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FY2017 Annual Report · Dassault Systemes
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2017  3DEXPERIENCE®
A N N U A L  R E P O R T
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES FINANCIAL REPORT

GROUP PRESENTATION

FINANCIAL REVIEW & STATEMENTS

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE & CSR 

GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

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CONTENTS

Person responsible 

3

5

6

7

Corporate governance 

183

5.3  Transactions in Dassault Systèmes shares 

 srotiduA yrotutatS 4.5

022

5.5  Declarations regarding the administrative Bodies 

Information about 

6.2 

Information about the Share Capital 

6.3 

Information about the Shareholders 

 noitamrofnI tekraM kcotS 4.6

General Meeting 

7.1  Presentation of the resolutions proposed 

228

231

632

237

7.2  Draft resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors 

Cross-reference tables 

253

1

2

3

4

1.1  Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, 

3D

 yrotsiH 3.1

 noitazinagrO puorG 4.1

 seitivitcA ssenisuB 5.1

 tnempoleveD dna hcraeseR 6.1

 srotcaf ksiR 7.1

 ytilibisnopseR

2.1  Social and Societal Responsibility 

 ytilibisnopseR latnemnorivnE 2.2

 nalP ecnaligiV 3.2

Environmental and Societal Information Presented 

2.5  Statutory Auditors’ Attestation on the information 

 pihsrosnops rof diap

3.1  Operating and Financial Review 

 sevitcejbO laicnaniF 2.3

3.3 

Interim and Other Financial Information 

Financial Statements 

4.1  Consolidated Financial Statements 

4.2  Parent Company Financial Statements 

4.3  Legal and Arbitration Proceedings 

41

91

02

93

04

94

50

07

38

78

90

401

105

107

108

153

182

Additional 
information

HEADQUARTERS
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES
10, rue Marcel-Dassault - CS 40501,
78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France.
Tel : + 33 (0)1 61 62 61 62

SOUTHERN EUROPE
Innovazione 3
Via dell’ Innovazione, 3
20126 Milano Bicocca
MI, Italia.
Tél. : +39 (0) 2334 3061

KOREA
ASEM Tower 9F,  
517 Yeongdong-daero
Gangnam-gu, 135798 Seoul, 
South Korea.
Tél. : +82 232707800

GEO HEADQUARTERS
NORTH AMERICA
175 Wyman Street, Waltham,  
MA 02451, United States.  
Tel : +1 781 810 3000

LATIN AMERICA
85 Avenue Jornalista Roberto Marinho 
13th floor – suite 131 
04576-010 São Paulo, Brazil.
Tel : +55 (11) 2348-9900

CENTRAL EUROPE
Meitnerstrasse 8,  
D-70563 Stuttgart, Germany.  
Tel : +49 711 27300 0

NORTHERN EUROPE
Riley Court, Suite 9, Milburn Hill Road,
CV4 7HP Coventry, United Kingdom.
Tel : +44 (0) 247 685 7400

RUSSIA
Kuntsevo Plaza, Yartsevskaya Street, 19
1121552 Moscou, Russia.
Tel : +7 495 935 89 28

WESTERN EUROPE
10, rue Marcel-Dassault - CS 40501,
78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France.
Tel : + 33 (0)1 61 62 61 62

JAPAN
ThinkPark Tower, 2-1-1 Osaki, 
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-6020, Japan. 
Tel : 81-3-4321-3500

INDIA
CB - 32, Stylus Serviced Offices
R-Tech Park, Nirlon Complex
Goregaon (E)
400063 Mumbai, MH, India
Tél. : +91 2244764567  

SOUTHERN ASIA, PACIFIC
9 Tampines Grande, #06-13,
528735 Singapore.
Tel : +65 6511 7988

CHINA
China Central Place Tower 2, 
Room 707-709 No.79, 
Jianguo Road 100025
Chaoyang District (Beijing), China.
Tel : +86 10 6536 2288

For more information,  
visit www.3ds.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS
Tel : +33 (0)1 61 62 69 24
Fax : +33 (0)1 70 73 43 59
E-mail: investors@3ds.com

Use your smartphone 
to learn more about  
Dassault Systèmes

Thanks to Thierry Alexandre, Alison Becnel, Sophie Bernard, Stéphanie Blavier, François-José Bordonado, Delphine Boudou, Laurence Brochet, John Collemallay, 
Camille Costes, Delphine Da Maia Levy, Barbara Delva, Elise Devaux, Aliou Dia, Alassane Diouf, Christelle Dran, Isabelle Fuzellier, Marion Garyga, Etienne Grobon, 
Martin Huynh, Marc Jany, Michele Katz, Zakaria Kharoubi, Emmanuel Lahouste, Lionel Lavarec, Emilie Lepareur, Benjamin Lesné, Frédéric Médard, Catherine Mellini, 
Cécile Merrer Chakir, Delphine Meurgey, Cédric Meyer, Ornella Mulard, Jordan Paci, Rodolphe Pantanacce, Océane Pinto, Kevin Plaire, Benoît Ponthieux, Arnaud de 
Rosnay, Floriane Rossi, Wesley Schokaert, Samia Sellam, Pascale Thibaut, Thuy Khanh Ha Tran, Zijin Wang.

Cover photo by Ross Fraser McLean.
Photographs courtesy of Dassault Systèmes

Design and production: 

©2018 Dassault Systèmes. 3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, BIOVIA,
NETVIBES, and 3DEXCITE are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. 
All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. Use of any Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT

This document is an English-language translation of Dassault Systèmes’ Document de référence (Annual Report), which was filed 
with the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) on March  21 , 2018, in accordance with Articles 212-13 of the AMF General 
Regulation.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 1

Only the French version of the Document de référence is legally binding

GENERAL

This Annual Report also includes:

 › the annual financial report to be prepared and published by 
every listed company within four months of the end of its 
fiscal year, pursuant to Article L. 451-1-2 of the Monetary 
and Financial Code and Article 222-3 of the French Financial 
Markets Authority (“AMF”) General Regulation; and

 › the annual management report of Dassault Systèmes SE’s 
Board  of  Directors,  which  must  be  provided  to  the 
General  Meeting  of  Shareholders  approving  the  financial 
statements  for  each  completed  fiscal  year,  pursuant  to 
Articles L. 225-100 et seq. of the French Commercial Code.

The  index  set  forth  on  pages  253   and  254   provides  cross-
references to the relevant portions of these two reports.

All references to “euro” or to the symbol “€” refer to the legal 
currency of the French Republic and certain countries of the 
European Union. All references to the “U.S. dollar” or to the 
symbol “$” refer to the legal currency of the United States.

As  used  herein,  “Dassault  Systèmes”,  the  “Company”  or  the 
“Group” refers to Dassault Systèmes SE and all the companies 
included in the scope of consolidation.

“Dassault  Systèmes  SE”  refers  only  to  the  European  parent 
company of the Group, which is governed by French law.

In  compliance  with  Article  28  of  European  Regulation 
no. 809/2004 of the Commission, the following information 
is incorporated by reference in this Annual Report:

 › the consolidated financial statements on pages 92 to 130 
(inclusive),  the  parent  company  financial  statements  on 
pages 133 to 155 (inclusive), and the related audit reports on 
pages 131 to 132 and 156 to 159 (inclusive) of the Annual 
Report  (Document de référence)  for  the  year  2016  filed 
with the AMF on March 22, 2017, under no. D. 17.0207;

 › the  financial  information  on  pages  78  to  90  (inclusive)  of 
the  Annual  Report  (Document de référence)  for  the  year 
2016  filed  with  the  AMF  on  March  22,  2017,  under  no. 
D. 17.0207;

 › the consolidated financial statements on pages 86 to 121 
(inclusive),  the  parent  company  financial  statements  on 
pages 124 to 145 (inclusive), and the related audit reports on 
pages 122 to 123 and, 146 to 149 (inclusive) of the Annual 
Report  (Document de référence)  for  the  year  2015  filed 
with the AMF on March 23, 2016, under no. D. 16-0197;

 › the  financial  information  on  pages  72  to  84  (inclusive)  of 
the  Annual  Report  (Document de référence)  for  the  year 
2015  filed  with  the  AMF  on  March  23,  2016,  under  no. 
D. 16-0197.

The portions of these documents which are not incorporated 
herein  are  either  not  relevant  for  current  investors,  or  are 
covered in another section of this Annual Report.

2 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

PERSON RESPONSIBLE

Person Responsible for the Annual Report

Bernard Charlès – Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Certification by the Person Responsible 
for the Annual Report

Vélizy-Villacoublay, March 21 , 2018.

I  hereby  certify,  after  having  taken  all  reasonable  measures 
for this purpose, that the information contained in this Annual 
Report  (Document  de  référence)  is,  to  my  knowledge,  in 
accordance  with  the  facts  and  that  no  information  liable  to 
affect its significance has been omitted.

I have received a completion letter (lettre de fin de travaux) from 
the  auditors  stating  that  they  have  verified  the  information 
regarding the financial situation and the financial statements 
included  in  this  Annual  Report  and  that  they  have  read  this 
document in its entirety.

I  certify  that,  to  my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements 
have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting 
standards  and  give  a  faithful  representation  of  the  assets, 
financial  situation  and  results  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  and 
all the companies included in the scope of consolidation, and 
that the “management report” the content of which is cross-
referenced  in  a  table  at  page  254 ,  included  in  this  Annual 
Report,  presents  a  faithful  representation  of  the  business 
trends, results and financial situation of Dassault Systèmes SE 
and all the companies included in the scope of consolidation 
as well as a description of the principal risks and uncertainties 
which they face.

Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Bernard Charlès

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 3

4 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

1

PRESENTATION 
OF THE GROUP

CONTENTS

1.1  Profile of Dassault Systèmes, 
the 3DEXPERIENCE Company 

6

1.2  Financial Summary: A Long 

History of Sustainable Growth in 
Revenues, Cash Flow and Dividends  12

1.3  History 

1.3.1  History and Development of the Company 

1.3.2  Investments 

1.4  Group Organization 

1.4.1  Dassault Systèmes SE’s Position within the Group 

1.4.2  Principal Subsidiaries of the Company 

14

14

17

19

19

19

1.5  Business Activities 

1.5.1  Principal Activities 

1.5.2  Dassault Systèmes’ offering 

1.5.3  Material Contracts 

1.6  Research and Development 

1.6.1  Overview 

1.6.2  Intellectual Property 

1.7  Risk factors 

1.7.1  Risks Related to the Company’s Business 

1.7.2  Financial and Market Risks 

1.7.3  Insurance 

20

20

24

38

39

39

39

40

40

47

48

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 5

1 Presentation of the Group

Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company

1.1  Profile of Dassault Systèmes, 
the 3DEXPERIENCE Company

After delivering many advances in software products aimed at 
designing in 3D and managing the resultant products across 
their lives, we believe there is a new world to imagine, create 
and  build  by  leveraging  science,  engineering  and  art  and  by 
taking advantage of the significant technological advances to 
reduce  the  distance  between  the  Virtual  World  and  the  Real 
World. This led us, in 2012 to define our new Horizon which we 
call 3DEXPERIENCE with the mission to provide business and 
people with 3DEXPERIENCE universes to imagine sustainable 
innovations capable of harmonizing product, nature and life. 
Our  software  portfolio  spans  a  wide  spectrum  of  domains 
from  modelling  and  scientific  simulation  to  manufacturing 
production and logistics optimization, and is applicable from 
Natural  Resources  to  Cities,  Transportation,  Buildings,  Smart 
Products, Consumer Goods, all the way to biological systems, 
chemistry and material sciences.

We  were  honored  to  have  Dassault  Systèmes  ranked  #1 
among the 2018 Top 100 Most Sustainable Corporations by 
Corporate  Knights  for  our  vision  and  for  implementing  this 
vision  in  everything  that  we  do.  Empowering  industry  and 
people to create 3DEXPERIENCE universes to imagine, invent, 
and deliver disruptive solutions that advance sustainability in 
domains as large as energy, mobility of the future, cities, life 
sciences and high-tech is at the core of our purpose and DNA 
and why people are joining Dassault Systèmes.

Dassault  Systèmes  is  the  3DEXPERIENCE  company.  What 
do  we  mean?  Today,  as  consumers  (whether  a  corporation, 
small  company,  individuals  or  government  entity  such  as  a 
city)  we  make  purchase  and  usage  decisions,  not  based  per 
se on the product or service itself, but on our experience with 
it. Our objective is to help our clients create, test and evaluate 
these  experiences  to  make  sure  they  are  rewarding  for  their 
users.  And  to  then  ensure  that  the  product  manufactured 
or  the  service  provided  meets  expectation  and  taking  this 
information  back  to  drive  further  improvements  in  the  end-
user experience.

Our strategy is to focus on Social Industry Experience:

 › Social  is  centered  on  online,  mobile  and  ease  of  use  for 
collaboration  around  innovation  and  for  bringing  3D  to 
consumers.  For  example,  our  Homebyme   solution  helps 
people  all  over  the  world  imagine,  easily  create  and  place 

furniture in rooms, and experience them in a virtual reality 
experience;

 › Industry  is  about  creating  the  knowledge  and  know-how 
 needed  to  ensure  that  our  solutions  match  closely  the 
needs  of  the  industries  we  address.  We  see  with  large 
clients a strong focus on deep transformations to adapt to 
the  respective  challenges  of  their  industries.  Furthermore, 
in  all  these  industries,  new  entrants  have  appeared  with 
small  teams  focusing  on  sub-segments  of  those  markets 
and  proposing  high-value  experiences  with  products.  Our 
solutions  appeal  to  industry  leaders  and  startups,  both  of 
whom are shaking up industries;

 › Experiences:  Being  able  to  model  experiences  is  truly  the 
manner  in  which  companies  can  innovate  and  create  new 
categories  of  products  and  solutions  that  will  drive  new, 
better  experiences  for  their  consumers.  Our  work  with 
Cities,  with  3DEXPERIENCity,  demonstrate  that  we  are 
able to do this at the most demanding level thanks to the 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  enabling  the  modeling  of  city 
experiences to improve the lives of citizens.

Our  mission  and  strategy  reflect  five  major  21st  century 
trends  that  are  having  a  widespread  influence  on  industries, 
governments, research and education:

 › Cities for People;

 › Resources and Energy for the Long Term;

 › Global and Personalized Health;

 › Supplying Globally, Producing Locally;

 › Inspirational Education and Research.

What they all have in common is that boundaries of all types 
are  blurring,  we  are  seeing  convergence  and  intersections. 
Therefore, what is critical to have is a holistic perspective and 
view to ensure that what a business delivers the end-customer 
values it.

Our  mission  is  perhaps  ambitious  but  we  bring  a  long-term 
track record of defining new markets, innovating in our product 
development and delivering durable sustainable growth over 
our 20 plus years as a public company. We believe our long-
term market leadership and financial performance reflect our 
Core DNA.

6 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company

1

sized companies or start-ups. We also work with our sales, 
software,  technology  and  services  partners.  They  help  us 
set and adapt ourselves to be more closely attuned to the 
evolutions within the different markets we are addressing;

1

 › Perseverance:  The  problems  we  are  looking  to  help  our 
clients  solve  are  not  easy,  and  the  science,  engineering 
and math behind our software takes years of investment in 
people-power and life-long learning;

 › Sustainable  business  model:  We  built  a  sustainable 
business model from the outset in 1981 and we continue to 
enhance it, with over 70% of our annual software revenue 
recurring in nature.

Every company talks about digital innovation, but for us, it did 
not begin in 2017, it began over 25 years ago. The importance 
of the virtual world’s role in innovation was truly first revealed 
thanks to Boeing’s historical decision at that time to rely on 
Dassault  Systèmes  Digital  Mock-up  technology  to  design  its 
new Boeing 777 aircraft, paving the way for digital twins of 
products.

Today,  companies  are  now  seeing  that  data  can  become  an 
invaluable asset with the potential to deliver massive benefits 
for users and their corporations. The roadmap to do so requires 
two  key  elements.  First,  it  requires  digital  continuity  and 
this  is  what  we  provide  with  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform. 
And  the  second  key  element  is  that  to  turn  data  into  a  true 
asset  companies  need  to  be  able  to  make  sense  of  the  data 
and  models  enable  this.  A  model-based  approach  is  at  the 
core of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and is valuable to ensure 
innovation effectiveness.

 › Virtualization: We believe the virtual world can help improve 
the real world we live in thanks to science and engineering. 
Our  3DEXPERIENCE  twin  represents  in  the  digital  world  a 
physical product and its experience before they ever existed. 
Today, thanks to the massive acceleration in technological 
innovations,  computational  power  and  cloud,  our  dreams 
are no longer “What if, but “If WE”, imagining altogether a 
better world;

 › Science and Engineering: We are 16,140 people at Dassault 
Systèmes,  proudly  working  together  to  shape  the  future. 
Science,  engineering  and  technology  are  changing  the 
value streams of companies – from design to engineering to 
manufacturing to marketing and the ownership experience. 
Artificial  intelligence,  Internet  of  Experiences,  Generative 
Design,  Additive  Manufacturing,  Virtual,  Augmented  and 
Mixed Reality, Data Analytics, Robots and Cobots, Systems 
of  Systems,  Connectivity,  Computing  Power  are  all  being 
leveraged;

 › Long-term Horizon: We believe that to succeed over the long 
term, you need to focus not just on this year or the next few, 
but to look forward to medium and decade long horizons. 
Renew  our  vision,  strategy  and  addressable  market  and 
evaluate  and  adapt  our  strategic  assets  to  deliver  against 
new objectives;

 › Partnerships:  To  succeed  over  the  long  term,  we  believe 
in  partnerships,  beginning  first  with  our  clients.  While  we 
are proud to be recognized for our innovation, we are proud 
that we work with many of the most innovative companies 
in  the  world,  whether  global  leaders,  small  and  medium-

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 7

1 Presentation of the Group

Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company

3DEXPERIENCE Platform For Sustainable Innovation

Dassault Systèmes’ answer for sustainable innovation begins 
with  a  platform  that  enables  stakeholders  to  navigate  their 
entire business, collaborate more easily and extract intelligence 
from  big  data.  The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  is  a  business 
experience  platform,  leveraging  knowledge  and  know-how, 
that  provides  software  solutions  for  every  organization  in  a 
company.  It  supports  the  value  creation  process  in  creating 
consumer  experiences  that  differentiate  our  clients  in  their 
markets.  With  a  single,  easy-to-use  interface,  it  is  the 
foundation for Industry Solution Experiences that incorporate 
simulation,  manufacturing  and 
3D  design,  analysis, 
information intelligence software in a collaborative, interactive 
environment.  The  platform  is  available  on  premise  and  on 
public  or  private  cloud.  Enabled  with  our  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform:  Everyone  says  they  have  a  platform,  but  are  they 
relevant to our clients’ needs? We think ours can be a critical 
enabler  for  sustainable 
innovation.  Key  differentiating 
attributes of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform include:

 › Digitally Connected: the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is about 
eliminating  silos  within  companies,  moving  from  a  static, 
file-based world to a digitally connected world, where live 
data  drives  innovation,  processes  and  business-decisions. 
As consumers we live in a digitally connected world – your 
mobile phone, service apps – and we can help our clients do 
the same for their businesses. Our platform provides digital 
continuity  across  all  applications  and  propagates  changes 
automatically;

 › Data  Driven:  Data  is  at  the  heart  of  product  innovation. 
However,  this  data  sits  across  many  disparate  systems 
today at many companies and is not readily visible or easily 
available. Capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enable 
the indexation of data across different systems and create a 
new class of applications, in order to leverage the data of an 
enterprise. Further, data is not just what is generated by the 
enterprise; there is a lot of relevant data on the internet and 
with our technologies and apps, enterprises can use these 
applications to help them extract data from the internet and 
merge  them  with  enterprise  dashboards  to  improve  their 

innovation,  products,  their  brands  and  their  consumers’ 
experiences;

leverage 

 › Model-based:  What  do  you  do  with  data?  Sure,  you 
can  collect  it  but  unless  you  can  evaluate  the  data  IN 
it.  Our  3DEXPERIENCE 
CONTEXT,  you  can’t 
platform  is  model-based.  Such  an  approach  is  at  the  core 
of  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  and  is  valuable  to  ensure 
innovation  effectiveness.  The  innovation  process  typically 
calls for multiple models of varying degrees of fidelity and 
a  variety  of  simulation  techniques.  Early  in  the  process,  a 
low fidelity model is employed to understand the systems 
interactions  and  behavior;  while  later  as  the  product 
definition  matures  higher  fidelity  models  are  adopted 
to  guide  optimization  along  often-conflicting  functional 
attributes  and  cost.  This  model-based  approach  is  not 
confined  to  the  research  phase;  it  is  employed  in  many 
activities across the enterprise. For example, planners define 
the  process  model  and  simulate  the  assembly  operations 
to  meet  cycle-time  constraints;  service  engineers  define 
reliability  models  to  guide  maintenance  planning.  Thus,  a 
model of the entire product from conception to operations 
is built during product development;

 › Virtual  +  Real:  Virtual  models  can  replicate  real  world 
behavior  and  physical  tests.  They  can  be  correlated  with 
actual  behavior  during  the  operating  life  of  the  product. 
The  knowledge  gained  from  this  correlation  can  be 
used  to  enhance  the  fidelity  of  the  virtual  models.  Any 
in  the  operating  product  are 
enhancements  required 
first  simulated  in  the  virtual  model,  fine-tuned  and  then 
optimized,  before  incorporating  in  the  real  world.  In  fact, 
the accuracy of the simulation can be significantly enhanced 
by  connecting  the  virtual  model  to  physical  systems,  also 
called  Hardware  in  the  Loop.  When  the  physical  systems 
are assembled, they are just a twin of the model. The real 
and  virtual  worlds  reinforce  each  other  –  modelling  and 
simulating the real world virtually and enhancing the virtual 
model with experiences from the real world.

8 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

1

1

Presentation of the Group
Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company

Partner for Business Transformation 
for the 21st century Industrial Renaissance

Our 3DEXPERIENCE software applications portfolio is designed 
to  enable  the  powering  of  3D  realistic  virtual  experiences 
–  and 
is  comprised  of  our  3D  modeling  applications, 
simulation  applications,  manufacturing  applications,  social 
and  collaborative  applications,  and  information  intelligence 
applications  addressing  our  clients’  value  streams  and  are 
available on-premise and on the cloud.

Our  ambition  is  to  lead  industry  to  the  cloud  with  the  most 
robust  and  productive  cloud  offers  on  the  market.  In  other 
words, virtually the vast majority of our portfolio is available 
on the cloud today, on the single, unified architecture of the 
3DEXPERIENCE p  latform. Our cloud offer is a comprehensive 
one incorporating all levels of the service, with the application 
layer for software and content (SaaS), the platform layer for 
deployment,  supervision  and  operation  services  (PaaS)  and 
the  infrastructure  level  for  on  demand  and  elastic  compute, 
network and storage resources (IaaS).

Our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and software portfolio embeds a 
wide array of technologies for:

 › Cognitive Augmented Experiences: As the 3DEXPERIENCE 
Platform is a truly big data platform, it elevates the power 
to  discover,  analyze,  understand  and  experience  the 
world  we  live  in.  With  built-in  state  of  the  art  as  well  as 
disruptive  A   rtificial  Intelligence  technologies,  it  provides 
unique  ways  to  capture  and  use  scientific,  industrial  and 
value-added  Knowledge  and  Know-How  in  an  experiential 
approach.  CAD  is  not  only  Computer  Aided  Design  but 
Cognitive Augmented Design, revealing hidden information 
in  companies’  patrimonies  and  guiding  the  creator’s  hand 
with  intelligent  companions  that  have  been  fed  with  the 
industries’  latest  expertise  and  efficiency  in  context  of 
the  augmented  New  Reality.  CAM  is  not  only  Computer 
Aided Manufacturing but Cognitive Augmented Production 
with  automation  and  agile  cobots  monitoring,  assessing, 
predicting and prescribing the route of actions of the entire 
production  system.  The  3DEXPERIENCE  Platform  fuels 
all  our  industry  solutions  and  our  brands  with  a  unique 
approach:  “modeling  and  simulation  to  the  power  of  data 
Artificial Intelligence” embodying a truly new approach of 
the  21st century  with  virtuous  strategic  dialogue  between 
information intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, virtual twins 
and models;

 › Generative  Design:  Function-driven  design  backed 
by  multiphysics  simulation-based  optimization  and 
predictive  analytics,  has  led  to  a  new  design  practice  for 

innovation.  We  offer  an  end-to-end  solution  strategy  for 
function-driven  generative  design  that  works  for  diverse 
manufacturing  methods  such  as  casting,  milling  and 
additive  manufacturing.  Designers  can  create  functional 
specifications,  generate  and  validate  their  conceptual 
shapes before conducting concept trade-offs using business 
KPIs (e.g.: material costs, buy-to-fly ratios, scrap, etc.) and 
decide the manufacturing process of choice;

 › Additive  Manufacturing:  Long  used  by  our  clients  for 
prototyping, thanks to innovation in material sciences and 
equipment,  Additive  Manufacturing  is  now  an  active  area 
of major investments by companies in multiple industries. 
Today, Additive Manufacturing creates new opportunities in 
many different areas such as remote fabrication for support 
and  maintenance,  rapid  prototyping  for  realizing  new 
concepts  and  experiences  and,  perhaps  most  importantly, 
backed by our generative design applications, they can now 
develop functional parts that were heretofore impossible to 
fabricate. Our offer leverages our multi-discipline expertise 
in  design,  engineering,  simulation  and  manufacturing, 
enabling  an  end  to  end,  model-based  and  data-driven 
digital thread;

 › 3DEXPERIENCE  TWIN:  A  digital  twin  is  the  joining  of  a 
virtual model that represents the behavior of a product with 
real-time Internet-of-Things sensor data from a real product 
operating in its native environment. A digital twin can be used 
to measure, assess, predict the performance of the system 
and help optimize operation, including maintenance cycles, 
downtime, and failure mitigation. The 3DEXPERIENCE Twin 
is even more powerful. When the digital twin is connected 
to  the  original  customer  requirements  and  design  data, 
then  information  can  be  used  to  not  only  predict  current 
performance,  but  to  improve  next-generation  products  in 
an  intelligent  way.  Not  only  is  the  connection  between 
the  Virtual  World  and  the  Real  World  reduced  to  zero,  but 
there is digital continuity and seamless feedback between 
the two worlds that bring great potential advantages to our 
future society in all industries. This is a fast-moving, rapidly 
developing concept in its early stages;

 › Augmented  reality  (AR),  virtual  reality  (VR)  and  mixed 
reality (MR) are covered by what we call “New Reality”: 
The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  is  “VR  ready”.  Our  software 
portfolio  has  long  utilized  virtual  reality  across  multiple 
applications.  Looking  forward,  we  believe  that  this  full 
spectrum  of  technologies  from  augmented  and  virtual 
reality  to  holograms  –  is  one  of  the  most  transformative 
advantages  business  leaders  have  ever  received.  After 
50 years of being almost exclusively confined to academic, 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 9

1 Presentation of the Group

Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company

corporate R&D and military research labs, these technologies 
are now available at an affordable price for use across B2B, 
B2C and B2B2C applications.

The  newly  introduced  3DEXPERIENCE  2018  release  unveils 
the value of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform both as an operating 
system powering our industry solutions experiences with our 
brand  applications  and  as  a  business  model  powering  our 
marketplace  services.  Two  important  developments  in  the 
3DEXPERIENCE 2018x release include:

 › The introduction of POWER’BY which will enable all customers 
to  benefit  from  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform’s  value 
immediately without any need for migration of legacy data. 
There are three levels: to enable social collaboration; to leverage 
hybrid  data  for  product  configuration  and  bill  of  materials; 
or to use the full capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform;

 › We  have  also  introduced  3DEXPERIENCE  Marketplace, 
an  online  e-commerce  environment  in  which  business 
innovators  are  able  to  collaborate  and  transact  with  other 

industrial  content  and  service  providers.  3DEXPERIENCE 
Marketplace features a range of services with an ecosystem 
of  recognized  experts  in  their  domains  that  delivers  the 
knowledge  and  knowhow.  3D  is  used  as  a  universal 
language to reduce the distance between the virtual and real 
worlds.  It  manages  all  aspects  of  worldwide  transactions 
such  as  taxes,  payments,  currencies  and  billing  with  full 
traceability.  Its  first  two  services,  Make  and  PartSupply, 
deliver  on-demand  manufacturing  and  intelligent  part 
sourcing  capabilities.  Make  helps  businesses  seamlessly 
collaborate  with  leading  manufacturers  worldwide  across 
all manufacturing processes by leveraging 3D to go straight 
from  design  to  parts,  all  while  minimizing  errors  and 
risks.  PartSupply  enables  businesses  to  easily  search  and 
compare  in  3D  millions  of  3D  components  from  hundreds 
of suppliers to identify and configure the right component 
before  inserting  it  within  their  environment.  Make  and 
PartSupply are the first of many services envisioned for the 
3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace.

Supporting Innovation

SOLIDWORKS for Entrepreneurs – For Start-ups

We know that starting a business from the ground up can be 
tough. How do you conceive of and design a product, test it, 
prepare it for manufacturing and launch a business brand – all 
on a shoestring budget? For early stage companies that meet 
the  eligibility  criteria,  the  SOLIDWORKS  for  Entrepreneurs 
program offers software, training, and co-marketing resources 
to  help  your  idea  become  a  product  and  your  product  a 
business.

3DEXPERIENCE Lab – Fostering Start-ups

3DEXPERIENCE  Lab  is  an  open  innovation  laboratory  and 
startup  accelerator  program  dedicated  to  nurturing  and 
empowering  disruptive  projects  and  transforming  society. 
With  3DEXPERIENCE  Lab,  Dassault  Systèmes  helps  selected 
startups  that  are  developing  physical  products  capable  of 
improving  life,  cities  and  lifestyles.  Covering  ideation,  the 
Internet of Things, and up to fab lab activity, the one to two-
year program gives these startups access to Dassault Systèmes’ 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform,  technical  skills  and  mentoring 

to  create  digital  experiences  to  optimize  and  validate  their 
product and processes. This is the same content, technology, 
applications and expertise that have transformed the design, 
engineering and manufacturing of most of the products society 
relies  on  today.  In  addition,  Dassault  Systèmes’  worldwide 
ecosystem can help accelerate the startups’ product launches 
and international presence.

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes

La  Fondation  Dassault  Systèmes  leverages  the  power  of 
experience  to  transform  the  way  we  learn  and  discover,  and 
ultimately  stretch  the  limits  of  knowledge  for  the  benefit 
of  all.  Big  data,  sensors,  mobility,  new  materials  and  other 
technologies  are  disrupting  all  aspects  of  how  society  lives, 
works and interacts. Amidst this profound transformation, it 
is  essential  to  provide  21st  century  students  with  the  latest 
technological innovations, preparing them to be the thinkers, 
inventors,  builders  and  leaders  of  future  generations  –  and 
no  technology  offers  more  promise  for  both  education  and 
discovery than 3D. When the International Research Agency 
studied  how  students  in  seven  countries  responded  to  life 

10 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company

1

science taught with 3D materials, the results were astounding. 
Compared  to  students  taught  the  same  information  with 
lectures, reading and 2D imagery, students in the 3D classes 
learned more, remembered it longer, and applied their learnings 
in  advanced  ways  their  peers  could  not.  Science  was  a  fun 

experience everyone wanted to share. Businesses everywhere 
look  to  employ  people  with  strong  abilities.  So  the  ultimate 
goal of La Fondation is to help make people successful in their 
future work lives, enabling them to contribute to a sustainable 
world and to the evolution of society.

1

3DEXPERIENCE Centers – Innovation Labs Sponsored 
By Dassault Systemes

Discover how to shift to a fully digital enterprise by leveraging 
our  3DEXPERIENCE  Center  Network.  An  environment  for 
advanced  manufacturing  and  product  development,  the 
3DEXPERIENCE  Center  Network  is  a  group  of  “innovation 
labs” 
regulatory 
technology, 
authorities  and  researchers  to  shape  the  future  of  different 
industries. Each 3DEXPERIENCE Center is unique and all share 

industry, 

connect 

that 

a  common  objective:  provide  a  dedicated  environment  to 
use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and solutions and Dassault 
Systèmes  expertise  to  meet  your  objectives.  You  and  our 
experts  develop  a  statement  of  work  to  address  a  specific 
advanced product development or manufacturing challenge in 
a dedicated environment.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 11

1 Presentation of the Group

Financial Summary: A Long History of Sustainable Growth in Revenues, Cash Flow and Dividends

1.2  Financial Summary: A Long History of Sustainable 
Growth in Revenues, Cash Flow and Dividends

We have established a long history of sustainable growth in our total revenues thanks to a financial model with a strong focus on 
recurring software revenue, which represented over 70% of our total software revenue during 2017.

 › Since our initial public offering in 1996, we have seen an acceleration in “time to next billion-euros revenue’ milestone, reaching 
our first billion in 2006, crossing our second billion in 6 years in 2012 and our third billion in 2016, a timeframe of four years;

 › Since our first full year as a public company, 1997, our cash flow from operations has increased at over 12% on a compounded 

annual basis during this twenty-year period;

 › We have continuously paid dividends to shareholders targeting an annual pay-out ratio of about 30% of our net income. On this 

basis, our annual dividend has increased at a compounded annual rate of just under 10% over the last twenty years.

