Sharon J. Fraenkel (SJF) is the Executive Director of Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University for Ottawa, Quebec and Atlantic Canada (CFTAU). In his role, Sharon acts as the Canadian representative of Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel’s largest and most comprehensive institution of higher learning and research, where interdisciplinary collaboration is a core value of its academic culture. The university has been ranked 8th among the top 10 schools globally for producing successful, venture capital-backed founders of companies, and TAU remains the only non-U.S. university to make this Top10 list in 2019. Recent rankings listed 40 of the most influential people under 40 in Israel, including 12 TAU Alumni, and the top 12 innovations of the decade included seven companies and inventions originating from TAU Professors and Alumni, leading the list ahead of any other university.

SJF’s trademark is his passion and commitment to the organizations he chooses to engage with. He is an effective strategic leader with international executive level experience in hospitality, events, financial resource development and volunteer management. His background and experiences enable him to easily navigate through complex governance processes, diagnose key issues and offer creative and practical yet unconventional solutions. As a result, he is a sought-after professional whose success is rooted in his belief that a win-win approach is the only approach. He has become a sought-after leader capable of transforming an organization because of his meticulousness for details, mastery of the negotiation and a strong focus on results.

Prior to joining CFTAU, SJF spent 14 years with some of the world’s most prominent companies, including Hilton International, Cirque du Soleil, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel. In 2005 he joined Concordia University as the inaugural Director of Events. In that role he was responsible for overseeing close to 150 functions annually. During his almost decade-long tenure with the University’s friend- and fundraising arm, SJF was promoted twice, culminating his career at Concordia as the Director, Alumni Relations, Events and Sponsorships. Today Sharon is proud to be a senior executive with CFTAU, as he leads the association into the future with his entrepreneurial mindset in a bid to create non traditional solutions for revenue generating.