Ariel Sagee is a partner at Gornitzky GNY and leads the firm’s Defense and Defense Regulation practice.
Ariel advises leading Israeli defense companies and other Israeli and foreign public and private companies, including startups in different stages, on complex commercial, regulatory and compliance matters. He brings particular experience in the defense, cyber, surveillance, AI and highly regulated technology sectors, as well as significant experience in senior in-house roles, including as a management member at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Ariel is regularly involved in major M&A transactions in the defense sector, representing both local and international buyers and sellers. He also advises companies and startups preparing for investment rounds, strategic transactions and exits, helping them build lean and tailored regulatory and compliance frameworks that support the transaction process and maximize investor and acquirer confidence.
Ariel advises technology, cyber and defense companies on anti-bribery and corruption, sanctions, export controls, cyber and surveillance regulation, privacy, trustworthy AI preparedness and AI governance, including ISO 42001 readiness. His advice is practical and business-oriented, helping companies meet customer, regulatory, investor and board expectations.
Before joining Gornitzky, Ariel served as a member of Rafael’s executive management, as Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to that, he served as Deputy General Counsel of the Rafael group, where he led legal, compliance and regulatory matters relating to international transactions, subsidiaries, defense export controls, AI, cyber and privacy.
Ariel previously served as VP of Risk Management at Cognyte, a Nasdaq-listed cyber intelligence company, and held senior legal and compliance roles at Merck/MSD and Bank Leumi. He has also lectured for many years on international compliance and regulation at Reichman University’s law school and in leading professional training programs.
Ariel brings a rare combination of senior in-house leadership, defense industry experience, cross-border transactional expertise, regulatory depth and familiarity with the Israeli governmental and defense ecosystem. He is recognized for his ability to guide companies through sensitive commercial, regulatory and governmental challenges while maintaining a clear focus on business objectives.