Our Five Year Financial Summary

We have provided below summary income statement and balance sheet information for the most recent five years. The selected 
financial information set forth in the table below has been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards 
(“IFRS”) as adopted in the European Union, unless otherwise indicated.

A financial review including a comparison of 2017 and 2016 can be found in Chapter 3, “Financial Review and prospects”.

Income statements and dividends

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages and per share data)

Total revenue

Software revenue

Operating income

As a percentage of total revenue

Net income attributable to equity holders of the Company

Diluted net income per share(1)

Dividend per share(1)

Dividend per share growth

2017

€3,228.0

2,869.3

729.0

22.6%

519.4

€2.01

€0.58(2)

9.4%

Year ended December 31,

2016

€3,055.6

2,694.7

2015

€2,839.5

2,502.8

2014

€2,294.3

2,035.0

2013

€2,066.1

1,880.8

672.0

22.0%

447.2

€1.74

€0.53

12.8%

633.2

22.3%

402.2

€1.57

€0.47

9.3%

430.8

18.8%

291.3

€1.14

€0.43

2.4%

503.0

24.3%

352.3

€1.38

€0.42

5.0%

(1)  All historical per share data reflects the two-for-one stock split effected in July 2014.
(2)  To be proposed for approval at the General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for May  22, 2018.

12 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Financial Summary: A Long History of Sustainable Growth in Revenues, Cash Flow and Dividends

1

Supplemental non-IFRS financial information
Readers are cautioned that the supplemental non-IFRS financial information presented below is subject to inherent limitations. 
It is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be considered in isolation from or as 
a substitute for IFRS measurements. The supplemental non-IFRS financial information should be read only in conjunction with 
the Company’s consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. Furthermore, the supplemental non-IFRS 
financial information may not be comparable to similarly titled adjusted measures used by other companies. For a reconciliation 
of this non-IFRS financial information with the Company’s audited financial statements, see paragraph 3.1.1.2 “Supplemental 
Non-IFRS Financial Information”.

1

(in millions of euros, except percentages and per share data)

Total revenue

Software revenue

Operating income

As a percentage of total revenue

Net income attributable to equity holders of the Company

Diluted net income per share*

2017

€3,242.0

2,883.2

1,037.1

32.0%

692.9

€2.68

Year ended December 31,

2016

€3,065.6

2,704.3

957.7

31.2%

640.3

€2.49

2015

€2,876.7

2,537.9

884.9

30.8%

576.6

€2.25

2014

€2,346.7

2,078.6

699.2

29.8%

465.5

€1.82

2013

€2,072.8

1,887.5

652.8

31.5%

445.5

€1.75

*  All historical per share data reflects the two-for-one stock split effected in July 2014.

Balance sheets and net cash provided by operating activities

(in millions of euros)

ASSETS

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

2014*

2013

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments

€2,460.7

€2,492.8

€2,351.3

€1,175.5

€1,803.7

Trade accounts receivable, net

Other assets

TOTAL ASSETS

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Unearned revenue

Borrowings

Other liabilities

Parent shareholders’ equity

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

895.9

3,673.2

7,029.8

876.4

1,000.0

1,159.2

3,994.2

820.4

3,629.9

6,943.1

853.1

1,000.0

1,229.8

3,860.2

739.1

3,221.0

6,311.4

778.0

1,000.0

1,064.9

3,468.5

627.7

3,159.2

4,962.4

636.8

360.1

1,022.0

2,943.5

€7,029.8

€6,943.1

€6,311.4

€4,962.4

472.6

1,911.6

4,187.9

489.0

380.0

708.4

2,610.5

€4,187.9

* 

The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 has been restated to reflect the finalized purchase price allocation for prior year business combinations.

(in millions of euros)

Net cash provided by operating activities

2017

€745.0

2016

€621.7

2015

€633.3

2014

€499.5

2013

€506.8

Year ended December 31,

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 13

1 Presentation of the Group

History

1.3  History

1.3.1  History and Development of the Company

1.3.1.1 

Summary

Dassault  Systèmes,  the  3DEXPERIENCE  Company,  has  the 
mission to provide business and people with 3DEXPERIENCE 
universes  to  imagine  sustainable  innovations  capable  of 
harmonizing  product,  nature  and  life.  Unveiled  in  2012, 
this  purpose  has  given  birth  to  a  broad  portfolio  of  Industry 
in  their 
Solution  Experiences  whose  key  strengths  are 
scientific  content  and  deep  understanding  of 
industrial 
processes.  Our  software  portfolio  is  applicable  from  Natural 
Resources to Cities, Transportation, Buildings, Smart Products, 
Consumer Goods, all the way to biological systems, chemistry 
and  materials  science.  Founded  in  1981,  Dassault  Systèmes 
has  been  developing  technologies  and  solutions  that  propel 
innovation  through  business  transformation  in  industries 
ranging from aerospace to life sciences. As a company, we are 
participating  in  more  than  50  global  initiatives  dedicated  to 
advance  world-class  production  technologies  and  processes. 
Dassault Systèmes brings value to over 220,000 customers of 
all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries.

launch  of  3DEXPERIENCE,  our 
In  connection  with  the 
management system is now organized along three axes with: 
(i) a strategy to cover customer processes through an industry-
focused  set  of  offerings,  “Industry  Solution  Experiences” 
based upon the Company’s underlying software applications 
portfolio, content and services; (ii) a domain focused portfolio 
of software applications organized by brand in order to ensure 
a strong focus on the satisfaction of end user needs; and (iii) a 
global  local  specialized  organization  in  order  to  leverage  our 
global  strengths,  while  at  the  same  time  ensuring  a  strong 
local  proximity  with  customers  and  partners  and  enabling  a 
more flexible management structure responsive to local needs 
at the client, partner and employee level thanks to our  twelve 
geographic management teams.

Our  Industry  Solutions  Experiences  portfolio  is  powered  by 
our  3DEXPERIENCE  business  platform  which  was  designed 
to  enable  companies  to  bring  their  different  departments 
together,  in  a  holistic  manner  to  drive  their  innovation  –  in 
products, in new business models and in customer experience 

successes. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform has proven uniquely 
suited  to  help  companies  thanks  to  its  ability  to  improve 
and  connect  processes  by  enabling  digital  continuity  across 
the  principal  disciplines,  from  ideation,  design,  scientific 
simulation, manufacturing and operations, to marketing and 
sales and in service, feed them with meaningful data analytics, 
and  ensure  the  automatic  propagation  of  changes  across  all 
disciplines.

Our  investments,  both  through  expenditures  internally  in 
research  and  development  and  through  acquisitions,  are 
closely aligned with our strategic roadmap. Our internal R&D 
investments are the principal driver of our product innovations 
and  enhancements.  In  addition,  with  the  expanded  purpose 
and Social Industry Experiences strategy we are growing our 
addressable  market  along  multiple  axes:  (i)  broadening  our 
offer to cover the key disciplines of clients, from enabling the 
gathering of upstream consumer insights to our core markets 
of  design,  engineering,  simulation  and  manufacturing,  and 
extending  through  to  business  planning  and  operations 
and  point  of  sales  and  end-consumer  experiences;  and 
(ii)  expanding  our  market  coverage  to  address  industries 
focused  on  the  interaction  of  business  and  people  with 
nature (geosphere) and business and people with life sciences 
(biosphere) and (iii) extending the power of 3D to people with 
3D for All initiatives most notably bringing 3D to consumers 
in  an  easy  manner  with  our  Homebyme   solution  thanks  to 
artificial  intelligence  and  leveraging  new  advanced  mobile 
technologies.  With  our  Homebyme   solution,  consumers  all 
over the world can imagine, easily create and place furniture 
in rooms, and experience them in a virtual reality experience 
on  mobile  devices.  We  will  continue  to  evaluate  potential 
investments  complementing  and  extending  the 
external 
value  our  Company  brings  to  industries,  clients  and  users. 
See  paragraphs  1.3.1.3  “Dassault  Systèmes’  Purpose  and 
Strategy”,  1.5.1.1  “Summary”  and  1.5.1.4  “Research 
&  Development,  Technology  and  Science”  for  further 
information.

14 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
History

1

1

1.3.1.2  Our Summary Timeline

1981-1996: 
Formation until Initial Public Offering
 (cid:96) 1981  –  Creation  of  Dassault  Systèmes  to  design  products 
in  3D  through  the  spin-off  of  a  team  of  engineers  from 
Dassault Aviation;

 (cid:96) 1981 – The Company’s flagship brand, CATIA, is launched;

 (cid:96) 1981 – Worldwide marketing, sales and support agreement 

with IBM, beginning of a long-standing partnership;

 (cid:96) 1981 – Initial industry focus: automotive and aerospace;

 (cid:96) 1986 – V3 software introduced for 3D Design;

 (cid:96) 1994 – V4 architecture introduced offering a new technology 
enabling  the  full  Digital  Mock-Up  (“DMU”)  of  a  product, 
enabling  customers  to  significantly  reduce  the  number  of 
physical prototypes and to have a complete understanding 
of the virtual product;

 (cid:96) 1994 – Expansion of the Company’s industry focus to seven 
industries,  adding  fabrication  and  assembly,  consumer 
goods, high-tech, shipbuilding and energy;

 (cid:96) 1996 – Initial public offering in June.

1997 – 2005
 (cid:96) 1997 – Broadening of our 3D Design offer to the entry 3D 
market,  with  the  acquisition  of  the  start-up  SOLIDWORKS, 
with Windows-native architecture, targeting principally the 
2D to 3D market migration opportunity;

 (cid:96) 1997 – Formation of the Company’s Professional channel, 
focused on marketing, sales and support of SOLIDWORKS;

 (cid:96) 1998 – Creation of the ENOVIA brand, focused initially on 
management  of  CATIA  product  data  for  larger  clients  with 
the acquisition of IBM’s Product Manager software;

 (cid:96) 1999  –  Launch  of  V5  architecture  designed  for  both 

Windows NT and UNIX environments;

 (cid:96) 1999  –  Unveiling  an  expanded  addressable  market  vision: 
Product  Lifecycle  Management  (PLM)  for  3D  design, 
simulation analysis, digital manufacturing and product data 
management;

 (cid:96) 1999  –  ENOVIA’s  portfolio  expanded  to  product  data 
management  for  the  small  and  mid-sized  companies 
(“SMB”) market with the SmarTeam acquisition;

 (cid:96) 2000  –  Creation  of  the  DELMIA  brand,  initially  addressing 
the digital manufacturing domain (digital process planning, 
robotic simulation and human modeling technology);

 (cid:96) 2005  –  Creation  of  the  SIMULIA  brand,  addressing 
realistic  simulation,  representing  a  significant  expansion 
of  the  Company’s  simulation  capabilities,  leveraging  the 
acquisition of Abaqus;

 (cid:96) 2005  –  Creation  of  the  Company’s  Value  Solutions  sales 
channel,  an 
indirect  channel  specifically  focused  on 
supporting  SMB  companies,  including  suppliers  to  OEMs. 
The Value Solutions channel becomes the Company’s second 
indirect  channel,  complementing  our  Professional  channel 
which is focused on SOLIDWORKS users.

2006-2011
 (cid:96) 2006  –  Expansion  of  the  ENOVIA  portfolio  with  the 
acquisition  of  MatrixOne,  a  global  provider  of  collaborative 
PDM software and services;

 (cid:96) 2007  –  Amendment  of  the  IBM  partnership  agreement, 
outlining  the  Company’s  progressive  assumption  of  full 
responsibility for the Value Solutions channel;

 (cid:96) 2007 – Creation of the 3DVIA brand, to bring 3D technology 
to new users to imagine, communicate and experience in 3D;

 (cid:96) 2007  –  CATIA  offer  extended  with  ICEM  acquisition,  a 
company  well-known  in  the  automotive  industry  for  its 
styling  and  high-quality  surface  modeling  and  rendering 
solutions;

 (cid:96) 2008  –  Unveiling  of  the  Company’s  V6  architecture.  The 
V6 software architecture will become the foundation of the 
revolutionary 3DEXPERIENCE Industry Solutions portfolio;

 (cid:96) 2010  –  We  acquired  full  control  of  our  distribution  sales 
channels with the acquisition of IBM PLM, the IBM business 
unit dedicated exclusively to the marketing, sale and support 
of  the  Company’s  PLM  software  (CATIA,  ENOVIA  and 
DELMIA principally);

 (cid:96) 2010 – Acquisition of EXALEAD, as part of long-term objective 

around data analytics with search-based applications;

 (cid:96) 2011  –  DELMIA’s  offering  expands  with  the  acquisition 
of 
Intercim,  offering  manufacturing  and  production 
management  software  for  advanced  and  highly  regulated 
industries;

 (cid:96) 2011 – 100% of the Company’s total revenues are derived 
from  its  wholly-directed  three  sales  channels,  completing 
the transition from IBM begun in 2005.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 15

1 Presentation of the Group

History

2012 – Today
 (cid:96) 2012  –  Expansion  of 

to 
3DEXPERIENCE  and  expansion  of  the  Company’s  purpose. 
See  paragraph  1.3.1.3  “Dassault  Systèmes’  Purpose  and 
Strategy”;

the  Company’s  strategy 

 (cid:96) 2012  –  Creation  of  a  new  brand,  GEOVIA,  dedicated  to 
model the planet, focus on a new industrial sector, Natural 
Resources,  with  the  acquisition  of  Gemcom  in  the  mining 
sector;

 (cid:96) 2012  –  Acquisitions  of  Netvibes,  bringing 

intelligent 
dashboarding  capabilities,  and  SquareClock,  providing 
cloud-based 3D space planning solutions;

 (cid:96) 2012  –  3DEXPERIENCE 

launch  announcement  and 
introduction  of  the  Company’s  first  Industry  Solution 
Experiences;

 (cid:96) 2013  –  Unveiling  of  V6  Release  2014,  available  to  select 
customers,  on  premise  as  well  as  Software  as  a  Service 
(SaaS),  featuring  the  controlled  availability  of  existing  and 
new 
industry-focused  and  user-focused  offerings  and 
the  introduction  of  a  new  navigational  user  interface,  the 
3DEXPERIENCE platform;

 (cid:96) 2013  –  Broadening  of  the  Company’s  manufacturing 
offerings  to  Manufacturing  Operations  Management  with 
the acquisition of Apriso;

 (cid:96) 2014  –  Introduction  of  3DEXPERIENCE  R2014x,  the  first 
release  of  the  Company’s  new  3DEXPERIENCE  platform, 
offering  end-to-end  and  integrated  scientific,  engineering, 
manufacturing and business capabilities and services, with 
the V6 architecture as its foundation;

 (cid:96) 2014  –  Creation  of  a  new  brand,  3DEXCITE,  with  the 
acquisition  of  Realtime  Technology  AG  (“RTT”)  providing 
professional high-end 3D visualization software, marketing 
solutions  and  computer  generated  imagery  services  to 
extend the Company’s offerings to marketing professionals;

 (cid:96) 2014 – Creation of a new brand, BIOVIA, addressing science-
based  industries  principally,  combining  the  acquisition  of 
Accelrys and the Company’s internal developments;

 (cid:96) 2014  –  Quintiq  acquisition  in  operations  planning  and 

optimization;

 (cid:96) 2015  –  Introduction  of  3DEXPERIENCE  R2015x,  offering 
a  simplified  and  improved  user  experience,  with  powerful 
enhancements  that  significantly  increase  productivity  on 
premise  as  well  as  on  public  or  private  cloud.  In  addition, 
R2015x introduces groupings of applications called “roles”, 
to cover industry-specific user needs;

 (cid:96) 2015  –  Legal  transformation  of  Dassault  Systèmes  from 
a  French  public  limited  company  (société anonyme)  to  a 
European  company  (Societas Europaea,  SE).  The  adoption 

16 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

of  the  status  of  European  company  well  reflected  the 
international  dimension  of  the  Company  and  its  growing 
presence throughout Europe;

 (cid:96) 2015  –  CATIA’s  capabilities  were  expanded  to  further 
enhance  its  coverage  of  complex  mechatronics  systems 
engineering,  with  the  acquisition  of  Modelon  GmbH, 
an  expert  in  “ready-to-experience”  content  for  systems 
modeling  and  simulation  which  are  strategic  to  transform 
the Transportation & Mobility industry;

 (cid:96) 2016 – 3DEXPERIENCE 2016x general availability;

 (cid:96) 2016  –  Extension  of  SIMULIA’s  multi-physics,  multi-scale 
offer  with  the  acquisition  of  CST,  a  technology  leader  in 
electromagnetic simulation, and the addition of Next Limit 
Dynamics,  bringing  capabilities 
in  computational  fluid 
dynamics simulation;

 (cid:96) 2016  –  Expansion  of 

the  Company’s  DELMIA’s 
manufacturing  portfolio  with  the  acquisition  of  Ortems, 
focused on production planning and scheduling;

 (cid:96) 2016  –  Acquisition  of  full  ownership  of  3D  PLM  Software 
Solutions  Ltd  (3DPLM),  our  joint  venture  in  India  with 
Geometric  Ltd.  3DPLM  is  already  fully  consolidated  in 
Dassault Systèmes’ financial statements;

 (cid:96) 2017 – We entered into a new, extended partnership with The 
Boeing Corporation. Boeing will expand its deployment of our 
products  across  its  commercial  aircraft,  space  and  defense 
programs.  Boeing  will  be  adopting  Dassault  Systèmes’ 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  for  Manufacturing  Operations 
Management  and  for  Product  Lifecycle  Management  and 
extending  its  usage  of  our  design,  engineering  simulation, 
and digital manufacturing software;

 (cid:96) 2017  –  Extension  of  our  simulation  capabilities  with  the 
acquisition of Exa Corporation for highly dynamic fluid flow 
analysis,  a  complex  simulation  critical  to  designers  and 
engineers  at  more  than  150  leading  companies  including 
Transportation  and  Mobility,  as  well  as  Aerospace  and 
Defense, Natural Resources, and other industries to evaluate 
highly dynamic fluid flow throughout the design process;

 (cid:96) 2017 – Extension of CATIA’s Marine and Offshore industry 
capabilities  with  the  acquisition  of  AITAC  BV,  where  its 
“Smart Drawings” software application is used to automate 
the creation of drawings;

 (cid:96) 2017  –  Strengthening  the  management  of  our  cloud 
resources and services, increasing our interest in Outscale to 
a majority stake, a global provider of enterprise-class cloud 
services.  Founded  in  France  in  2010,  Outscale  is  an  ISO/
IEC  27001:2013  security  certified  company  that  provides 
enterprise-class  cloud  computing  infrastructure  services 
(IaaS) to customers through its ten data centers in Europe, 

Presentation of the Group
History

1

North  America  and  Asia.  With  this  investment,  Dassault 
Systèmes is now able to adjust and control its cloud resources 
and  services  to  manage  peaks  in  activity,  further  diversify 
its  industry  segments,  deploy  new  features,  and  provide 
advanced on premise, private and hybrid cloud solutions for 
its customers;

 (cid:96) 2018 – Power’By launch as part of 3DEXPERIENCE 2018x 

and introduction of the 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace.

For  further  information  on  acquisitions  over  the  last  three 
years, see paragraph 1.3.2 “Investments”.

1.3.1.3  Dassault Systèmes’ Purpose 

and Strategy

Dassault  Systèmes’  corporate  purpose  is  to  provide  business 
and  people  with  3DEXPERIENCE  universes  to 
imagine 
sustainable  innovations  capable  of  harmonizing  product, 
nature and life.

A  growing  number  of  companies  in  all  industry  verticals  are 
evolving their innovation processes to imagine the future both 
with,  and  for,  their  end-consumers.  To  meet  this  challenge, 
it  is  vital  to  ensure  collaborative  work  processes  internally 

1.3.2 

Investments

1

and  externally  to  the  enterprise  with  designers,  engineers, 
researchers  and  marketing  managers,  as  well  as  external 
participants  because  the  innovation  flow  comes  from  many 
directions.  Enabling  this  flow  unleashes  the 
innovation 
its  3DEXPERIENCE 
potential.  Dassault  Systèmes,  with 
platform leveraging its V6 architecture, provides this “linkage”, 
enabling  its  clients  to  create  the  value  that  their  ultimate 
consumers  are  seeking.  The  Company’s  3DEXPERIENCE 
portfolio is designed to support 3D realistic virtual experiences 
representing  usage  of  future  products,  and  is  comprised  of 
social and collaborative applications, 3D modeling applications, 
simulation 
intelligence 
and 
applications.

applications, 

information 

For  Dassault  Systèmes  to  be  able  to  help  its  customers 
simulate  the  end-consumer  experience,  it  is  important  to 
have  a  complete  understanding  of  the  most  critical  business 
needs  of  the  industries  in  which  its  customers  operate. 
Therefore, Dassault Systèmes has adapted its organization to 
provide  a  strong  focus  on  the  users  of  its  software  through 
its  brands  structure,  while  at  the  same  time,  advancing  the 
understanding and development of the needs of its 12 target 
industries through the combined action of its organization by 
industry, sales channels and local geographic presence.

1.3.2.1 Overview

1.3.2.2 Acquisitions in 2016 and 2017

Our investments, both through expenditures on internal R&D 
efforts and externally with acquisitions and other investments, 
are closely aligned with our strategic roadmap. Our internal R&D 
investments are the principal driver of our product innovations 
and enhancements. Our Research and Development expenses 
totaled €576.6 million and €540.5 million, for 2017 and 2016, 
respectively.  Complementing  and  extending  the  business 
value  we  bring  to  industries,  clients  and  users  we  have  and 
will continue to evaluate external investments. In that regard, 
acquisitions, net of cash acquired totaled €338.2 million and 
acquisition  of  non-controlling  interests  were  €37.5  million 
in  2017.  In  2016  our  acquisition 
investments  totaled 
€262.7 million, net of cash acquired. For further information, 
see  paragraphs  1.3.1.3  “Dassault  Systèmes’  Purpose  and 
Strategy”,   1.5.1.3  “Growth  Strategy”  and  Note  25  to  the 
consolidated financial statements on commitments .

The  principal  acquisitions  completed  over  the  last  two  years 
expanded  our  offer  in  electromagnetics  simulation,  next 
generation  fluids  flow  simulation  and  in  manufacturing 
operations.

 › Electromagnetics 

leader 

to  offer 

simulation 

technology 

Simulation: 

(“CST”),  a 

in  October 

2016, 
acquired  Computer  Simulation 
Dassault  Systèmes 
in 
Technology  AG 
electromagnetic 
spectrum 
electromagnetic simulation of autonomous cars, connected 
homes,  medical  equipment,  wearable  electronics  and 
other  smart  objects.  Dassault  Systèmes  is  integrating  CST 
solutions into its portfolio of Industry Solution Experiences 
based  on  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  to  offer  a  new 
standard  in  multiphysics  and  multiscale  simulation.  CST 
STUDIO  SUITE  software  has  been  used  by  designers  and 

full 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 17

1 Presentation of the Group

History

engineers  at  more  than  2,000  leading  companies  in  the 
High-Tech,  Transportation  and  Mobility,  Aerospace  and 
Defense,  and  Energy  industries  to  evaluate  all  types  of 
electromagnetic  effects  during  every  stage  of  electronic 
system design processes.

strategic  computational  fluid  dynamics  (“CFD”)  market  in 
2016.  Next  Limit  Dynamics’  software  solutions  are  used 
by  simulation  analysts  for  accurate  and  robust  simulation 
of highly dynamic fluid flows in order to solve challenging 
CFD problems faster than traditional methods.

 › Next Generation Fluids Flows Simulation: on November 17, 
2017,  Dassault  Systèmes  completed  the  acquisition  of 
Burlington, Massachusetts-based Exa Corporation, a global 
innovator  in  simulation  software  for  product  engineering 
representing  a  fully  diluted  equity  value  for  Exa  of 
approximately  €344  million.  With  the  addition  of  Exa, 
Dassault  Systèmes’  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  will  provide 
customers  with  a  proven,  diverse  portfolio  of  combined 
Lattice Boltzmann fluid simulation technologies, as well as 
Exa’s  fully  industrialized  solutions  and  nearly  350  highly 
experienced  simulation  professionals.  Exa’s  software  is 
used by designers and engineers at more than 150 leading 
companies including Transportation and Mobility, as well as 
Aerospace  and  Defense,  Natural  Resources,  and  others  to 
evaluate  highly  dynamic  fluid  flow  throughout  the  design 
process.

 › Next  Generation  Fluids  Flow  Simulation:  Dassault 
Systèmes completed the acquisition of Next Limit Dynamics, 
developer  of  Xflow  technology,  to  enhance  its  Industry 
Solution  Experiences  for  multiphysics  simulation  on  the 
3DEXPERIENCE platform and strengthen its presence in the 

 › Manufacturing  Production  Planning  and  Scheduling:  In 
2016, we acquired Ortems, focused on production planning 
and scheduling, which is now part of our DELMIA’s product 
line. Ortems’ Agile Manufacturing and PlannerOne solutions 
are used in the manufacturing operations management of 
smart factories, where a highly synchronized manufacturing 
IT  system  supports  the  link  between  virtual  design  and 
physical production. Ortems’ solutions are used by clients in 
Aerospace & Defense, Transportation & Mobility, Industrial 
Equipment,  High-Tech,  Life  Sciences,  Consumer  Packaged 
Goods & Retail industrial companies, to schedule their daily 
production runs.

The  Company’s  principal  acquisitions  with  an  individual 
purchase  price  greater  than  €100  million  over  the  last  three 
years include:

Acquisition

Exa Corporation

CST

Year

2017

2016

Purchase Price

€344 million

€295 million

18 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Group Organization

1

1.4  Group Organization

1

1.4.1  Dassault Systèmes SE’s Position within the Group

integrated 

Dassault  Systèmes  SE,  the  Group’s  parent  company,  fulfills 
several  roles:  first,  it  is  one  of  the  Group’s  largest  operating 
companies  and  one  of  its  principal  R&D  centers,  responsible 
for  the  development  of  a  number  of  the  Group’s  software 
the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform. 
solutions 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  also  operates  as  a  holding  company 
as it owns directly or indirectly all the companies that make 
up  the  Group.  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  plays  a  centralizing 
role,  defining  the  Group’s  overall  strategy  and  the  means 
for  its  deployment,  as  well  as  the  marketing  and  sales 
policy  through  the  Group’s  three  sales  channels  (described 

in 

in  paragraph  1.5.2.5  “Sales  and  Marketing”).  The  parent 
company  manages  cash  for  subsidiaries  whose  currency  is 
the euro, and provides support to the Group for a number of 
activities, including finance, communication, marketing, legal 
affairs  (including  management  and  protection  of  IP),  human 
resources and IT, and pools certain costs for its subsidiaries.

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  receives  dividends  paid  by 
its 
subsidiaries.  Additionally,  the  costs  of  providing  centralized 
services  are  charged  back  to  the  respective  subsidiaries 
benefiting  from  support  services  and  cost  pooling,  and  it 
receives royalties related to the IP it holds.

1.4.2  Principal Subsidiaries of the Company

At  December  31,  2017,  the  Company  included  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  and  115  operational  subsidiaries,  as  compared  to 
116 operational subsidiaries in 2016. The decrease was due principally to the effort of the Company to simplify the organization 
of its legal entities throughout the world, partly offset by 2017 acquisition effects.

The chart below sets forth the Company’s main subsidiaries:

Dassault Systèmes SE

Dassault Systemes Deutschland GmbH
(Germany)

Dassault Systemes Americas Corp.
(USA)

Dassault Systemes UK Ltd
(United Kingdom)

Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS 
Corporation (USA)

%
0
0
1

Dassault Systemes K.K.
(Japan)

100%

Dassault Systemes Korea Corp.

(South Korea)

Dassault Systèmes (Shanghai)
Information Technology Co., Ltd 
(China)

Europe

Asia

Americas

Direct and indirect equity interest

See also Note 28 to the consolidated financial statements and the table of subsidiaries and shareholdings under Note 24 to the 
parent company financial statements.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 19

1 Presentation of the Group

Business Activities

1.5  Business Activities

1.5.1  Principal Activities

1.5.1.1 

Summary

Dassault  Systèmes,  the  3DEXPERIENCE  Company,  has  the 
mission to provide business and people with 3DEXPERIENCE 
universes  to  imagine  sustainable  innovations  capable  of 
harmonizing product, nature and life.

Experience  Thinking  is  a  framework  for  innovation,  focusing 
on  engaging  consumers  with  product  experiences  that  are 
smarter, intuitive and sustainable. Product experience thinking 
encourages companies to consider all aspects of the consumer 
experience journey – only possible when all the players in the 
innovation process from marketing, sales, design, engineering, 
manufacturing  and  the  supply  chain  work  collaboratively. 
The Company’s software portfolio is applicable from Natural 
Resources to Cities, Transportation, Buildings, Smart Products, 
Consumer Goods, all the way to biological systems, chemistry 
and materials. Since its founding in 1981 Dassault Systèmes 
has been propelling business transformation across industries, 
ranging  from  aerospace  and  automotive  to  high-tech  to  life 

20 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

sciences and is participating in more than 50 global initiatives 
dedicated  to  advance  world-class  production  technologies 
and  processes.  Dassault  Systèmes  brings  value  to  over 
220,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 
140 countries.

its  Social 

The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  and 
Industry 
Experiences are purpose built to digitalize the entire customer 
journey  and  have  the  capabilities  to  analyze,  design, 
simulate,  engineer,  manufacture  and  deliver  product  and 
services  which  are  the  experiences  customers  expect.  The 
3DEXPERIENCE platform, with its first general availability in 
2014, enables innovators to develop a deep understanding of 
their  customer’s  expectations  by  analyzing  social  and  usage 
information  in  a  unique  data-driven  approach.  Enterprises 
can then model, simulate and optimize their offerings to best 
suit each customer experience. During the operating lifecycle, 
this  model  can  be  enriched  with  valuable  insights  gleaned 
from  the  usage  data,  setting  the  stage  for  the  next  cycle  of 
innovation.  Today,  the  Company  has  the  largest  Industry 
Solution Experiences portfolio on the market.

Based upon the Company’s mission, business strategy and its 
software  portfolio,  Dassault  Systèmes  has  estimated  that  it 
has  a  current  addressable  software  market  of  approximately 
$26  billion.  The  Company’s  growth  drivers  are  centered  in 
three  main  areas:  Build  on  Value  with  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform,  industry  focus  and  cloud/mobile  apps;  Domain 
Leadership  through  Brand  Value  Creation  and  Improve 
Efficiency leveraging its sales channel coverage.

Industries Served
The  Company’s  global  customer  base  includes  companies  in 
12  vertical  sectors:  Aerospace  &  Defense;  Transportation  & 
Mobility; Industrial Equipment; Financial & Business Services, 
High-Tech; Life Sciences; Energy, Process & Utilities; Consumer 
Goods & Retail; Natural Resources; Architecture, Engineering & 
Construction; Consumer Packaged Goods & Retail; and Marine 
&  Offshore.  Commencing  in  2012,  the  Company’s  go-to-
market strategy moved to an industry focus from the previous 
brand focus.

1

Presentation of the Group
Business Activities

1

1.5.1.2 

Key Competitive Strengths of Dassault Systèmes

The  solutions  of  Dassault  Systèmes,  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
Company,  transform  the  way  products  are  designed, 
simulated, produced, marketed and supported, leveraging the 
virtual world to improve the real world.

Dassault  Systèmes’  focus  has  been  on  enabling  digital 
continuity  and  to  do  so  in  a  much  broader  fashion  as  the 
entire  enterprise  is  involved  in  driving  successful  customer 
experiences.  This  digital  continuity  begins  with  Upstream 
Thinking,  to  then  Design  and  Engineering,  Manufacturing, 
Sales & Marketing all the way to Ownership with after-sales. 
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a critical enabler of this digital 
continuity.

The  Company  believes  its  global  market  leadership  and 
financial performance benefit from key characteristics of the 
Company.

Dassault  Systèmes  is  a  scientific  company  serving  science 
and technology for a sustainable society.

The Company’s DNA to model and represent as scientifically 
accurate as possible products, nature and life has given birth 
to  a  unique  Industry  Solutions  Experiences  portfolio  based 
on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, whose key strengths are in 
their  scientific  content  and  deep  understanding  of  industrial 
processes.

Dassault  Systèmes  has  had  a  long-standing  leadership 
position  in  its  industry  thanks  to  its  ability  to  define  and 
create  new  markets,  expanding  from  3D  Design  to  Digital 
Mock-Up,  to  Product  Lifecycle  Management  and  now 
3DEXPERIENCE.  Underpinning  this  market 
leadership 
has  been  the  Company’s  clear  and  strong  commitment  to 
technological innovation.

