Heads of UK companies, including British Airways, in Israel to meet tech leaders

Senior executives from UK-based companies including the owners of British Airways are in Israel this week meeting technology entrepreneurs.

Among the firms taking part in the trade visit are US-based Mastercard and Citi, with technological innovation in the fields of banking and payments high on the agenda.

At a special session, British philanthropist Sir Ronald Cohen will be in conversation with Shimon Peres’s son Chemi. Both men are venture capitalists.

The delegation has been organised by UK Israel Business, a bilateral chamber of commerce, whose chief executive Hugo Bieber said: “It is hard to find a British company not using Israeli innovation.”

Ann Cairns, vice-chair of Mastercard, said: “I am delighted to be spending time with so many innovative and forward-looking technologists and businesses during my visit to Israel.”