Microsoft Israel R&D Center Appoints New CEO Amid Leadership Changes

Microsoft announced Wednesday the appointment of Ohad Yassin as the new CEO of its Research and Development center in Israel, the tech giant's most senior role in the country. Yassin will succeed Michal Braverman-Blumenthal, who is departing Microsoft after 13 years, including six and a half years as CEO of the Israeli R&D center. Yassin is set to assume his new responsibilities in early November.

This leadership transition follows another significant departure within Microsoft Israel, as Nati Amsterdam was recently appointed CEO of the company's sales and marketing operations in Israel, effective in October. The article notes that two senior executives have left Microsoft Israel within the past four months, raising questions about the company's internal dynamics.

In his new role, Yassin will continue to serve as a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, leading the company's International Sovereign Clouds initiative. This position involves shaping global strategy for sovereign clouds, national partner clouds, and private cloud operations. Yassin joined Microsoft in 2014 and has been instrumental in the growth of the Israeli R&D center, establishing and expanding product groups and new ventures in cloud, AI, software, and hardware that are integrated into Microsoft's global operations.

Prior to Microsoft, Yassin spent a decade at SAP and five years at Israeli startups. He holds a Master's degree in Management from Tel Aviv University and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Reichman University. He is also a patent holder and a board member of the "Lo Amdot M'Neged" (Not Standing Aside) non-profit organization.

The Microsoft R&D center in Israel, the company's first outside the United States, has become a strategic development hub, particularly in artificial intelligence and cyber technologies. It operates across six locations, with its largest campus in Herzliya and additional sites in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth, Beersheba, and Jerusalem. Teams at the center contribute significantly to core Microsoft technologies used by millions worldwide.

"The Microsoft Research and Development Center in Israel is my professional home for over a decade," Yassin stated. "I am proud and excited to take on the responsibility of leading it into its next chapter. In an era where artificial intelligence is transforming every field and opening new possibilities, I am enthusiastic and full of appreciation for the opportunity to continue strengthening and advancing our professional and social endeavors, and to shape the next generation of Microsoft's technologies and products."