Important areas of investment in R&D include, among others, 
the  3DEXPERIENCE  business  platform  foundations  and 
services,  Modeling  Technologies  (3D,  systems  engineering, 
natural  resources  and  biosystems),  technologies  for  product, 
production  and  usage 
intelligent 
information 
(indexing,  dashboarding  and 
data  science)  and  connectivity  technologies  (for  social 
and  structured  collaboration  and  program  management 
&  compliance).  Moreover,  the  Company’s  R&D  efforts  are 
centered  on  advancing  breakthrough  user  experiences,  and 
expanding  the  reach  of  its  solution  with  native  cloud  and 
mobility and immersive solutions.

realistic  simulation, 

technologies 

Dassault  Systèmes  maintains  a  long-term  focus,  well 
supported  by  its  financial  model  with  a  high  level  of 
recurring software revenue.

We believe that sustainable market leadership requires a long-
term vision which is characterized by investing in people and a 
long-term financial model. We have a diverse, highly-educated 
workforce  which  totalled  16,140  at  the  end  of  2017,  from 
130 countries. The Company’s long-standing financial model, 
with a high level of recurring software revenue, representing 
70%  of  our  total  non-IFRS  software  revenue  in  2017,  has 
enabled  us  to  maintain  as  well  as  increase  investments  in 
critical  resources  in  R&D  and  customer  support  even  during 
challenging macroeconomic environments.

Dassault  Systèmes’  3DEXPERIENCE  software  applications, 
comprised  of  leading  market  brands,  have  been  integral  to 
our success and continue to be principal areas of investment 
through  internal  research  and  development  as  well  as 
through selective acquisitions.

information 

Our  3DEXPERIENCE  portfolio  is  comprised  of  3D  modeling 
applications,  simulation  applications  creating  virtual  twins 
of  products  or  production  systems,  social  and  collaborative 
applications,  and 
intelligence  applications. 
One  of  our  key  objectives  is  to  create  a  portfolio  of  brands, 
leaders within their respective markets (see paragraph 1.5.2.4 
“3DEXPERIENCE Software Applications Portfolio – Addressing 
the  Needs  of  its  User  Communities”).  In  support  of  our 
“Social  Industry  Experiences”  strategy,  brands  are  focused 
on  providing  value  to  end-users.  The  Company’s  portfolio 
architecture  has  been  therefore  designed  to  offer  at  three 
levels value creation: for the enterprise, for the organization or 
team, and for the user role.

We  are  benefiting  from  a  sophisticated  organization 
supporting our multiple growth drivers.

In  connection  with  our  3DEXPERIENCE  strategy,  the  Group 
has  organized  itself  along  three  axes  with:  (i)  a  strategy 
to  cover  customer  processes  with  an  industry-focused  set 
of  offerings,  “Industry  Solution  Experiences”  based  upon 
the  Company’s  underlying  software  applications  portfolio, 
content and services; (ii) a domain-focused group of software 
applications  organized  by  brand  in  order  to  ensure  a  strong 
focus on the satisfaction of end-user needs; and (iii) a global-
local-specialized  organization  in  order  to  leverage  its  global 
strengths,  while  at  the  same  time  ensuring  a  strong  local 
proximity  with  customers  and  partners  and  enabling  a  more 
flexible  management  structure  responsive  to  local  needs  at 
the  client,  partner  and  employee  level  thanks  to  our  twelve 
geographic management teams.

We believe the structure of our sales, well-balanced between 
direct and indirect sales channels, has enabled us to develop 
a diverse customer base and to extend and deepen our global 
reach.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 21

1 Presentation of the Group

Business Activities

Dassault  Systèmes  has  a  diverse  customer  base  by  size, 
geographic  origin  and  industry.  Our  clients  range  from  the 
smallest companies in the world to global leaders, and includes 
clients  in  12  vertical  sectors:  Transportation  &  Mobility; 
Industrial  Equipment;  Aerospace  &  Defense;  Financial  & 
Business Services; High-Tech; Life Sciences; Energy, Process & 
Utilities;  Consumer  Goods  &  Retail;  Natural  Resources; 
Architecture, Engineering & Construction; Consumer Packaged 
Goods  &  Retail  and  Marine  &  Offshore.  For  marketing  and 
sales, the Company operates through both a direct sales force 
and indirectly through value-added resellers, with total sales 
well balanced between direct and indirect sales channels. We 
continue  to  selectively  expand  and  extend  our  sales  radius, 
deepen  our  industry  expertise  and  relationships,  as  well  as 
domain  or  discipline  knowledge  of  our  three  sales  channels. 
See paragraph 1.5.2.2 “Industries and customers” and 1.5.2.5 
“Sales and Marketing”.

Dassault  Systèmes  has  had  a  long  history  of  partnering, 
leading  to  the  development  of  a  resilient  and  dynamic 
ecosystem of partners, including sales and services, software 
development, technology, education and research and with 
system integrators.

Since  our  founding  in  1981  the  Company  has  worked  in 
close  partnership  with  other  professionals 
in  software 
development  and  technology,  in  sales  and  marketing,  in 
services  and  in  education  and  research.  More  recently,  we 
have  extended  our  relationships  with  system  integrators 
with  strong  industry  expertise  and  regional  presence  for 
both  sales  and  service  engagements.  Moreover,  the  Group 
is  engaging  with  its  ecosystem,  working  with  more  than 
400  software  development  partners  building  applications 
complementing  its  software  applications  as  well  as  working 
with  key  technology  partners.  Looking  to  the  future, 
Dassault  Systèmes  has  had  a  long-standing  commitment 
and is actively growing connections with academic, research 
and medical organizations around the world, working to use 
3D to enable an improved learning environment for students 
throughout  the  world  and  to  collaborate  in  accelerating  the 
creation of new software dedicated to help the virtual world 
improve the real world.

1.5.1.3  Growth Strategy

Based  upon  our  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  and  software 
portfolio,  we  estimate  that  our  current  total  addressable 
software market is approximately $26 billion (TAM).

Our growth drivers are centered in three main areas: Build on 
Value  with  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform,  industry  focus  and 
cloud/mobile  apps;  Domain  Leadership  through  Brand  Value 
Creation and Improve Efficiency leveraging our sales channel 
coverage.

22 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

 › 3DEXPERIENCE  Platform:  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform 
has  two  potential  opportunities.  The  first  is  focused  on 
being  an  operating  platform,  applicable  to  all  employees 
within  an  enterprise.  The  second  opportunity  longer  term 
is to become a trading platform connecting customers and 
partners, and in that regard in early 2018 we unveiled our 
first Marketplace initiatives;

 › Industry  Focus:  through  our  focus  on  developing  specific 
solutions for each of the 12 vertical industries we address, 
including  our  Industry  Solution  Experiences,  processes 
and  roles,  wesee  opportunities  to  expand  our  presence  in 
each  of  the  industrial  sectors  we  target  including  through 
coverage of new sub-segments within target industries. For 
further information, see paragraph 1.5.2.2 “Industries and 
customers”;

 › Cloud  and  Mobile  Applications:  with  the  Company’s 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  utilizing  on  line  V6  architecture, 
we  are  positioned  to  grow  through  our  Cloud  and  Mobile 
offerings.  We  believe  that  the  cloud  will  become  a 
growth  driver  with  the  progressive  roll-out  of  our  cloud 
services  offering  over  the  coming  years,  as  well  as  with 
the  release  of  mobile  applications  using  tablets  because 
of  the  quick  implementation  time  and  the  reduction  in 
total  cost  of  ownership  cloud  provides  to  customers.  For 
further  information,  see  paragraph  1.5.1.4  “Research  & 
Development, Technology and Science”;

 › Brands Value Creation: we continue to invest in expanding 
the  coverage  of  each  of  our  brands  and  in  expanding 
the  disciplines  we  address.  Within  a  corporation,  our 
applications  now  cover  a  large  portion  of  the  enterprise 
employees  engaged  in  contributing  to  the  end-consumer 
product  experience,  spanning  from  design,  engineering 
and  simulation,  to  manufacturing,  quality  assurance  and 
compliance,  and  from  project  management,  business 
planning  &  operations  and  service  departments  to 
marketing  and  point  of  sales.  The  Company’s  functional 
coverage  in  total  more  than  doubled  with  3DEXPERIENCE 
compared 
software  application 
portfolio.  For  further  information,  see  paragraph  1.5.2 
“Dassault Systèmes’ offering”;

its  Version  5 

to 

 › Sales  Channel  Coverage 

in  Geographies:  we  see 
opportunities to grow our presence in all geographic markets. 
In order to strengthen and broaden our global footprint, we 
have established 12 regional field organizations to prioritize 
and drive the Company’s growth initiatives at a local level. 
See  paragraph  3.1.1   “Executive  Overview  for  2017”  for 
further information on growth by geographic region;

 › Acquisitions:  in  2012,  we  unveiled  our  current  horizon, 
3DEXPERIENCE,  representing  a  potential  doubling  of  our 
addressable  market,  expanded  our  purpose  and  defined 
our  Social  Industry  Experience  strategy.  Aligned  with 

Presentation of the Group
Business Activities

1

1

 › Social  Collaboration  Technologies  and  Services:  The 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  allows  any  business  to  become 
social, extending from structured program and organization 
to  social  and  open  communities.  The  technology  and 
services allow seamless integration of communities, people, 
rich profiles and media with access control and best of breed 
practices  (project  management,  ideation,  wikis,  blogs, 
suggestion engines, distributed open innovation);

 › Technologies and Services for Enterprise Data and Assets: 
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform integrates Dassault Systèmes’ 
brands  and  industry  offerings,  with  the  semantic  breadth 
representation and deepness to handle any kind of data and 
corporate  Intellectual  Property  for  any  product,  nature  or 
life  data  sets.  These  dedicated  technologies  and  services 
help enable unique experiences for social industries in terms 
of modeling, lifecycle management and data protection for 
all social industries; Unique Cobot (collaborative robot) and 
Automation  technologies  and  services  moreover  enable 
digitized  enterprises  to  scale  up  to  the  next  level  and 
reach  a  productivity/reactivity  dimension  at  the  heart  of 
tomorrow’s competitive challenges;

 › Cloud  Technologies  and  Services:  The  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform  provides  cloud-based  workspaces  services  and 
technologies to enable secured, concurrent, and controlled 
online collaborative environments to share, and innovate on 
any  IP.  This  technology  is  unique,  optimized  for  big  data 
and available for remote usage for a wide variety of industry 
practices;

 › Experiences  Play  Technologies  and  Services:  The 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  aims  at  providing  real-time, 
realistic 3D experiences. The Play Technologies and Services 
deliver  unmatched  visualization,  execution,  interactivity, 
and scenarios experience in heterogeneous virtual universes.

3D Modeling Technologies
The Company’s DNA to model and represent as scientifically 
accurate as possible products, nature and life has given birth 
to  a  unique  portfolio  of  modeling  technologies  and  services 
ranging from 3D Modeling to Systems Logical and Functional 
Modeling.  This  applies  to  a  wide  spectrum  of  applicative 
domains  from  Smart/Connected  Products  to  urban  systems, 
to  natural  resources,  to  biological  systems,  chemistry  and 
materials.

this  strategy,  the  Company  is  complementing  its  internal 
developments, 
in  particular  for  brand  value  creation, 
with  key  selected  acquisitions.  For  further  information, 
see  paragraphs  1.3.2  “Investments”,  1.5.1.4  “Research 
&  Development,  Technology  and  Science”  and  1.5.2 
“Dassault Systèmes’ offering”.

For  a  description  of  the  challenges  that  must  be  met  to 
maintain  growth,  see  paragraph  1.7.1  “Risks  Related  to  the 
Company’s Business”.

1.5.1.4  Research & Development, Technology 

and Science

long-standing  market 
Underpinning  Dassault  Systèmes 
leadership  has  been  its  clear  and  strong  commitment  to 
technological innovation, enabling it to define and create new 
markets,  expanding  from  3D  Design  to  Digital  Mock-Up,  to 
Product Lifecycle Management and to 3DEXPERIENCE.

Important  principal  areas  of  investment  in  R&D  include 
the  3DEXPERIENCE  business  platform  foundations  and 
services;  Modeling  Technologies  (3D,  systems  engineering, 
natural  resources  and  biosystems);  technologies  for  product, 
intelligent 
production  and  usage 
information  technologies  including  indexing,  dashboarding 
and data science; and connectivity technologies for social and 
structured collaboration. Moreover, the Company’s R&D efforts 
are centered on advancing breakthrough user experiences, and 
expanding the reach of its portfolio with native cloud, mobility 
and immersive solutions.

realistic  simulation; 

3DEXPERIENCE business platform, based on the V6 organic 
architecture
Since  inception  in  1981,  the  Company  has  introduced  six 
versions of its architecture, the most recent of which is V6. The 
V6 software architecture is the foundation of the revolutionary 
3DEXPERIENCE  Industry  Solutions  portfolio  that  offer  end-
to-end  and  integrated  scientific,  engineering,  marketing, 
manufacturing and business capabilities and services. This is 
a unique holistic business-oriented platform.

These solutions are based upon the 3DEXPERIENCE platform 
offering the following services:

 › 3D  Dashboarding  Technologies  and  Services:  The 
3DEXPERIENCE platform provides capabilities to dashboard, 
monitor  and  summarize  all  enterprise  and  business 
activities.  With  semantics  and  6W  (why;  what;  where; 
when;  who;  and  how)  tagging  technologies,  the  platform 
provides  unique  ways  of  compassing  any  businesses  with 
real-time  streamed  media  and  information  in  a  context-
aware, managed and intuitively-experienced fashion;

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 23

1 Presentation of the Group

Business Activities

Virtual + Real Technologies
3DEXPERIENCE 
is  made  possible  by  real-time  realistic 
simulation of virtual universes. The Company has therefore made 
significant investments in technologies and services, enabling 
simulation ranging from product’s complex behaviors; factory 
and  production  systems  execution;  additive  manufacturing; 
logistics  operations  and  consumer  usages  in  everyday  life. 
This relies on unique assets for complexity management and 
distributed  massive  multiscale,  multi-discipline  simulation 
execution  (structures,  fluids,  electromagnetics,  acoustics, 
etc.)  and  experience  run.  Specifically,  the  integration  among 
design, simulation and digital manufacturing makes it possible 
to optimize product design depending on the manufacturing 
process (including 3D printing) and constraints of robustness, 
weight and production costs that final product has to fulfil.

Intelligent Information Technologies
Thanks  to  the  Company’s  EXALEAD’s  unique  technologies, 
Dassault Systèmes has significantly expanded its indexing and 
search capabilities technology with an important search-based 
infrastructure for the development of information intelligence 
applications.  The  Company’s  search-based  applications 
combine  the  sophisticated  search  and  access  typically 
associated  with  databases  with  the  speed,  scalability  and 
simplicity of the Web. This allows the 3DEXPERIENCE platform 
customers to tackle very big data challenges and benefit from 
next  generation  technologies  to  search,  sort,  filter,  navigate 
and understand data. The real-time dashboarding technologies 
provided by Netvibes are in that regard a unique combination 
for  all  businesses  consuming  and  producing  massive  sets  of 
information. Finally, leveraging the ultimate new data science 
learning  technologies,  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
and  machine 
platform  offers  unique  model  based  supervised  data  science 
capabilities, to understand, analyse, correlate, infer, describe, 
predict and prescript very complex information. The Company 
believes that this profound dialogue between the virtual world 

and  intelligent  information  is  unique  to  Dassault  Systèmes 
and cannot be found elsewhere.

Connectivity Technologies
The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  is  serving  the  Company’s 
social industry experience strategy. With unique connectivity 
technologies  and  services,  allowing  people  and  communities 
to  connect  in  a  secure  and  controlled  environment,  with 
mobility and online hybrid environments, it enables a new era 
of open innovation on extended ecosystems and fosters a truly 
open  platform  innovation  for  all  businesses.  It  also  enables 
improved  project  management,  conformity  to  standards, 
process certification for customers and next-generation value 
chain relationships and value networks management.

Software, Technology and Science Partners
The  Company  has  established  long-standing,  scientific  and 
technical collaborations with key partners in order to maximize 
the benefits from available technology and increase the value 
for shared customers. The Company’s research and technology 
alliances  are  established  with  three  objectives:  to  cover  end-
to-end  solutions  with  holistic  offerings;  to  participate  to 
the  future  structure  of  industries;  and  to  integrate  the  most 
advanced  features  of  these  technologies  into  its  solutions. 
Further, Dassault Systèmes is a participant in several hundred 
public-private  projects  (for  example  with  DARPA,  U.S. 
National  Lab,  Prestigious  universities  such  as  Harvard  or 
MIT, and world-leading instititutes such INRIA and INSERM), 
collaborates  with  renowned  scientists  (including  Nobel  Prize 
winners) and is engaged in technology partnerships across the 
12 industries (and industry sub-segments) it serves.

Finally,  the  Company  has  software  development  partners 
working  in  each  domain  of  its  software  solutions.  The 
Company’s  global  affiliate  program  enables  developers  to 
create and market their own applications fully integrated with 
and complementary to the Company’s software solutions.

1.5.2  Dassault Systèmes’ offering

1.5.2.1  Overview: Dassault Systemes Focused on a New World to Imagine, Create and Make

Our  Horizon  is  3DEXPERIENCE  with  the  mission  to  provide 
business and people with 3DEXPERIENCE universes to imagine 
sustainable  innovations  capable  of  harmonizing  product, 
nature  and  life.  Working  altogether  we  see  a  new  world  to 
imagine, create and make leveraging science, engineering, art 
and taking advantage of the significant technological advances 
to power and reduce the distance between the Virtual World 
and the Real World.

Our focus is on the five principal trends we see:

 › Cities for People;

 › Resources and Energy for the Long Term;

 › Global and Personalized Health;

 › Supplying Globally, Producing Locally;

 › Inspirational Education and Research.

24 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Business Activities

1

1.5.2.2 

Industries and Customers

Our global customer base includes companies in 12 industrial 
sectors:  Transportation  &  Mobility;  Industrial  Equipment; 
Aerospace  &  Defense;  Financial  &  Business  Services;  High-
Tech;  Life  Sciences;  Energy,  Process  &  Utilities;  Consumer 
Goods & Retail; Natural Resources; Architecture, Engineering & 
Construction;  Consumer  Packaged  Goods  &  Retail  and 
Marine  &  Offshore.  Commencing  in  2012,  we  implemented 
a major evolution of our go-to-market strategy moving to an 

industry-approach  focusing  on  the  key  business  objectives 
and  business  processes  of  our  target  industries  and  market 
segments within these industries, moving from a brand go-to-
market focus previously.

Our customer base is comprised of global leaders, mid-market 
companies,  small  companies  and  startups  and  also  includes 
government and educational institutions.

1

Industry

Transportation & Mobility

Industrial Equipment

Market Segments We Address

Cars & Light Trucks, Racing Cars, Motorcycles, T&M Suppliers, Trucks and Buses, Trains

Industrial Manufacturing Machinery, Heavy Mobile Machinery & Equipment, Installed 
Equipment, Tire Manufacturers, Industrial Equipment Products, Fabricated Metals Products

Aerospace & Defense

Airframe OEMs, Aerospace Suppliers, Propulsion, Defense

Financial & Business Services

Business services, Banking & Financial Markets, Insurance

High-Tech

Life Sciences

Energy, Process & Utilities

Consumer Goods & Retail

Natural Resources

Semiconductor, Technology Suppliers, Telecommunications, White Goods, OEMs & ODMs/EMS

Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical & Biotech, Patient Care

Power & Utilities, Engineering Procurement & Construction, Oil & Gas, Chemical & Process

Fashion, Lifestyle, Home, Retail

Mining, Water, Agriculture & Forestry, Oil & Gas

Architecture, Engineering & Construction

Buildings, Infrastructure, Cities

Consumer Packaged Goods & Retail

Food & Beverage, Beauty & Personal Care, Household Products, Packaging Suppliers, 
General Retailerers

Marine & Offshore

Navy Vessels, Commercial Ships, Offshore, Yachts & Workboats

The  composition  of  our  software  revenue  in  2017  by  our 
twelve industries was approximately as follows: Transportation 
&  Mobility  about  31%  (31%  in  2016);  Industrial  Equipment 
about 16% (16% in 2016); Aerospace & Defense about 13% 
(13%  in  2016);  Business  Services  about  8%  (9%  in  2016); 
Diversification  Industries  represented  about  32%  of  our 
software revenue in 2017, compared to about 31% of software 
revenue in 2016, about 30% in 2015 and 28% in 2014.

Today,  the  Company  has  the  largest  Industry  Solution 
Experiences  portfolio  on  the  market.  Our  Industry  Solution 
Experiences  are  designed  to  address  key  business  processes 
of  the  respective  individual  industry  and  are  comprised  of 
industry  process  experiences  and  user  roles  matching  up  to 
those of the respective industry.

Industrial Solution Experiences – Customer Case 
Examples

Aerospace and Defense

leading  commercial  and  executive 

Embraer
Challenge:  As  a 
jet 
manufacturer  and  the  largest  defense  and  security  solutions 
company  in  Brazil,  Embraer  continues  to  evolve  to  achieve 
long-term success. The company seeks to anticipate customer 
needs  on  future  programs  and  develop  technologies  for 
advanced production and manufacturing processes.

Embraer 

Dassault 

Solution: 
Systèmes’ 
adopted 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  for  design,  data  management, 
simulation and analysis, manufacturing and documentation as 
provided through the industry solution experience ‘Co-Design 
to Target’, including 3DEXPERIENCE and CATIA, DELMIA and 
ENOVIA apps.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 25

1 Presentation of the Group

Business Activities

Benefits:  The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  provides  engineering 
and  manufacturing  planning  stakeholders  with  cross-site 
digital  continuity  and  real-time  access  to  accurate  product 
and product-build information, thus accelerating development 
time and improving quality and design innovation.

Architecture and Engineering and Construction

Kengo Kuma & Associates
Challenge:  As  its  projects  became  larger  and  more  complex 
and its offices expanded around the globe, maintaining data 
accuracy put a strain on Kengo Kuma & Associates’ previously-
used 3D modeling software.

Solution:  Kengo  Kuma  &  Associates  adopted 
the 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  on  the  Cloud  and  our  Design  for 
Fabrication industry solution experience to accurately manage 
a wide variety of parameters during an architectural project’s 
development in real time across multiple disciplines.

Benefits:  The  design  creation  and  change  process  is  more 
streamlined  and  revisions  are  stored  in  a  single  database  for 
future reference. Kuma’s design philosophy is also capitalized, 
helping to improve design quality and efficiency.

3D EXPERIENCity 

Rennes Metropoles (City)
Challenge: Rennes Métropole wants to address the complexity 
of  the  city  and  involve  all  stakeholders  through  a  systemic 
approach.

Solution:  Rennes  Métropole  chooses  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform  to  implement  3DEXPERIENCity  Virtual  Rennes,  a 
collaborative solution based on the cloud.

Benefits: 3DEXPERIENCity Virtual Rennes will aim to facilitate 
remote data sharing in order to simulate, plan and manage the 
city in a transversal and collaborative way, to develop effective 
public policies.

Marine & Offshore

Bureau Veritas
Challenge:  As  energy  efficiency  and  safety-related  maritime 
regulations increase in number and complexity, world-leading 
Classification  Society,  Bureau  Veritas,  needed  to  improve  its 
productivity and responsiveness to customers.

Solution: As part of its digital transformation initiative, Bureau 
Veritas adopted Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform 
and  its  Designed  for  Sea  industry  solution  experience  for 
structural design, review, and collaboration.

Benefits: Bureau Veritas has reduced overall time to model a 
ship  by  30%  and  time  to  generate  the  finite  element  model 
by 25%, helping customers optimize their designs and comply 
with new regulations.

 Consumer Goods-Retail

LF Corp
Challenge:  As  product  development  cycles  in  the  fashion 
industry  continue  to  shrink  in  response  to  rapidly  changing 
trends,  LF  Corp  (LF)  needed  to  efficiently  collect  consumer 
and market feedback and to share and manage its intellectual 
property  in  a  sustainable  way  to  accelerate  new  product 
development.

Solution:  LF  adopted  Dassault  Systèmes’  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform and the My Collection industry solution experience, 
a  Product  Lifecycle  Management  (PLM)  solution  for  fashion, 
to  support  real-time  collaboration,  and  to  manage 
its 
development processes and design data.

Benefits:  LF  captures  all  data,  including  designs  developed 
using  Adobe’s  Illustrator,  on  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform, 
dramatically improving security and reducing data loss. New 
product  development  cycles  and  market  response  time  have 
been considerably reduced, thanks to data re-usability.

Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail

Intermarché and Savencia
Challenge: Intermarché and Savencia needed to redefine their 
merchandising strategy of the self-service cheese category on 
shelves to present their products in a most efficient way.

Solution:  To  facilitate  their  collaboration  and  provide 
planograms  to  the  point  of  sale  as  quickly  as  possible, 
Intermarché  and  Savencia  are  using  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
Platform  and  its  Perfect  Shelf  solution,  including  ENOVIA 
apps, on the cloud.

Benefits:  Key  decisions  are  made  very  quickly  and  the 
planograms are richer benefiting from a collective experience.

Transportation & Mobility and High-Tech

Kreisel Electric
Challenge:  To  transform  the  legendary  1971  EVEX  Porsche 
910  combustion-powered  car  into  an  electrified  supercar 
Kreisel  Electric  needed  to  design  and  build  a  battery  pack, 
cooling system, gearbox and powertrain that would fit in the 
car’s  available  space.  To  achieve  this,  the  company  needed 
a solution that was robust yet flexible enough to enable the 
different  disciplines  involved  to  collaborate  while  keeping 
costs and schedules in check.

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1

Solution: Kreisel Electric relied on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform 
and  its  Electro-Mobility  Accelerator’s  integrated  applications 
that cover the entire development lifecycle from requirements 
to digital concept, design, simulation, manufacturing as well 
as overall project management.

Benefits: Project stakeholders enjoyed real-time collaboration, 
centralized  and  secure  access  to  geometric  data,  company 
know-how  and  project 
information  thereby  promoting 
creativity  and  innovation  while  reducing  costs  and  overall 
development time. Other benefits include: Intellectual property 
is capitalized for future reuse; Communities facilitate sharing 
of  information  and  ideas;  Digital  crash  simulations  reduce 
physical  prototyping  costs;  Integration  between  engineering 
and production enables early manufacture of designed parts. 
As all applications are integrated in the same platform, there 
is  no  need  for  software  conversions  and  interfaces  that  can 
introduce errors.

To increase our market presence within our target industries, we 
continue to strengthen our industry knowledge and expertise 
through  partnerships  with  global  and  regional  industry 
leaders,  expand  and  deepen  our  coverage  through  internal 
development  and  by  acquisition,  expand  our  cloud  offer, 
develop and deepen relationships with system integrators and 
leading consulting companies and add  specialized direct sales 
and sales partners.

Through strategic alliances with leading IT system integrators, 
service  providers  and  consulting  firms  with  deep  expertise 
in  industry  processes,  the  Company’s  Industry  Solution 
Partnerships  provide  innovative  solutions  and  services  by 
industry  or  industrial  segment  to  address  clients’  business 
challenges.  Based  on  their  strong  competence  in  industries 
and application domains as well as their regional expertise, in 
conjunction with Dassault Systèmes’ products and solutions, 
these  partners  help  to  deliver  innovative  solutions  that 
customers need for success in their business.

See paragraph 1.3.2 “Investments”.

1.5.2.3 

3DEXPERIENCE Platform and 
3DEXPERIENCE Industry Solutions

3DEXPERIENCE Platform

The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform’s   purpose  is  to  digitalize  the 
entire  customer  innovation  journey  and  value  chain,  with 
capabilities to analyze, design, simulate, engineer, manufacture 
and  deliver  product  experiences  as  well  as  collaborate  and 
transact  with  a  qualified  ecosystem  of  industrial  actors.  The 
platform enables innovators to develop a deep understanding 

of  their  customer’s  products’  operating  environment  by 
analyzing  social  and  usage  information  in  a  unique  data-
driven  approach.  Enterprises  can  then  model,  simulate  and 
optimize their offerings to best suit each customer experience. 
During the product operating lifecycle, this model is enriched 
with  valuable  insights  gleaned  from  the  usage  data,  setting 
the stage for the next cycle of innovation.

A single user interface – the 3D Compass – provides easy-to-
use navigation, search, and collaboration in the 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform environment that is extensible to any discipline in a 
company  –  engineering,  manufacturing,  simulation,  sales, 
marketing, finance, procurement, and management.

Key differentiating attributes of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform 
include:

 › Digitally  Connected:  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform 

is 
about  eliminating  silos  within  companies,  moving  from 
a  static,  filed-based  world  to  a  digitally  connected  world, 
where live data drives innovation, processes and business-
decisions. Our platform provides digital continuity across all 
applications and propagates changes automatically;

 › Data  Driven:  data  is  at  the  heart  of  product  innovation. 
However,  this  data  sits  across  many  disparate  systems 
today  at  many  companies  and  is  not  readily  visible  nor  is 
the  data  an  easily  available  corporate  asset.  Capabilities 
of  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  enable  the  indexation  of 
data  across  different  systems  and  create  a  new  class  of 
applications, in order to leverage the data of an enterprise. 
Further, data is not just what’s in the enterprise; there’s a 
lot of relevant data on the internet and with the Company’s 
Netvibes  and  Exalead  technologies  and  apps,  enterprises 
can use these applications to help them extract data from 
the  internet  to  improve  their  innovation,  products,  their 
brands and their consumers’ experiences;

 › Model-based:  such  an  approach  is  at  the  core  of  the 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  and 
is  valuable  to  ensure 
innovation  effectiveness.  The  innovation  process  typically 
calls for multiple models of varying degrees of fidelity and 
a  variety  of  simulation  techniques.  Early  in  the  process,  a 
low fidelity model is employed to understand the systems 
interactions  and  behavior;  while  later  as  the  product 
definition  matures,  higher  fidelity  models  are  adopted 
to  guide  optimization  along  often-conflicting  functional 
attributes  and  cost.  This  model-based  approach  is  not 
confined  to  the  research  phase;  it  is  employed  in  many 
activities across the enterprise. For example, planners define 
the  process  model  and  simulate  the  assembly  operations 
to  meet  cycle-time  constraints;  service  engineers  define 
reliability  models  to  guide  maintenance  planning.  Thus,  a 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 27

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Business Activities

model of the entire product from conception to operations 
is built during product development;

significant  assets  to  help  advance  innovation  in  other  target 
domains and industries.

 › Virtual  +  Real:  Virtual  models  can  replicate  real  world 
behavior  and  physical  tests.  They  can  be  correlated  with 
actual  behavior  during  the  operating  life  of  the  product. 
The  knowledge  gained  from  this  correlation  can  be 
used  to  enhance  the  fidelity  of  the  virtual  models.  Any 
enhancements  required 
in  the  operating  product  are 
first  simulated  in  the  virtual  model,  fine-tuned  and  then 
optimized,  before  incorporating  in  the  real  world.  In  fact, 
the accuracy of the simulation can be significantly enhanced 
by  connecting  the  virtual  model  to  physical  systems,  also 
called Hardware in the Loop. When the physical systems are 
assembled, they are a twin of the model. The real and virtual 
worlds reinforce each other – modelling and simulating the 
real  world  virtually  and  enhancing  the  virtual  model  with 
experiences from the real world;

 › Qualified ecosystem of industrial actors: the 3DEXPERIENCE 
Marketplace features a range of services with an ecosystem 
of  recognized  experts  in  their  domains  that  delivers  the 
knowledge and know-how using 3D as a universal language 
to reduce the distance between the virtual and real worlds. 
The  3DEXPERIENCE  Marketplace  manages  all  aspects  of 
worldwide transactions such as taxes, payments, currencies 
and billing with full traceability.

See paragraph 1.5.1.4 “Research & Development, Technology 
and Science”.

1.5.2.4 

3DEXPERIENCE Software 
Applications Portfolio – Addressing 
the Needs of its User Communities

Dassault  Systèmes’  3DEXPERIENCE  software  applications 
portfolio  is  designed  to  enable  the  powering  of  3D  realistic 
virtual  experiences  and 
is  comprised  of  3D  modeling 
applications,  simulation  applications,  social  and  collaborative 
intelligence  applications. 
applications,  and 
The  Company  has  successively  expanded  its  portfolio  of 
applications and organizes them by brand internally in order 
to maintain a strong research and development focus on the 
users served by these applications.

information 

We  continue  to  expand  the  capabilities  of  our  brands  to 
meet  the  evolving  needs  of  existing  and  new  users  across 
our  expanded  addressable  market.  Dassault  Systèmes’ 
investments in research and development, as well as targeted 
acquisitions,  have  enabled  the  Company  to  deepen  and 
broaden  its  offerings  for  customers  as  well  as  to  bring  its 

28 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

3D Modeling Applications
The Company’s DNA to model and represent as scientifically 
accurate as possible products, nature and life has given birth 
to  a  unique  portfolio  of  modeling  technologies  and  services 
ranging from 3D Modeling to Systems Logical and Functional 
Modeling.  This  applies  to  a  wide  spectrum  of  applicative 
domains  from  Smart/Connected  Products  to  urban  systems, 
to natural resources, to biological systems and chemistry.

