ESI Group appoints Francis Griffiths as Executive Vice President of Sales

Rhea-AI Summary

ESI Group announces the appointment of Francis Griffiths as Executive Vice President of Sales, effective October 1, 2021. With over 30 years of experience, he will lead the global sales strategy and oversee the sales organization during ESI's transformation. Griffiths, formerly of NI, is expected to drive growth in virtual prototyping and predictive modeling, enhancing productivity and lowering production costs across industries. His role aligns with ESI's upcoming 3-year plan, to be revealed on October 5, 2021.

Positive

• Francis Griffiths brings over 30 years of experience, expected to enhance ESI's sales operations.
• Leadership change aims to strengthen ESI's market position in virtual prototyping solutions.
• Griffiths' expertise supports ESI's digital transformation ambitions, potentially improving revenue.

Negative

• Concerns regarding continuity and experience gaps due to management change.

RUNGIS, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

ESI Group (ISIN Code: FR0004110310, Symbol: ESI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Francis Griffiths as Executive Vice President of Sales, effective October 1^st, 2021. He will report to Mike Salari, Corporate COO Revenue Generation, and join the leadership team of Cristel de Rouvray, CEO of the Group. He will be based in the United Kingdom.

Francis Griffiths, 57 years old, is a long-standing executive with more than thirty years of experience in the realms of business and technology. He has a long history of success in the global marketplace with technical and scientific software solutions and has experience with the type of transformation we are driving at ESI. He brings to ESI an impressive track record of growth in Test & Measurement, Simulation and Industrial Automation in various industries including Automotive, Aerospace, Heavy Machinery, Communications, Energy, and Electronics.

From this point onwards, Francis will be entrusted with leading and overseeing the global activities for the company’s sellers and setting the strategy for the sales organization at ESI. He will also be in charge of setting up and driving the transformation of the sales organization in accordance with the objectives of the 3-year plan, the details of which will be announced on October 5^th during ESI’s Investor’s conference.

“I am extremely excited to join ESI. As a leader in virtual prototyping solutions founded on excellence in predictive physics-based modelling, ESI is uniquely positioned to partner with its customers on their digital transformation journey across the performance product life cycle. I am very confident we can accelerate delivery of ESI solutions that improve productivity, safety, lower production costs and accelerate time to market, answering the key industrial challenges. I look forward to this exciting journey, working with our leadership team, employees and many customers across the world,” declares Francis Griffiths.

Mike Salari, Corporate Chief Operating Officer - Revenue Generation of ESI Group adds: “ESI Group is undergoing one of its most transformational journeys. Attracting high-level talents like Francis to lead the sales organization will strengthen our market position with a forward-thinking growth strategy. I’m excited that Francis’ valuable experience and expertise will help ESI Group in supporting the digital transformation of our customers and becoming a recognized best-in-class company. This is a perfect timing as we will launch our new 3 Year plan (FY22-FY24) which will be announced on 5^th October. We are very proud to have him on board!”

Prior to joining ESI, Francis held several roles within NI (NATI: NASDAQ) for 29 years, among them European Vice President of Sales and Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Field Marketing and Operations. More recently he founded Maiple, a start-up company focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning solutions in manufacturing and sustainable energy.

Francis holds a BEng (Hons) degree from Cardiff University in Electrical Engineering and is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology (FIET). He was awarded an Honorary Professorship at Cardiff University in 2019. Francis sits on the advisory board of FLEXIS (Smart Energy Systems Project) and is an advisor on the Cardiff University Strategic Oversight Board. He served as non-executive director of VERV, makers of the Home Energy Assistant.

Upcoming events

• Investor Conference - October 5^th, 2021
• Q3 revenues – October 28^th, 2021

About ESI Group

Founded in 1973, ESI Group envisions a world where Industry commits to bold outcomes, addressing high stakes concerns - environmental impact, safety & comfort for consumers and workers, adaptable and sustainable business models. ESI provides reliable and customized solutions anchored on predictive physics modeling and virtual prototyping expertise to allow industries to make the right decisions at the right time, while managing their complexity. Acting principally in automotive & land transportation, aerospace, defense & naval, energy and heavy industry, ESI is present in more than 20 countries, employs 1200 people around the world and reported 2020 sales of €132.6 million. ESI is headquartered in France and is listed on compartment B of Euronext Paris.

For further information, go to www.esi-group.com.

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210923005738/en/

ESI Group

Florence Barré

press@esi-group.com

+33 1 49 78 28 28

Verbatee - Press & Shareholder Relations

Jérôme Goaer, j.goaer@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 61 79 34

Aline Besselièvre, a.besselievre@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 85 10 05

Source: ESI Group

FAQ

Who is the new Executive Vice President of Sales at ESI Group?

Francis Griffiths has been appointed as the new Executive Vice President of Sales.

What will Francis Griffiths be responsible for at ESI Group?

He will lead global sales activities and drive the transformation of the sales organization.

When does Francis Griffiths start his role at ESI Group?

He starts his role on October 1, 2021.

What is the significance of the October 5, 2021, date for ESI Group?

ESI Group will announce details of its new 3-year plan on October 5, 2021.

What prior experience does Francis Griffiths bring to ESI Group?

He has over 29 years of experience at NI, including roles as European Vice President of Sales.