Big news: Siemens PLM CEO Chuck Grindstaff moving up

Siemens PLM just told me that Chuck Grindstaff is moving up, taking on a new role as Executive Chairman of Siemens PLM Software; current EVP of Global Sales, Marketing and Service, Tony Hemmelgarn, will take over as CEO on October 1.

I’m a bit gobsmacked but this news, since Chuck has been a PLM industry feature for a very long time — but it shouldn’t really be a surprise. Chuck took over from Tony Affuso, who moved up into a similar role that helped to guide the PLM business’ growth into the greater Siemens. I am told that Chuck will continue to focus on PLM’s strategy and growing the innovation platform — tough to do when also trying to run a ~$3 billion business with thousands of employees and customers.

What does this mean for the Siemens PLM team, customers and partners? That, of course, is TBD. But Mr. Hemmelgarn has been with SDRC/UGS/Siemens since 1998, so it’s fair to say that there’s not much he doesn’t know about the business. He was in charge of the Ford global account in his early days, then was SVP for Industry Verticals when Siemens PLM started down that path in 2007, then country manager for the US, then SVP and General Manager for the EMEA region and, most recently, EVP for Global Sales, Marketing and Services.

During the analyst event a few weeks ago, Mr. Hemmelgarn said that Siemens is “not just selling software. We’re creating transformation” by helping customers derive insights that help them solve business problems in ways they haven’t considered before. Technologies like design optimization, software development and management tools (ALM or application lifecycle management) and advanced additive manufacturing (see here) will help customers reimagine how they do business. He’s been involved in creating the Siemens PLM strategies around digital enterprise, ideation/realization/utilization and other initiatives. So will he put his own, unique stamp on Siemens PLM? Certainly. Will it be radically different from where we’ve been? Perhaps not.

Siemens is so huge that they don’t, apparently, consider this newsworthy. There won’t be a press release, just calls to key customers and people like me who can help get the word out. In our little world, of course, this is big news. Perhaps bigger news: Chuck can take a breath, put on his strategy hat and get busy. A powerful brain in that noggin … It’s great that Siemens can keep him around J

There’s no word on who will take over for Mr. Hemmelgarn in sales.