SOLIDWORKS – Inspiring Innovation
SOLIDWORKS design software is as simple as it is powerful – 
enabling  any  company  to  bring  its  vision  to  life  and  capture 
global  markets.  SOLIDWORKS  solutions  focus  on  the  way 
you  work  every  day,  with  an  intuitive,  integrated  3D  design 
environment  that  covers  all  aspects  of  product  development 
and helps maximize your design and engineering productivity. 
Nearly 4 million designers and engineers as well as students 
worldwide have used SOLIDWORKS to bring designs to life—
from the coolest gadgets to innovations for a better tomorrow.

 
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1

1

SOLIDWORKS solutions cover all aspects of your development 
process with a seamless, integrated workflow:

 › 3D Design: SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD solutions enable you and 
your team to quickly transform new ideas into great products, 
with  3D  solid  modeling;  Large  Assembly  Design;  Sheet 
Metal Design; Weldments; Plastic & Cast Part Design, Mold 
Design. Other features include design reuse and automation; 
interference  check;  Design  Analysis;  CAD 
library,  2D 
Drawings; 3D animations & photorealistic rendering; Design 
to Cost with Manufacturing Cost Estimations;

 › Electrical  Design:  Improve  productivity  and  speed  time-
to-market  with  the  range  of  advanced  capabilities 
in 
SOLIDWORKS  Electrical.  Our  software  powers  efficient 
planning  and  design  of  embedded  electrical  systems,  with 
increased  collaboration  between  mechanical  and  electrical 
design  teams.  All  project  design  data  is  synchronized  with 
real-time, bi-directional updates between schematics and the 
3D model. Powerful schematic design tools quickly develop 
embedded electrical systems for machines or products;

 › Product  Data  Management:  SOLIDWORKS  Product  Data 
Management  (PDM)  solutions  help  you  get  your  design 
data under control and substantially improve the way your 
teams  manage  and  collaborate  on  product  development. 
SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional enables teams to: securely 
store  and  index  design  data  for  fast  retrieval;  eliminate 
concerns  about  version  control  and  data  loss;  share  and 
collaborate  on  designs  with  people  inside  and  outside  the 
organization  in  multiple  locations;  create  an  electronic 
workflow to formalize, manage, and optimize development, 
document approval, and engineering change processes.

EXALEAD  OnePart  helps  engineers  and  designers  decide 
between  design  creation  or  design  reuse.  EXALEAD 
OnePart is a business discovery application that accelerates 
reuse  of  parts,  designs,  specifications,  standards,  test 
results  and  related  data  for  engineering,  manufacturing, 
and  procurement  activities.  Leveraging  the  proven  web 
semantics, analytics, and big data management technologies 
of  EXALEAD  CloudView   OnePart  locates  information  from 
multiple sources and makes it available instantly;

 › Simulation:  Subject  your  designs  to  real-world  conditions 
to raise the quality of your products while you reduce your 
costs  for  live  prototypes  and  testing.  SOLIDWORKS  offers 
a comprehensive suite of simulation applications to set up 
virtual  real-world  environments  to  test  product  designs 
before  manufacture.  Tests  can  be  conducted  against  a 
broad  range  of  parameters  during  the  design  process  – 
such  as  durability,  static  and  dynamic  response,  motion 
of  assembly,  heat  transfer,  fluid  dynamics,  and  plastics 
injection molding;

 › SOLIDWORKS  3DEXPERIENCE  solutions:  SOLIDWORKS 
on  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  delivers  a  new  design 
experience  focused  on  enabling 
its  users  to  create 
innovative  products  in  a  connected  and  truly  collaborative 
environment. SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE solutions help 
users  easily  develop,  review,  and  select  mechanical  and 
stylized concepts before committing to detailed design and 
manufacturing;

 › Technical  communication:  SOLIDWORKS  Composer  allows 
users  to  easily  repurpose  existing  3D  design  data  to  more 
rapidly create and update high quality graphical assets for 
product  deliverables,  including  documentation,  technical 
illustrations, animations, and interactive 3D experiences.

In  addition  to  the  products  it  offers  to  SOLIDWORKS  users, 
SOLIDWORKS  operates  a  development  partnership  program 
bringing  together  companies  supplying  complementary 
products that are either compatible with or tightly integrated. 
Through  this  program,  over  300  compatible  products  have 
been  made  available  to  customers  in  many  functional  areas, 
including manufacturing, rapid prototyping and mold design.

CATIA – Shape The World We Live In
CATIA  is  Dassault  Systèmes’  pioneer  brand  and  the  world’s 
leading solution for 3D product design and innovation based 
upon its total software revenue.

CATIA  addresses  the  complete  development  and  innovation 
process, from early concept definition to delivering interactive 
virtual product experiences. Providing innovators with “state 
of  the  art”  user  experiences,  the  complete  Brand  portfolio 
covers from design to engineering, and from styling to systems 
modeling,  within  a  single  integrated  platform.  CATIA  shifts 
traditional  3D  CAD  (Computer  Aided  Design)  expectations, 
delivering  high-end  solutions  adapted  to  imagine  and  shape 
a  human  centric  connected  world.  In  alignment  with  its 
mission,  CATIA  proposes  the  capacity  to  design  products  in 
context of their intrinsic usage, ultimately enabling innovator 
communities  to  virtually  experience  and  share  their  vision. 
So by being able to model all disciplines as well as behaviors, 
designers  have  the  power  to  create  the  next  generation  of 
connected experiences.

Generative  Multi-Physics  driven  design,  unifies  modeling, 
simulation  and  optimization  in  a  single  environment.  This  is 
a  step-change  in  product  engineering  efficiency,  removing 
bottlenecks which in the past made it cost-prohibitive to explore 
optimized  parts.  Now,  a  streamlined  and  intuitive  workflow 
allows  non-expert  designers  to  achieve  expert  results  at  the 
push of a button with the automatic generation of function-
driven conceptual shapes and previously unimaginable organic 
shapes.

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This is all achieved in a single environment and creates fully 
usable 3D geometry which can be directly refined and shared 
on  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  by  all  disciplines,  enabling 
seamless  collaboration  between  design,  simulation  and 
manufacturing engineers.

3DEXPERIENCE CATIA delivers:

 › a  social  design  environment  driving  product  experience 

innovation, providing real collaborative features;

 › an instinctive user experience, powered by state of the art 

and intuitive 3D modeling functionalities;

 › an 

inclusive  experience  development  platform,  easily 
integrated with both modern and legacy tools, enabling all 
relevant communities to participate to the design process.

CATIA Design: Delivering Advantage by Design
Successful  product  designs  evoke  positive  emotional 
responses  from  their  consumers.  Creative  designers  need 
software  solutions  that  enable  them  to  easily  craft  such 
products,  while  collaborating  with  engineering  on  the  same 
functional  scope.  CATIA  addresses  the  entire  shape  design, 
styling,  and  surfacing  workflow,  from  Creative  &  Industrial 
Design to Class-A surfacing and Creative Experience. Intuitive 
shape design solutions deliver flexibility to simplify the design 
of  any  kind  of  complex  shape,  with  advanced  functionality 
like  reverse  engineering,  real-time  diagnostics,  unified 
surface  modeling,  rapid  propagation  of  design  changes,  and 
ultra  high-end  realtime  visualization.  CATIA  enables  creative 
designers,  design  studios,  and  engineering  departments  to 
easily and concurrently collaborate and optimize both product 
aesthetics and engineering.

CATIA Engineering: Engineering Excellence
CATIA  Engineering  enables  the  creation  of  any  type  of 
3D components and assemblies for all engineering processes. 
It addresses the requirements of a complete range of industries 
and processes, covering from cast and forged parts, to plastic 
injection & molding operations, up to composites part design 
and manufacturing, sheet metal parts design or even advanced 
fastening  operations.  Engineers  rely  on  CATIA  3D  Modeling 
capabilities to define complete mechanical products, including 
functional  tolerances,  3D  annotations  as  well  as  kinematics. 
Highly adapted roles in CATIA empower engineers to deliver 
greatly  improved  productivity,  not  only  during  mechanical 
design completion, but also when performing design changes 
for new releases.

CATIA Systems Engineering: Creating the internet 
of Experiences
Within  an  increasingly  connected  world,  the  complexity 
of  embedded  systems  continues  to  grow.  The  definition, 
modelling  and  simulation  of  individual  systems,  as  well  as 
their interaction with other systems, are becoming strategic. 
Systems Engineering is essential to avoid detecting unexpected 
system  interactions  during  the  validation  and  verification 
phases  of  the  product  development  process.  CATIA  Systems 
Engineering  delivers  a  complete  portfolio,  fully  supporting 
cross-discipline  systems  engineering 
including  Electrical 
and  Fluidic  systems,  covering  from  systems  definition  up  to 
modeling,  simulation,  and  verification.  Within  this  solution, 
CATIA provides a unified and integrated approach to systems 
engineering that manages the overall development process of 
cross  discipline  definition  of  the  many  relationships  existing 
between different systems artifacts that are defining today’s 
complex products.

GEOVIA – Virtual Planet
GEOVIA  provides  business,  government  and  individuals  with 
3DEXPERIENCE  universes  to  model  and  simulate  the  Earth 
from the vast expanse of the geosphere to the smallest details 
of urban settlements.

The dramatic increase of the world’s urban population affects 
the  entire  planet,  causing  a  rapid  change  in  the  geosphere, 
and a limited availability of global resources.

GEOVIA  supports  the  sustainable  capture,  use  and  re-use  of 
natural resources across the planet, including minerals, fresh 
water,  air,  oil  and  gas,  and  various  other  forms  of  energy. 
From mining to urbanization, GEOVIA delivers innovations to 
improve people’s life.

Mining
In  mining,  GEOVIA’s  customers  are  increasing  productivity, 
efficiency, and safety during the identification and extraction 
of natural resources. At the same time, they are also achieving 
a greater level of production predictability and sustainability. 
With  GEOVIA,  geologists,  mining  engineers,  operations 
managers,  and  executives  improve  how  they  model,  plan, 
optimize  and  understand  mining  performance  to  increase 
profitability.

GEOVIA’s  software  spans  all  mining  phases, 
including: 
exploration and evaluation; mine planning; optimization; and 
mine production. Its applications include:

 › Geology  and  Mine  Planning:  GEOVIA  Surpac,  GEOVIA 
GEMS,  and  GEOVIA  Minex  enable  mineral  deposits  to  be 

30 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

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modeled and their extraction to be designed and planned in 
3D. GEOVIA PCBC provides specific solutions for modeling 
and planning underground block cave deposits;

 › Optimization  and  Scheduling:  GEOVIA  Whittle 

links 
business  strategy  to  mine  optimization  by  examining 
the  viability  of  mineral  deposits  in  consideration  of  mine 
designs,  mining  equipment,  and  economic  factors  for 
strategic mine planning. GEOVIA MineSched further refines 
the mine planning & scheduling cycle by developing tactical 
medium term and short term plans for practical execution;

 › Secure, Remote Collaboration: the 3DEXPERIENCE platform 
connects mining users with role-based applications on the 
cloud to run the GEOVIA applications;

 › Mine  Production  Management:  GEOVIA  InSite  increases 
the  confidence  in  a  company’s  operations’  ability  to  meet 
production targets, manage costs, and improve efficiencies 
to deliver expected results to stakeholders.

Cities
GEOVIA  3DEXPERIENCity  helps  potential  clients  improve 
the  quality  of  life  for  the  citizens  by  creating  better  urban 
environments for today and tomorrow. With 3DEXPERIENCity, 
urban planners work in a virtual world to model and simulate 
the cityscapes and all components making up a city to improve 
its functions.

GEOVIA  3DEXPERIENCity  creates  unique  user  experiences 
that  holistically  model  and  analyze  all  parts  and  processes 
constituent to urban life in the geosphere.

Within the geosphere, human activities continuously relocate 
resources.  In  particular,  urban  settlements  are  aggregations 
and  condensation  points  capturing,  using,  and  reusing  the 
planet’s  natural  resources.  Consequently,  the  effects  of 
urbanization are not limited to the city, but rather affect the 
entire geosphere, the entire planet.

Through  3D  simulation,  the  future  can  be  displayed,  by 
actively  involving  government,  business,  and  individuals  to 
facilitate  critical  decision-making  processes  with  the  aim  to 
harmonize product, nature and life.

BIOVIA – Virtual Biosphere and Materials
BIOVIA  provides  a  scientific  collaborative  environment  for 
biological,  formulated  products  and  advanced  materials  to 
help  science-  and  process-driven  companies  develop  better 
products  faster  and  more  cost-effectively  in  regulated  and 
non-regulated environments.

The industry-leading BIOVIA portfolio is focused on integrating 
the diversity of science, experimental processes, and information 
requirements  across  research,  development,  QA/QC,  and 
manufacturing. Capabilities cover scientific data management; 
small  molecule,  biological,  and  materials  modeling  and 
simulation;  chem-  and  bioinformatics;  systems  biology  and 
integrative  therapeutics;  collaborative  network  research; 
scientific  pipelining;  enterprise 
laboratory  management; 
regulatory  and  quality  management;  process  knowledge  and 
collaboration; and chemical inventory management.

The  following  BIOVIA  solution  areas  integrate  the  diversity 
of  scientific  and  experimental  processes,  information  and 
compliance  requirements  across  research,  development,  QA/
QC (Quality Assurance and Quality Control) and manufacturing 
domains:

 › Collaborative Science – faster discovery and innovation by 
leveraging multi-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge-
based understanding, as well as modelling/simulation and 
predictive science;

 › Unified  Lab  Management  –  optimized  lab  operations  by 
managing  all  laboratory  workflows  and  resources  as  well 
as supporting information sharing and collaboration within 
and between laboratories, internally and externally;

 › Process  Production  Operations  –  providing  real-time,  on-
demand data access, analysis and reporting of quality and 
process  data  to  optimize  manufacturing  processes  and 
outcomes globally and throughout the wider ecosystem;

 › Quality  and  Regulatory  Management  –  supporting 
regulatory  and  quality  operations  to  ensure  compliance 
and reduce operational risk in life sciences and other highly 
regulated industries.

BIOVIA’s  vision  is  to  allow  organizations  to  collaborate  more 
effectively  by  managing  and  sharing  scientific  information 
across  the  value  chain  from  research  to  commercialization, 
internally and externally, with the supply chain and partners. 
By managing and sharing information down to the molecular 
level, scientists can better understand chemical, biological and 
new material substances.

Content and Simulation Applications

SIMULIA – Simulation for Product, Nature and Life
SIMULIA  provides  capabilities  to  simulate  virtual  worlds 
constructed  as  physically  realistic  mirror  images  of  the  real 
world.  When  the  distance  between  these  virtual  worlds  and 
the  real  world  is  reduced  to  zero  through  realistic  simulation, 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 31

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customers can reliably discover, learn about, test, improve, and 
optimize the real world, all within virtual environments that are 
inexpensive, efficient, instantly accessible, and always available.

From  Products  such  as  simple  parts  to  entire  airplanes,  to 
Nature  such  as  volcano  magma  chambers  and  oil  reservoir 
geomechanics, to Life such as Dassault Systèmes’ Living Heart 
Project and Virtual Human initiative, Simulation generates the 
Knowledge  and  Know-How  to  power  sustainable  innovation 
and  improve  society.SIMULIA  helps  engineers  and  designers 
perform realistic virtual testing to provide simulation for product, 
nature, and life – from Products such as simple parts to entire 
airplanes, to Nature such as volcano magma chambers and oil 
reservoir  geomechanics,  to  Life  such  as  Dassault  Systèmes’ 
Living Heart Project and Virtual Human initiative.

As an integral part of the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform,  SIMULIA’s  applications  accelerate  the  process  of 
evaluating the performance, reliability, and safety of materials 
and  products  before  committing  to  physical  prototypes.  The 
Company’s global team of simulation experts helps customers 
meet their education, research, and development needs.

SIMULIA  has  expanded  its  technology  applications  through 
include  multiphysics  simulation; 
recent  acquisitions  to 
multiscale  simulation;  optimization;  and  simulation  process, 
data  and 
lifecycle  management.  SIMULIA’s  technology 
portfolio  includes  Abaqus,  CST,  fe-safe,  Isight,  Simpack, 
Simpoe-Mold, Tosca, Wave 6 and XFlow product lines.

Multiphysics Simulation
 › Structural  Analysis  (Finite  Element  Analysis):  Create 
a  virtual  structural  model  to  predict  and  analyze  the 
performance  of  components,  sub-systems  or  systems 
for  any  Industry  applications.  In  addition,  two  or  more 
interacting physical phenomena within a virtual prototype 
such  as  fluid-structure  interaction,  structural-acoustics, 
thermal-electric,  and  thermal-fluid-mechanical,  among 
others can be simulated as well.

 › Electromagnetic Analysis: Realistic multiphysics-multiscale 
simulation  technology  portfolio  to  include  full  spectrum 
electromagnetic  design  simulation,  from  static  and  low 
frequency to high frequency microwave and radio frequency.

 › Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis: Gain deeper 
understanding  of  how  fluids  and  gasses  flow  through  or 
around  products  or  systems,  such  as  piping,  valves,  and 
human blood vessels. SIMULIA has traditional mainstream 
steady-state  or  mildly  transient  flow  simulation  capability 
on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. SIMULIA has expanded its 
portfolio  to  include  highly  dynamic  fluid  flow  simulation, 
including 
industry-specific  end-to-end  workflows  for 
Aerospace and Defense, Transportation & Mobility, Natural 
Resources and other industries.

 › Plastic 

Injection 

Simulation:  Predict 

avoid 
manufacturing  defects  during  the  earliest  stages  of  part 
and mold design. Simulate the filling and packing phases, 
clamping forces for tools, and cooling of molds and parts, as 
well as many others.

and 

32 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

 › Durability  and  Fatigue:  Analyze  structural  failure  and  life 
expectancy because of repeated or random loading cycles. 
Also  analyze  fatigue  life  and  crack  locations  in  metals, 
elastomers, and welded joints.

 › Acoustics:  Model  noise  and  vibration  across  a  broad 
frequency  range,  including  noise  arising  from  unsteady 
fluid  flow,  for  large  complex  systems  using  random  and 
deterministic analysis methods.

Multiscale Simulation
 › Multibody Dynamics: Generate and solve virtual 3D models 
to  predict  and  visualize  motion,  forces,  and  stresses, 
including  high-frequency  transient  analysesfor  complex 
nonlinear  models  with  flexible  bodies  and  harsh  shock 
contact.

Optimization
 › Parametric Optimization: Manipulate and map parametric 
data  between  process  steps  and  automate  multiple 
simulations  to  greatly  improve  efficiency,  reduce  manual 
errors,  and  accelerate  the  evaluation  of  product  design 
alternatives.

 › Topology  Optimization:  Create 

lightweight,  ready-to-
manufacture  product  designs  and  reduce  time-to-market, 
physical  tests,  and  prototype  builds  for  applications  like 
Additive Manufacturing.

Simulation Data Science
Simulation Data Science allows users to simplify the creation, 
capture,  management,  publication,  and  democratization  (re-
use)  of  approved  simulation  methods.  This  capability  allows 
customers  to  automate  standard  simulation  processes, 
collaborate  on  performance-based  decisions,  analyze  large 
sets  of  simulation  data  to  explore  an  entire  design  space, 
and  manage  and  secure  simulation-generated  intellectual 
property.

DELMIA – Global Industrial Operations 
An  integral  part  of  the  Dassault  Systèmes  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform is the connection between the virtual and real worlds. 
Operational  excellence  requires  harmony  across  design, 
production,  distribution,  human  resources  management 
and  processes.  DELMIA  enables  global  industrial  operations 
to:  design  and  test  the  manufacturability  of  products  in  a 
simulated,  virtual  environment;  optimize  the  supply  chain 
and factories to meet objectives; and to operate the factories, 
warehouses  and  distribution  to  manage  and  fulfill  customer 
demand.

 › DELMIA  engineering:  Operational  excellence  begins  with 
engineering. Today, engineering is best done in the digital 
realm. Manufacturers use DELMIA to create digital models 
that  virtually  simulate  products,  processes,  and  factory 
operations.  Manufacturers  can  better  modify  processes  to 
quickly respond to the competition or take advantage of the 
next  market  opportunity.  Improve  your  planning  across  a 
range of operations to accelerate new product introduction 

or operational expansion. DELMIA engineering solutions are 
the  first  step  in  creating  a  Digital  Thread  of  intelligence  – 
extending from the virtual world of design to the real world 
of  production.  You  can  connect  these  activities  to  your 
extended  value  chain  and  customers  while  ensuring  that 
every product specification is available to view and manage 
for business success.

DELMIA engineering capabilities include:

 › Collaborative  manufacturing  –  Connect  manufacturing 

stakeholders;

 › Process  planning  –  Design  and  validate  manufacturing 

processes;

 › Robotics – Program and simulate industrial robots;

 › Fabrication  –  Program  and  simulate  machining  and 

additive manufacturing;

 › Ergonomics  –  Design  human-centered  production  and 

workplace environments.

 › DELMIA  operations:  Digital  engineering  is  the  beginning. 
Next, every plan must be operated with precision execution 
on  every  plant  floor  across  your  extended  enterprise.  A 
common platform helps ensure unified visibility and control 
of  operations  in  an  Internet  of  Things  (IoT)  world  while 
adapting  easily  to  local  and  regional  requirements.  This  is 
how DELMIA MOM solutions excel, providing a continuum 
of  visibility,  control,  and  synchronization  of  operational 
activities  –  driven  from  the  digital  realm  of  design  to  the 
physical  world  of  production.  Achieve  full  process  and 
material synchronization to drive new levels of operational 
excellence;  Leverage  extensive  traceability  and  genealogy 
data  for  quality  and  regulatory  requirements;  Manage 
all  aspects  of  the  operations  from  Industrial  Internet  of 
Things (IIoT) aware equipment utilization to factory worker 
coordination  for  improving  efficiencies;  Tightly  coordinate 
and  execute  corporate  functions  across  your  distributed 
manufacturing enterprise – and monitor progress via user-
defined dashboards to efficiently manage progress.

DELMIA operations capabilities include:

 › Center  of  Excellence  –  Create,  deploy,  manage,  and 

improve global best practices;

– 

 › Production 

and 
synchronization of global production processes, schedules, 
and resources from workers to IIoT equipment;

visibility, 

Improve 

control, 

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Business Activities

1

 › Quality – Unify and enhance quality across manufacturing 
operations  while  extracting  the  data  for  regulatory 
compliance and continuous improvement;

1

 › Warehouse – Synchronize manufacturing, inventory, and 

logistics, just in time;

 › Maintenance – Maximize asset performance and uptime; 

avoid unplanned disruptions and service disruptions ;

 ›  Labor – Increase labor efficiency and productivity;

 › Traceability  –  Contain  product  and  compliance  issues 

quickly, across locations;

 › Intelligence – Drive global decision support with real-time 

visibility and predictive analysis.

 › DELMIA  optimization:  Continuous 

improvement  of 
manufacturing systems, processes and operations is not a 
goal,  it’s  a  mindset,  a  commitment,  and  a  challenge  that 
never ends. Manufacturers can meet this challenge through 
the digitization of design through production and beyond. 
The  virtual  world  of  planning  and  the  physical  world  of 
manufacturing  are  best  integrated  through  a  closed  loop 
of  advancement  and  continuous  optimization.  The  Fourth 
Industrial Revolution will usher new levels of collaboration 
to  the  production  process  –  do  your  systems  have  the 
flexibility  and  agility  to  unlock  these  opportunities.  Big 
data analytics are increasingly relied upon to best leverage 
manufacturing  data  across  the  enterprise.  Data-driven 
decision  support  can  reveal  new  opportunities  for  process 
improvement, but change only occurs within agile systems.

DELMIA optimizing capabilities include:

 › Sales  and  operations  planning  –  Advanced  modeling 
and optimization capabilities to simulate any scenario in 
a  Sales  &  Operations  Planning  cycle,  to  deliver  the  most 
value every time ;

 › Master planning – Drive global decision support with real-
time visibility and predictive analysis for Master Planning 
and Scheduling and Material Requirements Planning;

 › Detailed  production  scheduling  –  Reduce  lead  time  and 
inventory  by  optimizing  production  within  and  across 
production  lines,  work  cells,  and  assembly  operations, 
while improving asset utilization and throughput.

3DVIA – The Consumer Brand Experience
3DVIA  provides  enterprises  and  consumers,  smart  3D  space 
planning solutions that enable new ways to engage, consider, 
and make the best choice. For enterprises, 3DVIA Home offers 

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1 Presentation of the Group

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home 
improvement  retailers  and  brand  manufacturers  a 
cloud-based,  omnichannel  space  planning  solution  to  engage 
consumers, generate high quality sales leads, and shorten sales 
cycle. For individuals, Homebyme  enables consumers to design 
and  plan  home  projects  in  a  social  way  providing  an  online 
space-planning  service.  Consumers  can  find  inspiration  from 
thousands of other projects, build their own concepts or simply 
visualize ideas quickly using dedicated room configurators.

Social and Collaborative Applications

ENOVIA – The Place to Plan Your Definition of Success
ENOVIA  enables  companies  to  bring  together  people, 
in  planning, 
processes,  content  and  systems 
governance, product creation, development, introduction and 
maintenance.

involved 

ENOVIA  offers  a  rich  portfolio  of  collaborative  enterprise 
business process applications that leverage the 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform and facilitate business processes orchestration.

ENOVIA applications by business themes include:

 › Product Planning and Programs: ENOVIA’s applications for 
Program and Project Management, Contract Management, 
and  Design  History  File  Management  for  regulatory 
compliance  processes  address  the  need  for  informing  and 
monitoring  enterprise-wide  critical  business  processes 
leveraging invisible governance;

 › Strategic  Customer  Relationships:  ENOVIA’s  customer 
relationship  portfolio  enables  users  to  manage  and 
leverage requirements, manage the product to be delivered, 
understand  customer  needs,  and  define  point  of  sale 
experience using 3DMerchandising. These products enable 
companies to transform from designing products to creating 
customer experiences;

 › Global  Product  Development:  ENOVIA’s  applications 
errors  by 
costly  product  development 
eliminate 
enhancing  collaborative  innovation  among  the  product 
development  stakeholders.  Designers,  product  engineers, 
manufacturing  professionals  and  others  collaborating  on 
product  development  are  able  to  innovate  leveraging  bill 
of  materials,  enterprise  change  management,  design  in 
configured context and digital mock-up (DMU);

 › Strategic  Supplier  Relationships:  ENOVIA’s  users 

in 
supplier  management,  supplier  quality,  procurement, 
sourcing  and  sampling  are  able  to  leverage  applications 
that  reduce  the  latency  typically  found  in  supply  chain 
innovation  processes.  Its  solutions  help  buyer  agents, 
supplier relationship managers and supplier representatives 
manage their most critical business processes and increase 
the value addition of the development supply chain;

 › Quality  and  Compliance:  ENOVIA’s  applications  support 
users  in  material  compliance,  auditing,  document,  and 
records  management.  These  applications  help  companies 
pro-actively  manage  regulatory  compliance  as  part  of  the 
product development process;

 › IP  Classification  and  Security:  ENOVIA’s  applications 
for  IP  Classification  and  Security  provide  users  with  the 
flexibility to collaborate on a global scale while maintaining 
the  security  required  for  operating  their  businesses.  This 
provides  teams  with  the  confidence  to  innovate  while 
optimizing  the  product  catalog  and  reducing  the  carrying 
cost of non-value added design inventory.

3DEXCITE – Marketing in the Age of Experience
Consumer  expectations  have  become  viable  and  valuable 
currency in the Experience economy. 3DEXCITE is a purveyor of 
sophisticated software, premium content and game-changing 
Sales & Marketing solutions that enhance and elevate campaign 
relevance and effectiveness. Our automated, customizable and 
scalable  tools  are  empowering  global  marketing  teams  from 
world-class brands across multiple industries. The impact for 
our clients is immediate and tangible. Our software, services 
and  business  solutions  are  closing  the  gap  between  Design 
&  Engineering  and  Sales  &  Marketing  while  diminishing  the 
time-to-market.  Intrepid  business  relies  on  the  procurement 
and  analysis  of  relevant  client  data  in  a  world  where  we’re 
always  on  and  always  connected.  The  3DEXCITE  portfolio 
supports Digital transformation – the enabler of fundamental 
marketplace  innovation  and  disruption.  As  the  specialized 
marketing arm of Dassault Systèmes, 3DEXCITE completes the 
holistic approach of the 3DEXPERIENCE platformby extending 
the end-to-end value structure with a strong set of integrated 
marketing tools.

3DEXCITE 3DEXPERIENCE® Platform
With  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform,  3DEXCITE  creates  real-
time content for powerful product experiences for high-impact 
storytelling across all media channels. Leveraging source data, 
3DEXCITE  opens  up  creative  freedom  to  deliver  emotional 
assets for digital, interactive marketing and sales experiences. 
With  the  launch  of  2018X,  3DEXCITE  debuts  powerful  tools 
for  content  creation  &  experience  staging.  These  disciplines 
will  continue  to  evolve  with  upcoming  releases  of  the 
3DEXPERIENCE Platform to create a comprehensive Marketing 
ecosystem 
including;  analytics;  content  management; 
campaign planning; experience creation and deployment.

3DEXCITE Software
DELTAGEN MARKETING SUITE – Product visualization meets 
streamlined  optimization.  In  the  world  of  ever-changing 
channels and devices, an asset production pipeline must remain 

34 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

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1

1

reliable,  flexible  and  efficient.  This  sophisticated  approach 
to  product  visualization  supports  automated  functions  and 
reduces  the  process  incrementally  from  data  conversion  and 
optimization  to  experience  creation  and  deployment.  The 
flexibility  of  the  pipeline  supports  output  for  game-engines, 
POS, 3DEXPERIENCE Platform and traditional CGI (computer 
generated imagery) campaigns – print, web and mobile.

3DEXCITE Solutions & Services
3DEXCITE Marketing Solutions & Services are the tools required 
to  realize  breathtaking  product  experiences  –  whether  at 
the  point-of-sale  or  online.  These  significantly  reduce  sales 
cycles by supporting customer requirements from ‘try to buy’ 
bolstered  by  personalization.  3DEXCITE  marketing  solutions 
allow brands to plan a launch even before the product is built 
– thanks to cross-channel CGI productions based on 3D data 
from  the  development  stage  onwards.  Interactive  marketing 
tools  offer  compelling,  memorable  experiences  that  keep 
customers  engaged,  creating  tangible  and  measurable  sales 
success.

Information Intelligence Applications

EXALEAD – Data In Business
EXALEAD  helps  organizations  access,  analyze  and  reveal 
any  enterprise  digital 
intellectual  properties  or  external 
information,  thus  transforming  Big  Data  into  data  discovery 
and  analytics  applications.  EXALEAD  enables  organizations 
to  gather,  align  and  enrich  Big  Data  –  whether  internal  or 
external, structured or unstructured, simple or complex – and 
to  deliver  that  information  the  way  users  want  to  receive  it. 
Our  solutions  transform  large  volumes  of  heterogeneous, 
multi-source  data  into  meaningful,  real-time  information 
intelligence to help users improve business processes and gain 
competitive advantage.

EXALEAD is focusing on three areas:

 › Sourcing  &  Standardization  Intelligence  –  to  drive  full 
reuse, make or buy processes and enforce standardization;

EXALEAD  offers  a  full  set  of  roles  to  classify  company 
assets,  identify  master  parts  for  reuse,  develop  standard 
part initiatives and ensure Engineering selects the preferred 
part, while monitoring over time the execution of company 
policy. Even more, Sourcing and Procurement will leverage 
these applications to optimize ordering by grouping orders 
or selecting the right price of technically viable alternative 
solutions.

 › PLM Analytics – to reveal, measure and analyse PLM Data;

Dassault  Systèmes  has  developed  analytics  and  made 
it  applicable  to  PLM.  EXALEAD  PLM  Analytics  allows 
customers to fully manage product programs, from design to 
traceability of changes, cost, quality, and issue intelligence. 
It  provides  leading  edge  self-service  analytics  capabilities 
for managers to collaborate on their dashboards.

 › Customer  Support  &  Service  Analytics  –  to  reinvent 

customer support and services through data; 

Companies  are  able  to  compile,  analyze  and  uncover 
the  value  of  “product-generated”  data,  combined  with 
customer  information  and  data  found  in  any  business 
or  on  the  web  systems,  creating  new  services  and 
enhancing  competiveness  and  customer  satisfaction.  With 
a 360-degree view of customers and analytics capabilities, 
OneCall  unlocks  the  value  of  data  and 
information, 
improving  customer  interaction,  recommendations,  and 
engagement. Product Intelligence is a range of collaborative 
search-based  solutions  developed  for  collecting,  analyzing 
and capitalizing on information about product and machine 
use.  Organizations  can  manage  in  real  time  after-sales, 
maintenance,  and  customer  interactions.  Processes  are 
optimized while new, innovative products and services are 
created.  Located  in  the  Information  Intelligence  quadrant 
of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, with the launch of 2018x 
EXALEAD  Business  Analytics  roles  help  customers  across 
all  industries  make  informed  decisions.  New  Sourcing 
&  Standardization 
Intelligence  roles  allow  complexity 
managers  to  identify  similar  parts,  group  them  by  criteria 
and  classify  them  to  improve  procurement  efficiency;  in 
addition,  designers  can  easily  find  and  potentially  reuse 
existing  parts.  Innovative  new  PLM  Analytics  roles  are  for 
gaining valuable program insights to facilitate shifting from 
a task-driven to a performance-driven enterprise.

