#Management Appointment
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AUTODESK EXECUTIVES APPOINTED
Former CEO and Co-Founder John Walker Named Manager of Technology
SAUSALITO, Calif. — Autodesk, Inc. today announced five key executive
appointments, strengthening the infrastructure it defined last July when the
company reorganized into business units. Effective immediately, Volker
Kleinn acts as chief operating officer (COO); John Walker becomes manager of
technology; Malcolm Davies assumes responsibility as senior vice president of
the Americas; Richard Dym joins Autodesk as general manager of the
Multimedia business unit; and Joel Voelz is named general manager of the
Scientific Modeling business unit.
"Today's appointments refine the organization we implemented this summer,"
explained Al Green, Autodesk president, CEO and chairman of the board. "This
team is ready and able to adapt the strategies that made Autodesk one of the
world's most successful software companies to rapidly changing business
conditions," he added. In October, Green announced his intention to resign
his roles as president and CEO — remaining as chairman — when a search for
his replacement is completed.
"Autodesk today is the worldwide leader in computer-aided design — but we're
not stopping there," said John Walker, an Autodesk founder who returns to
Sausalito to set Autodesk's technical direction in the new role of manager of
technology. "We have the modeling technology and the market position to
provide the world with the most creative and sophisticated tools ever
developed for turning ideas into reality. My function is to manage that
process for at least the next 90 days or until a replacement is named."
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Since leading a small group of co-founders to form Autodesk in 1982, Walker
has played an integral role in shaping the company. He served as Autodesk's
president and CEO until 1986, and as chairman until 1988, when Walker
returned to programming on a full-time basis. Walker and Autodesk co-founder
Kern Sibbald opened the company's European Software Centre in Neuchatel,
Switzerland earlier this year.
Volker Kleinn, senior vice president of Autodesk's European operations, will
act as interim COO until a new chief executive officer is appointed. In this
newly created position, Kleinn oversees Autodesk's worldwide product
development, operations, corporate marketing and quality assurance. Since
joining Autodesk in 1990, Kleinn has successfully restructured European
operations into an organization that now serves as the model for Autodesk's
other world regions. Previously, Kleinn ran Apollo Computer's international
operations from 1986 until the company was sold to Hewlett-Packard in 1989.
"Walker's and Kleinn's new positions leverage their capabilities on behalf of
Autodesk," said Green. "John Walker's technical and market vision has
inspired Autodesk since the company was founded. In bringing Volker Kleinn
to Sausalito, we're tapping into his considerable experience in building
competitive international organizations."
The appointments follow Autodesk's adoption last July of a product
development structure organized around five business units. Business units
are responsible for product development. Marketing and sales
responsibilities are now handled in three world regions. Malcolm Davies is
senior vice president of the Americas region, which includes the U.S., Canada
and Latin America. Kleinn remains as senior vice president of Europe. An
executive search is underway for the Asia/Pacific region.
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Today's appointments also fill the remaining business unit management
positions. Richard Dym joins Autodesk as general manager of the Multimedia
business unit. A veteran of Ashton-Tate Corp., Dym most recently served as
director of application products.
Joel Voelz, who has been acting as general manager of the Scientific Modeling
business unit since it was established, is formally appointed to that
position. Voelz joined Autodesk in 1986 as director of corporate marketing,
and has held positions in marketing and business planning since then. For
the last two years, Voelz has focused on Autodesk's entry into the scientific
modeling business. He negotiated the company's equity position in
Toronto-based Hybercube, Inc., and acquired the worldwide marketing rights to
HyperChem(TM). Scheduled to ship early next year, HyperChem is the first
Windows-based scientific modeling product.
Autodesk's AutoCAD business unit is headed by co-general managers John Lynch
and Ruth Connolly. Autodesk Retail Products, formerly Generic Software, is
managed by Pete O'Dell. Marc Stiegler is general manager of the Information
business unit.
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Autodesk, Inc. develops, markets and supports a family of computer-aided
design, engineering and multimedia software products for desktop computers
and workstations. AutoCAD(R), the company's flagship product, is the
international standard for drafting and design. Autodesk Retail products
include Generic CADD(R), the low-cost computer-aided design leader,
AutoSketch(R), and the newly introduced Home Series(TM). The Autodesk
Multimedia business unit has established the IBM-PC animation standard with a
family of products for 2D and 3D animation: Autodesk 3D Studio(TM), Autodesk
Animator Pro(TM), and Autodesk Multimedia Explorer(TM). HyperChem, the first
Windows-based scientific modeling product, will ship early next year. The
Autodesk Information business unit is developing Xanadu(TM), the original
hypermedia product for organizing and managing unstructured data. Autodesk
shares are traded in the United States on the NASDAQ National Market System
under the symbol ACAD(TM). For more information, please call 415/331-0356 or
GO ADESK on CompuServe.
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AutoCAD is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Autodesk,
Inc. AutoSketch is a registered trademark and 3D Studio, Animator Pro,
Mulitmedia Explorer, HyperChem, Xanadu and ACAD are trademarks of Autodesk,
Inc. Generic CADD is a registered trademark and Home Series is a trademark
of Generic Software, Inc., an Autodesk company. All other trade and product
names mentioned are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective holders.