Ms Sofer was appointed in December 2005 to lead Yissum. She joined Yissum from the venture capital industry where she held a series of senior roles in Israel and internationally. Ms Sofer was a partner at Sanderling, with over $1 billion under management, and a vice president at the head office of Novartis.
Ms Sofer will continue to assist the company as needed until a new CEO is appointed. In addition, Ms Sofer will continue to serve on the board of directors of several Yissum portfolio companies and as joint chairperson of NanoIsrael 2009, which she initiated.
Yehuda Yarmut, executive vice president of licensing and intellectual property, will act as interim CEO until the appointment of a new CEO.
Giora Yaron, chairman of the board of Yissum, said: “Nava led Yissum to impressive achievements both on the management and on the business side.”