Silhouettes of laptop and mobile device users are seen next to a screen projection of Microsoft logo. Photo: Reuters / Dado Ruvic / Illustration.

CTech – Charlotte Yarkoni, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of cloud and artificial intelligence, is one of the highest-ranking women at the multinational tech behemoth. As part of her job, Yarkoni oversees some of Microsoft’s student enrichment and startup programs, including Microsoft for Startups, the international accelerator program Microsoft ScaleUp, and online tech education programs such as Microsoft Learn.

Microsoft is a voracious buyer of Israeli tech startups, many of the acquisition targets being cybersecurity firms. In 2017, Microsoft acquired cloud management company Cloudyn Software, whose activity Yarkoni now oversees.

In a recent interview with Calcalist, Yarkoni said Israel has a central role in the global tech scene.

“We continue to invest a lot into the Israeli tech scene: Israel is a place where you can connect with rare talent,” Yarkoni said.

Yarkoni said she is committed to promoting women in tech, and that she sees a lot of activity in Israel dedicated to advancing women. “I celebrate the long way we came, but I know we still have a long way to go,” she said.

“I make an effort to get women excited about technology and enter the tech market.”