AVEVA appoints Brock Ballard as Chief Revenue Officer

AVEVA has appointed Brock Ballard as Chief Revenue Officer, effective 1 October 2026.

He joins the industrial software company from Bentley Systems, where he has been Chief Revenue Officer since 2023. He joined Bentley in 2020 as Vice President and Regional Executive for the Americas.

Ballard will succeed Sue Quense, who is stepping down from her full-time executive role and will remain with AVEVA as an Advisor to the AVEVA Executive Leadership Team. She had been planning the change for some time and will work closely with Ballard during the handover and afterwards.

The appointment follows what AVEVA described as an extensive recruitment process. Ballard has more than 20 years of experience in technology sales and has held leadership roles at DELMIA Sales, Dassault Systems and Autodesk.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Information Sciences from the University of Alabama.

Leadership change

The appointment reshapes AVEVA's senior commercial leadership as the company brings in an external executive from another software group serving industrial customers. AVEVA is based in Cambridge and operates globally.

Caspar Herzberg, Chief Executive Officer, welcomed the appointment and thanked Quense for her contribution over the past five years.

"I am delighted to welcome Brock to the Executive Leadership Team at AVEVA, where we will benefit from his expertise, experience and commitment to building successful, high-growth tech companies. Brock's engaging approach sets him apart in our sector, and I look forward to working with him to drive the next phase of AVEVA's growth. I also want to extend my personal thanks to Sue Quense for her outstanding leadership and good counsel over the past five years. She will continue to work with AVEVA leadership in an advisory capacity, even as she steps back from the day-to-day running of the business," said Caspar Herzberg, Chief Executive Officer of AVEVA.

Ballard will join AVEVA's Executive Leadership Team as part of the change.

"Having long admired AVEVA's vision to drive innovation in the industries that deliver the essentials of life, I am delighted to be joining the Executive Leadership Team. AVEVA's outstanding software portfolio, technical leadership and ambitious growth trajectory lead the market. This, coupled with the team's shared commitment to driving responsible use of resources, has never been more important to enabling the transformation of businesses across the world. I cannot wait to get started," said Ballard.

Transition plans

Quense will remain involved with the business in an advisory role to the executive team, supporting continuity as AVEVA changes commercial leadership.

Before Ballard's arrival, Quense oversaw revenue responsibilities at the company and will now support the transition. The arrangement provides a handover period with an executive who has been part of AVEVA's leadership for several years.

Quense said the company had chosen a successor who fits its culture and priorities.

"In Brock, we have found someone who embodies the AVEVA values and shares our focus on driving innovation for our customers and enabling industries to thrive in our rapidly evolving world. I look forward to working closely with Brock during this transition and to continuing to contribute to AVEVA's success in my new role," said Quense.

AVEVA develops software used by industrial companies and says its customer base includes more than 90% of leading industrial enterprises. The group employs more than 6,000 people and works with 5,000 partners and 5,700 certified developers worldwide.

Ballard's move also marks a senior hire from Bentley Systems, another software company with a strong presence in infrastructure and industrial markets. His background at Bentley, Dassault Systems and Autodesk gives him extensive experience in engineering and industrial software sales.

For AVEVA, the appointment comes as software suppliers to asset-heavy industries seek leaders with established customer relationships across global accounts. According to the company, Ballard most recently led all of Bentley's accounts globally.