Executive Management Team

Ness Executive Management, titles and biographical information.

Sachi Gerlitz
Executive Chairman of the Board
Sachi Gerlitz has served as our Executive Chairman since April 2012 and as a member of our board since February 2007. From March 2007 through April 2012, he served as president and chief executive officer of Ness. Prior to joining Ness, Mr. Gerlitz served as acting chairman of Mobixell Networks and chairman of the board of the Israel Mobile Association. From 2001 through 2006, Mr. Gerlitz was a partner at Apax Partners, a large, global private equity firm managing assets of over $25 billion, where he focused on leveraged transactions and technology investments. He served, from 2005 through 2006, as a director of Bezeq, a publicly-traded leading Israeli telecommunications company, and he has also served on the boards of a number of private companies, such as Starhome BV, Crescendo Networks and Bitband Technologies. Prior to joining Apax Partners, Mr. Gerlitz served for 10 years at Comverse Technologies, through 2000, including as president of the Asia Pacific division, vice president of business development and marketing, chief technology officer, and executive vice president. Before joining Comverse, he served in various roles at Telrad Telecommunication Industries, Hadassah University Hospital, and the Israeli Defense Force. Mr. Gerlitz received a B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering from Tel-Aviv University in 1978, and is a graduate of the Business Administration Program for Industry Management at Bar-Ilan University.

Ofer Segev
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Acting Chief Financial Officer
Ofer Segev has served as our president and chief executive officer since April 2012 and as a board member since October 2011. Previously, Mr. Segev served as executive vice president and chief financial officer from April 2007 to April 2012, after joining Ness in March 2007 as an executive vice president. From June 2003 to March 2007, he served as chief financial officer of Attunity, a provider of service-oriented software and solutions in the workplace applications market. From May 2001 to June 2003, Mr. Segev was the chief financial officer of TeleKnowledge Group Ltd., a content commerce platform vendor, and he also served as its chief executive officer from January 2002 to June 2003. From May 2000 to May 2001, he served as chief financial officer of Tundo, a developer of an IP-based voice and media services platform. From 1985 through May 2000, Mr. Segev served at Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, a member of Ernst & Young Global, where from 1991 he was a partner and led the high-tech industry practice group, participated in over 20 public offerings in the United States, and, from 1997 to 2000, was a member of the technology steering committee of Ernst & Young International. Mr. Segev holds a B.A. in economics and accounting from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and has studied at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Effi Kotek
President, Ness Israel
Effi Kotek has served as president of Ness Israel since September 2008. From January 2008 to August 2008, Mr. Kotek served as deputy president of Ness Israel. From November 2005 to December 2007, he served as senior vice president and managing director of Ness Israel’s Outsourcing Group. From November 2002 to October 2005, Mr. Kotek was senior vice president and managing director of Ness Israel’s Infrastructure and Technology Group. From January 2000 through September 2002, he served as vice president of business development for Ness Israel’s Integration and Networking Group. From January 1999 to December 1999, Mr. Kotek was vice president of sales and marketing for Gilad Software and Systems Integration, a privately-held Israeli integration and networking company, which was acquired by Ness in April 1999. From 1995 to 1998, he was president of Applitech Inc., a privately-held medical technology company. From 1980 to 1995, Mr. Kotek held various positions with leading technology companies, including Bynet Data Communications and Orbotech Inc., and was an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces communication forces. Mr. Kotek is a certified computer systems analyst and holds a bachelors degree in mathematics, with specialization in computer architecture and technology, from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

Joseph Lagioia
President, Ness Software Engineering Group
Joseph Lagioia has served as president of Ness Software Engineering Group since November 2011. From January 2011 to November 2011, he served as president of Ness North America, Enterprise Services & Software Product Engineering. From July 2007 to December 2010, Mr. Lagioia was employed by Mahindra Satyam (formerly Satyam Computer Services), where he served as the senior vice president and global head of consulting and enterprise solutions through August 2010, and subsequently as senior vice president, North America strategic accounts. From October 2006 to July 2007, Mr. Lagioia was the founding principal of Tnemara Group, an independent management consulting firm. From 2001 to September 2006, he worked for BearingPoint, a global management and technology consulting firm (formerly KPMG Consulting), where he served in several roles: as chief executive officer of KPMG Consulting Spain, as vice president of the high technology and consumer division, and as senior vice president of the European high technology segment. From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Lagioia worked in a several positions in the consulting division of KPMG, a global professional services company, culminating in his role as chief executive officer of KPMG Consulting Spain. From 1991 to 1996, Mr. Lagioia served in several roles at Oracle Consulting, culminating in his position as regional vice president for the East Central Europe, Middle East & Africa region. From 1976 to 1991, he held management positions within the mortgage lending agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, and as a managing consultant at Ernst & Young, LLP. Mr. Lagioia holds a B.S. in Agriculture and Life Sciences and a Master of Administration from the University of Maryland.

Milan Sameš
President, Ness CEE
Milan Sameš has served as president of Ness CEE since June 2010. From January 2008 to May 2010, Mr. Sameš served as managing director of Oracle Czech Republic and a member of the Central & Eastern Europe management team for Oracle Corporation, a large enterprise software company. From March 2005 to December 2007, he served as managing director for Ness Czech. From 2004 to March 2005, Mr. Sameš was the vice president of operations for Central & Eastern Europe at Ness Europe. From 2003 to 2004, he served as sales director, Central & Eastern Europe, for Logica, an international IT services provider. From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Sameš served in a range of positions at Nokia, a global supplier of mobile phones and mobile, broadband and IP networks, culminating in the role of business development director for Nokia Networks. From 1993 to 1998, he served as founder and managing director of truconneXion Inc., a local provider of IT services and solutions. Mr. Sameš holds a M.Sc. from Czech Technical University in Prague and an M.B.A. from Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, UK.

