James Heppelmann

James E. Heppelmann (born September 4, 1964) is an American engineer and businessman. He has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of PTC (formerly Parametric Technology) since 2010, a multinational software company he joined in January of 1998 as Senior Vice President Windchill.
Early life and education
Heppelmann grew up in rural Minnesota on a dairy farm with his seven siblings. At school, he excelled at math and science. He received an introduction to mechanical engineering by repairing and maintaining the farm’s mechanical machinery. An older sister's success in engineering inspired his interest in engineering.
While programming Apple 2e computers in his high school’s lab during his senior year Heppelmann recognized the significance computing would have on the future. When he entered the University of Minnesota he decided to specialize in how to use computers and software to solve mechanical engineering problems because of this experience. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1987 from the University of Minnesota.
Career
Heppelmann joined PTC in 1998 when PTC acquired Windchill Technology, Inc., a product life cycle management (PLM) software company that he co-founded in 1996.
Since taking the helm as CEO in 2010, Heppelmann has been known for integrating the internet of things (IoT) and augmented reality (AR) into the company's business strategy. He forged alliances with Microsoft to accelerate customer adoption of IoT and AR and Rockwell that included a $1 Billion investment
Heppelmann also oversees the PTC's heritage businesses, CREO, the mechanical computer-aided design CAD software system and Windchill PLM. Most recently, he led PTC to acquire Onshape, a computer-aided design (CAD) software system, delivered over the Internet as a Software as a Service (SaaS) to provide customers with a path to SaaS CAD cloud services.

After advancing through the management ranks, Heppelmann was appointed PTC's President and CEO in October, 2010 PTC. His roles leading up to becoming CEO include:

*March 2009 - October 2009 President/COO Parametric Technology Corp.
Boards of Directors
* In March of 2009 Heppelmann was elected to the PTC Board of Directors
* He also sits on the Board of Directors of Sensata Technologies
Outside Leadership Activities
* Heppelmann is a trustee of MassTLC, a technology association with the mission to accelerate growth, innovation, and the development of an inclusive tech ecosystem in Massachusetts.
* He is also committed along with 800 CEOs of the world’s leading companies and business organizations to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion. It is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. The CEOs distinguish diversity and inclusion to be a social issue, not a competitive one.
Honors and Awards
Named one of the Top 25 Enterprise IT Innovators Of 2019 by CRN Magazine.
Named CXO of the Year IoT Global Awards 2018.
Named to the CEO Forums 2018 list of 10 CEOS who are transforming business through technology for his translational work in AR.
Named to the Top 100 Executives Of 2018 list by CRN Magazine.
Named #15 on NextReality’s 50 People to Watch in Augmented & Mixed Reality.
Named CEO of the Year by MassTLC.
Published Work
Heppelmann co-authored with Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter three articles on the transformational business impact of Internet of Things (IoT) on business for the Harvard Business Review.
* Porter, M.E. & Heppelmann, J.E. (2014) , Harvard Business Review, November 2014, pp 65-88
* Porter, M.E. & Heppelmann, J.E. (2015) ", Harvard Business Review, October 2015, pp 97—114
* Porter, M.E. & Heppelmann, J.E. (2017) "[https://hbr.org/2017/11/a-managers-guide-to-augmented-reality#why-every-organization-needs-an-augmented-reality-strategy Why Every Organization Needs an Augmented Reality Strategy"], Harvard Business Review, November 2017, pp 46—62

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