Lectra has appointed Jerome Viala as executive vice president. Earlier he was chief financial officer. Viala is now in charge of coordinating the industrial, customer care, consumables and parts, and international human resources activities. In parallel, over the last few years, he has become increasingly involved in developing Lectra’s international operations, including the opening of subsidiaries in South Korea and Vietnam. Viala a business school graduate began his career as a credit analyst. He’s known for his rigor, his ability to make decisions and stand by them, and his many human qualities.

Lectra will soon announce a new roadmap, revealing the group’s ambitions for the 2017-19 and beyond, and Viala is expected to contribute to the implementation of Lectra’s new strategic roadmap.

Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials. It serves major markets like fashion and apparel, automotive, and furniture as well as a broad array of other industries. Lectra’s solutions, specific to each market, enable customers to automate and optimize product design, development, and manufacturing. With more than 1,500 employees, the group has customers in more than 100 countries.