Speakers

Previously, he had served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Soitec from July 2022 to March 2026 - a global leader in engineered substrates for semiconductor industry.

He was previously Executive Vice-President in charge of Big Data & Cybersecurity at technology group Atos (2015-2022), where he also led the Public Sector & Defense division and Manufacturing operations before serving as interim Group CEO in 2021.

Prior to its acquisition by Atos in 2014, Pierre Barnabé was Deputy CEO of Bull (2013-2015). He then served as Chairman & CEO of Bull from 2015 to 2022, spearheading the company’s evolution into a global leader in cybersecurity services and supercomputing.

From 2011 to 2013, he was Managing Director of the Enterprise branch of SFR, the French telecoms operator, where he launched cloud computing and very high-speed broadband activities.

From 1998 to 2011, he held various positions at Alcatel then Alcatel-Lucent, first in sales, then as Chairman & CEO of Alcatel-Lucent France (formerly Alcatel CIT), before becoming Deputy Managing Director of the group in charge of Human Resources and Transformation.

A graduate of the CentraleSupelec and NEOMA Business School, Pierre Barnabé began his career in 1994 in Silicon Valley, developing corporate venture capital and capital risk activities for Thales Group. He then moved to Thales headquarters in Paris, where he was in charge of strategy and acquisitions for the Communication and Command division.

He is currently a member of the board of the multinational market firm Ipsos as well as the supercomputer global leader Bull.

He also served as Chairman of the Board of ENSIMAG Grenoble, the prestigious Grande École specializing in computer science, applied mathematics and telecommunications (2016-2022) and on the board of France’s National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (INRIA) from 2021 to 2022.

Pierre Barnabé is a Knight of the French National Order of Merit.

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 fast-track innovation and operational efficiency — achieving more with fewer resources, while remaining profitable. 

Samson is recognized for a strong ability to build deep, trust-based 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.

Ding Ming Chee currently serves as ASEAN Senior Director, Customer Solution Experience, where he leads regional teams working closely with customers and partners to support enterprise digital transformation across key manufacturing, infrastructure, and transportation industries. In his role, he focuses on helping organizations adopt advanced digital engineering and virtual twin technologies to improve the design, delivery, and lifecycle management of complex products and infrastructure systems, enabling greater collaboration, operational efficiency, and sustainable industry development.

Prior in his career, he was Regional Manager at Accelrys, a provider of scientific software solutions for the pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and consumer goods industries. In this role, he led regional operations across ASEAN, Australia, and India until the company was acquired by Dassault Systèmes in 2014. Since joining Dassault Systèmes, he has held multiple leadership roles supporting both enterprise customers and partner ecosystems across the region.

Ding holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering from the National University of Malaysia.