Samson Khaou

Samson Khaou became a member of the Dassault Systèmes Executive Committee in 2020, tasked with developing the company’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region, covering South Asia, China, South Korea, India and Japan. With the support of country directors and an ecosystem of local partners, Samson’s role is to build and foster long-term, trust-based relationships with customers in the sectors served by Dassault Systèmes, namely Manufacturing Industries, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Infrastructures & Cities. 

Samson’s teams support customers in their transformation journey toward a more sustainable, experience-based and generative economy. They help them tap into the vast capabilities of virtual twins and the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, empowering them to gain a competitive edge through fasttrack innovation and operational efficiency — achieving more with fewer resources, while remaining profitable. 

Samson is recognized for a strong ability to build deep, trustbased relationships with customers and develop new markets. And to promote and deliver the solutions needed to meet today’s technological, creative and industrial challenges, Samson puts together high-performance organizations and driven teams. 

He brings to his role extensive expertise acquired through key positions held in the company over the years, including Research & Development, pre-sales, and sales and support, especially in Asia. 

Samson first joined Dassault Systèmes in 1989 as a member of the Research & Development team. In 1995, he moved to presales for CATIA and ENOVIA in South Korea and China, working alongside IBM teams. Later, he was put in charge of Dassault Systèmes’ Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Competency Center in South Korea, a role he went on to perform in Southeast Asia and India. 

In 2001, Samson became head of Dassault Systèmes’ Automotive Competency Center for engine and chassis process solutions in France, subsequently establishing benchmark CATIA V5 contracts with Europe-based automotive customers. In 2004, he led the PLM project for Nissan in Japan, entailing the creation of an Industry Solutions Center to focus Dassault Systèmes’ portfolio on consumer usages and customer value. 

In 2006, Samson set up Dassault Systèmes' South Korea. Under his leadership, the new entity forged partnerships with top-tier manufacturers, including Hyundai, fostering indirect engagement with customers via resellers. 
From 2008 to 2010, he took charge of Dassault Systèmes support services in Europe, overseeing major projects for Renault and Dassault Aviation, among others. 
In 2011, Samson set up Dassault Systèmes’ Asia/South-Pacific business, based in Singapore and serving Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. 
In 2016, he was appointed Managing Director of Dassault Systèmes India, where he sealed leading partnerships in the Infrastructures and Cities sector, notably with L&T. 

Samson Khaou graduated from Ecole Nationale de Techniques Avancées (ENSTA Paris) engineering school in 1987.