Bertrand Sicot, new CEO of DS SolidWorks Corp is undergoing the three stages of the Certified SolidWorks Professional test. He passed the first stage on his first try, but failed the second stage. He had to retake that portion of the test. If you haven’t yet seen his most recent article on his journey to being a CSWP, please check it out on the SolidWorks Blog. I look forward to getting the news of how well he did on the last stage of the test, so that he will also be able to add those four letters C-S-W-P to his name.
Tag: Bertrand Sicot
Bertrand Sicot makes progress to CSWP
During an event at SolidWorks World 2011, Bertrand Sicot, new CEO of SolidWorks Corp, made a declaration that he would earn his CSWP status by SolidWorks World 2012 (February 13, 2012) . He recently posted on update on his progress on the SolidWorks Blog. I cannot do justice to Sicot’s own great words by restating them here, so I invite you to read his article without any further introduction.
Some interesting photos from SolidWorks World 2011
Here are just some of the hundreds (thousands?) of photos taken during SolidWorks World 2011.
Bertrand Sicot declares he will be a CSWP
At SolidWorks World, there are a lot of events. One of the more interesting events is the Press Event. This event is held in honor of the Press attendees. It gives them a chance to connect directly with SolidWorks employees and leadership. Bernard Charles, CEO of Dassault Systemes, and Bertrand Sicot, CEO of the SolidWorks subsidiary, were both on-hand at this year’s Press Event last night. Several of the CAD bloggers had a chance to talk with both CEOs for a considerable length of time.
As some are aware, Sicot is a SolidWorks user. In Sales, he may be called upon to demonstrate the product. During our conversion, I asked Sicot if he is a CSWP (Certified SolidWorks Professional). His first answer was a sheepish smile. After reminding him that Jeff Ray (previous CEO of SolidWorks) has his certification, Sicot lamented, “I should have my CSWP.” In front of Charles and others, Sicot then added, “I will have my CSWP before the next SolidWorks World.” I must give kudos to Sicot for stepping up to the challenge.
He is a busy person right now. Since his promotion, he has been doing double duty both as CEO of SolidWorks and also still as EVP of Global Sales (until his replacement is found). With those responsibilities, I don’t expect him to earn his CSWP within the next couple of months. Becoming a CSWP by this time next year does seem realistic.
The CSWP is important since it demonstrates that a person as a firm understanding of how to use SolidWorks core functions. Sicot’s spontaneous declaration (that he will earn his CSWP) isn’t a stunt, in my opinion. It seems to be born out of a genuine desire to connect to SolidWorks users.
Jeff Ray talks about Chilean miner rescue at SolidWorks World 2011 general session
Jeff Ray, former CEO of SolidWorks Corp, opened up SolidWorks World 2011. He profiled several companies that were involved in the rescue of the Chilean miners. The common thread for each those companies is the fact that they design their products with SolidWorks. Schramm produces drill rigs, including the drilling of the first hole that found the miners. Center Rock Inc made the drill bits used in the rescue operation. Oakley provided special sunglasses to protect the miners’ retinas when they first come up from the mines.
Bertrand Sicot then came on stage to thank Jeff Ray for his 7 1/2 years of service to SolidWorks.
SolidWorks World 2011 Monday General Session
What a difference a year makes. Or, more to the point, what difference did the past year make in terms of SolidWorks news? This year, the new CEO of SolidWorks, Bertrand Sicot, made a brief statement to clarify the announcements about cloud direction for the company.
We will always have a desktop CAD.
It will never be an either/or choice for you.
Sicot made a sincere effort to clearly state that a destktop version of SolidWorks will always be available. However, I’ve seen companies make promises and statements all the time, then change their plans, sometimes the next day. Even still, I’m glad to see the clarification from Sicot.
It appears they will continue to develop down the path to eventually offer CAD as a service over the Internet (commonly referred to by the term cloud or Software as a Service in some contexts). At SolidWorks World 2010, the word cloud was spoken an uncountable number of times. So far at SolidWorks World 2011, the word cloud has not been spoken by any SolidWorks representative. What a difference a year makes.