Aras, a leading global provider of low-code applications to design, build, and operate complex products, announced the addition of James (Jim) E. Cashman III, former Chairman and CEO of Ansys, to its Board of Directors. His experience in technology, finance, sales, and operations 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.
“During my many years in the PLM industry, I’ve seen first-hand and have admired Jim’s expertise in growing his business. I’m thrilled to partner with him on the next phase of Aras’ growth and enterprise SaaS disruption,” said Tony Affuso, Member of the Board of Directors at Aras and former CEO of Siemens PLM.
Cashman 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 a number of high-tech organizations spanning information technology, industrial automation, and biotechnology.
“Aras has built a highly differentiated enterprise business delivering unparalleled flexibility and value that empowers global organizations to digitally transform with low-code resilience,” said Cashman. “Aras’ accomplishments are inspiring, and I look forward to sharing my insights to further accelerate their innovation-driven strategy.”
“Jim has deep roots in PLM dating back to Metaphase—one of the most successful PLM solutions in the industry—and his leadership at Ansys was critical to their rapid and sustained growth,” said Peter Schroer, Founder and CEO of Aras. “Jim will play a pivotal role in driving our expansion as we continue to redefine the value proposition of engineering and manufacturing software for large enterprises in the cloud era.”
“Jim’s experience in driving growth and operating at scale will be critical as the digitalization in manufacturing continues to accelerate. We welcome Jim to the Aras Board and look forward to building a future category leader together with him,” said Travis Pearson, Managing Director and Co-Head of Private Equity at GI Partners and Member of the Board of Directors at Aras.
