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Guy Melamed (footballer, born 1979)

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Guy Melamed
גיא מלמד‎
Personal information
Date of birth (1979-09-12) September 12, 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth Haifa, Israel
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Maccabi Haifa
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2005 Boston College Eagles 77
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2001 Maccabi Haifa 32 (0)
2000–2001 → Zafririm Holon (loan) 34 (0)
2005 Colorado Rapids 14 (0)
2006–2014 F.C. Ru'ah Tel Aviv[1] 220 (10)
International career‡
1997 Israel U18 7 (0)
1999–2000 Israel U21 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 May 2012
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:39, 1 January 2012 (UTC)

Guy Melamed (Hebrew: גיא מלמד; born September 12, 1979, in Haifa, Israel) is a retired Israeli soccer defender and the current Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Varonis Systems Inc.[2]

Biography

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Melamed, begun his soccer career in the youth academy of Maccabi Haifa.  He earned over 50 caps for Israel’s U-16, U-18 and U-21 national teams. Notably he was part of the U-16 squad that secured third place in the 1996 UEFA European Championship in Austria.

He moved to the United States to play college soccer at Boston College, where he was a four-year starter[3] for the Eagles and served as a team captain for three seasons. During his collegiate career, he was named team MVP three times[4], earned All-Big East honors in his final three years, and led the Eagles to three NCAA tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight finish in 2002 season[5] - seeded fifth in the country, the highest ranking in the program’s history[6]. That same year, he helped Boston College secure the 2002 Big East Championship.

Melamed’s individual accolades include being named the 2004-2005 Big East Scholar-Athlete of the year,[7] Big East Midfielder of the year[8][9], and a three times All-American selection.[10]  He was also a two-time semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy,[11] college soccer’s highest individual honor.[12] In 2005 he was awarded Boston College’s Eagle of the Year for the most outstanding student athlete. He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2016.

Despite his success, Melamed’s status as a senior international player led to concerns among MLS teams causing him to fall to the fourth round of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. He was ultimately selected by the Colorado Rapids with the 43rd overall pick.[12] Subsequently, Melamed became the first Israeli player in Major League Soccer (MLS).[13]

Later that year, at his request Melamed was released to pursue opportunities in Europe. He had a trial with Dundee FC of the Scottish First Division in October 2005 and several English Championship Clubs before  deciding to retire from professional soccer.[14]

Business Carrer

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After retiring from soccer, Melamed transitioned into accounting, working with KPMG in the United States, and Ernst & Young (E&Y) in Israel, where he specialized in both public and private companies.[14]

In 2011, he joined Varonis Systems Inc,[14] a cybersecurity Company, When Varonis went public in 2014, its stock price doubled on its first day of trading.[15] Melamed was appointed CFO in 2017 and later took on the additional role of COO in 2018.

Under his leadership, Varonis transitioned to a subscription-based business model,[16] aligning with evolving trends in the tech industry. His financial expertise earned him recognition as the Best CFO in Institutional Investor's 2022 All-America Executive Team, based on feedback from over 3,000 money managers, buy-side analysts and sell-side researchers.[17]

Melamed frequently speaks at conferences, lectures and various podcasts in the US and abroad, discussing among other things, topics such as the intersection of sports and business leadership.[18]

He has a Bachelor’s and master’s in accounting from Boston College and became a Certified Public Accountant in both the U.S. and Israel.[19]

Personal Life

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Melamed is the grandson of Dr. Herzl Sless, who served as the honorary medical officer for Brighton & Hove Albion Football for 42 years. Dr. Sless was awarded an MBE by Queen Elisabeth in 2000 for his lifelong contribution to the community in Hove.[20] Melamed’s earliest memory of soccer is accompanying his grandfather into the Albion’s locker room at the age of four.[21]

Guy is married to Keren, and they have four children.

References

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  1. ^ "The Israel Football Association". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  2. ^ Forbes, Brian (2005-04-13). "Pressure second nature for rookie Rapids defender: Guy Melamed is the first Israeli to play in the MLS and brings a special perspective to the team". Denver Post.
  3. ^ "Men's Soccer Places Three On All-New England Team". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  4. ^ "2004 Men's Soccer Media Guide" (PDF). Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  5. ^ "2002 Was A Season To Remember For These Schools – College Soccer News". 2013-01-13. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  6. ^ "2002 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament", Wikipedia, 2025-01-24, retrieved 2025-03-29
  7. ^ "Melamed, Davies Lead Five Eagles As All-Conference Honorees". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  8. ^ "2005 FINAL MEDIA GUIDE" (PDF). Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  9. ^ "Guy Melamed Earns Soccer America Preseason All-America Status". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  10. ^ "Guy Melamed Earns Soccer America Preseason All-America Status". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  11. ^ "Guy Melamed Named To Hermann Trophy Watch List". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  12. ^ a b "Rapids Sign Israeli Defender Guy Melamed". OurSports Central. 2005-03-18. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  13. ^ "Guy Melamed (2016) - Varsity Club Hall of Fame". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  14. ^ a b c "Who is the CFO of Varonis? Guy Melamed's Bio | Clay". www.clay.com. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  15. ^ Strauss, Gary. "100% rise for Varonis Systems IPO on first day". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  16. ^ DeFrancesco, Robert. "Varonis Maneuvers Its Way Through A Transition To The Subscription Model". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  17. ^ DeFrancesco, Robert. "Varonis Stock Rebounds 52% From February Low On Speedy Shift To Subscriptions". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  18. ^ "Accelerated Mental Edge - Guy Melamed is CFO & COO for Varonis Systems - Lead the Team (Top 2% of Podcasts)". Poddtoppen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  19. ^ "About Us | Varonis". www.varonis.com. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  20. ^ "BBC News | NEW YEARS HONOURS | MBE civil (S - Y)". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  21. ^ "The Heights, Volume LXXXVI, Number 15 — 21 March 2005 — Boston College Newspapers". newspapers.bc.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
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