"I felt I needed to prove something, and failure was not an option"

At 38, Maayan Cohen-Haziz , Israel Site Manager and Global Director of HR at CyberProof, found herself fighting two battles. One was joining an early stage startup and trying to push it forward, the other was breast cancer. “I had three tumors and suddenly everything stopped. I thought this was the end. I have three kids, three siblings. What am I going to do?” Cohen-Haziz decided to fight. “I needed to make a shift in my mind - I'm starting something new and I need a victory - failure is not an option.”

At home the message to her family was ‘It's okay to be sad, we are a healthy house and we will continue to be so as much as possible’. “My middle child was 8 and she hugged me and said ‘I believe in you, you are a super mommy’”. And so, Cohen-Haziz went through the ups and downs, and in the meantime, continued working at a startup. “Management knew and I continued to work in order to support the company as much as I could. I worked from home (pre-Covid) and I drove in and did as much as possible. I felt like I had my duties and I needed to work, for me, it was my air.”

Maayan Cohen-Haziz, Israel Site Manager and Global Director of HR at CyberProof.

CTech's She-Inspires series follows the stories of various female leaders in Israel. The interviewees hail from various sectors: some work at high level positions in large organizations, some are founders, and some are key players in industries aimed at changing the world for the better. The goal is to learn where they came from, where they are going and how they are bringing inspiration to an entire sector making its way towards a glass ceiling just waiting to burst.

After a few years, Cohen-Haziz (44) got better and decided to leave the startup, eventually ending up at CyberProof. “I had the opportunity to move to CyberProof to be a global HR director. I knew nothing about cyber. But, people are people and I am good with people."

CyberProof is an AI security services company that manages incident detection and response requirements. When Yuval Wollman, President, left for California he offered Cohen-Haziz the opportunity to replace him as GM of Israel. This came amid talks of relocating with her husband who immediately decided to stay and support his wife. “The first thing that came to my mind was 'Really? Can I even do that?'” And my husband replied - why not? you can do anything."

When asked if she felt different as a women during her journey Cohen-Haziz replied: “I felt like I needed to prove something, that I cannot rest or fail, that I can't lose my job. There are days where you collapse, you can't do anything. I felt like a walking pharmacy. However, when you feel you can control your life just a bit then you are okay.”

Now that she is in a position of power she chooses to give strength to women. “I tell them to take a deep breath, they are okay, no one will come and take their position."

What tip would you give younger generations looking to succeed?

“If you can dream it you can make it, as Walt Disney said. I even put that motto on my wall in the office when I got sick. Basically, you can do anything men are doing and even more."