Changing the Paradigm

Aras’ vision is to change the way people work together to make things

Aras Leadership
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Unlocking Innovation with the World’s Leading Brands

 About Aras
 About Aras
 About Aras
 About Aras
 About Aras
 About Aras
Our mission

To deliver solutions that empower our community to embrace uniqueness, to overcome new challenges, and to seize opportunity.

We have an entire community focused on your innovation and success. Community events and online resources connect our customers, our partners, and our technical teams in the spirit of openness and transparency.

This Community literally shapes the future of Aras.

“We’re building a great company with good business practices on an important mission to enable customers to create safer, more sustainable products.”

PETER SCHROER, ARAS FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER

Leadership, Experience, Commitment

By listening to customer needs and understanding business priorities, Aras executives draw on an intimate knowledge of corporate requirements and operating experience to provide innovative solutions to address complex challenges of global enterprises and deliver unmatched value to our customers.

 Roque Martin

Roque Martin

Chief Executive Officer and Board Member

Roque Martin is an enterprise software executive with a track record of enabling companies to penetrate new markets,...READ BIO

 Roque Martin

Roque Martin

Chief Executive Officer and Board Member

Roque Martin is an enterprise software executive with a track record of enabling companies to penetrate new markets, drive growth, and increase profitability. He has extensive engineering software experience, with more than 30 years of demonstrated leadership in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), product management, P&L management, GTM, and global operations. Prior to joining Aras, Roque was general manager of PTC’s division delivering systems and software engineering solutions for manufacturers of advanced products, as well as an R&D executive. He also worked for 25 years at IBM, where he contributed to their SaaS, acquisition integration, and competitive intelligence strategies. Roque is also a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and was a founding member of Hispanic/LatinX employee resource groups at both PTC and IBM.

 Rob McAveney

Rob McAveney

Chief Technology Officer

Rob McAveney brings a lifelong passion for technology to the CTO role at Aras. For the past 20...READ BIO

 Rob McAveney

Rob McAveney

Chief Technology Officer

Rob McAveney brings a lifelong passion for technology to the CTO role at Aras. For the past 20 years, he has focused that passion on building rich software platforms that solve difficult business problems for major industrial companies. Rob acts as Aras’ technology visionary and provides design oversight for future PLM technology, while remaining grounded in the realities of configuration management, systems integration, and the many other challenges of delivering enterprise software. Prior to Aras, Rob led technical sales engagements for Eigner, an early entrant in the PLM market. He began his career at Boeing, where he gained a broad understanding of engineering and manufacturing systems and processes.

 Lalitha gunturi

Lalitha Gunturi

General Counsel & Chief People Officer

Lalitha serves as Aras’ general counsel and chief people officer and has close to 20 years of experience...READ BIO

 Lalitha gunturi

Lalitha Gunturi

General Counsel & Chief People Officer

Lalitha serves as Aras’ general counsel and chief people officer and has close to 20 years of experience in the technology industry. As general counsel, she leads all aspects of the legal services that support the day-to-day needs of the business, as well as strategic initiatives. In her chief people officer role, she is responsible for setting and overseeing the company’s global people strategy.

Prior to joining Aras, Lalitha was deputy general counsel at RSA Security, where she served as a corporate generalist and Head of Legal for RSA’s NetWitness business. Lalitha began her career as an associate at Goodwin Procter LLP and went on to work as in-house counsel at various technology companies. Lalitha is an active board member in her local community and bar associations and is passionate about diversity and inclusion initiatives. She is the executive sponsor of Aras’ Women in Leadership Business Resource Group and the recipient of the 2021 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly In-House Leader in the Law Award.

 Will Porter

Will Porter

Chief Financial Officer

Will Porter is an accomplished CFO with thirty years of experience in SaaS and on-premise software companies in...READ BIO

 Will Porter

Will Porter

Chief Financial Officer

Will Porter is an accomplished CFO with thirty years of experience in SaaS and on-premise software companies in various industries including cybersecurity, healthcare, and financial services. His experience in high-growth environments resulted in significant contributions in driving growth both organically and through mergers and acquisitions with successful exits through the public markets and through M&A. Most recently, Will served as CFO of Aura, a technology company dedicated to simplifying consumer digital security. Before his tenure at Aura, Will also held CFO positions at ObserveIT, BlueTarp Financial, and Signiant.

 Josh Epstein

Josh Epstein

Chief Marketing Officer

Josh Epstein is an accomplished technology chief marketing officer with a record of building category-defining enterprise technology brands...READ BIO

 Josh Epstein

Josh Epstein

Chief Marketing Officer

Josh Epstein is an accomplished technology chief marketing officer with a record of building category-defining enterprise technology brands across various industries, including cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, data, analytics, and AI. He has held a range of marketing leadership roles at venture-backed startups and global technology leaders. Most recently, Josh served as CMO at AtScale, a data and analytics software provider helping enterprise data teams modernize business intelligence and analytics for the cloud. Prior to joining AtScale, he held marketing leadership roles with ObserveIt, Kaminario, Oracle, and Dell/EMC.

