Lectra Names U.S. President

Paris-based technology provider Lectra has named David Rode president of its U.S. division. Lectra markets CAD and product-development software and cutting-room equipment.

Rode, who is based in New York, becomes the first U.S.-based president for Lectra since 2003, when David Siegelman was ousted.

The U.S. office had been managed by former Lectra executive Daniel Moreau and more recently by Chief Executive Officer Daniel Harari, both of whom are based in France.

Rode comes to the company from rival firm Intentia Americas, where he was president and CEO. At Lectra, Rode is responsible for all business in the company’s North America division. He oversees a staff of about 150 based in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Montreal and New York.

Rode has 20 years of experience in general and sales management and business development in software and industrial sectors throughout the world.

“He has the personality and leadership required to make a significant contribution to the implementation of the group’s overall strategy,” Harari said in a prepared statement.

Harari said the five-year goal for Lectra’s North American operations is to double last year’s sales of $50 million.

Prior to his two-year stint with Intentia, Rode was vice president of international operations for Information Builders Inc., a New York–based software firm. —Robert McAllister