Paris, January 3, 2008 – Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to the soft goods industries, has named Hotsumi Baba as Managing Director, Lectra Japan.

Based in Tokyo and reporting to Asia-Pacific President Robert Agnes, he joined Lectra on October, 15.

Hotsumi Baba is responsible for directing Lectra’s overall operations in Japan and will work to increase sales growth of value-added software, hardware and services across all market sectors and to boost the strength of the Lectra brand in Japan.

His role will be to help customers to capitalize on the value of Lectra products and solutions, so that they can improve their operations and maximize their Return on Investment. “Hotsumi Baba will focus on improving our customer support and building stronger relationships with the Fashion, Automotive, and Furniture industries in Japan. In doing so, he will lead the growth of our business in Japan,” said Robert Agnes, President of Lectra Asia-Pacific. "Over the past years, he has cultivated a vast network of relationships across a diverse range of markets which will be instrumental in achieving the development and goals of Lectra in Japan. We are proud that he has accepted to join our team.”

Hotsumi Baba brings more than 16 years of experience working for international companies selling complex software solutions in Japan to a variety of markets, including the automotive and mechanical design markets.

He joins Lectra from MSC Software Japan, LTD where he was Vice President of Sales. He also previously worked for Mechanical Dynamics Inc. (MDI) as President of MDI/Japan and served as MDI Business Manager at ISI-Dentsu Co. LTD (ISID). From 1979 to 1981, he was Engineer at the Nuclear Energy Division for Hitachi Engineering Co. LTD.

Hotsumi Baba earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hihon University, Tokyo.

Lectra Japan was established in August 1985 in Osaka. Today, the company is located in 8 offices in Japan - including sales offices and service centers - in Tokyo, Toyota, Okayama, Fukuoka, Hanamaki, Sakata, and Morioka. Dedicated to 400 clients, Lectra Japan has a particularly strong presence in the Japanese automotive market.