At the Jerusalem Post Women Leaders Summit, Michal Livshits, Vice President of Financial Planning and Business Analysis at Check Point Software, offered a look into corporate leadership, strategic finance, and personal resilience.
Having joined Check Point eight years ago as an analyst, Livshits quickly realized that effective financial planning requires broad organizational vision. "Finance was not only about numbers, it was about influencing decisions and asking the questions, the tough questions, and the right questions," she explained.
She credited her service as a military commander for instilling the confidence needed to challenge assumptions and drive complex processes in front of senior corporate leadership. Her rapid ascent, she noted, was the result of hard work, intentionality, and an organizational culture that actively nurtured growth and trusted its employees.
Addressing the rapid integration of artificial intelligence and shifting cybersecurity market dynamics, Livshits emphasized that modern finance departments should act as facilitators rather than roadblocks. "Our role in finance is not to slow that down."
She also highlighted what differentiates Check Point in this context. “While we are a large, global company with multiple products and teams, the pace of decision-making is very fast,” she explained. “That requires close collaboration between finance and the business, and the ability to evaluate opportunities quickly without losing control.”
As a mother of two young children with a husband serving in the reserves, she acknowledged the added layer to the challenge. Yet, her message remained one of profound strength. " There isn’t just one dimension to who we are.I truly believe we can do more than one thing," she affirmed, "I think we can take leadership roles, and we can take the career to the next step and be present at home. It's not easy. The opposite, it's quite challenging, but it's definitely possible".
Written in collaboration with Check Point