Management Team
Dr. Zaki Rakib, Ph.D., serves as Chairman of BioHarvest and President of the Botanical Synthesis CDMO Business Unit.. He has extensive experience within the software, telecommunications hardware, semiconductors, cellular operations and bioscience categories, where he has spearheaded the development of multiple cutting-edge innovations. Leveraging his foundation in technical sciences, Dr. Rakib was one of the first leaders in the telecommunications industry after the company he co-founded Terayon Communication Systems, invented the first cable modem, and S-CDMA technology. Dr. Rakib holds a Bachelor of Science (1978), a Master of Science (1981), and a Ph.D. degree in Engineering (1984) from Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Ilan Sobel has been the CEO of BioHarvest Sciences since July 2020. Ilan has brought the company’s first product, VINIA, to North America, building a direct-to-consumer machine that is now generating significant revenues. VINIA’s go-to-market success has established a template for the company’s near-term product pipeline of nutraceutical plant cell banks. In addition to commercial focus and planning, Ilan has scaled production capabilities from R+D up to industrial levels, and is building a biotech company with novel, and even patentable plant-based products that are based on science and backed by clinical trials.. Prior to BioHarvest, Ilan served for 6 years at Weissbeerger, as both Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Commercial Officer. In this capacity, Ilan played a major leadership role in building a disruptive BIG Data, IOT & Software Company servicing major Beverage players which was ultimately purchased by Anheuser Busch InBev. Previously, Ilan served an 18 year stint as an International Employee of The Coca-Cola Company, where he played a pivotal role in key senior leadership positions generating significant revenue and profit growth and improving brand health trends across diverse global markets including the United States, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and South Africa.
Dr. Yochi Hagay, Ph.D., is the company’s CTO and CTO of BioHarvest Ltd and formerly served as Chief Executive Officer of BioHarvest. She has an extensive experience in leading research and development in the pharmaceutical and bio-tech industry. Prior to co-founding BioHarvest in 2005, Ms. Hagay served as the Managing Partner at Zaki Rakib’s Bio-Tech Capital Venture. During that time, she evaluated a large number of scientific research projects and bio-tech companies. Ms. Hagay has served in various positions in BTG for 15 years, until it was acquired by Savient. In her most recent role at Savient (2002-2005), she supervised the company’s clinical studies. Ms. Hagay holds a PhD in biotechnology from Hebrew University (2004).
Dr. Belzer brings extensive leadership experience and technical knowledge to this role. She previously served as the COO of CollPlant Biotechnologies, a NASDAQ-listed regenerative and aesthetics medicine company and biotech innovator based in Israel. At Collplant, Dr. Belzer was responsible for the entire company’s operations, including two production facilities, process and infrastructure engineering, supply chain, maintenance, and analytical and quality control. Prior to moving to CollPlant, Dr. Belzer served as COO at BioHarvest Ltd. from 2012 to 2015. Dr. Belzer received her Ph.D. in 1990 at the Tel Aviv University faculty of Life Sciences, Microbiology and Cell Biology.
Ms. Dichter joined the Company as Controller in 2018, and was promoted to Vice President, Finance for the Company in July 2022, and was then appointed CFO in October 2024. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Dichter worked in the audit department of KPMG Israel. Ms. Dichter holds a Bachelor of Arts, Accounting and Economics (2016) from Tel-Aviv University in Israel and an MBA, Finance and Financial Management Services (2018) from the College of Management Academic Studies in Israel. She was registered as a CPA in Israel in 2018.
In his role as Director of Consumer Clinical Research and Science and as Medical Director at Nutramax Laboratories Consumer Care, Inc. Dr. Cornblatt developed novel nutraceutical formulations, designed both in vitro and clinical studies in support of products.. He has developed a novel line of products (and 18 related clinical trials) which deliver the essential ingredients needed to support the production of sulforaphane, a phytochemical with many emerging indications. Dr. Cornblatt is also the inventor of three issued patents and four pending provisional patents focused on plant-based bioactive compounds and health promotion.
Dr. Cornblatt is a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Graduate with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences Division of Toxicology.