The graduates are returning to HIT

Dozens of HIT's alumni attended the first event as part of the HiTOP Forum in honor of the institute's 55th anniversary.
 

Photography: Omer Messinger
 

The common denominator for all CEOs, Founders, VPs, C Level Executives, Directors, Senior Managers, and Heads of Departments who came to HIT on Thursday 09.07.2023 was that they are all alums of HIT, who hold key positions in the industry and they all gathered for an exciting evening of networking and broadening horizons.

"It is an honor and excitement to see you here at home, with the HIT family," said Prof. Eduard Yakubov, President of HIT, who reviewed the institute's impressive development in recent years. "One of the goals of this evening is to thank each and every one of you for your significant contribution to the industry, the economy, and the State of Israel. We love you."

Ora Rosenzweig, Chairman of the Alumni Association and a member of the Board of Trustees, said in her speech that similar to many academic institutions, HIT is very proud of its alumni community: "You are the spearhead of the institute's alumni community, and we have many reasons to be proud that we took part in your higher education and professional training."

Photography: Omer Messinger

The alumni guests that participated in the festive event hold positions in leading innovative companies and in key organizations in the Israeli economy, such as: Elbit, SolarEdge, Check Point, Stratasys, the Airport Authority, Coralogix, Cybereason, EV-Edge, Gett, Kaltura, Medtronic, Nano Dimension, ZoomInfo, Nuance Hearing, Quantum Machines, Perception Point, Ribbon Communications, Western Digital, KOREN Visual Solutions, Peleg Design, Orbit Communication Systems, Tyto Care, Verbit.ai, and many more.

Dror Gil, an expert in Generative AI, reviewed the latest innovations in the field and highlighted the AI revolution we are facing. At the end of the lecture, he and Dr. Jonathan Schler, Head of the School of Computer Science, answered questions from the audience.

Among the graduates at the meeting was Shachar Peleg, a graduate of the institute in 2004 and the owner of the international brand Peleg Design, situated in Tel Aviv and which, four years ago, was partially sold to an industrial giant from China, MNG, thus becoming the first design studio in Israel to achieve such an acquisition. 

Another graduate, Eran Prigat, graduated from the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2000, serves as Senior Manager - Global OEM Engineering, at Medtronic, and has led, for the past four years, a team of project managers, product managers, and engineers. Eran noted that "it was great to meet graduates from 50 years ago together with graduates from my class. I am proud to come a full circle at HIT, as my daughter just started studying design here."

Photography: Omer Messinger

Mr. Shmuel Goldberg, HIT's CEO, reviewed the development of the institute's infrastructure, including the student dormitory buildings and the future buildings intended for construction, which include an innovation center and sophisticated laboratories.

Libat Avishai, Director of Alumni Relations at the Institute, said that she sees this meeting as a starting point for further meetings of HITOP, which is expected to be joined by other graduates holding executive and leadership roles within industry. The HITOP forum aims to develop and deepen the network of connections and knowledge among its participants, and their relationship with HIT's community at large.

Libat pointed out that a new unit dedicated to Alumni Engagement was recently established at HIT. The unit intends to develop and offer diverse activities and opportunities for all alums, in conjunction with students and faculty at HIT.