Dassault Systèmes unveils its future governance

Meeting on April 26, 2022, the company’s Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Compensation and Nomination Committee, formalized the next steps of its succession plan, carefully crafted over several years, in line with Dassault Systèmes’ long-term strategy: 

• The Board of Directors recommends to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, to be held on May 19, 2022, that the terms of office of Charles Edelstenne, Bernard Charlès, and Pascal Daloz, due to expire on that day, be renewed.

• If these terms are renewed, the Board, which will be convened at the end of the General Meeting on May 19, 2022, will decide to: 

• Renew the term of Charles Edelstenne as Chairman of the Board of Directors until January 9, 2023, after which he will remain a Director and become Honorary Chairman.
• Renew the term of Bernard Charlès, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, until January 9, 2023, after which he will become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Bernard Charlès was appointed Vice Chairman of the Board in 2016.
• Appoint Pascal Daloz as Directeur Général Délégué, with effect from January 9, 2023.

In 2020, Pascal Daloz was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and, in this capacity, heads the Operations Executive Committee. Since January 2022, Rouven Bergmann is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, allowing Pascal Daloz to focus on his mission as Chief Operating Officer. Pascal Daloz is also a member of the Dassault Systèmes Board of Directors. 

Laurence Daures-Lescourret, an independent Director and Chair of the Compensation and Nomination Committee, was appointed Lead Independent Director on March 15, 2022. Her missions include organizing the work of independent Directors, organizing the evaluation of the Board’s operations, and preventing and managing any possible conflicts of interest concerning the Directors. 

Charles Edelstenne, Dassault Systèmes’ Chairman of the Board, said:

“Bernard Charlès has been with me for more than 35 years and has played an essential role, as Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board, in the development of Dassault Systèmes and in the design and implementation of its strategy and vision. He has been the driving force behind the major transformations that have shaped the industry and fostered the company’s growth. Dassault Systèmes has always laid a solid groundwork for the future by ensuring managerial continuity and by combining the talents of different generations of leaders. Today, I am proud that Bernard embodies Dassault Systèmes and I trust him to lead the continued development of our company.” 

Bernard Charlès, Dassault Systèmes’ Vice chairman of the Board and Chief Executive

Officer, said:                                                                                                    

“Our work together as a tandem over nearly two generations has allowed us to learn from one another, and to appreciate confronting ideas, which has helped us develop Dassault Systèmes’ global footprint. I will continue to apply this same principle to the tandem I have formed with Pascal Daloz for more than 20 years. I would like to sincerely thank Charles for continuing as a member of the Board to participate in our work during the coming years. 

I am most grateful to the whole Board of Directors and to the Dassault family for their trust and strong support. We share the same core belief: the power of virtual universes drives progress for companies, patients, consumers, citizens and many other stakeholders. Along with the entire management team, we will continue to develop the company, help our customers create new solutions in the Experience Economy, and conceive practical sustainable development solutions. We will therefore be strengthening Dassault Systèmes‘ contribution to three main sectors of the economy: Manufacturing Industries, Life Sciences & Healthcare, and Infrastructure & Cities.”