Management

Moshe Yanai – Executive Chairman
Moshe Yanai is one of the most influential people in the storage industry today. As executive chairman of XIV, he is guiding the strategic direction of the company to make it a major player in the storage industry. Yanai began his career in the 1970s, building IBM-compatible mainframe storage based on minicomputer disks. He went on to develop high-end storage systems for Nixdorf. In the late 1980s, Yanai joined EMC, leading the team that developed Symmetrix (today’s “DMX series”). Yanai’s long and successful tenure at the helm of EMC's R&D division was instrumental in making EMC the top-selling storage company it is today. A few years ago, Yanai joined XIV, imbued with the vision of creating the next-generation storage system. Subsequent to XIV's acquisition by IBM, Yanai was appointed an IBM Fellow, the highest honor a technologist at IBM can achieve.

Ofir Zohar – CEO
Ofir Zohar has been CEO since the company's inception, in 2002. He brings to XIV a deep technological vision, outstanding management skills, and a clear understanding of enterprise storage requirements. Zohar joined XIV after a tenure as a career officer in the Israeli military's technology think-tank. While there, he directed the entire software development section and received numerous accolades for high achievement, including the prestigious Head of Intelligence award. Zohar holds a BSc in physics, mathematics and computer science, and is a graduate of the Israel military's elite Talpiot program. Subsequent to XIV's recent acquisition by IBM, Zohar was appointed an IBM Distinguished Engineer, an honor IBM bestows upon global experts within its technical community.

Jim Sullivan – President, US Operation
Jim Sullivan is responsible for XIV’s business direction and go-to-market strategy, including sales, marketing, and global services operations. He brings to XIV a stellar track record in positioning companies for growth. Before XIV, he was CEO at CentrePath, Inc., repositioning that company to generate over $10 million in annual revenues. Previously, during an outstanding 12-year tenure at EMC, Sullivan spearheaded explosive triple digit sales growth in U.S. and Asia sales regions and held numerous leadership roles, culminating in Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific Sales. Other distinguished achievements at EMC include increasing revenues by 875% as Vice President of the U.S. Western region and leading the New York/New Jersey region to the highest growth of any region nationwide. Sullivan holds a BFA in English from Boston College, and is an active board member of that school's Technology Council.

Omri Palmon, PhD – Vice President, Marketing
Omri Palmon is responsible for defining XIV's product offering and business value, and driving the flow of information across R&D, sales and customers. He has a rich background in defining product specifications, product marketing, and management. Previously, Palmon led a product management team for ECI's Optimal Networks Division; while there, he brought to market a full product suite integrating Ethernet, ATM, and SAN technologies. Prior to that, Palmon was co-founder and CEO of Magma Information Technologies. Palmon holds a PhD in mathematics from Stanford University; he has an MSc. and BSc. (with excellence) in mathematics from Tel Aviv University.

Kariel Sandler – Vice President, Professional Services
Kariel Sandler is responsible for professional services to XIV's customers worldwide. Sandler has extensive experience in software systems and their management, including a deep understanding of programming, operating systems, applications, and appliances, and their integration in diverse and large-scale production environments. Previously, at Amdocs Inc., Sandler led projects involving enterprise billing and customer management applications. Prior to that Sandler was with Port Authority (then "Vidius"), where he led a team to build a strategic, large-scale database and manage overall software infrastructure. Sandler graduated cum laude from Tel Aviv University with MSc and BSc degrees in geophysics and planetary science.

Manny Kaiser – Vice President, IT & Operations
Manny Kaiser is responsible for all IT, operations and manufacturing activities, including product delivery to customers. He brings to XIV a deep and broad knowledge of IT systems of all kinds. Previously, at Applied Micro Circuits Corporation, Kaiser managed that company's IT and Facilities division in Israel, where he was responsible for all computer, network, telecommunication and security systems. Prior to that, as a team leader at Motorola, he oversaw system administrators responsible for hundreds of Unix systems, backup systems, security, and the helpdesk. Kaiser holds an MSc. in applied mathematics (magna cum laude) and a BSc in mathematics and computer science from Tel Aviv University.

Izhar Sharon – Vice President, Technical Services & Operations, USA
Izhar Sharon is responsible for all U.S. sales enablement and operations, covering Pre-Sales, Field Marketing, Post-Sales, Professional Services, and Logistics. He brings rich experience in product development, customer service, and business to XIV's operations effort. Prior to XIV, Sharon spent nine successful years at EMC as VP, Technologies, and CTO, Global Services; he was previously Development Director for EMC’s breakthrough Symmetrix product line. Sharon has been in the high-tech arena for more than 20 years, in diverse industries that include avionics, embedded systems, networking, and storage environments. Sharon holds an MBA from Northeastern University and a BSc in Physics and Computer Science.

Nir Simon – CFO
Nir Simon is responsible for the company's finance/accounting, legal, human resources, business administration activities. He brings to XIV a rich professional and academic background in all these areas. Previously, as CFO at Arnona Property Management, Simon managed the financial and administrative affiars of a private equity company, law firm and two investment companies. Earlier, he was an internal auditor at Bank Hapoalim, one of Israel's leading banks. Simon holds an LLB in legal studies from Kiryat Ono College, and an MBA in business administration and an BSc in computer science and accounting from Hebrew University. He is a certified public accountant.