NETVIBES – Dashboard Intelligence
Netvibes’ insights-driven decision-making enables enterprises 
to listen, learn and act on all the information that matters to 
their business. Aggregate content from across the social web 
alongside  enterprise  data.  Analyze  business  metrics  in  their 
social  context.  Automate  alerts  and  actions  to  drive  faster 
decision-making, 24/7/365. 

NETVIBES  dashboard  intelligence  helps  enterprises  identify 
and manage everything on real-time, personalized dashboards 
designed  to  enable  better,  faster  decision-making.  All 
employees  can  understand  everything  that  matters  across 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 35

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all  internal  systems  and  across  the  social  web,  anywhere, 
anytime, on any device – all in one place. NETVIBES also goes 
beyond business intelligence with real-time, industry-specific 
social analytics and SmartTagging for gathering expert human 
opinions, and it helps users save time with automated reporting 
and  intelligent  alerts  on  what  matters.  NETVIBES  includes  a 
Dashboard  of  Things  which  enables  users  to  program  their 
business logic by automating digital activities and customizing 
individualized real-time alerts from the dashboard. By creating 
a “Potion” with specific Trigger(s) and Action(s), anyone can 
easily program automatic interactions between data, apps and 
connected devices. Through a customer-facing, programmable 
dashboard, enterprises can also empower consumers to design 
their own custom product experiences.

New in NETVIBES 2018x:
New  Potion  ingredients:  3DSwYm,  3DDrive  and  Twitter: 
Automate  decision-making  by  selecting  the  Trigger(s)  and 
Action(s) you want to take place. You can now publish charts 
and articles to 3DSwYm, upload files to 3DDrive, and publish 
content to Twitter automatically from the dashboard.

Pushmail: Keep everyone informed with custom email reports 
sent automatically, using the charts and articles you want to 
share.  Pushmails  can  be  scheduled  to  be  sent  automatically 
at regular intervals (daily/weekly/monthly) or in response to 
Potion Triggers (e.g., When this chart trends upward for 5 days 
in a row, instantly send a Pushmail report).

Industry  Libraries:  Monitor  and  analyze  content  relevant  to 
your  industry.  Libraries  of  curated  sources  are  available  for 
multiple industries.

Library  App  update:  Facebook  Public  Profiles:  Continually 
monitor  public  content  on  Facebook  directly  from  your 
dashboard.  You  can  now  search  Facebook  for  public  profiles 
and add them to your custom Library of sources.

Twitter update: The dashboard now supports multiple Twitter 
accounts.

1.5.2.5 

Sales and Marketing

Our  customers  range  from  startups,  small  and  mid-sized 
companies  to  the  largest  companies  in  the  world  as  well  as 
educational  institutions  and  government  departments.  To 
ensure sales and marketing coverage of all our customers, we 
have  developed  three  sales  and  distribution  channels,  with 
approximately  57%  of  our  total  revenue  generated  through 
direct  sales  and  43%  through  the  Company’s  two  indirect 
sales channels in 2017. No single customer or sales channel 
partner  represented  more  than  5%  of  the  Company’s  total 
revenue in 2017 and 2016.

 › 3DS  Business  Transformation  channel:  sales  to 

large 
companies  and  government  entities  are  generally 
conducted  through  the  Company’s  direct  sales  channel, 
the  3DS  Business  Transformation  channel.  Direct  sales, 
including both software and services revenue, represented 
57% and 59% of the Company’s total revenue in 2017 and 
2016, respectively;

 › 3DS  Value  Solutions  channel: sales to small and mid-sized 
companies  are  conducted  indirectly  generally  through  the 
Company’s  Value  Solutions  channel,  a  global  network  of 
value-added  resellers  with  Industry  specialization.  This 
channel  represented  21%  of  the  Company’s  total  revenue 
in both 2017 and 2016;

 › 3DS  Professional  channel:  the  3DS  Professional  channel 
is  an  indirect  channel  focused  on  the  volume  market.  It 
is  comprised  of  a  network  of  value-added  resellers  and 
distributors  worldwide  providing  sales, 
local  training, 
services  and  support  to  customers.  Sales  through  this 
channel represented 22% and 20%, of the Company’s total 
revenue in 2017 and 2016, respectively.

In  addition  to  its  sales  channels,  the  Company  continues 
to  actively  develop  and  expand  relationships  with  system 
integrators with industry and domain expertise.

1.5.2.6  Our Estimated Addressable 

Market Size, Market Position 
and Competitors

We have sized our current software Total Addressable Market 
(TAM)  at  approximately  $26  billion.  Our  total  addressable 
market sizing uses third party estimates of software domains 
which we analyze and compare to our software capabilities to 
assess whether such addressable markets are part of what we 
can address currently. The third party estimates we use do not 
take into account internally developed software by companies 
but only commercially sold software.

We  are  the  world’s  leading  provider  in  the  PLM  market, 
defined  as  3D  Design,  simulation,  digital  manufacturing  and 
collaboration  software.  We  are  also  the  world’s  leading  3D 
Design and Engineering Simulation software provider with our 
CATIA, SOLIDWORKS and SIMULIA brands. (Based upon internal 
analysis  and  external  information).  In  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
market  simulating  the  user  experience  encompasses  a  larger 
definition of simulation beyond that of the individual physics 
or multi-physics capabilities of competitors.

We  operate  in  a  highly-competitive  marketplace.  As  we 
continue  to  broaden  our  addressable  market,  by  expanding 
our  current  product  portfolio,  diversifying  our  client  base, 
and  developing  new  applications  and  markets,  we  face  an 
increasing level of competition, from new competitors ranging 
from  technology  start-ups  to  the  largest  technology  and 
industrial companies in the world.

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Several  years  ago  we  changed  our  go-to-market  strategy, 
moving  from  brands  to 
industry  solution  experiences. 
Therefore, we evaluate our competitive position from multiple 
perspectives, assessing our industry solution experiences and 
how  well  they  address  the  key  needs  of  the  industries  and 
the segments within industries that we are targeting, the size 
of  the  customers,  and  the  needs  and  requirements  of  users 
serving  certain  functions  that  we  categorize  internally  by 
brand.

long-standing  competitors 

The  Company’s  competitors  generally  compete  with  it  in 
specific areas of its portfolio or in a specific set of industries, 
but due to the breadth of the Company’s activities, no single 
company competes with it across its entire scope. We compete 
on the basis of offer, capabilities, industry knowledge, service 
support,  and  pricing  and  bundling  strategies.  Competition 
includes 
including  Siemens, 
Autodesk and PTC as well as Oracle and SAP with respect to 
our collaborative enterprise business processes and industrial 
operations  software  offer,  and  Altair  Engineering,  ANSYS, 
and MSC Software (owned by Hexagon), with respect to our 
structural,  fluid,  electromagnetic  and  multi-physics  software 
offer.  Additional  companies,  principally  software  developers 
who  compete  occasionally  directly  or  indirectly  with  us 
include,  among  others,  Adobe,  ARAS,  Aveva  Group,  Bentley 
Systems,  Centric  Software,  Intergraph  (owned  by  Hexagon 
AB),  JDA,  Microsoft,  Nemetschek,  Onshape,  Salesforce.com, 
and other software companies in the mining sector or offering 
information intelligence and social enterprise innovation and 
collaboration software capabilities, and developers in all areas 
of  molecular  chemistry  or  biology,  optimizing  processes  or 
digital marketing.

1.5.2.7 

Educational Initiatives

Our mission is to help transform the education system, from 
primary  school  to  university  to  the  professional  world,  with 
innovative,  holistic  and  interdisciplinary  curricula  based  on 
Dassault Systèmes solutions and technologies, thus preparing 
the  talents  for  now  and  the  future  together  with  Society, 
Industry  and  Research.  Dassault  Systèmes  sees  Education 
as  a  lifelong  learning  process.  It  begins  at  the  school  level, 
where our focus is partnering with academia to help develop 
the  21st  century  global  skill  sets  needed  by  industries. 
Education  has  been  a  long-term  focus  for  us,  SOLIDWORKS 
is  a  Global  Leader  in  3D  Design  education,  surpassing  more 

than  3  million  seats  to  date.  The  robustness  of  SIMULIA’s 
solver technology is well evidenced by its wide-spread usage 
in  academic  research  at  the  post-graduate  level.  In  total, 
an  estimated  6,700,000  students  have  used  our  software 
solutions.  Today,  42,000  schools  use  our  software  in  their 
educational programs.

Working together with universities, we are helping to enable 
a  virtual  curriculum  development  –  crowdsourced  –  with 
teachers and professors from multiple schools and universities 
as well as industry participants, thanks to the 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform.  Dassault  Systèmes  has  also 
invented  a  very 
innovative  pedagogical  approach  named  the  Peer  Learning 
Experience.  It  consists  of  gathering  teachers  from  various 
universities  together  and  to  have  them  co-develop  very 
comprehensive  multi-disciplinary  and  very  flexible  curricula 
which  then  become  available,  free  of  charge,  for  any  new 
school joining the 3DEXPERIENCE for Academia community. 
To do so, they use a methodology, templates, data and data 
models provided by the Company which also does the overall 
project management.

As  the  3DEXPERIENCE  leader  Dassault  Systèmes  not  only 
participates  in  the  industry  digital  revolution,  but  is  also 
committed  to  helping  transform  the  world  of  education 
and  preparing  the  talents  of  today  and  for  the  future.  The 
Company  works  hand-in-hand  with  teachers  all  over  the 
world  to  develop  innovative  pedagogical  curriculum  and 
learning experiences through enhanced teaching methods and 
3D  experiences,  which  will  contribute  to  the  training  for  the 
engineers of tomorrow.

Our Certification programs are unique in our focus on enabling 
students to document their knowledge and proficiency through 
certification  level  programs.  Dassault  Systèmes’  Certification 
Program  which  aims  at  certifying  students  trained  on  the 
Company’s  solutions  to  ensure  that  they  master  them  at  a 
good  enough  level  compatible  with  employers’  expectations 
thus maximizing employment and careers perspectives. That 
program  is  mostly  based  on  proctored  practice  workbenches 
run on the cloud. At the end of 2017, there were approximately 
80 Certification Centers in operation all over the world with a 
majority of them located on universities’ campuses.

Dassault  Systèmes  is  one  of  the  founders  of  key  academic 
associations  such  as  the  Global  &  European  Engineering 
Deans  Councils,  the  International  Federation  of  Engineering 
Education Societies or the Cartagena Network of Engineering.

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1.5.3  Material Contracts

Other  than  contracts  entered  into  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
business,  the  Company’s  material  contracts  are  principally 
the  distribution  agreements  with  its  value-added  resellers 
and  system  integrators,  as  described  in   paragraph  1.5.2.5 
“Sales and Marketing” , and the strategic partnership contracts 
described  in   paragraph  1.5.1.4  “Research  &  Development, 
Technology  and  Science”  (see  “Software,  Technology  and 
Science Partners”) .

Cloud and business contracts

Commencing  in  2011  Dassault  Systèmes  has  been  engaged 
with  Outscale  to  provide  Cloud  computing  infrastructure 
services to the Company’s clients. The Company initially had 
a  minority  investment  in  Outscale  which  became  a  majority 
shareholding in 2017.

In  2017,  The  Boeing  Corporation  and  Dassault  Systèmes 
entered into a new, extended strategic partnership agreement 
pursuant  to  which,  Boeing  will  expand  its  deployment  of 
Dassault  Systèmes’  software  across  Boeing’s  Commercial 
Aviation,  Space  and  Defense  programs  to  include  Dassault 
Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Boeing  is  aiming  at  modernizing  systems  to  maximize 
economic benefit to Boeing and its shareholders. By improving 
product  quality,  reducing  production  costs  and  developing 
new  innovative  products,  more  value  will  be  delivered  to 
Boeing’s customers.

Boeing  will  deploy  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  worldwide 
for  the  end  to  end  product  development  and  production  of 
all  Boeing’s  new  and  existing  commercial  aviation,  space 
and  defense  programs.  After  an  extensive  and  profound 
evaluation  process,  Dassault  Systèmes  was  selected  as  the 
only  technological  partner  of  Boeing  for  the  entire  scope 

of  Boeing’s  digitalization  of  end  to  end  processes:  product 
lifecycle  management  (PLM),  all  related  authoring  tools  and 
manufacturing operations management.

Financing

In June 2013, Dassault Systèmes SE entered into a term loan 
facility  agreement  for  €350  million,  which  will  be  repaid  in 
July 2019. In October 2015, the Company entered into a new 
five-year  term  loan  facility  agreement,  which  maturity  can 
be  extended  by  two  additional  years,  for  €650  million.  The 
facility was immediately fully drawn down and bears interest 
at Euribor 1 month plus 0.50% per annum. In October 2016 
and  October  2017,  the  Company  exercised  the  option 
extension  for  one  year,  which  extends  the  termination  date 
to  its  new  maturity  in  October  2022.  See  paragraph  3.1.4 
“Capital Resources” and Note 20 to the consolidated financial 
statements.

Leases

The  Company  signed  long-term  leases  (for  12  years)  for  its 
corporate headquarters in Vélizy-Villacoublay, France (the 3DS 
Paris  Campus)  in  2008  and  for  its  offices,  technology  lab 
and  data  center  in  Waltham,  outside  Boston,  United  States 
(the  3DS  Boston  Campus)  in  2010.  In  February  2013,  the 
Company  entered  into  a  new  lease  for  its  headquarters 
facilities for a non-cancelable initial term of 10 years as from 
the fourth quarter of 2016 on the date an additional building 
was  delivered.  Close  to  that  site,  the  Company  also  leases 
approximately 11,000 square meters more in a building located 
in Meudon-La-Forêt, since October 2010. In September 2016, 
the  3DS  Boston  Campus  lease  was  extended  for  25  months 
and will end June 30, 2026. See  paragraph 1.7.2.3 “Liquidity 
Risk”  and  Note 25 to the consolidated financial statements .

38 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Research and Development

1

1.6  Research and Development

1

1.6.1  Overview

At December 31, 2017, the Company’s R&D teams included 
6,670  personnel,  compared  to  6,375  at  year-end  2016, 
representing  approximately  41%  of  the  Company’s  total 
headcount.  The  Company  increased  its  total  R&D  headcount 
by 4.6% in 2017, reflecting principally new recruitments and 
growth in R&D resources through acquisitions and by 8.9% in 
2016 principally reflecting growth in R&D resources through 
acquisitions.

The Group has R&D facilities in the countries where its clients 
and  high-talent  employees  are  located:  in  Europe  (mainly 
France,  Germany,  the  United  Kingdom,  the  Netherlands  and 
Poland),  the  Americas  (United  States  and  Canada)  and  Asia-
Pacific (mainly India, Malaysia and Australia).

R&D expenses totaled €576.6 million for 2017, compared to 
€540.5 million for 2016, increasing 6.7%. R&D costs benefited 
from  government  grants  and  other  governmental  programs 

supporting R&D of €36.1 million in 2017 and €29.9 million in 
2016.  These  government  grants  principally  include  research 
and development tax credits received in France.

The  Company’s  R&D  is  conducted  in  close  cooperation  with 
customers and users in their respective industries to develop 
a  deeper  understanding  of  the  unique  business  processes  of 
these  industries  as  well  as  the  future  product  directions  and 
requirements of these industries, customers and users.

Dassault  Systèmes  is  deeply  committed  to  creating  quality 
solutions that allow its customers to meet the critical business 
requirements  of  the  industries  in  which  they  operate.  This 
commitment  to  quality  is  evidenced  by  its  well-established 
Quality  Management  System  certified  to  ISO  9001:2015 
–  the  latest  version  of  the  standard  focusing  on  operational 
excellence and performance.

1.6.2 

Intellectual Property

The Company protects its technology by applying a combination 
of  IP  rights  including  copyrights,  patents,  trademarks  and 
trade  secrets.  The  Company  distributes  its  software  products 
to its customers under licenses that grant software utilization 
rights  without  transfer  of  ownership.  The  contracts  contain 
various provisions protecting the Company’s IP rights over its 
technology, as well as related confidentiality rights.

The  source  code  (set  of  instructions  under  an  intelligible 
form,  and  used,  once  compiled,  to  generate  the  object  code 
licensed to clients and partners) of the Company’s products is 
protected both as a copyrighted work and as a trade secret. In 
addition, some of the key capabilities of its software products 
are protected through patents whenever possible.

However, no assurance can be given that others will not copy 
or  otherwise  obtain  and/or  use  the  Company’s  products 
or  technology  without  authorization.  In  addition,  effective 
copyright,  trade  secret,  trademark  and  patent  protection  or 
enforcement may be unavailable or limited in certain countries.

The  Company  is  nevertheless  engaged  in  an  active  policy 
against  piracy  and  takes  systematic  measures  to  prevent 
the  illegal  use  and  distribution  of  its  products,  ranging  from 
regularizing illegal use to initiating legal proceedings.

With  regard  to  trademarks,  the  Company’s  policy  is  to 
register  trademarks  for  its  principal  products  and  services 
in  the  countries  where  it  does  business.  Protection  through 
the  trademark 
international 
trademark, European Community trademarks and/or national 
registrations.

is  a  combination  of 

law 

In order to protect its technology and key product capabilities, 
the  Company  generally  files  patent  applications  in  countries 
where  many  of  its  main  customers  and  competitors  are 
located. At year-end 2017, the Company’s portfolio comprised 
507  protected  inventions,  including  38  new  inventions  in 
2017. Patents have been granted in one or more countries for 
more than 60% of these inventions, and patents for the others 
are pending. When a patent protection is deemed unsuitable, 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 39

1 Presentation of the Group

Risk factors

certain inventions are kept secret, with the proof of creation 
being saved. The Company also has a cross-license policy for 
patents with major players in its industry.

See  paragraph  1.7.1  “Risks  Related  to  the  Company’s 
Business”,  and  particularly  paragraph  1.7.1.3  “Protection 
of  the  Company’s  Intellectual  Property  Rights  and  Assets” 

for  the  difficulties  in  ensuring  adequate  protection  for  the 
Company’s own intellectual property, and paragraph 1.7.1.14 
“Infringement of Third-Party Intellectual Property Rights and 
of  Third-Party  Technology’s  Licenses”  for  risks  concerning 
possible  third-party  allegations  of  unauthorized  use  of  their 
intellectual property.

1.7  Risk factors

The Risk Factors are set out hereafter in two main categories: 
risks related to the Group’s Business (1.7.1) and financial and 
market risks (1.7.2). These are the main risks identified as being 
material, relevant and likely to have a negative impact on the 
Company’s business and financial position as of the date on 

which this Annual Report (Document de référence) was filed 
with the AMF. However, other risks not mentioned or not yet 
identified  can  affect  the  Company,  its  financial  position,  its 
reputation, its outlook or the share price of Dassault Systèmes.

1.7.1  Risks Related to the Company’s Business

1.7.1.1  Uncertain Global Economic 

Environment

In  light  of  the  uncertainties  regarding  economic,  business, 
social  and  geopolitical  conditions  at  the  global  level,  the 
Company’s  revenue,  net  earnings  and  cash  flows  may  grow 
more slowly, whether on an annual or quarterly basis, mainly 
due to the following factors:

 › the deployment of the Company’s solutions may represent 
a  large  portion  of  a  customer’s  investments  in  software 
technology.  Decisions  to  make  such  an  investment  are 
impacted  by  the  economic  environment  in  which  the 
customers operate. Uncertain global geopolitical conditions 
and  the  lack  of  visibility  or  the  lack  of  financial  resources 
may cause some customers to reduce, postpone or terminate 
their investments, or to reduce or not renew ongoing paid 
maintenance  for  their  installed  base.  Such  situations  may 
impact the Company’s revenues;

 › continued pressure or volatility on raw materials and energy 
prices could also slow down the Company’s diversification 
efforts in new industries;

 › the sales cycle of the Company’s products – already relatively 
long  due  to  the  strategic  nature  of  such  investments  for 
customers – could further lengthen; and

 › the economic and monetary situation in certain geographic 
regions  where  the  Company  operates  could  become  more 
volatile as political uncertainties increase.

The Company makes every effort to take into consideration this 
uncertain  macroeconomic  outlook.  The  Company’s  business 
results, however, may not develop as anticipated. Furthermore, 
due to factors affecting sales of the Company’s products and 
services as described above, there may be a substantial time 
lag between an improvement in global economic and business 
conditions and an upswing in the Company’s business results.

The economic context may also adversely impact the financial 
situation or financing capabilities of the Company’s potential 
and  existing  customers,  reseller  network  and  technology 
partners,  some  of  whom  may  be  forced  to  cease  operations 
due  to  cash  flow  and  profitability  issues.  The  Company’s 
ability to collect outstanding receivables may be affected. In 
addition, the economic environment could generate increased 
price  pressure,  as  customers  seek  lower  prices  from  various 
competitors,  which  could  negatively  impact  the  Company’s 
revenue, financial performance and market position.

40 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Risk factors

1

1.7.1.3 

Protection of the Company’s 
Intellectual Property Rights 
and Assets

1

is  heavily  dependent  upon 

its 
The  Company’s  success 
proprietary  software  technology.  The  Company  relies  on  a 
combination of copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret law 
and contractual restrictions to protect the proprietary aspects 
of its technology. These legal protections don’t provide a full 
coverage of the Company’s products and can be breached by 
third parties. In addition, effective copyright, patent, trademark 
and  trade  secret  protection  may  be  unavailable  or  limited  in 
certain countries where IP rights are less protected than in the 
United  States  or  Western  Europe.  If,  despite  the  Company’s 
strategies for protecting its IP, certain third-parties are able to 
develop  similar  technology,  or  to  successfully  challenge  the 
Company’s IP rights, a reduction in the Company’s software 
revenues  may  result.  Furthermore,  although  the  Company 
enters  into  confidentiality  agreements  with  its  employees, 
distributors,  customers  and  potential  customers,  and 
limits  access  to  and  carefully  controls  the  distribution  of  its 
software,  documentation  and  other  proprietary  information, 
the  measures 
to  deter 
misappropriation  or  unauthorized  disclosure  of  confidential 
information or prevent independent third-party development 
of the Company’s technology.

taken  may  be 

inappropriate 

In  addition,  like  most  of  its  competitors,  the  Company  faces 
a  significant  level  of  piracy  of  its  leading  products,  by  both 
individuals  and  groups  acting  worldwide,  which  could 
potentially affect the Company’s growth in specific markets.

Litigation  may  be  necessary  to  enforce  the  Company’s  IP 
rights and determine the validity and scope of the proprietary 
rights of third-parties. Any litigation could result in substantial 
costs and diversion of Company resources and could seriously 
harm the Company’s operating results. The Company may not 
prevail  in  any  such  litigation  and  its  IP  rights  may  be  found 
invalid or unenforceable.

In  order  to  protect  its  IP,  the  Company  regularly  registers 
patents for its most advanced innovations and systematically 
registers  copyrights.  The  Company  continues  to  maintain 
licence compliance programs, which are proving effective.

1.7.1.4  Deployment Delays, Product Errors 

and Defects

sophisticated 

Deploying 
solutions  becomes 
increasingly complex. Such projects need to take into account 
the  Group’s  customer’s  infrastructure  and  diverse  software 
environment.  Appropriate  project  and  change  management 

software 

Finally, an increased uncertainty on trade relationships could 
result in stricter export compliance rules or the modification of 
current tarriffs regimes, which could have a negative effect on 
the Company’s business results.

To  limit  the  impact  of  the  economic  environment  on  its 
business  and  financial  results,  the  Company  continues  to 
further  diversify  its  customer  base  through  expanding  its 
presence in new business sectors and new geographic markets 
Information:  2017 
(see  paragraph  3.1.2  “Consolidated 
Compared to 2016” for the breakdown of consolidated Group 
revenue by geographic region). It also continues to ensure that 
its costs are controlled for the entire organization.

1.7.1.2 

Security of Internal Systems 
and Facilities

The  Company’s  R&D  facilities  are  computer-based  and  rely 
entirely  on  the  proper  functioning  of  complex  software  and 
integrated  hardware  systems.  It  is  not  possible  to  guarantee 
the  uninterrupted  operation  and  complete  security  of  these 
systems.  In  a  context  of  increased  Cyber-attacks  or  Cyber-
intrusion,  the  invasion  of  the  Company’s  computer-based 
systems  by  computer  hackers, 
industrial  pirates,  Cyber 
terrorists  or  foreign  governments  could  interfere  with  their 
proper  functioning  and  cause  substantial  damage,  loss  of 
data  or  delays  in  ongoing  R&D  activities.  It  could  also  lead 
to  damage  to  or  loss  of  data  hosted  by  the  Company  or  its 
third party service providers on behalf of its customers as part 
of  its  cloud  offerings,  or  to  increased  liability  with  respect 
to  interrupted  access  to  online  service.  Computer  viruses, 
whether deliberately or unintentionally introduced, could also 
cause  damage,  loss  or  delays.  The  increasing  use  of  mobile 
devices  (cellular  telephones,  tablets  and  portable  computers) 
linked to certain of the Company’s computer systems tends to 
increase the risk of unauthorized access.

In addition, because the Company’s key facilities are located 
in  a  limited  number  of  sites,  including  Japan  and  California, 
which  may  be  exposed  to  earthquakes,  substantial  physical 
damage to any one of the Company sites, by natural causes or 
by terrorist attack or local violence, could materially reduce its 
ability to continue its normal business operations.

In  order  to  reduce  this  risk,  the  Company  maintains  an 
IT  security  framework,  including  intrusion  protection,  data 
storage back-up and restricted access to critical and sensitive 
information, and also subscribes to insurance policies covering 
these risks (see paragraph 1.7.3 “Insurance”).

Access to sites and security of employees traveling to specific 
countries is also monitored.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 41

1 Presentation of the Group

Risk factors

controls are also critical to the success of deploying complex 
software  solutions  which  impact  a  large  number  of  users 
across multiple organizations and processes. If the Company is 
not able to carefully plan and execute these projects timely, it 
might need to commit additional resources, both financial and 
operational, which could adversely impact its operating result.

Sophisticated  software  also  often  contains  errors,  defects  or 
other  performance  problems  when  first  introduced  or  when 
new versions or enhancements are released. If the Company 
is  not  able  to  correct  in  a  timely  manner  errors  or  defects 
discovered  in  its  current  or  future  products  or  provide  an 
adequate response to its customers, the Company may need 
to  expend  significant  financial,  technical  and  management 
resources,  or  divert  some  of  its  development  resources,  to 
resolve or work around those defects. The Company may also 
incur an increase in its service and warranty costs.

Errors,  defects  or  other  performance  problems 
in  the 
Company’s  products  may  also  result  in  the  loss  of,  or  delay 
in,  the  market  acceptance  of  its  products  or  postponement 
of  customer  deployment.  Such  difficulties  could  also  cause 
the  Company  to  lose  customers  and,  particularly  in  the 
case  of  its  largest  customers,  the  potentially  substantial 
associated  revenues  which  would  have  been  generated  by 
its sales to companies participating in the customer’s supply 
chain.  Technical  problems,  or  the  loss  of  a  customer  with  a 
particularly  important  global  reputation,  could  also  damage 
the Company’s own business reputation and cause the loss of 
new business opportunities.

Because deployment delays, product errors and defects could 
result in significant financial or other damage to its customers, 
such  customers  could  pursue  claims  against  the  Company. 
Any  resulting  claim  brought  against  Dassault  Systèmes, 
even  if  not  successful,  would  likely  be  time  consuming  for 
its  management  and  costly  to  defend  and  could  adversely 
affect the Company’s marketing efforts.  To reduce the risk of 
product errors or defects, the Company carries out advanced 
testing  of  its  new  products,  releases,  and  versions  prior  to 
market launch. The Company also works as closely as possible 
with its customers to ensure successful product installation.

The Company has also subscribed to an “Errors & Omissions” 
insurance  policy  covering  possible  defects  in  its  products, 
although  insurance  carried  by  the  Company  may  only 
partially  offset  the  cost  of  correcting  significant  errors 
(see paragraph 1.7.3 “Insurance”).

1.7.1.5 

Currency Fluctuations

The  Company’s  results  of  operations  can  be  affected  by 
changes  and  high  volatility  in  exchange  rates.  In  particular, 
exchange rate fluctuation of the Japanese yen, the U.S. dollar 
and to a lesser extent the British pound, the Korean won and 
the  Chinese  yuan  relative  to  the  euro,  can  impact  revenues 
and expenses recorded in the Company’s statement of income 
upon translation of other currencies into euro.

The Company bills its customers in major currencies, principally 
euros, U.S. dollars and Japanese yen. The Company also incurs 
expenses in different currencies, principally euros, U.S. dollars 
and  Japanese  yen,  depending  on  the  Company’s  employees 
and  supplier’s  location  in  different  countries.  Moreover,  the 
Company  engages  in  mergers  and  acquisitions,  particularly 
outside  the  euro  zone  and  may  lend  money  in  different 
currencies  to  its  wholly  or  partially  owned  subsidiaries 
or affiliates.

Although  the  Company  currently  benefits  from  a  natural 
coverage  of  most  of  its  exposure  to  U.S.  dollars  from  an 
operating  margin  perspective,  exchange  rate  fluctuation  of 
the U.S. dollar relative to the euro may impact the Company’s 
revenue  and  consequently  its  operating  income,  net  income 
and earnings per share. In addition, the Company’s revenues 
denominated in Japanese yen, Korean won and British pound 
substantially  outweigh  its  expenditures  in  these  currencies. 
As  a  result,  the  Company’s  financial  results  are  exposed  to 
a potential depreciation in the value of these currencies – in 
particular the Japanese yen, and the British Pound to a lesser 
degree – relative to the Euro, which could adversely affect the 
Company’s revenue, as well as its operating income, operating 
margin, net income and earnings per share.

The Company’s net financial revenue can also be significantly 
affected by changes in exchange rates between the time the 
revenue is recognized and when cash payments are received, 
and between the time an expense is recorded and when it is 
paid.  Any  such  differences  are  accounted  for  in  the  “foreign 
exchange  gain/loss”  caption  of  the  Company’s  financial 
statements.

The  main  items  of  financial  income  subject  to  fluctuations 
linked to exchange rates are:

 › the  difference  between  the  exchange  rate  used  to  record 
invoices in foreign currencies and the exchange rate when 
the Company receives or makes the payment; and

 › the 

revaluation  of  monetary  assets  and 

liabilities 

denominated in foreign currencies.

To  address  the  risks  created  by  currency  fluctuations,  the 
Company  carries  out  hedging  operations  on  a  case-by-case 
basis (see Note 21 to the consolidated financial statements).

Since  market  growth  rates  for  the  Company’s  software 
applications  and  the  revenue  growth  rates  of  its  significant 
competitors  are  computed  in  U.S.  dollars,  such  growth  rates 
from period to period may not be comparable to the Company’s 
euro-computed revenue growth rates for the same periods.

Finally,  the  Company  continues  to  maintain  a  strengthened 
review of the quality of its investments and remains vigilant as 
to the liquidity of its assets (see paragraphs 1.7.2.3 “Liquidity 
Risk” and 1.7.2.4 “Credit or Counterparty Risk”).

42 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

1.7.1.6 

Complex International Regulatory 
and Compliance Environment – 
Legal Proceedings

Establishing  or  strengthening  the  Company’s  presence  in 
countries where it previously had not been located or had been 
present only marginally until now, and increasing the breadth 
of its business and the diversity of its customers (particularly 
individuals),  have  added  to  the  complexity  of  the  regulatory 
environment in which the Company operates. The Company 
is  subject  to  complex  and  rapidly  evolving  laws,  regulations 
and requirements. The complex laws and regulations to which 
the  Company  is  subject  apply  to  many  different  fields,  such 
as  general  business  practices,  competitive  practices,  anti-
corruption,  handling  of  personal  data,  consumer  protection, 
financial 
corporate  governance, 
employment  laws,  internal  controls,  local  and  international 
tax regulations and export compliance for high-tech products. 
New regulations introduced in France and in Europe regarding 
business practices, anti-corruption, changes in the applicable 
regulations related to management of personal data have also 
reinforced  the  Company’s  obligations  in  this  ever  increasing 
field. Being listed on the French stock exchange, the Company 
is also  subject to specific requirements and reporting standards.

standards, 

reporting 

in 

result 

increased 

regulatory  scrutiny 

The Company seeks to conduct its business in a wholly ethical 
manner and requires all of its employees, subsidiaries, indirect 
sales channels and third party intermediaries to comply with 
all  applicable  laws  and  regulations.  The  failure  or  suspected 
failure  to  comply  with  any  of  these  laws  and  regulations 
may 
through 
inquiries  or  investigations,  adverse  media  attention  and 
fines and sanctions, as well as an increase in  the Company’s 
litigation risk or negative impact on the Company’s business 
operations,  revenues  or  reputation.  A  number  of  these 
adverse  consequences  could  occur  even  if  it  is  ultimately 
determined  that  there  has  been  no  failure  to  comply.  There 
can  be  no  assurance  that  additional  regulation  in  any  of  the 
jurisdictions  in  which  the  Company  currently  operates,  or 
may  operate  in  the  future,  would  not  significantly  increase 
the  cost  of  regulatory  compliance.  As  further  described  in 
paragraph  1.7.1.9  “Relationships  with  Extended  Enterprise 
Partners”,  the  Company  broadly  relies  on  a  large  number  of 
distributors and value-added resellers to support the licensing 
of its software products and the deployment of its solutions. 
Although the Company has implemented a program to ensure 
that these third parties fully comply with all applicable rules 
and  regulations  and  apply  the  highest  ethical  standards, 
the  Company’s  business  and  reputation  could  be  negatively 
impacted in the event such third parties were to breach any 
local or international laws.

litigation  and  administrative 
The  Company’s 
proceedings also increases as it expands its activities, enhances 
its position and visibility on the software market, and develops 

risk  of 

Presentation of the Group
Risk factors

1

1

new approaches to its business, including product distribution 
and online services. Litigation can be lengthy, expensive, and 
disruptive to the management of Company operations. Results 
cannot be predicted with certainty, and adverse outcomes in 
some or all of the claims pending against the Company may 
result  in  significant  monetary  damages  or  injunctive  relief 
against  the  Company  that  could  adversely  affect  its  ability 
to conduct business. Actual outcomes of litigation and other 
claims  may  differ  from  management  expectations,  which 
could  result  in  a  material  adverse  impact  on  the  Company’s 
financial position and results of operations.

