Microsoft Israel Names New Head of R&D

January 21, 2018 | Microsoft Israel has named Assaf Rappaport the new CEO of its research and development activities, the company announced last week. Rappaport is replacing Yoram Yaacovi, who stepped down from the position last fall, after 20 years. Rappaport joined Microsoft in 2015 after the tech giant bought his cloud security company Adallom for $320 million. According to Globes, he has managed Microsoft Israel’s security unit, which has grown to hundreds under his leadership in the past two years. Microsoft’s first research and development center in Israel opened in 1991 in Haifa. Microsoft currently has three R&D centers in Israel, in Herzliya, Nazareth, and Haifa. In December 2017, NoCamels reported that Microsoft had leased a new campus in Herzliya.