After being rejected for a school principal position, Maxine Fassberg pivoted from a career in high school chemistry education to engineering at Intel. This move launched a thirty-three-year tenure at the technology firm, during which she oversaw the development of key manufacturing facilities in Israel and eventually served as the chief executive officer of Intel Israel.
Early Education and Career Shifts
Born in Johannesburg in 1953, Fassberg immigrated to Israel in 1975 after earlier living there during the 1960s. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, earning a B.Sc. in physics and applied chemistry in 1977, followed by a diploma of education in 1978 and an M.Sc. in organic chemistry in 1979. Before entering the technology sector, she taught chemistry at ORT Israel and Alliance Française high schools in Jerusalem and trained chemistry teachers at the university level.
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In 1983, Fassberg joined Intel as a lithography engineer at the company’s Fab8 plant, its first factory outside the United States. Following a year of training in Arizona, she held various engineering and group leadership roles. By 1995, she joined the start-up team for the Fab18 factory in Kiryat Gat. She managed the engineering division and later the entire plant, eventually overseeing the startup of the 45 nm chip plant and the subsequent transition to 28 nm and 22 nm processes.
Leadership and Economic Impact
Appointed general manager of Intel Israel in 2007, Fassberg managed the company's regional site and the Fab28 factory. During her tenure, exports from Intel Israel grew from $1.54 billion in 2007 to $2.7 billion in 2010. She focused on workforce diversity, advocating for the inclusion of women, Arabs, Druze, and Haredi Jews in the technology sector. By 2016, the year of her retirement, women held approximately 40% of management positions at the Kiryat Gat site.
Board Membership and Professional Recognition
Fassberg served on the board of directors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the board of the Bloomfield Science Museum. She received the Hugo Ramniceanu Prize in Economics in 2012 and an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University in 2013. She was also recognized as an Independence Day torchbearer in 2014.
Fast facts
- Born: 1953, Johannesburg
- Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Joined Intel: 1983
- Retired: December 2016
- Notable Recognition: Women in Technology International Hall of Fame (2009)
- CNN 10 Most Powerful Women in Tech: 2010
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Maxine Fassberg teach?
She taught high school chemistry at ORT Israel and Alliance Française high schools and trained chemistry teachers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
When did she retire from Intel?
Fassberg retired from her position at Intel in December 2016.
Achievements
- Women in Technology Hall of Fame — 2009
- Educated at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