Michael Zinderman
President, Technologies & Systems Group
Michael Zinderman has served as president of Technologies and Systems Group since April 2002. From April 2000 to April 2002, Mr. Zinderman served as the division manager and vice president of Ness Telecom & Systems Group, and from June 1988 to March 2002, he served as the division manager and vice president of Real Time & Systems Group of ATL, an entity Ness acquired in 1999. From May 1981 to May 1988, Mr. Zinderman served as software engineer and projects manager at ATL. From September 1977 to April 1981, Mr. Zinderman served as an electrical engineer at Yona Ushpiz, an electrical engines manufacturing company. Mr. Zinderman holds a B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering from Ben Gurion University, Israel.

	Satyajit Bandyopadhyay Chief Delivery Officer, Software Engineering Group, and President, Ness India Satyajit Bandyopadhyay has served as chief delivery officer of Ness Software Engineering Group since November 2011 and as president of Ness India since January 2009. From January 2007 to December 2008, he was senior vice president and head of the consulting and practices business unit in Ness North America. From March 2003 to December 2006, Mr. Bandyopadhyay served as chief delivery officer of Ness India. From April 2000 to February 2003, he served as general manager – GE and Europe of Mascot Systems Ltd. (now iGate Corporation), an IT services provider. From June 1999 to March 2000, Mr. Bandyopadhyay was a regional manager at Hewlett Packard, an IT products & solutions company. From January 1997 to May 1999, he served as regional manager – US Solutions of Mastech Corporation, an IT services provider. From March 1995 to December 1996, Mr. Bandyopadhyay served as a technical manager at Wipro Systems Ltd., an Indian IT services company. From October 1987 to February 1995, he served as manager, IT services of Tata Steel Ltd., a leading steel producer in India; and from July 1984 to September 1987, he served as a systems engineer at HMT Ltd (India), a leading watch manufacturing company. Mr. Bandyopadhyay holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Calcutta University in India and a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the National Institute of Industrial Engineering in Mumbai, India.

	Holly Ripley-Boyd General Manager, Media Education and Travel, Ness Software Engineering Group Holly Ripley-Boyd has served as general manager, media education and travel, for Ness Software Engineering Group since January 2012. From January 2011 through December 2011, she served as our chief strategy officer. Prior to that, Ms. Ripley-Boyd served as president of Ness Software Product Labs since February 2008 and as our chief marketing officer and executive vice president since December 2007. From July 2008 through January 2009, she served as acting president, Ness North America. From October 2004 through October 2007, she served as chief marketing officer at Symphony Services, a provider of offshore software product development services and end-to-end IT solutions. From October 2002 through February 2004, Ms. Ripley-Boyd was a principal at Mii Technologies, a closely held manufacturing systems company, where she was responsible for business development, marketing and other market-facing initiatives. From September 1999 through June 2002, she served as vice president, global marketing, at Novell affiliate Celerant Consulting, an operational strategy and execution consulting services firm. From 1991 to 1999, Ms. Ripley-Boyd served in several roles at Arthur D. Little, culminating in the role of vice president of marketing. From 1985 to 1990, she served as director of marketing for Fairfield Whitney, a regional search firm. From 1983 through 1985, she worked as a purchasing associate at Digital Equipment Corporation. Ms. Ripley-Boyd holds a B.S. in business and organizational communication from Emerson College, and has studied marketing strategy at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Ilan Rotem
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Ilan Rotem has been with Ness since its establishment, and since 2000 has been working at the company as legal adviser. In 2004, he was appointed the company’s secretary and general counsel. Before joining Ness, Mr. Rotem was a partner in the firm of Ephraim Abramson & Co., specializing in communications, securities and corporate law. Mr. Rotem is a member of the Israel Bar Association and the New York Bar. He holds LLB (with honors) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an LLM from Cambridge University (UK), and an MBA (with honors) specializing in capital markets and corporate governance from the College of Management Academic Studies (Israel).

Drew Wright
Senior Vice President, Global Leadership Governance
Drew Wright has served as senior vice president, global leadership governance since December 2011. From January 2006 through November 2011, Mr. Wright served as senior vice president, financial operations and investor relations. From September 2003 through December 2005, he served as senior vice president, global resources. From October 2001 through August 2003, Mr. Wright served as chief operating officer of our Ness USA subsidiary. From 1997 through October 2001, he served as chief operating officer of Blueflame, Inc., an IT services firm acquired by Ness Technologies in October 2001. From 1990 through 1997, Mr. Wright served as Blueflame’s vice president of operations. Before joining Blueflame in 1990, Mr. Wright held several management positions in the IT organization at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Prior to 1987, Mr. Wright served in several positions at Exxon Research and Engineering, and was head of its Advanced Technologies Group. From 1978 to 1981, Mr. Wright worked as a senior engineer at Singer-Kearfott. Mr. Wright holds a B.S. in Engineering Physics, with distinction, from Cornell University.