Lt. Col. (Res.) Segev Sagi Giat

Fellow, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University; CEO, Initiative Wins; Former Officer, Israeli Intelligence Corps and Prime Minister’s Office, IDF Hostage Negotiating Team

Lt. Col. (Res.) Segev Sagi Giat is an expert in negotiation and crisis management, with over 20 years of experience in military intelligence, counter-terrorism, and hostage negotiations. He currently serves as CEO of IW – Initiative Wins, a company specializing in crisis management, negotiation, and mediation. He is also a Fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University.

He served for over a decade in Israel’s intelligence corps, including a diplomatic mission in Eurasia, with postings in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and San Francisco. Prior to this, he spent 11 years in elite units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) special forces and graduated from the Interdepartmental College for Command and Headquarters. He retired from the Prime Minister’s Office after 12 years of service in the Arab sector.

Since retiring, he has continued to serve in the IDF Hostage Negotiating Team as a reservist at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, acting as spokesman and commander of the “frontal” team for over two decades. In the private sector, he is also a shareholder in various technologically innovative startups, including three biometric identification companies.

He is a graduate of the Haifa Reali School (military boarding program) and holds a B.A. in Orientalism from Tel Aviv University. He speaks fluent Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Russian.