Assaf Shmueli is a crisis communication consultant, lecturer, and independent researcher specializing in reputation management, digital crises, and decision-making in the age of artificial intelligence.
He is the founder of Hamashberist (“The Crisis Manager”), Israel's leading independent knowledge platform dedicated to crisis communication and reputation management. Since 2015, Hamashberist has published hundreds of case studies analyzing corporate crises, public controversies, online shaming incidents, and communication failures in Israel and around the world.
Alongside his consulting work, Assaf serves as a lecturer in the Department of Communication at Yezreel Valley Academic College, where he teaches crisis communication, digital media, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in crisis management. He also lectures at government organizations, corporations, and professional conferences, helping executives, communication teams, and public organizations improve the way they prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises.
In recent years, his work has increasingly focused on the intersection between crisis management and artificial intelligence. Rather than viewing AI solely as a new source of risk, Assaf explores how AI can improve strategic thinking, crisis diagnosis, stakeholder analysis, and executive decision-making.
He is currently developing an AI-powered knowledge system for crisis management that translates years of research and practical experience into structured decision-support tools designed to help organizations analyze complex situations, evaluate strategic alternatives, and make better decisions under pressure.
His professional approach is based on a simple idea:
Crises are not defined by what organizations do. They are defined by the meaning their strategic audiences assign to those actions.
This principle serves as the foundation for his research, consulting practice, lectures, and the ongoing development of new methodologies for crisis management in the AI era.
In addition to his consulting and research activities, Assaf hosts The Hamashberist Podcast, where he analyzes current events, communication crises, reputation failures, and the evolving relationship between technology, society, and public trust.
Whether advising organizations during a crisis, teaching future communication professionals, or developing AI-based decision-support methodologies, his goal remains the same:
To help organizations think more clearly, make better decisions, and build public trust when it matters most.