Prof. Eugene Kandel holds a BA and an MA in Economics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and an MBA and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago. Between 1997-2024 he served as a Professor of Economics and Finance at the Hebrew University and previously taught at the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago. He is a Research Fellow of the Center for Economic Policy and Research in London, and a Fellow of the European Corporate Governance Institute. Prof. Kandel’s expertise is in the design of stock exchanges and financial institutions, innovation, and economic policy. He served as editor in several academic journals. 
Since July 2023, Prof. Kandel serves as the Chairman of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, building on his series of theoretical and empirical papers he co-authors dealing with stock exchanges around the world, and on his consulting work. He was instrumental in shaping the reform of Nasdaq in 1997, and in the decimalization of the US stock markets, which led to significant changes in stock trading. 
Kandel is also the Chairman of ISFI, a non-profit platform for collaborative action aimed at increasing the resilience of Israel as a state, by changing the governance system. He also chairs RISE Israel, a nonprofit dedicated to long-term strategy and coherent policies supporting resilient, innovative, and sustainable Israeli economy. Between 2015 and 2021 Kandel was the CEO of the Start-up Nation Central, a non-profit organization that promotes Israeli technological innovation as a source of possible solutions to some of the most pressing problems around the world. 
In 2009-15 Kandel served as the Head of the National Economic Council and the Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel and was actively involved in shaping the economic strategy and policy of Israel including macro and fiscal policy, competition, taxation, technology, climate, health, education, and led the establishment of the sovereign wealth fund and numerous other initiatives. Prof. Kandel advised government agencies, companies, financial institutions, and non-profit organizations. He serves on Boards of several small tech and financial companies. He co-developed rating systems for Mutual and Provident Funds in Israel and the Netherlands, served on the Israeli Antitrust Court, and as the Chairman of the investment committees of pension and provident funds committees of pension and provident funds.