As a child, Rani Hellerman liked to watch satellites traverse the sky, but may not have been thinking that someday he would still be watching those satellites cross the sky while also helping them get their data back down to Earth. Rani comes to RBC Signals after a long service with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and career of about fifteen years at ImageSat Intenational as the third person to join RBC Signals after its founding. During his service at the IDF (reached a rank of Colonel), Rani gained deep experience with operational requirements, developing systems to meet those requirements, and using systems in operational environments. Rani was also deeply involved in the Israeli space program and was in charge of translating customer requirements into the development of solutions & systems, from satellites, to ground stations and all the subsystems that support operations. Rani even got to know Ilan Ramon, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, during his time in the Israeli Air Force while cooperating on some mutual projects.
After his service in the IDF, Rani moved to ImageSat International, where he worked very closely on closing the loop between the ground station and satellite, starting with the technical side, but later on the business side to define products and solutions for customers worldwide as a VP for Business Development. When it comes to working with customers, Rani is able to put himself in the customer’s shoes from his time “on the other side of the table” because at many points in his career in the service, he was the customer. Rani says “When you talk to the customer, you need to show that you know what you’re talking about, that you’re professional enough, and that they can rely on the fact that what you’re saying is the truth so you can build trust.” Rani’s three core values are being truthful, reliable, and trustworthy. Rani also says “Trust takes a long time to build but can be destroyed very quickly. Being a professional and honest is a key to build trust with the customer.”
In his spare time, you can find Rani practicing another one of his childhood interests – playing the guitar, either on stage or at his home studio. You can see more of his music here on his YouTube channel. Rani received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University and MBA from Ben-Gorion University.