In  order  to  reduce  this  risk,  the  Company  continues  to 
reinforce its Ethics & Compliance program (as further described 
in  paragraph  2.1.5  “Business  Ethics,  Social  Dialogue  and 
Personal Safety”) which in particular requires all employees to 
perform  online  Ethics  &  Compliance  trainings.  Moreover,  the 
Company audits its subsidiaries around the world on a regular 
basis and consults outside experts to validate the compliance 
of various aspects of its practices with applicable regulations. 
The  Company’s  Legal  department,  assisted  by  technical 
experts, also monitors on a regular basis all outstanding claims 
and  litigation  (see  also  paragraph  4.3  “Legal  and  Arbitration 
Proceedings”  and  Note  25  to  the  consolidated  financial 
statements),  some  of  which  may  be  covered  by  insurance 
(see paragraph 1.7.3 “Insurance”).

1.7.1.7 

Competition and Pricing Pressure

In the past few years, there have been fewer competitors in 
the  Company’s  historical  software  markets.  As  the  various 
players  compete  for  market  share,  adoption  by  competitors 
of  business  models  different  from  Dassault  Systèmes’  could 
lead  to  substantial  declines  in  pricing,  which  could  require 
the Company to adapt to a substantially different commercial 
environment. These competitive pricing pressures could cause 
competitive wins by competitors and could negatively impact 
the  Company’s  revenue,  financial  performance  and  market 
position.

At  the  same  time,  by  regularly  expanding  its  product 
portfolio,  entering  new  geographic  markets,  diversifying  its 
client  base  in  new  sectors  of  activity,  and  developing  new 
applications  for  its  products,  the  Company  encounters  new 
competitors. Such competitors could have, as a result of their 
size  or  prior  presence  in  these  markets,  financial,  human  or 
technological resources not readily available to the Company. 
The development of cloud computing offers may also lead to 
new participants entering the market. The Company’s ability 
to expand its competitive position may thus be reduced.

In  the  event  the  Company  has  difficulties  setting  up  the 
organization  needed  to  manage  its  businesses  and  the  new 
competitive  context,  the  revenues,  results  of  operations, 
competitive  position  and  reputation  of  Dassault  Systèmes 
could be negatively impacted.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 43

1 Presentation of the Group

Risk factors

1.7.1.8  Market introduction of a New Services 
Offering for Cloud Computing

Dassault  Systèmes  is  developing  and  distributing  a  services 
offering  for  the  online  use  of  certain  of  its  products  (SaaS) 
based  on  a  cloud  computing  infrastructure.  It  continues  to 
grow its portfolio of software solutions and processes available 
on  the  cloud.  An  inability  to  introduce  such  solutions  at  the 
desired speed, with the appropriate pricing model and with the 
right level of quality could impact the Company’s growth and 
future results, and give rise to technical and legal challenges:

 › the  progressive  roll-out  of  these  services  and  their 
distribution  also  involves  the  deployment  of  new  support 
and management processes (for example, processing orders 
and billing);

 › the  Company  will  also  become  exposed  to  a  complex 
legal  environment  and  could  have 
risk 
regarding  regulatory  compliance  in  the  countries  where  it 
has  operations,  in  particular  with  respect  to  data  privacy, 
consumer laws and data confidentiality;

increased 

 › In  case  of  difficulties  in  providing  its  clients  with  online 
services  under  appropriate  conditions,  potentially  leading 
to  interruption  of  services  or  loss  of  data,  the  Company’s 
revenues,  results  of  operations  and  competitive  position, 
as  well  as  the  reputation  of  Dassault  Systèmes,  could  be 
negatively affected.

The Company is seeking to minimize these risks by developing 
alliances with partners with recognized technical capabilities, 
by  setting  up  the  appropriate  internal  processes  to  master 
the  required  cloud  enabling  technologies  and  by  simulating 
and  controlling,  to  the  extent  possible,  the  technical,  legal 
and financial consequences of processes put in place to serve 
its customers.

1.7.1.9  Relationships with Extended 
Enterprise Partners

The  Company’s  3DEXPERIENCE  strategy  requires  a  fully 
integrated  platform  with  access  to  computer-aided  design 
(“CAD”),  simulation,  collaboration,  manufacturing  and  data 
management  products,  which  are 
increasingly  complex 
and  for  which  customer  installations  represent  significant 
enterprise projects. To implement its 3DEXPERIENCE strategy, 
Dassault  Systèmes  has  continued  to  develop  an  extended 
enterprise model and partners with other companies in areas 
such as:

 › computer  hardware  and  technology,  to  maximize  benefits 

from available technology;

44 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

 › product  development,  to  enable  software  developers  to 
create  and  market  their  own  software  applications  using 
Dassault Systèmes’ open product architecture; and

 › consulting  and  services,  to  support  and  assist  customers 
as  needed  to  deploy  Industry  Solution  Experiences  on  the 
3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The  Company  believes  that  its  partnering  strategy  allows  it 
to  benefit  from  complementary  resources  and  skills,  and  to 
reduce  costs  while  achieving  broader  market  coverage.  The 
Company’s  broad  partnering  strategy  nevertheless  creates  a 
degree of dependency on such partners.

In  addition  to  its  own  sales  force,  the  Company  also  relies 
on  an  international  network  of  distributors  and  value-added 
resellers. The type of relationship that the Company has with 
its  distributors  and  value-added  resellers,  as  well  as  their 
financial and technical reliability, could impact the Company’s 
ability to sell and deploy its product and service offerings.

The  Company’s  ability  to  establish  partner  relationships  for 
the development, sale and deployment of its 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform is an important element of its strategy.

Serious  difficulties  in  the  Company’s  relationships  with  its 
partners, or an unfavorable change of control of these partners, 
may  adversely  affect  the  Company’s  product  and  business 
development,  and  could  cause  it  to  lose  the  contribution  of 
the  employees  or  contractors  of  the  Company’s  partners, 
particularly in the area of R&D. In addition, any failure by the 
Company’s partners to deliver products of quality or according 
to the expected timing may cause delays in the delivery of, or 
deficiencies in, the Company’s own products.

Due to the rapid evolution of the software development and 
distribution  sectors,  it  is  difficult  to  ensure  the  long-term 
success  of  the  Company’s  relationship  with  any  particular 
partner.  As  the  Company  strives  to  expand  its  coverage  and 
network  of  distributors  and  partners,  it  applies  thorough 
processes in evaluating each potential distributor or partners’ 
technical and financial viability, whenever entering into a new 
relationship.

1.7.1.10  Organizational and Operational 

Challenges Arising from the Evolution 
of the Company

its  addressable  market 

Dassault  Systèmes  has  continued  to  expand  through 
acquisitions and internal development, and has substantially 
launching 
increased 
3DEXPERIENCE.  The  Company’s  management  policies  and 
internal  systems  must  be  adapted  on  an  on-going  basis 
to  meet  the  needs  of  a  larger,  more  complex  structure  and 
implement the Company’s strategy to reach a broader market. 

through 

Presentation of the Group
Risk factors

1

 › the  number, 

significance  of  product 
enhancements or new products that the Company develops 
or that are released by its competitors;

timing  and 

1

 › general conditions in the Company’s software markets (as 
a  whole  or  on  a  regional  basis)  and  the  software  industry 
generally; and

 › the increased complexity in planning and forecasting as new 
business  models  are  introduced  alongside  the  traditional 
licensing model of the industry.

A substantial portion of the Company’s orders and shipments 
typically  occur  in  the  last  month  of  each  quarter,  and, 
therefore,  if  any  delay  occurs  in  the  timing  of  significant 
orders,  the  Company  may  experience  quarterly  fluctuations 
in  its  results  of  operations.  Additionally,  as  is  typical  in  the 
software applications industry, the Company has historically 
experienced  its  highest  licensing  activity  for  the  year  during 
the  last  quarter  of  the  year.  Delays  in  orders  and  shipments 
can also affect the Company’s revenue and income.

The  trading  price  of  the  Dassault  Systèmes’  shares  may  be 
subject to wide fluctuations in response to quarterly variations 
in the Company’s operating results and the operating results 
of  other  software  application  developers  in  the  Company’s 
markets.

1.7.1.12  Rapidly Changing and Complex 

Technologies

The  Company’s  software  solutions  are  characterized  by 
the  use  of  rapidly  changing  technologies  and  frequent  new 
product  introductions  or  enhancements.  These  solutions 
must  address  complex  engineering  needs  in  various  areas 
of  product  design,  simulation  and  manufacturing,  and  must 
also  meet  sophisticated  process  requirements  in  the  areas 
of  change  management,  industrial  collaboration  and  cross-
enterprise work.

As a result, the Company’s success is highly dependent upon 
its ability to:

 › understand  its  customers’  complex  needs  in  different 
business  sectors,  and  support  them  in  reengineering  key 
product  lifecycle  processes,  managing  the  migration  of 
substantial amounts of data in the process;

 › enhance its existing solutions by developing more advanced 

technologies;

 › anticipate  and  take  timely  advantage  of  quickly  evolving 

technologies and standards; and

The Company must continue to reorganize itself to maintain 
efficiency and operational excellence while ensuring customer 
retention  and  the  integration  of  newly  acquired  companies. 
It  must  also  continue  to  focus  on  quality  of  execution  while 
maintaining innovation.

As  its  organization  evolves,  the  Company  must  also  ensure 
the profiles and competencies of its employee are constantly 
upgraded and adapted.

If  the  Company  does  not  address  these  issues  effectively 
and on a timely basis, the Company’s product development, 
internal  processes,  cost  management  and  commercial 
operations  could  be  impacted  or  fail  to  satisfy  adequately 
market or customer demands, which could negatively impact 
its financial or operational performance.

In addition, in order to realize acquisitions or investments, the 
Company may need to allocate significant financial resources, 
make potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities or incur 
debt.

Moreover,  these  operations  may  require  the  Company  to 
recognize  amortization  of  acquired  intangible  assets  and/or 
depreciation  of  goodwill  in  case  of  impairment  (see  Note  2 
to  the  consolidated  financial  statements).  Minority  interests 
in  unaffiliated  partners  or  other  investments  may  also  have 
to  be  written  down  in  the  Company  accounts  as  a  result  of 
impairment. Acquired companies may also carry risks related 
to  off-balance  sheet  commitments,  including  litigation  risk 
related  to  pre-acquisition  events  (such  as  IP  or  tax  claims). 
Each  of  these  potential  consequences  of  an  investment  or 
acquisition  could  reduce  the  Company’s  operating  margin, 
net income or cash.

The Company seeks to adjust on a regular basis its organization 
and management model to support its current level of growth 
by enhancing its geographic-based organization and providing 
a consistent client experience around the globe. It has also put 
in  place  a  dedicated  integration  process  to  establish  a  clear 
path to convergence for its acquisitions.

1.7.1.11  Variability in Quarterly Operating 

Results

The  Company’s  quarterly  operating  results  may  vary 
significantly in the future, depending on factors such as:

 › the timing, the seasonality and cyclical nature of revenues 
received  due  to  the  signing  of  important  new  customer 
orders,  the  completion  of  major  service  contracts  or 
customer deployments;

 › the timing of any significant acquisition or divestiture;

 › introduce  new  solutions  in  a  cost-competitive  and  timely 

 › fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

 › the Company’s ability to develop, introduce and market new 
and enhanced versions of its products and customer order 
deferrals in anticipation of these new or enhanced products;

manner.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 45

1 Presentation of the Group

Risk factors

The  Company  also  continues  to  face  the  challenge  of  the 
increasingly  complex  integration  of  its  products’  different 
functionalities  to  address  customers’  requirements.  As  a 
result, more difficult industrialization work is required for new 
releases  and  offerings,  with  limitations  on  the  options  for 
interfacing with third-party systems installed at the customer. 
In  addition,  if  the  Company  is  not  successful  in  anticipating 
technological 
leaps  and  developing  new  solutions  and 
services that address its customers’ increasingly sophisticated 
expectations, demand for its products could decline, and the 
Company’s results of operations and financial condition could 
be negatively affected.

To reduce this risk and keep abreast or ahead of technological 
developments  which  may  affect  its  products,  the  Company 
commits  substantial  resources  to  the  development  of  new 
offerings. It also maintains close and regular contacts with its 
key  customers  to  identify  and  capture  their  emerging  needs 
and  to  offer  the  most  adapted  solutions.  In  addition,  the 
Company provides training courses to its R&D teams on new 
technologies. Complementing its internal R&D, the Company 
seeks  to  maintain  an  active  monitoring  of  third-party 
technologies  that  it  might  acquire  to  improve  its  technology 
offerings where appropriate.

1.7.1.13  Retention of Key Personnel 

and Executives

The Company’s success depends to a significant extent upon 
the continued service of its key managers and highly qualified 
personnel,  in  particular  in  R&D,  technical  support  and  sales 
management, and on its ability to continue to attract, retain 
and motivate qualified personnel, as well as keep their skills 
continuously up to date in line with the organizational needs. 
In particular, if the Company fails to hire on a timely basis and 
retain highly skilled sales forces, revenue could be negatively 
impacted.  The  competition  for  such  employees  is  intense, 
and  if  the  Company  loses  the  ability  to  hire  and  retain  key 
employees and executives with a diverse and high level of skills 
in appropriate domains (such as R&D, strategy, marketing and 
sales), it could have a material adverse impact on its business 
activities  and  operating  results.  The  Company  does  not 
maintain insurance with respect to the loss of key personnel.

In order to limit this risk, the Company has put in place training, 
career  development  and  long-term  compensation  incentives 
to  attract  and  retain  key  personnel  and  executives,  and  has 
also  diversified  its  R&D  resources  in  different  regions  of  the 
world. The identification of key personnel also constitutes an 
important  step  in  the  process  of  integrating  newly  acquired 
companies into the Company.

1.7.1.14 

Infringement of Third-Party 
Intellectual Property Rights and 
of Third-Party Technology’s Licenses

Third-parties,  including  the  Company’s  competitors,  may 
own or obtain copyrights, patents or other proprietary rights 
that  could  restrict  the  Company’s  ability  to  further  develop, 
use  or  sell  its  own  product  portfolio.  Dassault  Systèmes  has 
received,  and  may  in  the  future  receive,  letters  of  complaint 
alleging  that  its  products  infringe  the  patents  and  other  IP 
rights of others. Such claims could cause the Company to incur 
substantial costs to defend itself in any litigation which may 
be  brought,  regardless  of  its  merits.  If  the  Company  fails  to 
prevail in IP litigation, it may be required to:

 › cease  making,  licensing  or  using  the  products  or  services 

that incorporate the challenged IP;

 › obtain and pay for licenses from the holder of the infringed 
IP right, which might not be available on acceptable terms 
for Dassault Systèmes, if at all; or

 › redesign its products, which could involve substantial costs 
and require the Company to interrupt product licensing and 
product releases, or which may not be feasible at all.

In addition, the Company embeds in its products an increasing 
number  of  third-party  components  selected  either  by  the 
Company itself or by companies which it acquires over time. 
Although Dassault Systèmes has implemented strict approval 
processes to certify the originality of third-party components 
and  verify  any  corresponding  licensing  terms,  the  same 
approval processes may not have been adopted by companies 
acquired by Dassault Systèmes before their acquisition. As a 
result,  the  use  of  third-party  embedded  components  in  the 
Company’s  products  generates  exposure  to  the  risk  that  a 
third-party will claim that these components infringe their IP 
rights. Also, due to the use of third-party components, there 
is  also  a  risk  that  such  license(s)  might  expire  or  terminate 
without renewal, thereby affecting certain Company products.

If any of the above situations were to occur for a significant 
product,  it  could  have  a  material  adverse  impact  on  the 
Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

The  Company  seeks  to  limit  this  risk  through  a  process  for 
certifying the origins of its products with respect to IP before 
making them available for sale.

46 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Presentation of the Group
Risk factors

1

shares,  representing  55.30%  of  the  exercisable  voting  rights 
(54.61%  of  theoretical  rights)  as  of  December  31,  2017.  As 
more fully described in paragraph 6.3 “Information about the 
Shareholders”, GIMD plays a decisive role with respect to matters 
submitted to shareholders, including the election and removal 
of  directors  and  the  approval  of  any  merger,  consolidation  or 
sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.

1

interest  at  floating  rates.  Therefore,  the  Company’s  interest 
rate risk is primarily related to a reduction of financial revenue. 
See Notes 20 and 21 to the consolidated financial statements.

1.7.2.2 

Foreign Currency Risk

See  paragraph  1.7.1.5  “Currency  Fluctuations”  above  and 
Note 21 to the consolidated financial statements.

1.7.2.3 

Liquidity Risk

The  Company  has  a  low  liquidity  risk.  As  of  December  31, 
2017,  the  Company’s  cash,  cash  equivalents  and  short-
term  investments  totaled  €2.46  billion.  See  Note  12  to  the 
consolidated financial statements.

The  Company  has  analyzed  the  amounts  it  will  be  required 
to  pay  under  its  contractual  commitments  at  December  31, 
2017. The Company believes that it will be able to meet such 
obligations.

1.7.1.15  Technology Stock Volatility

Under conditions of increased market uncertainty, the trading 
price  of  the  Company’s  shares  could  be  volatile.  The  market 
for shares of technology companies has in the past been more 
volatile than the stock market overall.

1.7.1.16  Shareholder Base

Groupe  Industriel  Marcel  Dassault  SAS  (“GIMD”),  main  Group 
shareholder,  owned  40.87 %  of  the  Company’s  outstanding 

1.7.2  Financial and Market Risks

The Company’s overall risk management policy is based upon 
the  prudent  management  of  the  Company’s  market  risks, 
primarily foreign currency exchange risk and interest rate risk. 
The  Company’s  programs  with  respect  to  the  management 
of these risks, including the use of hedging instruments, are 
discussed in Note 21 to the consolidated financial statements. 
The  Company’s  exposure  to  these  risks  may  change  over 
time  and  there  can  be  no  assurance  that  the  benefits  of  the 
Company’s  risk  management  policies  will  exceed  the  related 
costs. Such changes could have a materially adverse impact on 
the Company’s financial results.

The Company generates positive cash flows from operations 
and has financial obligations (e.g., bank loans, loan facilities, 
employee  profit-sharing),  but  the  Company’s  cash  position 
net of debt is positive throughout the year.

1.7.2.1 

Interest Rate Risk

The Company’s cash surplus generally earns interest at fixed 
or  floating  market  rates,  while  the  Company’s  debt  carries 

The following table summarizes the Company’s principal contractual obligations to make future payments as of December 31, 2017.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

(in thousands of euros)

Operating lease obligations(1)

Loan facilities(2)

Employee profit-sharing

TOTAL

Total

502,724

1,035,579

61,991

Less than
1 year

84,733

13,466

61,991

Payments due by period

1-3 years

145,021

366,254

-

3-5 years

106,347

655,859

-

More than 
5 years

166,623

-

-

1,600,294

160,190

511,275

762,206

166,623

(1)  Including €226.7 million of future minimum rental payments for the Company’s headquarters facilities in France (3DS Paris Campus) and €117.4 million of future minimum 

rental payments for the American subsidiaries’ facilities located in Waltham near Boston, United States (see Note 25 to the consolidated financial statements).

(2)  Including interests on the €350 million and €650 million term loan facilities (see Note 20 to the consolidated financial statements). The variable component of the future cash 

flows from loan interests was calculated using the spot Euribor rate 1 month on December 31, 2017.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 47

1 Presentation of the Group

Risk factors

1.7.2.4 

Credit or Counterparty Risk

1.7.2.5 

Equity Risk

For  cash  management  purposes,  the  Company  does  not 
directly  invest  in  listed  shares,  or  any  material  amounts 
in  funds  invested  primarily  in  or  indexed  to  stocks.  The 
Company’s financial results are therefore not significantly and 
directly linked to stock market variations.

The  financial  instruments  which  could  expose  the  Company 
to  credit  risk  include  principally  its  cash  equivalents,  short-
term  investments  and  customer  receivables.  The  hedging 
agreements  entered  into  with  financial  institutions  pursuant 
to  its  policy  for  managing  currency  and  interest  rate  risks 
also  expose  the  Company  to  credit  and  counterparty  risk. 
See  Notes  12,  13  and  21  to  the  consolidated  financial 
statements.  The  Company  uses  a  rigorous  selection  process 
for  its  counterparts  according  to  credit  quality,  based  on 
several criteria including agency ratings and depending on the 
maturity dates of the transactions.

1.7.3 

Insurance

Dassault Systèmes is insured by several insurance companies 
for  all  significant  risks.  Most  of  these  risks  are  covered 
either  by  insurance  policies  underwritten  in  France  for  the 
whole  Group,  or  by  a  North  American  policy  that  covers  all 
the  North  American  subsidiaries  and  their  own  subsidiaries 
and  branches  around  the  world.  In  addition,  the  Company 
subscribes to specific coverage and/or local policies to comply 
with applicable local regulations or to meet the specific needs 
of certain activities or projects.

All of the Group’s companies are protected by a policy covering 
professional  and  product  liability  as  well  as  civil  liability  for 
operations for a total insured value of €100 million for 2017.

In 2017, the Group renewed its Directors and Officer’s Liability 
Policy for Dassault Systèmes SE and its subsidiaries for a total 
insured amount of €50 million.

The  Company  also  carries  insurance  to  cover  computer  risks 
in  an  amount  equal  to  the  value  of  its  computer  equipment 
and coverage for damage to goods, in the Company’s various 
locations.

Based  on  the  legal  requirements  applicable  in  each  country, 
the North American companies and most of their subsidiaries 
have  specific  insurance  cover.  This  insurance  includes  in 
particular coverage for damage to goods, computer risks, loss 
of  business  and  operational  civil  liability  and  professional 
liability.  In  connection  with  this  insurance,  the  Company 
also has coverage for work-related accidents and automobile 
accidents.  As  additional  coverage  for  the  various  insurance 
policies  covering  the  North  American  companies  and  their 
subsidiaries,  Dassault  Systèmes  carries  an  “umbrella”  policy 
for a maximum amount of $25 million.

The  insurance  policies  are  regularly  reviewed  and  may  be 
modified to reflect changes in the revenue, the integration of 
newly acquired companies, activities and risks of the different 
companies within the Group.

Dassault  Systèmes  has  not  established  captive  insurance 
coverage.

48 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

2

SOCIAL, SOCIETAL 
AND ENVIRONMENTAL 
RESPONSIBILITY

2.1  Social and Societal Responsibility 

50

2.3  Vigilance Plan 

CONTENTS

2.4  Independent Verifier’s Report 
on Consolidated Social, 
Environmental and Societal 
Information Presented 
in the Management Report 

2.5  Statutory Auditors’ Attestation 
on the information relating 
to the Dassault Systèmes SE’s total 
amount paid for sponsorship 

2.1.1  Group Organization and Workforce 

2.1.2  Attracting and Developing Talented Individuals 

2.1.3  Welcoming employees who have joined the Group 

via recently acquired companies 

51

54

61

2.1.4  Rewarding Performance and Recognizing Employees  62

2.1.5  Business ethics, social dialogue and personal safety  64

2.1.6  Methodology for Employee Reporting 

2.1.7  Appendices regarding the Group’s Employee 

Headcount 

2.2  Environmental Responsibility 

67

68

70

2.2.1  The Group’s vision for environmental responsibility  70

2.2.2  Responsible Company 

2.2.3  Responsible Employee 

2.2.4  Responsible Partner 

2.2.5  Methodology for Environmental Reporting 

2.2.6  Industrial and Environmental Risk 

2.2.7  Financial risks linked to climate change 

and measures taken to reduce them through 
the implementation of a low-carbon strategy 

71

79

80

81

82

82

83

84

87

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 49

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Social and Societal Responsibility

“the  3DEXPERIENCE  Company”, 
Dassault  Systèmes, 
constantly  strives  to  provide  businesses  and  individuals 
with  3D  universes  that  allow  them  to  imagine  sustainable 
innovations capable of harmonizing products, nature and life. 
Through this ambition, we contribute to the improvement of 
society and the quality of the environment.

By their very nature, virtual universes and the experimentation 
they  allow  provide  possible  answers  to  society’s  major 
challenges,  in  areas  such  as  the  environment,  health  and 
education. Virtual universes are essential for better planning, 

better collaboration and better learning. The 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform thus enables our customers to envision new ways of 
imagining, creating and producing.

The Group’s 16,140 employees are driven by this ambition.

In January 2018, we have been ranked first among the 2018 
Top 100 Most Sustainable Corporations by Corporate Knights 
for our vision and for implementing this vision in everything 
that we do. We have also been recognized in various sustainable 
development indexes and rankings, including the FTSE 4Good 
and the Carbon Disclosure Project.

2.1  Social and Societal Responsibility

Our employees are the Group’s most precious assets. They are 
at the heart of our ambition (harmonizing product, nature and 
life), and long-term development. Sharing a common culture 
and the same values is of capital importance as they underpin 
the  employees’  daily  interactions  within  the  Company,  with 
its  customers  and  more  broadly  in  its  ecosystem.  They  are 
Dassault  Systèmes’  distinctive  feature,  making  everyone 
eager to work together and grow.

In  light  of  our  rapid  growth,  the  innovative  environment  in 
which  we  operate,  and  the  growing  number  of  markets  we 
reach, our main social and societal challenges are as follows:

Developing knowledge, know-how and leadership 
with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is the catalyst for the continuous 
development of knowledge, know-how and leadership of our 
employees  and  ecosystem.  This  strategy  is  based  on  three 
pillars:

 › A  major  challenge  for  our  constantly  growing  Group  is  to 
integrate and train new employees. We have an employee 
onboarding and support program provided from the very first 
day  through  the  3DS  University  and  online  communities, 
offering  instant  access  to  information  concerning  the 
Company, the organizations and the projects, and allowing 
for faster skill acquisition;

 › Through certification programs, employees can continually 
upgrade  their  skills  and  expertise  in  order  to  progress  in 
their jobs and within the Company;

 › A  new  performance  review  model  was  introduced  in 
2017.  It  takes  into  account  the  employees’  know-how 
and attitude, thereby setting the Company on a course of 
exemplary employee behavior in order to build solid long-
term  relationships  within  our  internal  network  and  our 
ecosystem of customers and partners.

Preparing the “workforce of the future”
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform makes use of our technologies 
and  our  talents  to  address  a  major  challenge  in  our  society: 
preparing  the  “workforce  of  the  future”  for  tomorrow’s  jobs 
and economic models.

The Dassault Systèmes Foundation – set up in 2015 in France, 
in 2016 in the United States, and in 2017 in India – provides 
support to the world of education, research centers, and general-
interest organizations (non-profit organizations, museums, etc.) 
by transforming the learning experience. By placing powerful 3D 
technologies at the heart of education and research methods, it 
aims to develop environments that stimulate creativity in order 
to harmonize products, nature and life.

Our  Global  Academia  Workforce  of  the  Future  organization 
collaborates  with  a  global  network  of  partners  to  transform 
the  education  system  –  from  primary  school  to  university  – 
to  meet  business  needs.  Through  innovative,  holistic  and 
interdisciplinary  programs  based  on  our  solutions  and  our 
technologies, we help to prepare the talents of the future.

The  3DEXPERIENCE  Lab,  an  innovation  laboratory  opened 
within  the  Company  in  2015,  helps  innovative  external 
startups  to  develop.  This  initiative  gives  our  employees  the 

50 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

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2

opportunity to get involved in new projects, enabling them to 
share their knowledge and gain new skills.

In  2017,  Dassault  Systèmes  set  up  two  3DEXPERIENCE 
centers – one in Hamburg, Germany, and the other in Wichita 
in the United States. Providing an advanced product creation 
and  development  environment,  the  3DEXPERIENCE  Center 
Network is a group of innovation laboratories which connects 
technology,  industry,  regulatory  authorities  and  researchers 
to shape the future of aviation and other industries. Through 
these  centers,  we  offer  our  customers  our  expertise,  in 
combination  with  our  solutions,  to  help  them  reinvent  their 
ways of designing their products.

The different indicators related to these challenges and, more 
broadly, the human resources initiatives implemented within 
the Group are presented below:

 › Group Organization and Workforce (2.1.1);

 › Attracting and developing talented individuals (2.1.2);

 › Welcoming  employees  who  have  joined  the  Group  via 

recently acquired companies (2.1.3);

 › Rewarding performance and recognizing employees (2.1.4);

 › Business ethics, social dialogue and personal safety (2.1.5).

is  described 

The  methodology 
in  paragraph  2.1.6 
“Methodology  for  Employee  Reporting”  and  additional 
information  is  presented  in  paragraph  2.1.7  “Appendices 
regarding the Group’s Employee Headcount”.

2

2.1.1  Group Organization and Workforce

Our Group is organized into major fields of activity: R&D; Sales, 
Marketing and Services; Administration and Other Functions. 
They cover our main markets (see paragraph 1.5.2 “Dassault 
Systèmes’  offering”)  across  three  large  geographic  regions 
(Europe, Americas and Asia). The Total Workforce is made up 
of  employees  and  service  providers  of  subsidiaries  in  which 
the Group has more than a 50% shareholding.

The  data  related  to  the  workforce  presented  in  this  report 
is  expressed  in  Full  Time  Equivalents  according  to  the 
methodology  defined 
in  paragraph  2.1.6  “Methodology 
for  Employee  Reporting”.  The  other  indicators  used  are  also 
explained in this paragraph.

Overview and growth of Total Workforce
As  of  December  31,  2017,  the  Total  Workforce  was  16,140  up  6.7%  compared  to  December  31,  2016.  The  change  in  Total 
Workforce over the last three years is set forth below:

Year ended December 31

2017

2016

2015

Employees

15,229*

12,100

11,422

Service 
Providers

911

779

405

3D PLM

-**

2,254

2,147

Total
Workforce

Percentage 
change

16,140

15,133

13,974

6.7%

8.3%

5.0%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM Software Solutions Limited and 3DPLM Global Services Private Limited (“3DPLM”) were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the 

full acquisition of 3DPLM.

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Social and Societal Responsibility

Overview and growth of Employee Headcount

Growth of  Employee Headcount 
As of December 31, 2017, the Employee Headcount increased 
26% year over year to 15,229 full-time equivalent employees, 
located  in  41  countries  and  originating  from  130  different 
countries. This growth is due to recruitments and acquisitions 
carried  out  in  2017,  in  particular  the  integration  of  3DPLM 

Distribution by geographic region

employees,  which  significantly  changed  the  proportions 
shown in the Employee Headcount indicators reported below.

For more details, see paragraph 2.1.2.1. “Attracting talented 
individuals  –  Movements  in  Employee  Headcount  over  the 
period”.

Year ended December 31

Employees

% Employees

% Employees

% Employees

2017

2016

6,810

6,469

45%

53%

3,721

3,571

24% 4,698**

31% 15,229*

30%

2,060

17%

12,100

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

Distribution by activity

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Total

Year ended December 31

R&D

Sales, Marketing and Services

Administration and other

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

2,611

3,310

889

38%

49%

13%

1,144

2,139

438

31%

57%

12%

2,122

2,063

513

45%

44%

11%

5,877

7,512

1,840

39%

49%

12%

4,021

6,582

1,497

%

100%

100%

%

33%

55%

12%

TOTAL

6,810

100%

3,721

100% 4,698**

100% 15,229*

100%

12,100

100%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

Distribution by gender

The proportion of women in the Group is 23%, which is representative of parity in universities and in High Tech work environment .

Year ended December 31

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Total

Women

Men

TOTAL

1,560

5,250

6,810

23%

77%

100%

869

2,852

3,721

23%

77%

1,091

3,607

23%

77%

3,520

11,709

23%

77%

2,880

9,220

100% 4,698**

100% 15,229*

100%

12,100

100%

%

24%

76%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

Other characteristics of Employee Headcount
As of December 31, 2017, the key figures to note are as follows 
(indicator verified by the independent verifier in 2017):

 › 14%  of  Dassault  Systèmes’  3,520  female  employees  and 

21% of its 11,709 male employees are Managers;

 › 99% of Employees worked under permanent contracts;

 › out of the 2,898 Managers, 17% are women.