 Armen Meguerditchian

Armen Meguerditchian

Chief Information Officer

As Chief Information Officer (CIO), Armen leads Aras’ IT transition to a fully global, distributed, and fluid workforce...READ BIO

 Armen Meguerditchian

Armen Meguerditchian

Chief Information Officer

As Chief Information Officer (CIO), Armen leads Aras’ IT transition to a fully global, distributed, and fluid workforce collaborating on building the next generation of our award-winning platform. With 30+ years of experience from startups to the Fortune 50, Armen brings a range of approaches to process improvement and systems deployment. He applies a partnership approach to IT/IS situations where adaptability, flexibility, and broad skills are needed to propel the business forward, scaling and expanding into new markets. Earlier in his career Armen was part of the CRM strategy practice at IBM. Prior to joining Aras as director of information systems, Armen built information systems for a series of startups.

 About Aras

Igal Kaptsan

Senior Vice President, Product Management

Igal Kaptsan is an accomplished product management, design, and software development industry leader with over 25 years of...READ BIO

 About Aras

Igal Kaptsan

Senior Vice President, Product Management

Igal Kaptsan is an accomplished product management, design, and software development industry leader with over 25 years of experience. Most recently, Igal served as general manager for GE Additive’s software business and was responsible for driving innovation, executing product strategy, and developing new products. Prior to GE, Igal had considerable experience within the digital engineering and PLM industry as the Vice President of Product Management at Dassault Systèmes, and several years as the VP of Product Management with PTC. His experience also includes several product development and R&D roles at Bentley Systems and various startups.

 Sam Zawaideh

Sam Zawaideh

Senior Vice President, Customer Success & Professional Services

With over 25 years of executive experience in enterprise software development and delivery, Sam is responsible for driving...READ BIO

 Sam Zawaideh

Sam Zawaideh

Senior Vice President, Customer Success & Professional Services

With over 25 years of executive experience in enterprise software development and delivery, Sam is responsible for driving global customer success and services at Aras. Sam brings extensive experience in advising public and private companies on how to scale operations to achieve accelerated growth, market leadership, customer success, and significant ROI. Prior to Aras, Sam served in various executive positions at Dassault Systèmes, Savo Corp (acquired by Seismic), Matrix One (acquired by Dassault Systèmes), and Dyadem Ltd (acquired by IHS). Sam also held field leadership positions at Adra Systems, Sherpa Corp, and Johnson. His additional areas of expertise include professional services, product and portfolio management, SaaS solution development and delivery, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and developing a high performance team.

 Andrey Knourenko

Andrey Knourenko

Senior Vice President, Engineering

With over 20 years of experience in enterprise software, Andrey Knourenko brings extensive expertise in all aspects of...READ BIO

 Andrey Knourenko

Andrey Knourenko

Senior Vice President, Engineering

With over 20 years of experience in enterprise software, Andrey Knourenko brings extensive expertise in all aspects of managing software product development. Andrey has a strong track record of building superior technical teams and delivering quality enterprise software products. Andrey joined Aras in 2005 and was VP of product development from 2013-2018. Prior to joining Aras, Andrey co-founded NetView Technologies, a provider of web-based enterprise business process management software. Earlier in his career, Andrey was director of development of Pro/INTRALINK® for PTC.

 About Aras

Enrique Rodríguez

Senior Vice President of Sales

Enrique is an experienced sales, channels, and senior operations executive with a successful track record leading teams of...READ BIO

 About Aras

Enrique Rodríguez

Senior Vice President of Sales

Enrique is an experienced sales, channels, and senior operations executive with a successful track record leading teams of diverse field professionals. He brings over twenty-five years of global sales experience in the software and IT industry to Aras. Most recently, Enrique held positions at PTC Software as division vice president of Americas sales and channels, as well as advisor to the EVP of global sales and marketing. Before his experience at PTC, Enrique held several senior executive sales roles at JDA Software, where he was chief sales officer, and at IBM. While at IBM, he held VP roles including software sales and operations for Growth Markets, Asia Pacific, and Japan, as well as VP of software sales for Latin America, and VP of sales for several of IBM software brands.

 Masahiko Hisatsugu

Masahiko Hisatsugu

General Manager, Japan

With over 20 years of technology experience, Masahiko Hisatsugu is one of the foremost authorities on PLM in...READ BIO

 Masahiko Hisatsugu

Masahiko Hisatsugu

General Manager, Japan

With over 20 years of technology experience, Masahiko Hisatsugu is one of the foremost authorities on PLM in Japan. Prior to Aras, Masahiko served as founder and president of Progress Partners Consulting, a Japanese PLM consulting firm. Before founding Progress Partners, Masahiko was the first Metaphase (now Siemens PLM) consultant, introducing PLM to the Japanese market and working with industry leaders including Toyota, Konica Minolta, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Canon. Masahiko was then recruited by SAP to build and run SAP PLM in Japan, where he developed business solutions, drove strategic marketing, and established a consulting methodology. He is also the author of the book “How to Develop a PLM System,” and a frequent blogger on PLM and related topics.

