About Microsoft Israel R&D Center - Microsoft Research And Development

Moshe Lichtman

Corporate Vice President and President of Israel R&D

Moshe is a member of Microsoft's worldwide executive team and is responsible for all technology activities in Israel, including the R&D centers in Haifa and Tel Aviv, new core R&D projects, and partnering with the local venture-capital community and academic institutions. In addition, he is a key leader driving strategy development for Microsoft entertainment-related projects in Europe. Until 2006, Lichtman was based in the U.S. and served as corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV Division, where he was responsible for the development, marketing, sales and deployment of Microsoft's software solutions for the digital television industry worldwide.

Lichtman joined Microsoft in 1991 as a product manager in the Personal Systems Division. Since then he has held several marketing and management positions and led an industry-wide effort called Plug and Play to improve the design and usability of the PC. In 1995, Lichtman moved to Microsoft's Consumer Platforms Division and became president of Softimage, a Microsoft wholly owned subsidiary and a leading provider of digital media creation tools for the film, video, and interactive industries. Under Lichtman's leadership, Softimage spearheaded the deployment of powerful media creation tools on the Windows NT platform and released its groundbreaking Digital Studio product-line. Moshe was the key driver behind Microsoft's strategic partnership with Avid Technologies and its eventual acquisition of Softimage.

In 1998, Lichtman assumed the position of vice president of the Digital TV platform strategy, coordinating efforts across the Windows, Windows CE, WebTV and the interactive media group. In 1999, Moshe assumed responsibility for Microsoft's international Internet business, driving the broad adoption and profitability of MSN in 33 countries outside the U.S. Under Lichtman's leadership the MSN international business grew more than 400 percent in users and revenues and became the number one network in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several Asian countries.

Prior to Microsoft, Lichtman held software development and management positions in several high-tech companies in Israel. He is co-author of the best-selling book "The Complete Guide to the C Language", and has 7 patents registered in his name in the US. He holds a master's degree in business from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

Microsoft - Israel R&D Center

Microsoft - Israel R&D Center is one of Microsoft's four strategic regional development centers, and home to some of the company's most exciting and innovative technologies.

Led by Corporate Vice President Moshe Lichtman, the center is comprised of incubations and core product efforts in the areas of Telecom, Security, Online Services and Entertainment.

The Israel R&D Center vision is to harness the talent and innovation of the Israeli high-tech industry (the largest startup community outside the U.S.) and to build global products and technologies in key growth areas. The Israel R&D Center also serves as an anchor to the Venture Capital industry and the start up community, facilitating technology and business cooperation between the industry and Microsoft's product groups.

Building on its original R&D operation which was founded in 1991 and tapping into Israel's deep technological talent pool and its thriving high-tech community, Microsoft inaugurated in April 2006 the Israel Research & Development Center as a significant expansion of the scope and nature of its technology activities in Israel. The Israel R&D Center is strategically situated in two main locations - in Herzeliya, heartland of Israel's high tech industry, and in Haifa, home to many graduates of the Technion, Israel's leading technology university.

Both of these locations are now home to many prominent venture capital firms and multinational companies with their own research centers.

The Israel R&D Center will engage in mature (including next generation) product development activities along with incubations, small internal startups that target new business segments. The first incubations are already underway, targeting new products and solutions for telecom operators and for global enterprises. The plan is to later expand and scale the incubation activities to include products and solutions in domains that are synergetic with the Israeli industry and talent pool and with Microsoft's strategic pillars.

Along with the core R&D and incubation activities, the Israel R&D Center will engage in outreach activities to the local VC community and startups. These activities strengthen the cooperation between Microsoft and the high-tech industry in Israel and help direct future technology and platform investments to the highest growth markets.

Moshe Lichtman

Corporate Vice President and President of Israel R&D

Moshe is a member of Microsoft's worldwide executive team and is responsible for all technology activities in Israel, including the R&D centers in Haifa and Tel Aviv, new core R&D projects, and partnering with the local venture-capital community and academic institutions. In addition, he is a key leader driving strategy development for Microsoft entertainment-related projects in Europe. Until 2006, Lichtman was based in the U.S. and served as corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV Division, where he was responsible for the development, marketing, sales and deployment of Microsoft's software solutions for the digital television industry worldwide.

Lichtman joined Microsoft in 1991 as a product manager in the Personal Systems Division. Since then he has held several marketing and management positions and led an industry-wide effort called Plug and Play to improve the design and usability of the PC. In 1995, Lichtman moved to Microsoft's Consumer Platforms Division and became president of Softimage, a Microsoft wholly owned subsidiary and a leading provider of digital media creation tools for the film, video, and interactive industries. Under Lichtman's leadership, Softimage spearheaded the deployment of powerful media creation tools on the Windows NT platform and released its groundbreaking Digital Studio product-line. Moshe was the key driver behind Microsoft's strategic partnership with Avid Technologies and its eventual acquisition of Softimage.

In 1998, Lichtman assumed the position of vice president of the Digital TV platform strategy, coordinating efforts across the Windows, Windows CE, WebTV and the interactive media group. In 1999, Moshe assumed responsibility for Microsoft's international Internet business, driving the broad adoption and profitability of MSN in 33 countries outside the U.S. Under Lichtman's leadership the MSN international business grew more than 400 percent in users and revenues and became the number one network in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several Asian countries.

Prior to Microsoft, Lichtman held software development and management positions in several high-tech companies in Israel. He is co-author of the best-selling book "The Complete Guide to the C Language", and has 7 patents registered in his name in the US. He holds a master's degree in business from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.