C.D.I. Systems' CEO Addresses London Business School Conference

JERUSALEM, Israel, - May 14, 2003 - C.D.I. Systems (1992) Ltd., a leading provider of comprehensive solutions for electronic and web publishing, today announced that its CEO, Itzhak Levit, participated in the Practitioners Panel Discussion at the Global Software from Emerging Markets Conference held at the London Business School on May 12, 2003 in London England.

Focusing on the performance of the software industry in the emerging markets of Brazil, China, India and Israel, the conference began with reports presented by leading researchers in the field, followed by a panel composed of trailblazing IT practitioners representing the respective markets.

Dr. Simon Commander of the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development who is Director of London Business School's Centre for New and Emerging Markets (CNEM) opened the conference with an overview of the growth of the software industry in emerging markets. AnnaLee Saxenian, Professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of California (Berkeley) followed with a presentation of her "Government and Guanxi" research which studies the contradictory trends in the Chinese software industry that result from the country's incomplete transition from a centrally planned to a market -oriented economy. Ashok Desai, of India's National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), described the dynamics of the Indian Information Technology industry.

Alfredo Behrens of the Fundação Escola de Comércio Álvares Penteado (FECAP) in Sao Paulo, Brazil spoke about the Quest for an Export-Oriented Business Strategy in the Brazilian Software Industry, which was followed by a study of Public Policy and Private Initiative issues in the Israeli High Technology Industry presented by London Business School's Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Susanna Khavul.

Joining Mr. Levit in the practitioners panel were Colleen McKeown Adstedt (Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration of eFunds in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA), Larry Chen (Chief Operating Officer of Codex in Shanghai China), Rahul Patwardhan (President, NIIT Europe) and Srini Raju (Chairman, ilabs ltd (Intellectual Property driven Software Product and Technology Development Company) in Hyderabad, India)

Itzhak Levit spoke on the critical topic of how software companies from the emerging Israeli market are using a combination of cutting edge technological innovation and unique entrepreneurial fortitude to compete internationally. Mr. Levit presented C.D.I. Systems’ experience as an IT company that has successfully weathered the dot bomb economy and the current security situation in the Middle East.

Mr. Levit described both the internal and external environments that serve to constrain and nurture the growth of the Israeli software industry. He payed special attention to the key elements that in his perspective are essential for entrepreneurs to succeed in emerging markets. Mr. Levit explained how the inflow of skilled manpower combined with public and private capital significantly contributes to Israel's ability to compete in the international knowledge economy arena.

While providing some illuminating insights into both the etiology of personality characteristics of Israeli entrepreneurs and the economic challenges facing the local software industry, Mr. Levit stressed how Israeli CEO's often find themselves generalizing their military training and experience into the high tech battlefield. He cited examples on how flexibility, improvisation and compassion combined with courage, responsibility, long range planning and calculated risk taking are used to speed innovative ideas into profitable products and in turn to international markets.

The conference was attended by a mix from the industry, academic, financial and public policy communities in London and was sponsored by London Business School's Centre for New and Emerging Markets and the UK Department for International Development.

About Itzhak Levit
Itzhak Levit was appointed in 1990 as chief executive officer of C.D.I. Systems. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Levit served for eight years as CEO of LSS, a systems house that develops integrative multimedia applications and development tools. At LSS, Mr. Levit was closely involved in all aspects of the business including: management, business and software development. During his tenure, Mr. Levit oversaw the development of an interactive multimedia system for learning English as a second language that has had worldwide success.

Mr. Levit is on the Board of Directors of the software and communications department of the Israel Export Institute's High Technology Division. He is a Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) in the Israel Defense Forces, and served in one of the IDF's elite units.

About the UK Department for International Development
The Department for International Development (DFID) is the UK Government department responsible for promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty. DFID works in partnership with governments committed to the Millennium Development Goals, with civil society, the private sector and the research community. It also works with multilateral institutions, including the World Bank, United Nations agencies, and the European Commission.

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About the London Business School
London Business School is the graduate school of business at the University of London. Founded in 1965, the School graduated over 800 MBAs, Masters in Finance, Sloan Masters and PhDs from over 70 countries last year. With 88% of students and 70% of faculty from outside the UK, London Business School is the most international institution of higher education in the United Kingdom. Each year executive education serves 5,000 executives and 60 corporate clients on its programmes. Both the full time MBA and Executive MBA programmes are consistently ranked amongst the world's best: the full time MBA was ranked number seven in the world in the Financial Times Business Education Survey 2003.

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http://www.london.edu

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Helen Armstrong
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About C.D.I. Systems
Founded in 1992, C.D.I. Systems is a privately owned IT company that provides a complete range of solutions for electronic and web publishing. The Company’s e-publishing solutions have been deployed throughout the world as part of interactive legal productions on CD-ROM, dynamic professional databases (on-line and handheld), newspapers, phone directories, electorate registries and encyclopedias. C.D.I. Systems is the leading e-publisher of legal content in Israel and is a principal technology provider to the legal market in Germany.

More information
http://www.cdisys.com