Infrastructure Engineering Software Company Bentley Systems Names Chief Sustainability Officer: 5 Things to Know

Bentley Systems Chief Marketing Officer Chris Bradshaw has shifted to chief sustainability officer (CSO) at the infrastructure engineering software company.

On a related note, Bentley Systems has hired GE HealthCare veteran Kristin Fallon to succeed Bradshaw as chief marketing officer (CMO).

Here are five things to know about Bradshaw's experience and Bentley Systems' sustainability strategy.

1. Business Scope and Scale: Bentley Systems, based in Exton, Pennsylvania, has more than 4,800 employees listed on LinkedIn as of October 2023.

The company, founded in 1984, develops software that helps users to design, construct and operate roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, mining, and industrial facilities.

Flagship products include:

• the iTwin Platform for infrastructure digital twins;
• MicroStation and Bentley Open applications for modeling and simulation;
• Seequent’s software for geo-professionals;
• Bentley Infrastructure Cloud encompassing ProjectWise for project delivery, SYNCHRO for construction management, and AssetWise for asset operations.

2. Business Performance: Bentley Systems revenues were $296.7 million in Q2 of 2023, up 10.6% from Q2 of 2022. The company's growth strategy includes multiple M&A deals. Recent acquisitions include geothermal simulation software provider Flow State Solutions; AI software developer Blyncsy; and power sustems engineering software provider EasyPower.

3. Sustainability Strategy: Bentley Systems' 2022 ESG report is published here. At the end of 2022, the company took its first steps toward a net-zero commitment. Working with a climate advisory group, Bentley Systems committed to reduce Scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline. Moreover, the company committed to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 55% per dollar of operating profit by 2030 -- compared to a 2019 baseline. The Scope 3 emissions include:

• Purchased Goods and Services;
• Fuel- and Energy-Related Activities;
• Upstream Transportation and Distribution; and
• Waste Generated in Operations, Business Travel, and Employee Commuting.

4. Chris Bradshaw's Experience and Expertise: New CSO Chris Bradshaw joined Bentley Systems as senior VP and chief marketing officer in October 2020. He previously held key posts at robotic process automation (RPA) software provider Blue Prism and CAD software developer Autotask. Earlier, he was a Captain and embedded software engineering for the United States Air Force.

Much of Bradshaw's experience involves building and scaling software businesses, subscription business models, and creating corporate social responsibility programs and organizations, according to his LinkedIn bio.

5. Executive Perspectives: Describing multiple hires and Bradshaw's new role, Bentley Chief Operating Officer Nicholas Cumins said: "This is a pivotal moment for the infrastructure sector and an exciting time to be in infrastructure engineering software. It is gratifying that Bentley Systems has attracted world-class talent to position the organization strongly for our next phase of growth and to help our users in the world’s leading infrastructure organizations design, build, and operate more sustainable and resilient infrastructure."

Bentley Systems Chief Sustainability Officer: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.