the mission and debriefing thoroughly while preparing for the following day.

Not only did it require being at the top of my game, but I had to practice and demonstrate core values of excellence, competitiveness, accountability, leading by example and wingmanship.