 › Managers account for 19% of the headcount;

These figures remained stable versus 2016. The breakdown of 
this information and additional information with regard to the 
distribution by age and seniority are presented in paragraph 2.1.7 
“Appendices regarding the Group’s Employee Headcount”.

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Outside service providers and sub-contracting
Dassault Systèmes regularly calls on outside service providers 
when  it  requires  resources  with  specific  know-how  or  for 
projects with a limited duration.

The cost of using outside service providers in 2017 amounted 
to  €107.6  million  compared  to  €101.6  million  in  2016 
representing a small amount in relation to Dassault Systèmes’ 

operating  expenses  (€2.50  billion  in  2017  and  €2.38  billion 
in 2016).

On  December  31,  2017,  911  outside  service  providers  (data 
expressed  in  full-time  equivalents)  worked  for  the  Group. 
Major  projects  conducted  in  2017  required  higher  use  of 
outside service providers than in previous year.

2

Year ended December 31

Employees

% Employees

% Employees

% Employees

2017

2016

422

283

46%

36%

216

258

24%

33%

273

238

30%

31%

911

779

%

100%

100%

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

We only establish contractual relationships with sub-contractors 
that respect the fundamental laws and regulations concerning 
labor rights and environmental protection (see “Principles of 
Enterprise Social Responsibility and commitments to ensuring 
respect for basic rights” in paragraph 2.1.5 “Business ethics, 
social dialogue and personal safety”).

Work o rganization

Work time
In each country where our Group has operations, the length 
of  the  workweek  is  determined  according  to  local  legal 
requirements.

For example, in France, work time is determined according to 
whether an employee is under the system of annual working 
days  (forfait  jours)  or  the  hourly  system  (régime  horaire). 
Employees  under  the  system  of  annual  working  days  work 
a  predefined  number  of  days  per  calendar  year  and  other 
employees work a certain number of hours as defined by local 
labor agreements in force within each company.

In most of the other countries where we operate, the workweek 
is  set  at  40  hours.  This  is  the  case  in  Germany,  the  United 
Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, Canada, 
Japan,  Malaysia,  China,  South  Korea  and  India.  In  Australia, 
the workweek is 38 hours.

Full-time and part-time
98% of the Employee Headcount works on a full-time basis. 
5% of women and 1% of men work on a part-time basis. These 
figures are stable versus 2016. Full details on the information 
pertaining  to  this  indicator  are  presented  in  paragraph  2.1.7 
“Appendices regarding the Group’s Employee Headcount”.

Absenteeism
Absenteeism is tracked locally in accordance with regulations 
applicable in the different countries where Dassault Systèmes 
operates  (indicator  verified  by  the  independent  verifier  in 
2017).  Our  Group  does  not  have  a  harmonized  system  for 
managing absenteeism throughout its subsidiaries.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 53

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Social and Societal Responsibility

While remaining at a relatively low level in numerous countries, absenteeism rose between 2016 and 2017:

Absenteeism (%)

France

Germany

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Poland

United States

Canada

India

Malaysia

Australia

China

South Korea

Japan

2017

2.4%

4.7%

1.8%

1.3%

3.4%*

2.5%

3.8%

2016

2.3%

4.3%

0.6%

2.7%

-

2.0%

2.5%

0.7%**

Less than 0.5%

3.7%

2.9%

1.6%

3.9%

1.6%

0.8%

Less than 0.5% Less than 0.5%

Less than 0.5% Less than 0.5%

Country added to the reporting scope in 2017.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

In France, in 2017, the reasons for employees not reporting 
for work, excluding annual leave, were as follows: illness for 
13,310 days, maternity and paternity leaves for 5,944 days, 
workplace and commuting accidents for 242 days. The total 
number  of  authorized  absences  (such  as  parental  leave  and 
leave  for  family  events  excluding  paid  leave)  was  2,996.5 
days  at  the  end  of  2017,  or  0.4%  of  the  number  of  days 
theoretically worked, compared to 0.5% in 2016.

The  absenteeism  rate  remains  very  low  in  South  Korea  and 
India  (less  than  0.75%),  where  absenteeism  for  reasons  of 
short-term  illness  is  difficult  to  ascertain  as  it  is  included  in 
paid leaves.

2.1.2  Attracting and Developing Talented Individuals

2.1.2.1  Attracting talented individuals

To work for Dassault Systèmes, it is important to have a passion 
for technological innovation, a desire to work in a collaborative 
manner and constantly learn, as well as have an appetite for 
challenge; a mindset which upholds our Group’s values.

Employees  are  mainly  recruited  locally  under  permanent 
contracts, thus contributing to economic growth in each of the 
41 countries in which we operate. As of December 31, 2017, 
three-quarters of our Group’s employees were based outside 
France and we had employees from 130 different countries.

In general, all available positions are first published internally, 
then externally and priority is given to internal promotion over 
external recruitment when the skills level is equal.

Recruitment  is  a  priority  for  Dassault  Systèmes,  in  order  to 
meet  the  requirements  generated  by  our  growth.  We  aim  to 
be  recognized  as  an  exemplary  employer  that  contributes  to 
the  development  of  all  of  its  people  (permanent  employees, 
apprentices  and 
interns);  we  build  relationships  with 
educational  establishments  and  universities  in  the  major 
countries  in  which  we  operate.  Initiatives  are  undertaken  in 
the vast majority of the countries where we have facilities (see 
also paragraph 2.1.2.3 “Developing relations with the social, 
regional and community environment”).

Moreover,  we  offer  our  employees  an  attractive  working 
environment.  Many  of  our  facilities  boast  excellent  green 
ratings, with infrastructures conducive to teamwork.

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  Movements in Employee Headcount over the period

A rrivals (Full-time Equivalent)
The employee arrivals carried out in 2017 stem from acquisitions, in particular the integration of 3DPLM employees, and direct 
recruiting efforts.

Year ended December 31

Permanent contracts

Temporary contracts

TOTAL

Europe

Americas

Asia**

Total

Total

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

920

130

88%

12%

1,050

100%

469

10

479

98%

2%

3,103

39

99%

1%

4,492

179

95%

5%

1,775

141

100% 3,142**

100%

4,671*

100%

1,916

100%

2

%

93%

7%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

Europe

Americas

Asia**

Total

Total

Year ended December 31

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

Women

Men

TOTAL

303

747

29%

71%

1,050

100%

93

386

479

19%

81%

704

2,438

22%

78%

1,100

3,571

24%

76%

100% 3,142**

100%

4,671*

100%

519

1,397

1,916

%

27%

73%

100%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

The breakdown of employees recruited by type of activity is 
as follows: 38% in Sales, Marketing and Services, 50% in R&D, 
12% in Administration and other.

Additional  Information  with  regard  to  the  age  pyramid  is 
presented  in  paragraph  2.1.7  “Appendices  regarding  the 
Group’s Employee Headcount”.

D epartures (Full-Time Equivalent)
In 2017, 1,553 employees left the Company. Departures were broken down as follows:

Year ended December 31

Permanent contracts

Temporary contracts

TOTAL

Europe

Americas

Asia**

Total

Total

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

512

162

674

76%

24%

100%

324

5

98%

2%

526

24

96%

4%

1,362

191

88%

12%

1,072

140

329

100%

550**

100%

1,553*

100%

1,212*

100%

%

88%

12%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

On average, the attrition rate was 9.6% in 2017 versus 9.4% in 2016 excluding temporary contracts.

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2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Social and Societal Responsibility

2.1.2.2  Developing, training and recognizing 

expertise, managing the careers 
of Dassault Systèmes employees

In  2017,  these  programs  represented  339,251  hours  of 
training  and  certification,  covering  89%  of  employees 
worldwide.

3DS University
“Passion to Learn” is one of Dassault Systèmes’ core values. 
This core value is driven by the mission of the 3DS University, 
which  is  to  offer  development  initiatives  in  line  with  our 
activities.  Via  its  application,  the  3DS  University  offers  all 
our  employees  and  partners  a  full  range  of  training  services 
(online, classroom, e-classes) in areas of expertise focused on 
our solutions and business lines.

Knowledge and Know-How
The knowledge and understanding of our values, and sharing 
a  common  language  through  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform 
are essential for our employees to adopt and engage with our 
corporate culture and ecosystem.

From the very first day, the 3DS University strives to impart 
to each employee the fundamentals of our values, processes 
and  strategy.  Everyone  then  registers  for  the  certification 
program(s) linked to their role in order to develop specific skills:

 › The salesforce programs enable employees to develop skills 
that will ensure a long-term partnership with our customers 
revolving around our solutions;

 › The managerial programs focus on cultural integration to the 
3DEXPERIENCE Company, our values and our management 
system;

 › The  technology  programs  aim  to  ensure  that  innovation 
and creativity increase the added value – especially from an 
industry standpoint – that we provide to our customers and 
to our users;

 › The  programs  relating  to  channels  and  brands  increase 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  the  technological  and 
environmental  challenges  facing  companies  in  the  various 
industrial  and  consumer  goods  sectors,  ensuring  the 
capitalization  and  inspiration  of  new  experiences  in  line 
with their sustainable development objectives.

The 3DS University fits into a long-term model for managing 
and  developing  knowledge  and  skills  by  connecting  experts 
through  communities  and  getting  them  to  contribute  to 
the  definition  of  certification  programs,  in  compliance  with 
Dassault  Systèmes’  quality  standards.  Their  effectiveness 
is  measured  through  exams  which  certify  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge and skill levels achieved.

Promoting diversity and gender balance
The  Code  of  Business  Conduct  demonstrates  the  extent  to 
which  the  Dassault  Systèmes  culture  is  based  on  mutual 
respect,  fairness,  and  the  diversity  of  its  employees.  Within 
this  context,  recruitment,  training,  promotion,  assignment 
and  more  generally,  all  work-related  decisions  are  based  on 
competencies, talent, achievements and employee motivation, 
without any form of discrimination, harassment or bullying.

Professional equality between men and women
Dassault  Systèmes  promotes  gender  equality  within  the 
Company by spearheading initiatives for women’s recruitment 
and career advancement.

On December 31, 2017, 23% of our employees were women, 
accounting for 17% of Managers.

Among  the  employees  having  joined  the  Group  during  the 
year,  24%  were  women,  broken  down  as  follows:  38%  in 
Sales,  Marketing  and  Services,  20%  in  Administration  and 
other,  and  42%  in  R&D,  being  specified  that  our  ability  to 
hire more female engineers is very limited as they are under-
represented in engineering schools.

Initiative) 

internal  community, 
The  3DS  WIN  (Women 
launched  in  2012,  continues  to  foster  a  network  of  women 
and men determined to encourage, inspire and mentor women 
to  develop  their  careers  within  Dassault  Systèmes.  In  2017, 
numerous initiatives were set up locally, such as participation 
in various events like the Women’s Forum Global Meeting in 
France and the Simmons Leadership Conference in the United 
States. In addition, a 3DS WIN Summit was organized in Italy 
with the aim of promoting and reinforcing female leadership.

On  December  31,  2017,  Dassault  Systèmes’  Executive 
Committee was comprised of two women and eight men. In 
2018, it is made up of two women and seven men. The Board 
of Directors comprises five women and seven men.

We endeavor to comply with applicable regulations regarding 
professional  equality  and  non-discrimination  in  the  different 
countries  where  we  have  employees.  Our  French,  German, 
English, Dutch, American, Canadian, Japanese, Chinese, South 
Korean and Australian companies, which account for 72% of 
the Employee Headcount, are subject to specific employment 
anti-discrimination and gender-equality laws.

For  example,  in  France,  the  agreement  regarding  gender 
balance  and  professional  equality  between  men  and  women 

56 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

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2

2

at Dassault Systèmes SE was renewed and signed on July 9, 
2015 for a three-year period.

It  covers  the  following  themes:  hiring  and  developing 
professional  gender  balance,  equal  compensation  and  pay 
equity  policy  between  men  and  women,  promotions  and 
career  development,  work-life  balance,  awareness  and 
communication campaigns to change mindsets and behavior.

In  addition,  in  order  to  analyze  the  positioning  of  men  and 
women  at  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  and  to  define  actions  to 
be  undertaken  to  eliminate  possible  inequities,  a  report  on 
the  situation  comparing  general  employment  conditions 
and  training  for  men  and  women  is  prepared  each  year 
in  accordance  with  the  law.  It  has  been  available  on  the 
Company’s internal platform since 2010.

Some French subsidiaries have also implemented agreements 
on equality or the promotion of diversity (Dassault Systèmes 
Provence SAS, Dassault Data Services SAS).

In  the  United  States,  the  subsidiaries  ensure  compliance 
with  regulations  regarding  equality  in  the  workplace  (hiring, 
training, promotions, compensation, dismissals and any other 
decision  related  to  work),  in  particular  Title  VII  of  the  Civil 
Rights Act. Every year, compliance reports (EEO1, Vet100 and 
Affirmative Action) regarding these regulations are submitted 
to the American authorities.

People with disabilities
Our  Group’s  French,  German,  English,  Dutch,  American, 
Canadian, Japanese, South Korean and Australian companies, 
which  account  for  69%  of  the  Employee  Headcount,  are 
subject to specific laws in this regard.

In  France,  since  the  first  agreement  implemented  in  2003 
within Dassault Systèmes SE to promote the employment of 
workers  with  disabilities,  which  created  conditions  favorable 
for their integration, several agreements have been renewed, 
the last of which was signed on December 7, 2015 (Insertion 
and  Employment  of  people  with  disabilities  within  the 
Dassault Systèmes Group 2016-2017-2018).

agreements 

These 
reflect  Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s 
commitment  to  make  the  hiring,  training  and  continued 
employment of workers with disabilities a major component 
of its policy. Dassault Systèmes SE committed to train and hire 
at least 35 people with disabilities under all types of contracts 
(permanent,  temporary, 
interns,  work-study)  over  three 
years, including at least 12 permanent contracts, for all types 
of qualifications.

On  December  31,  2017,  74  people  with  disabilities  were 
employed by Dassault Systèmes SE compared to 66 in 2016.

Furthermore,  a 
initiatives  concerning 
employee  support,  internal  communication  and  training 
have  been  launched:  improving  workstations,  conferences, 

large  number  of 

videos,  sessions  aimed  at  raising  awareness  with  regard  to 
welcoming  and  integrating  disabled  employees,  etc.  Actions 
with  external  service  providers  have  also  been  carried  out, 
including  partnerships  with  establishments  in  the  sheltered 
employment sector and services on the 3DS Paris Campus.

Access  to  3DS  Paris  Campus  for  people  with  disabilities  was 
specifically  considered  during  construction  (such  as  floor 
quality,  doors,  furniture,  Eo-guidage  signaling,  magnetic 
loops, accessible meeting rooms, parking lot entrances, etc.)

Since  2011,  Dassault  Data  Services  SAS  has  made  a  yearly 
commitment  to  adopt  measures  supporting  the  integration 
and  employment  of  people  with  disabilities.  In  2017,  the 
following  efforts  were  continued:  initiatives  in  favor  of 
recruitment,  adapting  workstations,  training  and  awareness 
initiatives,  financial  aid  for  interns  and  apprentices  with 
disabilities, actions in partnership with sheltered employment 
sectors.

In  the  United  States,  the  regulations  regarding  job  equality 
(see the paragraph above “Professional equality between men 
and women”) apply in cases of discrimination against disabled 
employees. It is, however, not permissible to inquire about an 
employee’s disability. As a result, no data is provided.

Intergenerational agreements
Pursuant to French law, an intergenerational agreement was 
signed  at  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  on  December  7,  2016  for  a 
three-year period.

This  agreement  consolidates  the  efforts  undertaken  by 
Dassault Systèmes SE since 2010 by building on the measures 
initiated  to  anticipate  career  changes,  develop  and  transfer 
skills,  manage  the  transition  between  working  life  and 
retirement,  and  facilitate  the  recruitment  and  integration  of 
young people within the Company.

Within the scope of this new agreement, Dassault Systèmes 
SE renewed its commitment to making all new employees feel 
welcome and supported.

An  intergenerational  agreement  was  also  signed  at  Dassault 
Data Services SAS and Dassault Systèmes Provence SAS for a 
three-year period. Moreover, there are corporate action plans 
at Netvibes SAS and Dassault Systèmes Biovia SARL.

2.1.2.3  Developing relations with the social, 
regional and community environment

The Dassault Systèmes Foundation
The  purpose  of  the  Dassault  Systèmes  Foundation  is  to 
contribute to transforming education and research by building 
on  the  learning  opportunities  offered  by  3D  technology  and 
virtual universes. The Foundation wants to support the creation 

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Social and Societal Responsibility

of  conditions  conducive  to  developing  creative  thinking  in 
order to harmonize product, nature and life. Its ambition is to:

 › actively  support  the  transformation  of  teaching  and 
educational  innovation  particularly  through  3D  experience 
imaging and content;

 › generate 

interest  from  young  people  for  careers 

in 

engineering, sciences and digital technologies;

 › broaden  access  for  schools  and  universities  to  3D 

technologies and content, as well as simulation;

 › encourage scientific and technological research;

 › contribute 

to 

the  preservation, 

conservation  and 

enhancement of humanity’s intellectual heritage.

The  Dassault  Systèmes  Foundation  makes  donations  and 
provides  virtual  technology  expertise  to  education  and 
research  projects  led  by  universities,  research  institutes  or 
other  general-interest  organizations.  This  support  promotes 
access  to  3D  technologies  that  had  long  ago  proven  their 
worth  in  industry,  thereby  improving  the  employability  of 
young generations.

Since  August  15,  2015,  40  projects  have  been  supported  in 
Europe.

In  2017,  18  projects  were  selected.  All  are  innovative 
educational projects covering a wide variety of fields: industry 
of  the  future,  geology,  health,  introduction  to  engineering 
In  Europe,  the 
professions,  robotics  and  environment. 
Dassault Systèmes Foundation thus continued to support the 
creation of a network of 11 Spanish universities, coordinated 
by  the  Polytechnic  University  of  Madrid,  with  the  aim  of 
facilitating  and  accelerating  study  programs  in  the  Industry 
of  the  Future.  Working  as  a  network,  the  teachers  strive 
to  transform  teaching  methods  through  a  collaborative, 
multidisciplinary  approach  by  creating  new  educational 
content.  In  Germany,  the  Dassault  Systèmes  Foundation 
supports  an  initiative  to  create  a  national  “Fraunhofer  IEM” 
ecosystem  to  promote  continuous  training  in  Smart  Factory 
techniques.  In  France,  the  Foundation  actively  promotes  the 
discovery  of  engineering  professions  and  strives  to  inspire 
young  people.  For  this  purpose,  it  relies  on  the  passion  and 
commitment  of  employees,  within  the  framework  of  the 
new skills sponsorship policy launched on October 16, 2017. 
The  Dassault  Systèmes  Foundation  has  also  entered  into  a 
partnership with the La Main à la pâte foundation to roll out 
the  3Défi  project,  enabling  junior  high-school  students  to 
create  a  fictitious  start-up  and  work  as  a  team  to  design  an 
innovative product and print it in 3D. The goal is to promote 
the students’ innovative and creative potential, and introduce 
them to innovation professions, the “maker” culture and the 
world of start-ups.

In 2016, Dassault Systèmes set up the Dassault Systèmes U.S. 
Foundation.

In  2017,  13  projects  were  selected  in  the  United  States.  On 
May  10,  2017,  the  Dassault  Systèmes  U.S.  Foundation  and 

Base 11, a non-profit organization announced an educational 
development initiative focused on training a new generation 
of  engineers  on  the  skills  that  are  the  most  sought  after  by 
the  aerospace,  high-tech  and  transport  industries.  Students 
thus  receive  training  in  collaborative  engineering  and  3D 
design solutions used by numerous employers in the industry. 
The  Dassault  Systèmes  U.S.  Foundation  also  offered  high-
potential  low-income  students  from  New  Orleans’  1881 
in  Science,  Technology, 
Institute  hands-on  experience 
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through an immersion 
camp, an apprenticeship program, an engineering camp and a 
robotics program. Moreover, in partnership with the New York 
Hall  of  Science,  the  Foundation  supports  the  Queens  20/20 
Community STEM Engagement, which provides a high-quality 
STEM program focused on 3D design and modeling. Its goal is 
to give various local communities (families, schools and local 
non-profit  organizations)  interactive  means  to  learn  about 
3D  design  and  modeling.  The  Lycée  International  de  Boston 
has  received  funding  to  establish  a  3D  Design  &  Conception 
Center. This program aims to introduce students to innovative 
experimentation methods and the creation of content.

Building on its know-how in Europe and the United States, and 
driven by the desire to expand the scope of its social action, on 
November 21, 2017, Dassault Systèmes set up the Dassault 
Systèmes  India  Foundation.  It  relies  on  our  employees’ 
experience to roll out educational projects aiming to promote 
the inclusive economic development of India.

Company relations with high school and higher 
education
Dassault Systèmes’ relations with the world of education are 
aimed at constantly updating teaching methods and fostering 
the  skills  and  talents  expected  by  its  clients.  In  2017,  this 
effort focused on lifelong learning.

Training the engineers and technicians required 
by Dassault Systèmes’ customers
At  the  end  of  2017,  around  7  million  pupils  and  students 
were  using  one  or  more  of  our  Group’s  technologies  in 
an  educational  context,  mainly  in  high  school  and  higher 
education.  Our  Company’s  efforts  have  led  to  the  overall 
broadening of the user community as well as developing and 
modernizing  their  uses.  To  date,  they  include  over  46,000 
institutions worldwide.

SOLIDWORKS  continued  its  expansion,  reaching  a  total  of 
3  million  licenses.  Through  several  “Campus”  contracts,  the 
solution  was  extended  to  entire  schools  and  universities. 
These  institutions  include  the  University  of  Nottingham  in 
England,  the  Pittsburgh  and  Iowa  State  Universities  in  the 
United Sates, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in 
Switzerland and the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digital 
Society  of  Thuringia  in  Germany.  Under  a  similar  approach, 
the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) 
jointly  launched  the  implementation  of  SOLIDWORKS  for 

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Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
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2

2

20,000 users and the 3DEXPERIENCE to teach the industry of 
the future practices.

To  enable  professionals,  as  well  as  students,  to  demonstrate 
their  skills  in  Dassault  Systèmes  tools  throughout  their 
professional  paths,  we  have  intensified  our  certification 
center recruitment campaigns on our academic partners’ sites 
and  on  university  campuses.  These  centers  allow  learners 
to  undergo  certification  tests,  mainly  based  on  practical 
exercises. In addition to the large number of centers dedicated 
to SOLIDWORKS,  over  160 sites  have  been  accredited across 
the world, making it possible to hold thousands of exams on 
different  CATIA  versions,  for  which  the  average  success  rate 
is  66%,  confirming  the  difficulty  of  the  exams.  Holding  a 
Dassault  Systèmes  certification  is  a  guarantee  of  immediate 
employability  for  recent  graduates,  as  well  as  for  people 
already in a job, changing careers or looking for a job. In 2017, 
some  250,000  students  took  the  SOLIDWORKS  certification 
exams across the world.

The “PLMCC” program for the creation of educational expertise 
centers,  involving  Dassault  Systèmes  in  association  with  the 
French  ministries  of  Education  and  Research,  was  extended 
to two new sites in Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya. The goal of these 
centers is to step up the teaching of good industrial practices 
through  the  use  of  our  solutions.  Since  their  creation,  they 
have  trained  hundreds  of  teachers  in  South  America,  Africa 
and Asia.

In  order  to  encourage  greater  interest  in  the  sciences  and 
technology,  and  contribute  towards  reversing  the  trend  of 
disinterest  among  young  people  for  these  disciplines  in 
France,  the  multidiscipline  Course  en  Cours  competition 
has  maintained  its  level  of  participation  across  France  and 
French  high  schools  abroad,  with  11,000  secondary  and 
high school students taking part. This program has seen the 
first  institutions  adopting  the  3DEXPERIENCE  on  the  cloud, 
to introduce their students to the use of collaborative, social 
innovation methods.

Facilitating educational innovation
The development of new educational practices based on our 
solutions  has  taken  on  a  new  dimension  since  2015  with 
the  creation  of  a  “Learning  Lab”  on  the  3DS  Paris  Campus 
in  Vélizy-Villacoublay.  In  2017,  1,200  directors  of  academic 
institutions worldwide visited this lab to discover new learning 
experiences  that  replicate  real  life  experiences  that  students 
can apply to their future work environment.

This Learning Lab, – set up to imagine and document new ways 
for digital technology to be used in education – continued to 
develop its two main activities, dissemination and innovation.

The 2017 Innovations continued with a focus on the teaching 
of  new  practices  for  the  industry  of  the  future,  such  as  the 
internet of industrial things, the virtual twin concept, additive 
manufacturing,  the  digital  factory,  as  well  as  project-based 
teaching  methods.  Innovative  educational  activities  were 
tested, documented and released online, in particular for the 
teaching  of  the  virtual  twin  concept  in  the  context  of  smart 
buildings,  and  the  concepts  of  self-learning  robots,  with  the 
Tokyo  Institute  of  Technology  and  the  Politecnico  di  Milan. 
Capitalizing on the expertise it has accumulated over the past 
ten  years  in  the  innovative  educational  use  of  our  solutions, 
the University of Lorraine’s “DITEX” start-up continued, with 
our  support,  to  disseminate  good  educational  practices  on 
the 3DEXPERIENCE platform by developing the virtualization 
of  flexible  manufacturing  cells  and  teaching  collaborative 
robotics.  We  actively  collaborate  with  our  academic  partners 
to build innovative educational projects in the prospect of their 
funding  by  agencies  which  support  research  and  innovation 
(European  Union,  National  Research  Agency,  etc.).  This 
activity continued in 2017 with:

 › the  European  collaborative  robotics  project,  “EURLAB”, 
headed  by  Lycée  Louis  Armand  (Louis  Armand  High 
School) in Nogent-sur-Marne, France, involving high school 
students in Germany and Italy in a first phase;

 › the  “EXAPP_3D”  project  headed  by  the  Paris  Institut 
Supérieur de Mécanique  (Higher  Institute  for  Mechanics) 
to  promote  the  spirit  of  system  engineering  and  make  its 
practices accessible to high school students;

 › the “DEFI&CO” project headed by CESI, aimed in particular 
at producing, for remote educational purposes, virtual twins 
for  demonstrators  of  factories  of  the  future  and  buildings 
of the future;

 › the “EOLE” project headed by the University of Strasbourg, 
in which the virtual twin concept will be used to create new 
types  of  practical  exercises  in  connection  with  the  skills 
required for the industry of the future;

 › launch of the “PERF Henri-Fabre” project. This partnership 
between  the  private  and  public  sectors  is  centered  on 
lifelong learning. It should allow partners (large companies, 
mid-caps,  SMEs,  very  small  businesses,  research  and 
training organizations, institutions, economic development 
players, etc.) to pool their expertise, share resources/skills/
projects,  and  focus  on  networking,  aiming  to  boost  the 
economic  development  of  the  various  industrial  sectors 
of  the  Provence-Alpes-Côte  d’Azur  Region.  These  sectors 
include  aerospace,  energy,  photonics,  the  naval  industry, 
the biomedical industry, and any other industry interested 
in  the  skills  that  the  project  initiator  –  the  “TEAM  Henri-
Fabre” consortium – is able to provide.

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Furthermore,  the  crowd  learning  platform  Peer  Learning 
EXPERIENCE ® saw 140 teachers from 10 different countries 
contribute to its crowd sourcing of educational content. Access 
to this platform has been integrated into the 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform to provide all learners from the academic world with 
customized  e-learning  paths.  These  courses  interconnect 
learners  in  order  to  digitally  reproduce  the  mutual  help  and 
peer learning mechanisms observed in classrooms.

Research  on  content  and  dissemination  methods  has  made 
full  use  of  the  new  possibilities  offered  by  the  latest  cloud-
based  version  of  the  3DEXPERIENCE  solutions.  The  roll-out 
of these solutions has significantly accelerated in most of the 
countries in which we operate.

All  of  these  activities  have  been  supported  by  our  active 
collaboration  with  a  number  of  scientific  associations 
including  the  American  Society  for  Engineering  Education 
(ASEE),  the  Société  Européenne  pour  la  Formation  des 
Ingénieurs (European Society for Engineer Training (SEFI), the 
International  Federation  of  Engineering  Education  Societies 
(IFEES),  the  Global  Engineering  Deans  Council  (GEDC),  the 
Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE), the U.S. National 
Academy of Engineering and the Conceive Design Implement 
Operate (CDIO) consortium. We also cooperated with the ICEE 
(Indo-U.S.  Collaboration  on  Engineering  Education)  which 
works towards modernizing technical educational practices in 
India.

Supporting lifelong learning
Our  increased  support  for  lifelong  learning  was  materialized 
in two ways: firstly, through the extension of our certification 
program  aimed  at  guaranteeing  the  recognition  of  the  skills 
gained  by  a  professional,  and  secondly,  through  the  set-up 
within  partner  establishments  of  new  programs  aimed  at 
introducing innovative practices in the local industrial context, 
as well as training.

We  thus  entered  into  a  partnership  with  the  Wichita  State 
University  in  the  United  States,  where  we  set  up  a  joint 
innovation center – the 3DEXPERIENCE Center – dedicated to 
new aerospace materials and processes. This center is focused 
on  both  innovation  and  teaching,  thus  perfectly  illustrating 
the concept of lifelong learning.

Based on a similar model, with the support of the government 
of  the  Indian  state  of  Karnataka,  and  in  partnership  with 
the  Visvesvaraya  Technological  University,  we  inaugurated 
the  Centre  of  Excellence  in  Aerospace  &  Defense  aiming  to 
accelerate  digital  use  in  these  sectors,  through  initial  and 
continuous training programs.

Facilitating open innovation, collective intelligence
The 3DEXPERIENCE Lab is Dassault Systèmes’ open innovation 
laboratory.  Its  objective  is  to  support  breakthrough  products 
and services by tapping collective intelligence and combining 
different sectors, in order to drive society forward.

This system is based on the strong conviction that breakthrough 
projects are born out of collective intelligence. Its mission is to 
incubate projects in partnership with players including start-
ups,  and  research  or  innovation  laboratories.  This  implies  a 
new dynamic which will give these projects greater scope, as 
well as encompassing the idea of societal transformation.

The  3DEXPERIENCE  Lab  supports  projects  based  on  themes 
from everyday life, i.e. cities, lifestyles or life sciences, calling 
on various innovation levers such as additive manufacturing, 
big  data  or  virtual  reality.  Only  two  years  after  its  launch, 
over  twenty  projects  have  already  been  driven  forward  on  a 
variety  of  topics:  autonomous  solar  drone,  robotics  to  help 
autistic  children,  assistance  for  foot  surgery,  3D  printing  of 
organs,  personalization  of  musical  instruments,  energy  from 
sea currents, etc.

The 3DEXPERIENCE Lab program provides start-ups with the 
most  advanced  professional  software  on  the  market,  as  well 
as a dedicated collaborative cloud area, and a user community. 
These advanced technological facilities will be supplemented 
with  a  high-level  mentoring  program  where  each  Dassault 
Systèmes employee can contribute their skills and assist the 
start-ups in their digital projects.

The  unique  market  positioning  of  the  3DEXPERIENCELab 
program is also reflected in the possibility of giving these start-
ups  access  to  the  networks  and  connections  within  Dassault 
Systèmes’ extended ecosystem at an international level. These 
possibilities must be orchestrated using a new methodology, 
new  management  and  new  tools,  but  most  importantly  a 
platform-based  approach  allowing  digital  continuity  and  the 
development of cross-organizational networks. This primarily 
relies on the necessity to manage the life-cycle process, from 
the idea to the seed phase through to industrialization phases, 
while  capitalizing  on  knowledge  and  players.  An  open  and 
social  innovation  practice  has  thus  been  set  up  and  will  be 
available  to  industrialists  seeking  to  deploy  this  approach  in 
their own companies. Over 250 ideas have been processed by 
500 innovators working in the community.

Major  highlights  of  2017  included  the  opening,  in  close 
collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
(MIT), of the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab on the 3DS Boston Campus, 
as  well  as  the  launch  of  partnerships  with  local  incubators 
such as X-UP Polytechnique, Creative Valley in France and the 
InnoDesign  program  in  South  Korea.  This  programm  will  be 
rolled out across all innovation areas in the upcoming years.

(For more information, http://3dexperiencelab.3ds.com).

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2

Company commitment to associations
As a European company, Dassault Systèmes is involved with 
associations  to  support  the  virtual  economy  and  encourage 
sustainable  innovation.  To  promote  the  development  of 
the  digital  economy  in  France  and  across  Europe,  Dassault 
Systèmes is a founding member of “Tech in France” (formerly 
Association Française des Éditeurs de Logiciels).  The  goal  of 
this  association  is  to  promote  the  software  industry  as  an 
industry  that  contributes  to  sustainable  growth.  Dassault 
Systèmes  also  co-chairs  the  Alliance  for  the  Industry  of  the 
Future  in  France,  of  which  “Tech  in  France”  is  a  founding 
member.  This  Alliance  helps  promote  the  transformation  of 
French and European production tools and support companies 
in  transforming  their  business  models,  organizations,  design 
modes  and  marketing.  Our  Group  also  supports  the  “Villette 
Universcience Company” in France, whose goal is to promote 
and  encourage  the  spread  of  scientific  and  technical  culture 
to  young  people  and  to  the  general  public.  Throughout  the 
world, our brands are also involved in local community efforts.

