French 3DExperience major Dassault Systemes has elevated Manish Kumar as CEO of SolidWorks. 
 
The company also announced that Gian Paolo Bassi, current CEO of Solidworks, will lead its 3D Experience Works organization as Executive Vice President.

As Vice President of research and development at SolidWorks, Kumar played a key role in the development of SolidWorks product and technology strategies.

With his additional role as CEO, 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, the company said during its annual ‘3DExperience World 2022' . 

Kumar joined the SolidWorks R&D team in 1998 as a software developer. 

He was a key contributor to early development in various areas such as translators, surfacing, modeling, sketcher, assembly, weldments, sheet metal and drawings.

"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," said Philippe Laufer, Executive Vice President, Global Brands, Dassault Systemes.