 About Aras

Leon Lauritsen

General Manager, Europe

Leon Lauritsen joined Aras in 2022 through the acquisition of Minerva PLM, where he had been for over...READ BIO

 About Aras

Leon Lauritsen

General Manager, Europe

Leon Lauritsen joined Aras in 2022 through the acquisition of Minerva PLM, where he had been for over 20 years. While at Minerva, Leon led sales and marketing globally and expanded its geographic coverage throughout Europe and North America. Leon’s experience ranges from launching products in the PLM domain to other enterprise software domains like ERP, CRM, and SCM. His prior experience with different roles and companies includes a broad background, ranging from programming to business consulting, project management, and business development. These experiences and his results-oriented focus have been decisive to Aras’ success. Leon has an IT and Economics degree (HD-IØ) from Copenhagen Business School and an Executive MBA from Henley Management College.

 

 About Aras

Sam Abu-Hamdan

Vice President of Sales, North America

With over 25 years of experience in enterprise data management as Vice President of Sales in North America,...READ BIO

 About Aras

Sam Abu-Hamdan

Vice President of Sales, North America

With over 25 years of experience in enterprise data management as Vice President of Sales in North America, specializing in delivering innovative solutions for the aerospace and automotive sectors. His expertise spans sales, marketing, and data management, enabling him to drive customer success by addressing complex challenges. Before joining Aras, Sam co-founded Alcove9, a data search company and Aras partner, and held leadership roles at Tata Technologies and INCAT, where he managed sales and technical teams. With a strong track record in business development, Sam excels at optimizing business processes and delivering quality PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) projects to engineering and manufacturing organizations. Sam is known for building and leading high-performing, cross-functional teams that increase efficiency and productivity.

 Roque Martin

Roque Martin

Chief Executive Officer and Board Member

Roque Martin is an enterprise software executive with a track record of enabling companies to penetrate new markets,...READ BIO

 Roque Martin

Roque Martin

Chief Executive Officer and Board Member

Roque Martin is an enterprise software executive with a track record of enabling companies to penetrate new markets, drive growth, and increase profitability. He has extensive engineering software experience, with more than 30 years of demonstrated leadership in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), product management, P&L management, GTM, and global operations. Prior to joining Aras, Roque was general manager of PTC’s division delivering systems and software engineering solutions for manufacturers of advanced products, as well as an R&D executive. He also worked for 25 years at IBM, where he contributed to their SaaS, acquisition integration, and competitive intelligence strategies. Roque is also a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and was a founding member of Hispanic/LatinX employee resource groups at both PTC and IBM.

 About Aras

Anthony (Tony) J. Affuso

Board Member

Tony Affuso is the former CEO of Siemens PLM Software. He serves on the Aras board, bringing over...READ BIO

 About Aras

Anthony (Tony) J. Affuso

Board Member

Tony Affuso is the former CEO of Siemens PLM Software. He serves on the Aras board, bringing over 30 years of experience in driving growth in the PLM software industry. Prior to Siemens, Tony was the CEO of PLM industry leader UGS for over 20 years, where he led UGS growth from a start-up to a multibillion-dollar global leader, and to a successful merger with Siemens PLM.

Tony also serves on the board of directors of Symbotic, where he was formerly CEO of the start-up robotics automation company.

 About Aras

James (Jim) E. Cashman

Board Member

Jim Cashman III is the former chairman and CEO of Ansys; with experience in technology, finance, sales, and...READ BIO

 About Aras

James (Jim) E. Cashman

Board Member

Jim Cashman III is the former chairman and CEO of Ansys; with experience in technology, finance, sales, and operations, he has been key to the successful growth of numerous software companies in computer-aided engineering, product lifecycle management, and transaction processing over his 40-year tenure. Jim served for over 20 years at Ansys, the global leader of engineering simulation software, where he led the company from $50 million to over $1 billion USD in annual revenue and a spot in the S&P 500.

In addition to his board role with Aras, Jim serves as a corporate director and advisor to several high-tech organizations spanning information technology, industrial automation, and biotechnology.

 Peter Schroer

Peter Schroer

Board Member

Peter Schroer, founder and former CEO of Aras brings over 25 years of experience transforming high-tech companies into...READ BIO

 Peter Schroer

Peter Schroer

Board Member

Peter Schroer, founder and former CEO of Aras brings over 25 years of experience transforming high-tech companies into market leaders by spearheading solution innovation and structured growth strategies. Prior to founding Aras, Peter was general manager, US operations and a board member for Eigner+Partner (acquired by Agile Software), a provider of PDM technology.