An Unshakable Foundation: Gila Amitzur Reflects on What Made Nova a Winner since Day One
Gila has been with Nova as early as 1/1994, almost since the beginning. As Nova's most veteran employee, Gila is trusted by others for her vast institutional knowledge and memories of how things were founded and evolved.
Through the changes over the past 30 years, Gila is proud to say that one of the company’s strongest founding values are creativity, accountability, motivation, and commitment.
Gila, tell us a little about yourself
I joined Nova after my maternity leave, with my twins, Tomer and Maya. Before then, I worked in the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC while studying behavioral science at the University of Maryland. Ten years ago, I studied logistics at Bar Ilan University. For the last 20 years I’m in a relationship with Yair and my hobbies are Bridge and sports, yet, when it comes to sports, I mostly enjoy watching them… not so much doing…).
What are you doing at Nova today?
When I started working at Nova, I was the seventh employee. Currently, nearly 30 years later, I am the logistics manager at Nova, responsible for the company’s import and export activities and Nova’s warehouses worldwide. Since joining Nova almost 30 years ago, I have held several positions in different departments. In the beginning, I did most of the administrative tasks, purchasing, travels, import/export, responsible for the leasehold improvements in the various locations Nova moved to and from during the growth periods (from building #1 and adding a lab in building #3, then moving into building #18 and then the whole building #22. As the company grew, I focused on import/export and then received additional responsibility for the global warehouses.
What is your first memory of Nova?
I’ve been at Nova so long that choosing just one memory is difficult, but the first memory that comes into my mind, was when we received our first two purchase orders, at almost the same time for multiple systems from very significant companies in the semi-industry. It was a sense of a dream come true. I can’t explain the enthusiasm and the emotions that followed.
Another memory is when a delegation from a very significant customer came to visit us at the office. The delegation on behalf of the customer was twice the size of Nova at the time! I remember looking at the delegation representatives and counting them one by one. I was sitting at the entrance, and a constant stream of people with suits kept coming in. It was amazing.
In general, I remember vividly that Nova’s innovative and unique solutions together with excellent customer support were the foundations for the success of the first 2-3 years.
Very exciting. So, what has motivated you to continue 30 years in the company?
I have held quite a few positions, and different office locations yet the most impressive office is the one that we moved into 3 years ago.
It is unique in the hi-tech industry to work for such a long time, you need self-motivation and invest a lot of personal effort to keep up with the pace of changes while keeping a high level of professionalism and hard work– “Never Ever Give Up” was the motto of the company from the beginning and I adhered to it all these years!
When I look back, I see that I accomplished different things in different places. The company grew, more people joined the team, and there have always been challenges that added to the interest.
I truly believe that facing our fears, taking responsibility, and demonstrating determination are the key to success for many years.
What has changed in Nova over the years you have been here?
In the beginning, there was more intimacy since we were such a small group. Each one of us knew everything about everything. We were exposed to everything: every purchase, every challenge, every agreement, and also every failure. I can say that there are Nova’s systems from those early days that still work at our customers’ sites.
What hasn’t changed and has been a foundational part of Nova’s corporate culture from the beginning is the tagline of passion, innovation, and performance. I think these things have remained at Nova and are a significant part of our values even today. Another thing that still exists today that has been a defining characteristic of Nova since the beginning are the special, creative, and highly motivated people. The unique organizational culture that was built in the first years continues. I hear this from new employees all the time- that they feel the same positive vibe as it was from the beginning.
It’s a bit of a cliché to say that Nova is my second family.
That’s amazing! What do you wish for Nova in the next 30 years?
That we continue to focus on innovation and technological leadership. I also hope the organizational culture and atmosphere remain as they have been and still are now and that we continue to dream and conquer new heights.
