Dr. Ron Tomer (2020-Today)
Dr. Ron Tomer, the current president of the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel (MAI), was born and raised in Tel Aviv. He received his bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1991. He then went on to pursue his PhD research at the School of Pharmacy at the University of London, which he completed in 1994. Dr. Tomer also holds an MBA from the Recanati School of Business at the Tel Aviv University
In 1995 Dr. Tomer joined Unipharm Ltd., a leading Israeli generic pharmaceutical company founded by his father Zvulun Tomer. Originally joining as a Vice President, Dr. Tomer was promoted to become Unipharm Ltd.’s Co-Chief Executive Officer in 2019. Since joining Unipharm Ltd. in 1995, Dr. Tomer has contributed to Unipharm’s growth significantly, transforming it from a small company to one of Israel's largest generic pharmaceutical companies and a drug supplier to hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens. Granting affordable access to medicines by developing and producing generic pharmaceuticals has always been a cornerstone of Unipharm’s vision. In 2017, Unipharm opened its new EU-GMP compliant state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Mavo Carmel, Israel. This facility is built with the newest technologies in pharma manufacturing, allowing for increased production efficiency and cost savings. Unipharm Mavo Carmel is now starting to export its many generic products to Europe while expanding to additional international markets.
On January 30th, 2020, Dr. Ron Tomer was elected President of the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel. Around 788 members participated in the election, which marked the highest number of election participants ever for the MAI. Prior to becoming President, Dr. Tomer began volunteering for the MAI as the Chairman of the “Made in Israel” Committee and was responsible for advocating for Israeli locally produced goods. He held this position from 2009 to 2017 when he became the Chairman of the Committee of Economy and Regulation. At this committee, Dr. Tomer was routinely working with the Minster of Economy, the Minister of Finance, and the Bank of Israel. During his leadership period, a regulatory roadmap for the Israeli Manufacturers was created in collaboration between MAI, Governmental Offices, and the Israel Democracy Institute, paving the way for a significant decrease in the regulatory burden on Israeli Manufacturers. In 2018, after being the Chairman of the Committee of Economy and Regulation, Dr. Tomer pivoted and became the new Chairman of the Committee of Public Affairs, a position he held until his presidential election in 2020.
Dr. Tomer also served as a member of the Professional Committee of the Pharmaceutical Industry Branch in the Manufacturers Association, driving significant advancements in the Israeli Pharmaceutical Industry. He is an active Board Member of the Pharmacy Society of Israel and is the Head of the Pharmacy Society’s Professional Committee. He is an expert in the field of pharmaceutical patents and actively pursues patent challenges that welcomes generic drug competition into the market.
Dr. Tomer is also active on the Board of Trustees of the House of Wheels, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing enrichment activities for children with disabilities, and on the Steering Committee of Nitzan Horim, the Branch of the Israeli Association for Children and Adults with learning disabilities that focuses on learning-disabled parents by guiding them through their parenting lives.
Dr. Tomer lives with his wife Esti and their two daughters.
