Microsoft R&D Israel Appoints New Managing Director, Ohad Yassin

Ohad Yassin has been appointed the new managing director of Microsoft's Research and Development center in Herzliya, Israel, effective November. He succeeds Michal Brverman-Blumenthal, who held the position for six and a half years. Yassin will oversee the 3,000 employees at the Israeli R&D hub, which focuses on cybersecurity, sovereign cloud, and artificial intelligence. This promotion marks Yassin's second within a year, having previously been elevated to corporate vice president leading a global team focused on digital sovereignty, a concept crucial for nations and organizations to control their data.

Yassin's appointment comes as Microsoft's Israeli R&D center has seen significant growth under Brverman-Blumenthal, doubling its workforce and expanding to new locations. However, the center faces challenges including rising labor costs due to the weak dollar and increased competition in the cybersecurity sector. Additionally, Yassin will navigate potential sensitivities surrounding Microsoft's commercial agreements with the Israeli defense establishment, a topic that previously led to the termination of a cloud contract with Unit 8200 following a critical report.

Yassin brings extensive experience to the role, having previously held leadership positions at SAP and joined Microsoft to head innovation and incubation before leading the Azure Edge development team and, more recently, the sovereign cloud division. He now holds a dual role, managing both the global sovereign cloud initiative and the Israeli R&D center. He holds advanced degrees in management sciences and computer science and has contributed to academic publications and patents.