• Dassault Systèmes reinforces its commitment to the SOLIDWORKS user community and the mainstream market through strategic leadership evolutions
• As Executive Vice President, Bassi will lead an extensive organization dedicated to the continued growth of 3DEXPERIENCE Works
• As CEO and Vice President R&D SOLIDWORKS, Kumar will spearhead the R&D and user community relationship, and accelerate SOLIDWORKS adoption

Dassault Systèmes today announced leadership evolutions today at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2022. Gian Paolo Bassi, the successful seven-year CEO of SOLIDWORKS, will lead Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Works organization as Executive Vice President.  Manish Kumar, in charge of SOLIDWORKS R&D since 2018, adds CEO of SOLIDWORKS to his responsibilities.

The two appointments demonstrate Dassault Systèmes’ renewed commitment to the research and development of best-in-class solutions for the strong SOLIDWORKS user community, as well as a concentrated focus on delivering unparalleled value to the mainstream market community through its extended 3DEXPERIENCE Works offer.

The appointment of Gian Paolo Bassi follows Dassault Systèmes’ successful creation of 3DEXPERIENCE Works in 2019 as a portfolio of cloud solutions on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform that is tailored for SOLIDWORKS customers and all mid-market companies and their ecosystem. Bassi will lead an extensive organization dedicated to the continued growth of 3DEXPERIENCE Works and to maximizing the value delivered to the mainstream innovation space.

Bassi has more than 25 years of experience in the 3D, CAD and PLM industries.  At Dassault Systèmes, he has been instrumental in the growth and diversification of SOLIDWORKS since joining the company in 2011. As CEO of SOLIDWORKS, Bassi led the development of the brand’s future product and technology strategies designed for the desktop and the cloud.  Prior to this, he served as Vice President Research and Development of SOLIDWORKS.  With his hands-on technical approach and working in close collaboration with SOLIDWORKS’ tight-knit user community, he was notably responsible for the development of the brand’s cloud applications.

Manish Kumar’s appointment continues Dassault Systèmes’ commitment to and investment in SOLIDWORKS R&D that has been a hallmark of the brand.  Kumar, being Vice President of SOLIDWORKS R&D, has played a key role in the development of SOLIDWORKS product and technology strategies. With his additional role as CEO of SOLIDWORKS, Kumar will spearhead the tight relationships between R&D and the brand’s vibrant community of users, and accelerate the adoption of the continuously expanding SOLIDWORKS portfolio.

Kumar joined the SOLIDWORKS R&D team in 1998 as a software developer. He was a key contributor to early SOLIDWORKS development in various areas such as translators, surfacing, modeling, sketcher, assembly, weldments, sheet metal and drawings.  He also led 3DEXPERIENCE development within SOLIDWORKS R&D, and has been a key actor in the transformation that has put SOLIDWORKS on a solid path of innovation toward the “future of design” through collaboration with the greater Dassault Systèmes R&D team.

“The growth of SOLIDWORKS, fueled by its continuous leading innovation technology, will continue and accelerate under Manish,” said Philippe Laufer, Executive Vice President, Global Brands, Dassault Systèmes. “It is due to the talented work of Gian Paolo and Manish that 3DEXPERIENCE Works has grown so large that it now requires a dedicated executive leading it into 2022 and beyond.”