SAP names Michal Romi CEO of Its Israeli R&D center
Romi will succeed Orna Kleinmann, who is moving to a senior global role overseeing AI activities for SAP’s cloud platform
SAP has appointed Michal Romi as the new CEO of its Israeli development center, SAP Labs Israel. Romi will succeed Orna Kleinmann, who is moving to a senior role within SAP’s global leadership team, where she will lead the company’s AI activities for its cloud platform.
Romi brings more than a decade of experience in senior management roles at eBay. During her time at the company, she was a member of the management team at eBay Israel and served as its Business Ethics Officer, alongside holding a range of technology and business roles. She holds an MBA in Information Systems from the College of Management Academic Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Management and Communications from Tel Aviv University.
Kleinmann led the Israeli development center for 12 years, significantly expanding its operations and influence within SAP globally during her tenure. The company recently concluded a labor dispute, with the parties signing a new labor agreement.
SAP’s Israeli R&D center was established in 1998 and currently employs approximately 800 people in Ra’anana and Tel Aviv. Over the years, SAP has also expanded its operations in Israel through a series of acquisitions of Israeli technology companies, with the local ecosystem becoming a significant source of innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent for the global company. The acquisition of WalkMe in 2024 was among the most recent deals to expand SAP’s presence and operations in Israel and around the world.
The Israeli center is involved in developing technologies and products at the core of SAP’s strategy, including artificial intelligence, cloud, data, technology platforms, and more. Among other things, teams in Israel work on capabilities related to the SAP Business Technology Platform and data and AI solutions used by SAP customers worldwide. In recent years, Business AI and the ability to connect artificial intelligence, data, and business processes have become central components of SAP’s technology strategy.
“The Israeli center combines exceptional technology talent, deep experience in building global products, and a connection to one of the world’s leading innovation hubs,” Romi said.
Klaus Neumann, SVP and Head of SAP Labs Network, said: “Israel is an important hub of innovation and technology for SAP, and our development center here plays a significant role in the global SAP Labs network. Michal brings an impressive combination of experience leading technology organizations, a deep understanding of data and AI, and the ability to lead teams and businesses in a complex and rapidly changing environment. We are confident that she is the right leader to take the Israeli development center into its next chapter.”
SAP is the world’s largest European software company for Business AI and enterprise applications. The company provides enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, with approximately 111,000 employees operating across around 180 countries. SAP ended 2025 with revenues of €37.8 billion.
