Address of Mr. Asher Kutner, Former President and CEO of Mint
Software Integration about Hagay Shefi, delivered at the 10thAnniversary of Hagay’s death,
September 22, 2011, Israel Bar

I remember Hagay, as if 9/11/01 occurred yesterday…
I was in a meeting at home when my wife phoned me and said: “Open The TV”. As soon as I realized what is happening, I sent two e-mails
One to Hagay and the second to Ezra who was also at USA. I expected an immediate answer from Hagay as he was used to do alwayWhen hours passed without receiving an answer, I started to worrys..
I said to myself. “This does not fit Hagay”!Ezra phoned in the night and said that Hagay was at WTC and the situation is bad. Even though I believed “Hagay will get out alive!”
Let me tell you about Hagay that I was privileged honored to know during three most intensive years and then to hand over to Hagay the Presidency of the company.

I happened to know Hagay for the first time at the end of 1996, when he came to Israel for vacation and Ezra introduced him to us. Hagay was 30 years old and was running one of SunGard’s subsidiaries. This company had turn over of tenth of millions dollars. We were only in our company only at the start.The impression I had from the conversation with Hagay led me immediately to a decision that I want Hagay to be with us! Technology company raises and falls according the quality of its managers…
During that meeting, I called our superiors Mrs. Aaron and Shlomo Dovrat and asked them to meet Hagay and persuade him to leave SunGard and join us. Two month later Hagay joined us as President of our company in USA.
What was in Hagay’s personality that impressed so deeply, even though he was only 30 years old ?. Try to think about Hagay as a person possessing the following characterHigh intelligence; clear; persistent; hardworker; multy tasking; loyal;
Excellent planner; unlimited power of persuading; charming smalltalker; a great leader; a loving family person; a man of peopl With all due respect and dedication to his work, Hagay was a caring and loving person of his family. The family was Hagay’s f I r s t prioriy.

Hagay was a striving personality. He gained in young age what other people achieved only after long life, while being double as Hagay’s ag However we should remember in this context the slogan: “Beyonde.
Any successful man there is a supporting wife!”. So was Sigal to Hagay.Sigal was Hagay’s partner in discussing and reaching decisions in his career and Hagay reached a lot thanks to Sigal’s support. It is obvious that his last conversation from the Tower under fire was with Sigal.

Hagay was full of pride with his son Roy, with his first steps and first words. He considered him as a miracle of creation. I didn’t know as well Hagay’s daughter Naomi who was born later, but I remember very well how proud and happy Hagay was with his little “princess”. He sent to many of his friends and to his parents-grandpa and grandma- her photographs, very often, by e-maiHagay was known by every one as the f a s t e s t workaholic person (in action, in response, in planning and in finding solutions by improvisation and in multy tasking.

Mr. Shlomo Dovrat, the Chairman of Carmel Ventures and the Chairman of Oshap (Mother Company of Mint) described Hagay in a manner that does not need any amendmen“Hagay was, no doubt, one of the best persons that I managed to “enlist” to our Company. Hagay was very intelligent, with unbelievable tempo of work. He had the greatest motivation and wanted deeply to succeed He was always ready to learn something new and his curiosity was endless. Hagay always pushed himself to do things b e t t e r and paralled.

Following many dinners that we had together until the small hours of the nights, I found when I awoke a great number of e-mails from HagaI always considered Hagay to be a “Hard worker” and comparing to him I always felt that I am lazy…”

Asher Kutner adds: Hagay was the most efficient person I have known:
At 5 am he was already connected to his PC and working. He was sending e-mails until midnights. His sufficiency and volume of work was unbelievable. If you double Hagay’s insane hours of work with its outcome, you will receive a “machine without borders or limitation to its production!.Hagay received from us a small company (that was not yet registered in the Stock Exchange) and within only three years developed it to a huge company registered in the NY S.E., hired 40 new employees that heselected and sold the production of the company to the following world first- class clients:

UBS`;’ FEDERAL RESERVE; BANK OF AMERICA; CITY BANK etc.

Now, how did he do it?
Usually I always say that every company stands on three legs and tries to find the balance among them. The 3 legs are the employees, the clients and the share owners.
Hagay’s relations with the clients was a phenomena. He new exactly how to approach them and to convince them to buy the company’s production. He was the best presenter. He collected from the clients
Millions of dollars and what is most important – he became their best friend. They all new that they may count on him a f t e r the transaction and that they will gain from him the best service and support.
Hagay new the best way how to select the best employees for the company. They enjoyed to work w I t h Hagay and f o r Hagay.
Hagay was always an example for the employees. They felt that he has always time for any problem they might have and that he would always extend his help whenever they needed.
Hagay kept good relations with all the shareholders of the company.
The story of the sale of “Mint Software Integration to SunGard (SDS) proves that: Hagay came to our Mint Co. from SunGard, after he left SunGard that was not happy with Hagay’s decision to leave. Hagay continued to conduct excellent relations with Mr. C. Conda and with other people of SunGard.
Mr. Conda and Hagay used to have lunch once in a month. Hagay described to Mr. Conda about the achievements of Mint. Conda decided to buy Mint together with its personnel for the amount of $220 millions.
Let me finally describe the way Hagay acted as President of Mint by quoting from the Book of Prayers for the Jewish New Year:
“Like the steering in the hands of a ship’s Captain
He can hold it or change its course
Like a piece of cloth in the hands of a Taylor
Who can do with the cloth whatever he thinks proper
Like a goldsmith who can do anything with a piece of silver
Like any material in the hands of the producer and designer.
If he want he may enlarge it or make it shorter..”

THIS KIND OF PERSONALITY WAS H A G A Y AND SO HE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR EVER!