2

Social activities
In France, Dassault Systèmes SE subsidizes its Works Council 
in  the  amount  of  5.2%  of  total  gross  annual  payroll,  with 
5.0%  for  social  and  cultural  activities  and  0.2%  for  the 
operating  budget.  In  2017,  the  Works  Council  thus  received 
€12.2 million, compared to slightly more than €10.7 million 
in 2016 and €10.5 million in 2015.

This  yearly  allocation  by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  allows 
employees, as well as their spouses and children, to be offered 
a  large  range  of  social  and  cultural  activities  with  many 
sections dedicated to specific domains from sports to art, as 
well  as  financial  support,  such  as  for  vacations,  children’s 
education, and membership in clubs.

Dassault  Data  Services  SAS  subsidizes  its  Works  Council  at 
a  level  of  1.5%  of  its  total  gross  annual  payroll,  with  1.3% 
for  social  and  cultural  activities  and  0.2%  for  the  operating 
budget.

Dassault Systèmes Provence SAS subsidizes its Works Council 
in the amount of 2.1% of total gross annual payroll, with 1.9% 
for  social  and  cultural  activities  and  0.2%  for  the  operating 
budget.

2.1.3  Welcoming employees who have joined the Group 

via recently acquired companies

 › a  transformation  phase  to  gradually  align  organizations, 

processes and IT systems under a common framework.

This process, which is tailored to the specific environment of 
each  newly  acquired  company,  is  thoroughly  managed  via 
solutions  from  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform,  used  as  project 
management  tools,  as  well  as  collective  tools  for  change 
management.

The goal is to motivate talented new employees and gain their 
loyalty. Their successful integration is essential to be able to 
eventually offer them broader career opportunities within the 
Group.

In  a  context  of  strong  growth,  the  rapid  onboarding  of  new 
employees having joined us through mergers or acquisitions, 
is of major importance for our Group.

The  integration  of  recently  acquired  companies  involves  the 
following:

 › defining  a 

common  product 
3DEXPERIENCE platform as a basis;

strategy  using 

the 

 › aligning  operational  processes  with 

the  contractual 

framework;

 › merging  the  legal  entities  located  in  the  same  geographic 

region;

 › sharing the Company’s values and culture.

Integration activities thus provide a cohesive experience to all 
our customers and partners. They also give each new employee 
the  opportunity  to  develop  their  skills  and  subsequently 
benefit from the same social schemes and policies as our other 
employees in each country where we operate.

The integration method, implemented by a dedicated project 
team, is rolled out in three main stages:

 › a preparation phase before the finalization of the acquisition, 

which defines the integration strategy;

 › a  phase  focused  on  onboarding  new  employees,  sharing 

and planning out integration activities;

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2.1.4  Rewarding Performance and Recognizing Employees

As part of the performance appraisal process, each employee 
meets his or her manager on a formal basis at least twice a year, 
to define goals for the year and to assess the results against 
the  set  objectives.  A  mid-year  review  is  also  recommended. 
These discussions relate to rewards and recognition attributed 
to  the  employees  for  their  performance  and  contribution  to 
Dassault Systèmes’ development.

We also value initiatives with particular attention paid to taste 
for innovation as well as collective and social actions:

 › innovations  developed  within  the  Group  by  the  teams,  in 
all  organizations,  are  showcased  in  the  3DS  INNOVATION 
Forwards,  that,  each  year,  reward  the  most  innovative 
projects put forth by employees worldwide;

 › programs and initiatives are put into place to recognize the 
employees’ hard work and enhance the work environment;

 › w e  also  value  initiatives  that  promote  the  sustainable 
development  of  our  ecosystem  through  participation  in 
social and community-based actions.

Performance and compensation

Compensation
Our compensation policy seeks to ensure that each employee 
receives  compensation  consistent  with  market  practices  in 
the advanced technology industry in each country where we 
have operations. Compensation is differentiated according to 
the individual performance of each employee as appraised by 
his or her Manager during an annual interview reviewing goals 
and performance.

Increases take place for the entire Company in April each year. 
All the employees who were with the Company on October 1 
of the preceding year are eligible for an annual salary increase.

In  2017,  the  salary  increases  granted  by  Dassault  Systèmes 
depended  on  individual  performance  and  market  changes  in 
each country where we have activities.

Total  gross  annual  payroll  paid  by  the  Group  amounted  to 
€1,146.2  million  in  2017  compared  to  €1,072.1  million  in 
2016, representing an increase of 7% for the year.

Payroll  taxes  for  the  Group  amounted  to  €298.5  million 
in  2017  compared  to  €263.9  million  in  2016.  It  includes 
employers’ contribution on performance shares effects.

Profit-sharing (pursuant to Titles I and II of Book III, 
Section III of the Labor Code)
Employee  profit-sharing  (l'intéressement)  and  regulatory 
profit-sharing  (la  participation)  are  two  employee  savings 
vehicles established by law in France. Employee profit-sharing 
is  optional,  while  regulatory  profit-sharing  is  required  for  all 
companies with more than 50 employees.

The  employee  profit-sharing  and  derogatory  profit-sharing 
agreements  renegotiated  by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  with  the 
labor  unions  in  2017  are  applicable  for  three  years  (2017, 
2018 and 2019).

Employee  profit-sharing  in  respect  of  2016,  paid  out  in 
2017  at  Dassault  Systèmes  SE,  amounted  to  €23.5  million 
(€21.2 million in 2015). The total amount of the contribution 
by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  for  regulatory  profit-sharing 
in  respect  of  2016,  paid  out  in  2017,  was  €23.5  million 
(€21.2 million in 2015).

The Board of Directors of Dassault Systèmes SE, meeting on 
March  16,  2017,  decided  to  grant  extra  optional  employee 
profit-sharing  and  regulated  employee  profit-sharing  for  an 
amount of €1,015,771 each. The addition of optional employee 
profit-sharing  and  regulated  employee  profit-sharing  related 
to 2016 was €46,915,455. The results of operations recorded 
by Dassault Systèmes SE for the year 2016, and which were 
submitted for approval at the General Shareholders’ Meeting 
on  May  23,  2017  have  therefore  permitted  the  distribution 
of  employee  profit-sharing  and  regulatory  profit-sharing  of 
€23.5 million each (extra profit sharing included).

The table below sets forth the amounts of employee profit-sharing and regulatory profit-sharing at Dassault Systèmes SE over 
the past three years:

2017

2016

2015

(in thousands of euros)

Amount

% payroll

Amount(1)

% payroll

Amount

% payroll

Contractual employee profit-sharing 
(intéressement)

Regulatory profit-sharing (participation)

TOTAL

24,464

24,440

48,904

10.8%

11.0%

21.8%

23,458

23,458

46,916

11.5%

11.5%

23.0%

21,163

21,163

42,326

11.0%

11.1%

22.1%

(1)  including extra profit-sharing as decided by the Board of Directors of Dassault Systèmes SE, meeting on March 16, 2017.

Payroll percentages are calculated on a capped payroll base as per the current profit sharing agreements.

62 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

The amounts attributed individually to employee beneficiaries 
are,  at  the  employee’s  option  either  directly  received, 
contributed  to  one  of  the  Company’s  savings  or  group 
retirement  plans,  or  deposited  (only  possible  for  regulatory 
profit-sharing)  in  a  blocked  bank  account  bearing  interest  at 
110% of the average interest rate on private bonds (Taux de 
Rendement Moyen des Obligations Privées).

At Dassault Data Services SAS and Dassault Systèmes Provence 
SAS, the amount of contractual employee profit-sharing paid 
in 2017 in respect of year 2016 represented 10.4% and 3.4% 
of  the  payroll  respectively,  and  the  regulatory  profit-sharing 
represented 1.7% and 21.7%. A contractual employee profit-
sharing agreement was signed at Netvibes SAS in 2017. The 
agreement represented 18% of this company’s payroll.

More than 89% of the employees of the French subsidiaries 
held  directly  by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  thus  benefited  from 
profit-sharing agreements.

Other plans
In Canada, there is a “Deferred Profit-Sharing Plan” (DPSP), i.e. 
a  discretionary  employee  profit-sharing  scheme.  Employees 
may benefit from the scheme after one year of service.

Recognizing the flair for innovation and showcasing 
collective initiatives advocated by the values 
of Dassault Systèmes

3DS INNOVATION Forwards

Every  year,  the  3DS  INNOVATION  Forwards  reward  the 
most  innovative  projects  led  by  Dassault  Systèmes’  teams 
worldwide. Launched in 2004, the initiative encourages a spirit 
of innovation and collaboration within our Group. It partakes 
in employee recognition and deepens their understanding of 
the  corporate  strategy.  To  this  end,  the  projects  submitted 
must  address  one  of  the  Company’s  strategic  priorities: 
providing  solutions  to  industry  challenges,  creating  new 
user  experiences,  creating  value  for  customers,  partners 
or  employees,  enhancing  the  use  of  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform, developing the Group’s activities, etc.

All our employees are invited to submit their projects through 
a dedicated application. The projects can be seen by everyone 
and the winners are selected through the votes of employees 
and by a jury made up of members of the Executive Committee. 
In  the  2017  edition  of  the  3DS  INNOVATION  Forwards  230 
projects  were  submitted,  representing  1,835  employees.  A 
total of 30 projects were rewarded, i.e. 385 people.

Initiatives to reward work and improve the lives 
of employees
Since  2010,  an  internal  satisfaction  survey  has  been  open 
to  all  our  employees  worldwide.  This  survey  enables 
employees to give their opinions on various topics such as the 
meaning  of  their  work,  the  quality  of  the  management,  the 

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Social and Societal Responsibility

2

competitiveness  of  the  work  environment,  the  community 
of  people,  and  pride  in  working  for  Dassault  Systèmes.  This 
survey  makes  it  possible  to  identify  watchpoints  and  the 
required priority actions for each team and each country.

The  action  plans  are  presented  to  employees  and  shared 
within  the  Life@3DS  community,  which  is  accessible  to  all 
employees.  A  catalog  of  40  good  practices  is  updated  every 
year. It focuses on the following:

2

1)  recognition and celebrations;

2)  the learning company;

3)  the working environment; and

4)  managerial practices.

Collective company and social initiatives
Most of our subsidiaries organize or take part in local initiatives 
within their communities.

Initiatives  are  thus  conducted  in  the  fields  of  education  and 
employment.  In  the  UK,  we  support  the  “Prince’s  Trust”  to 
help  young  people  between  the  ages  of  13  and  30.  To  this 
effect, in 2017, employee volunteers led training workshops, 
particularly in public speaking and job interviews. In Canada, 
Dassault Systèmes sponsors the “FIRST” Robotics Competition 
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to 
help students familiarize themselves with scientific disciplines 
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through 
tutoring  programs.  This  initiative  enables  them  to  discover 
new  career  perspectives  and  gain  skills  that  will  be  sought 
after by future employees.

Initiatives  aimed  at  children  are  also  conducted,  such  as 
the  toy  donation  drive  organized  in  the  United  States,  and 
volunteering days with non-profit organizations dedicated to 
holidays  and  access  to  culture.  In  Canada,  employee  teams 
took  part  in  the  “48-HOUR  RIDE”,  a  cycle  event  organized 
by  the  charity  “Make-A-Wish”.  In  France,  we  partnered  on 
the  Rêves  de  Gosse  “Tour”  2017  initiative  which  allowed 
“extraordinary” children (children with illnesses) to experience 
their  first  flight  with  amateur  and  professional  pilots.  In 
Germany,  gifts  for  disadvantaged  children  were  collected 
during  a  Christmas  event.  In  South  Korea,  a  donation  drive 
was  conducted  to  help  children  coming  out  of  hospitals  get 
back into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 
schooling programs. In India, Dassault Systèmes is the sponsor 
for  five  non-governmental  organizations  working  in  various 
fields:  education  for  deprived,  sick  or  disabled  children,  and 
skills and career development for women.

We  also  took  part  in  initiatives  in  favor  of  people  with 
disabilities.  In  South  Korea,  we  conducted  an  internship 
program  in  favor  of  students  with  disabilities  in  partnership 
with  the  Korea  National  University  of  Welfare  over  a  period 
of  three  months.  In  France,  in  partnership  with  the  “Kiplin” 
start-up, Dassault Systèmes organized a connected challenge 
to  increase  occupational  wellbeing  and  awareness  around 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 63

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Social and Societal Responsibility

disabilities, through the participation of employee volunteers 
in a physical challenge and awareness-raising questionnaires. 
In addition, innovative projects were continued in partnership 
with  CERHEM  and  the  Étoile  de  Martin  association.  They 
included  the  “New  Wheel  To  Run”  project  (study  and 
prototype to optimize a one-wheeled chair and urban mobility 
equipment).

Sustainable  development  actions  are  also  conducted.  For 
example,  in  France  and  the  United  States,  IT  and  electronic 
equipment  are  collected  by  employees  for  recycling;  new 
furniture made of recycled plastic was bought to equip the 3DS 
Paris  Campus;  and  a  “Clean  Desk”  operation  was  organized. 
In Canada, a wellness program launched in 2016 to promote 
healthier living was continued in 2017 through conferences, 
workshops and sporting activities.

2.1.5  Business ethics, social dialogue and personal safety

Business ethics
Since  its  creation,  Dassault  Systèmes  has  developed  its 
culture  and  built  its  reputation  on  different  fundamental 
principles, particularly the creation of long-term relationships 
with  its  employees,  customers,  partners  and  shareholders, 
as  well  as  high-quality  products  with  high  added-value. 
Confidence  and  integrity,  supported  by  rigorous  ethics  and 
regulatory compliance, are at the heart of Dassault Systèmes’ 
commitments for sustainable innovation and growth.

The  Company’s  commitment  to  professional  ethics  and 
corporate  citizenship  is  formalized  through  policies  and 
procedures  regarding  corporate  governance,  in  particular  the 
“Code of Business Conduct” distributed to all the Company’s 
employees  since  2004  (see  paragraph   5.1  “The  Board's 
Corporate  Governance  Report ” )  and  the  “DS  Principles  of 
Social  Responsibility”  both  available  on  the  Company’s 
internet site. The Code of Business Conduct, which is backed 
up  by  specific  policies,  recommendations  and  procedures,  is 
intended to serve as the reference for all Company employees 
to guide their behavior and interactions when performing their 
activities.

This  commitment  is  also  demonstrated  through  awareness 
around  ethics  and  compliance  being  raised  among  new 
employees  and  by  offering  targeted  training  courses,  online 
and/or in-house,  to employees most exposed to ethical risks 
in their daily duties.

The  online  ethics  and  compliance  training  course  (created 
in  2013)  is  now  an  integral  part  of  the  onboarding  program 
for  all  new  employees.  This  course  comprises  14  modules, 
each of which is broken down into a theory section followed 
by  practical  applications  in  a  question/answer  format.  The 
topics  dealt  with  include  the  fight  against  corruption,  the 
protection of intellectual property, respect for confidentiality, 
ethics  in  the  workplace,  competition  law,  strict  monitoring 
of  exportations,  information  systems  security,  personal  data 
protection,  and  conflicts  of  interest  etc.  As  of   December  31, 
2017,  almost  13,000  employees  had  attended  this  general 
training course.

The fight against corruption
The  Code  of  Business  Conduct  prohibits  Group  employees 
from:

 › exchanging gifts or invitations in order to favor or influence 
a  business  decision,  whether  it  be  taken  by  a  customer, 
partner, supplier or employees of the Group;

 › using  Dassault  Systèmes’  funds  or  assets  to  pay  bribes  or 
kickbacks or make payments of a similar nature liable directly 
or indirectly to benefit third parties, including shareholders 
or  companies,  whether  they  are  partners,  customers, 
suppliers, service or other companies or organizations, with 
the goal of benefiting from preferential treatment; and

 › using  Group  funds  to  make  a  contribution  of  any  kind  to 

political candidates or parties.

These  principles  are  supplemented  by  an  “anti-corruption 
policy”,  which  applies  to  each  Dassault  Systèmes  company, 
and incorporates, in France, an annex of employee handbook 
since 2011, and by a specific training program.

In  order  to  achieve  continuous  improvement,  the  company 
renewed in 2017 its commitment to pursue a zero tolerance 
policy against corruption and influence peddling by adjusting 
its anti-corruption policy and its internal reporting procedure, 
implemented  originaly  in  2004  to   the  law  of  December  9, 
2016  relative  to  transparency,  the  fight  against  corruption 
and the modernization of economic life ( "Sapin II Act") and by 
increasing employee awareness, on the one hand on the way 
to lead negotiations with intermediaries (such as the  reminder 
on the measures adopted by the company in terms of partner   
selection and integrated within its operational processes), and 
on  the  other  hand,  on  the  identification  and  treatment  of  a 
conflict of interest situation, so as to be protected from thoses 
scenarios and protect the company.

The  compa ny’s  program   for  corruption  prevention  is  based 
not  only  on  these  policies,  guidelines,  alert  procedure, 
communication  and  employee  awareness  and  training 
programs  (at  December  31,  2017,  9,501  employees  were 
trained to fight against corruption) but also on: 

 › a Compliance organization related to the general secretary, 

since 2018;

64 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Social and Societal Responsibility

2

2

 (cid:125) a  mapping  of  non-compliance  risks  on  topics  discussed  in 
the Code of Business Conduct and, since 2017, a mapping 
of corruption and influence peddling risks;

 (cid:125) an  internal control and audit system;

 (cid:125) and rigorous operational processes. Thus, the due diligence 
process  regarding  intermediaries,  whether  or  not  they  are 
retailers ,  agents  or  consultants,   take  many  variables  into 
account: the nature of the activity,  local environment,  type 
of relationship,  type and scope of the mission the third party 
will have to achieve for the company. This Due Dilingence 
process  is  completed  by  intermediaries’  statements  and 
commitments. 

The processing and follow-up of the  reporting received under  
the internal reporting procedure are systematically managed 
by the Compliance department and supervized by  the ethics 
committee.

 Principles of Enterprise Social Responsibility 
and commitments to ensuring respect for basic rights
The  Code  of  Business  Conduct  requires  Dassault  Systèmes’ 
employees to comply with international standards, such as the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations 
and the various Basic Conventions of the International Labor 
Organization.  With  respect  to  the  Group’s  activities,  the  risk 
of these basic standards being violated is very low. In 2017, 
pursuant to the law of March 27, 2017 relative to the duty of 
vigilance  of  parent  companies  and  contracting  undertakings, 
the  Group  worked  on  a  vigilance  plan  concerning  human 
rights and fundamental freedoms, personal health and safety, 
and  the  environment  (see  paragraph  2.3  “Vigilance  Plan”). 
Moreover,  as  required  by  the  UK  Modern  Slavery  Act,  the 
Group  published  a  Modern  Slavery  Transparency  Statement 
(available on the Group’s website).

The Group also promotes corporate responsibility with respect 
to  its  ecosystem,  based  on  the  acknowledgment  of  and 
compliance with basic laws on social rights and environmental 
protection;  the  general  terms  and  conditions  of  the  sub-
contracting  and  purchase  agreements  of  Dassault  Systèmes’ 
major companies include specific commitments:

 (cid:125) the  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  standard  contracts  oblige 
service  providers  to  follow  the  social  and  environmental 

responsibility principles which Dassault Systèmes upholds. 
They are available at the following link:

http://www.3ds.com/fileadmin/COMPANY/Ethics-and-
compliance/Principes-de-Responsabilite-Sociale.pdf; 

 (cid:125) the agreements between Group entities in France, Germany, 
the  United  Kingdom,  the  Netherlands,  the  United  States, 
Canada, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia (which 
account for 90% of the Group’s Employee Headcount) and 
their service providers contain clauses regarding respect for 
employees’ rights.

Dassault  Systèmes  requests  that  its  suppliers  and  partners 
comply  with  the  provisions  of  the  basic  conventions  of  the 
International  Labor  Organization,  in  particular  the  principles 
of  eradicating  child  labor  by  banning  the  employment  of 
school-aged  children  (and  in  any  event  under  15  years  of 
age),  eliminating  forced  labor  and  other  forms  of  modern 
slavery, ensuring working conditions sufficient to provide for 
employee health and safety, respecting applicable minimum 
legal  or  regulatory  levels  of  pay,  freedom  to  unionize  and 
the  protection  of  labor  union  rights,  and  the  freedom  to 
collectively  negotiate  labor  contracts.  The  Company  also 
asks them to commit to ban all forms of discrimination (with 
respect to recruitment, professional development and the end 
of labor relations), to fight against corruption, and to respect 
applicable law on the protection of the environment.

Impact of products and services on the health and safety 
of the Group’s customers
The direct impact of our products and services on the health 
and  safety  of  our  customers  is  very  limited  given  the  non-
material nature of these products and services. The impact is 
therefore not specifically reported on.

Social dialogue and collective agreements
The  quality  of  the  social  dialogue  is  based  on  the  numerous 
exchanges  between  the  Company’s  management  and  the 
employees and employee representatives.

In France, numerous meetings were organized by the relevant 
French  companies  of  the  Group.  Collective  agreements, 
concerning one or several subjects in connection with working 
and employment conditions, were negotiated and signed each 
year:

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 65

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Social and Societal Responsibility

Dassault Systèmes SE

Dassault Data Services SAS

Dassault Systèmes Provence SAS

Netvibes SAS

Dassault Systèmes Biovia SARL

CST Eurl

Euroxa SARL

Outscale SAS

Number of collective agreements 
in effect on 12/31/2017*

Number of collective agreements 
signed in 2017*

43

29

18

2

1

1

0

4

9

3

7

1

0

0

0

0

* 

These agreements may cover several topics such as the Mandatory Annual Negotiations, equality and professional gender balance, organizing working time, contractual 
employee profit-sharing and regulatory profit-sharing, and the inclusion and employment of people with disabilities.

A  Group  agreement  Gestion  Prévisionnelle  des  Emplois, 
des Compétences et de Transformation Sociale  was  signed 
in  June  2016  for  a  three-year  period.  In  2017,  agreement 
provisions  have  been  implemented  with  regards  to  skills 
planning,  internal  mobility,  career  opportunities  within  our 
ecosystem, as well as end-of-career management.

In Germany, collective agreements are negotiated and signed 
with  the  Group  Council  and  the  Workers’  Council  of  each 
Company site (Stuttgart, Hanover, Aix-la-Chapelle, Berlin and 
Simpack). On December 31, 2017, there were 9 agreements 
in effect in Stuttgart, 27 in Hanover and 24 with the Group 
Council.  In  2017,  11  agreements  were  signed  with  mixed 
works councils.

In the Group’s other main countries of operation – the United 
Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, China, 
India  and  Australia  –  there  are  no  employee  representatives 
or trade unions. In South Korea, as in all companies with over 
30 people, an employee representative Committee is elected 
each year. Its role is to participate in organizing the Company’s 
social activities. Employee representatives were elected in the 
Netherlands.

Moreover,  the  European  Works  Council,  the  Comité  de  la 
Société Européenne – set up in 2016 – held five meetings in 
2017,  either  in  plenary  or  restricted  sessions.  In  2017,  this 
Council was made up of 21 representatives from 16 European 
countries falling within its scope.

Health and safety
In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  our  Code  of  Business 
Conduct, we undertake to comply with all applicable laws and 
regulations on health and safety in the workplace.

Coverage of healthcare costs
We ensure that each of our employees has medical coverage 
in compliance with local practices in the countries where we 
have  activities.  Moreover,  we  provide  supplementary  health 
coverage,  for  example  in  France,  the  United  Kingdom,  the 
United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan and India.

Health and medical checkup
We apply the provisions laid down by the countries where we 
have activities.

For  example,  in  France,  our  employees  undergo  regular 
medical  checkups.  On  the  3DS  Paris  Campus,  a  medical 
team  composed  of  two  physicians  and  four  nurses  looks 
after  the  health  and  well-being  of  all  on-site  employees.  In 
certain  other  countries  (the  United  States,  Japan  and  South 
Korea),  annual  individual  medical  checkups  are  offered.  This 
service  is  included  in  the  health  coverage  plan.  There  are  no 
specific provisions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, 
Malaysia, or Australia.

Work accidents
Given  the  nature  of  Dassault  Systèmes’  activity,  few  work 
accidents  are  recorded.  In  France,  in  2017,  eighteen  work 
or  travel  accidents  resulted  in  absence  from  work  for  more 
than one day. There was one in the United States, and none 
in  Germany,  Japan,  the  United  Kingdom,  the  Netherlands, 
Canada, Malaysia, South Korea, India, or Australia.

Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee 
and specific actions
In France, three Group companies have a Health, Safety and 
Working  Conditions  Committee  (CHSCT  in  French),  which 
meets several times during the year in each entity.

Since  2009,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  has  launched  a  series  of 
initiatives to promote well-being in the workplace for all of its 
employees. Information and documents are available to them 
on this topic (specific processes, training for the prevention of 
stressful situations, consultation with a psychologist or social 
worker, etc.).

At  Dassault  Systèmes  Provence  SAS,  the  occupational  risk 
prevention  plan  for  2017  focused  on  the  following  actions: 
studies to be continued or undertaken concerning workplace 
ergonomics,  ongoing  efforts  focused  on  safety  training  and 
the analysis of psychosocial risks, and the set-up of prevention 
measures, in particular following the recommendations of the 
working groups focused on “well-being in the workplace”.

In  addition, 
in  Germany,  employee  representatives  are 
responsible for communicating with the management of the 
relevant legal entities on employee health and safety.

66 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Social and Societal Responsibility

2

2.1.6  Methodology for Employee Reporting

Scope
In  general,  employee  reporting  covers  all  Dassault  Systèmes 
companies at year end. Nevertheless, as indicated below, the 
scope covered for certain indicators may be more limited.

Key employee indicators
For  employee  reporting  requirements,  we  chose  the  key 
indicators  set  out  in  paragraphs  2.1.1  “Group  Organization 
and Workforce” and 2.1.7 “Appendices regarding the Group’s 
Employee Headcount”. They were chosen on the basis of the 
indicators  in  article  R.  225-105-1  of  the  French  Commercial 
Code  and  the  specific 
indicators  regarding  our  Human 
Resources policy.

In this respect, we have defined the following concepts:

 › “Employee  Headcount”,  which  means  employees  of 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  and  subsidiaries  in  which  it  has  at 
least a 50% shareholding; and

 › “Total Workforce” which includes the Employee Headcount, 
employees  of  companies  in  which  it  has  less  than  a  50% 
shareholding  and  outside  service  providers  who  have 
worked more than a full month on the reporting dates on 
these companies.

Data related to employees is calculated on the basis of “full-
time  equivalents”,  which  corresponds  to  the  proportion  of 
“hours worked per standard full-time work hours” and which 
was jointly defined and shared by both Human Resources and 
Finance teams. Hiring and departure data are also determined 
using this rule.

To  make  the  reporting  process  more  reliable,  an  internal 
methodological  guide  including  definitions  and  rules  for 
calculating each indicator is updated each year. Data reliability 
checks are carried out at the time of accounting consolidation 
as well as throughout the year in connection with analyzing 
changes from the preceding periods.

Limits of the social report
We  operate  in  numerous  countries  with  local  regulations  and 
practices  which  are  not  always  harmonized  or  consolidated. 
For example, as the notions generally used in France to define 
socio-professional  categories  (cadre  and  non-cadre)  are  not 
used  outside  France,  and  three  quarters  of  our  employees 
work abroad, we have decided to use the following categories: 
Managers  who  are  in  charge  of  teams,  and  “Non-Managers” 
who do not manage a team and are specialized in a specific field.

Due  to  these  local  differences,  we  are  not  able  to  provide 
consolidated data for overtime, the severity of work accidents 
and occupational illnesses.

2

Gathering and consolidating employee data
The following points should be taken into consideration:

 › the data pertaining to employees and movements are taken 
from human resources and financial management software, 
both of which are deployed across all Group entities, except 
Outscale SAS, and represent 99% of the reporting scope;

 › the  information  pertaining  to  the  compensation  policy 

relates to Employee Headcount;

 › the  data  relating  to  employees  from  and  the  amount  of 
the  payments  made  to  outside  service  providers  concern 
services referred to as “Times and Material”, supporting one 
of  our  activities,  corresponding  to  its  core  business  and  in 
respect of which the employees are present for at least one 
month, paid on an hourly, daily or monthly basis;

 › the  information  pertaining  to  policies  on  business  ethics, 
fighting  corruption,  the  Company’s  social  responsibility 
principles and commitments ensuring basic rights and the 
impacts of products and services on the health and safety 
of our customers is provided by the Ethics and Compliance 
department and covers 100% of the reporting scope;

 › the data relating to the main policies concerning industrial 
relations, health and safety, anti-discrimination initiatives, 
discretionary  and  mandatory  profit-sharing  and  other 
reward  systems,  work  time,  absenteeism,  fostering 
diversity  and  gender  balance,  and  social  projects  result 
from additional discussions held with the Human Resources 
managers in our major countries with over 150 employees 
(excluding  companies  acquired  during  the  year),  namely: 
France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the 
United States, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, China, South Korea, 
India,  Australia  and  Poland.  These  countries  represented 
87% of the Group’s Employee Headcount in 2016 and 94% 
in 2017;

 › absenteeism data covers sick leave, maternity and paternity 
leave,  as  well  as  work-related  accidents.  Employees  absent 
for  a  period  exceeding  two  years  are  no  longer  included  in 
the  absenteeism  ratio.  It  should  be  noted  that  this  data  is 
strongly  influenced  by  local  regulations;  indeed,  in  certain 
countries, sick leave is counted as paid holiday leave. As such, 
absenteeism should be considered on a country-by-country 
basis as it cannot be disclosed on a consolidated basis;

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 67

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Social and Societal Responsibility

 › the  data  relating  to  training  for  the  countries  with  over 
150  employees  mentioned  above  is  extracted  from  the 
3DS  University  solution,  excluding  companies  acquired  in 
2017, and covers 89% of the Group’s Employee Headcount 
(average basis). Data recorded through the on-line training 
platform is also taken into account for the same companies;

 › lastly, the scope is specified in the body of the text for the 
other data not previously disclosed: Company relations with 
high schools and higher education, Company commitment 
to  non-profit  organizations,  3DS  INNOVATION  Forwards, 
lives  of 
initiatives  to  reward  work  and 
employees.

improve  the 

2.1.7  Appendices regarding the Group’s Employee Headcount

DISTRIBUTION BY AGE

Year ended December 31

≤ 30 years old

31 to 40 years old

41 to 50 years old

≥ 51 years old

TOTAL

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Total

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

1,301

2,240

1,941

1,328

6,810

19%

33%

29%

19%

100%

399

963

1,119

1,240

3,721

11%

26%

30%

33%

1,918

1,776

762

242

41%

38%

16%

5%

3,618

4,979

3,822

2,810

24%

33%

25%

18%

2,045

3,970

3,512

2,573

100% 4,698**

100% 15,229*

100%

12,100

100%

%

17%

33%

29%

21%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

EMPLOYEE TENURE

Year ended December 31

Temporary contract

≤ 5 years

6 to 15 years

≥ 16 years

TOTAL

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Total

Employees 
2017

147

3,012

2,159

1,492

6,810

Employees 
2017

12

1,547

1,356

806

%

2%

44%

32%

22%

Employees 
2017

35

3,075

1,404

184

%

0%

42%

36%

22%

Employees 
2017

194

7,634

4,919

2,482

%

1%

65%

30%

4%

Employees 
2016

185

5,781

3,942

2,192

%

1%

50%

32%

17%

%

2%

48%

32%

18%

100%

3,721

100% 4,698**

100% 15,229*

100%

12,100

100%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

68 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Social and Societal Responsibility

2

DISTRIBUTION BY SOCIO-PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

Year ended December 31

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Total

Women

Managers

Non-Managers

TOTAL WOMEN

Men

Managers

Non-Managers

TOTAL MEN

Socio-professional category

Managers

Non-Managers

TOTAL

237

1,323

1,560

1,107

4,143

5,250

1,344

5,466

6,810

15%

85%

100%

21%

79%

100%

20%

80%

100%

142

727

869

16%

84%

112

979

10%

90%

100%

1,091

100%

21%

79%

100%

20%

80%

709

2,898

3,607

821

3,877

591

2,261

2,852

733

2,988

3,721

491

3,029

3,520

2,407

9,302

14%

86%

100%

21%

79%

20%

80%

100%

11,709

100%

17%

83%

2,898

12,331

19%

81%

408

2,472

2,880

1,892

7,328

9,220

2,300

9,800

100% 4,698**

100% 15,229*

100%

12,100

100%

2

%

14%

86%

100%

21%

79%

100%

19%

81%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME

Year ended December 31

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Total

Women

Full-time

Part-time

TOTAL WOMEN

Men

Full-time

Part-time

TOTAL MEN

Full-time

Part-time

TOTAL

1,388

172

89%

11%

1,560

100%

859

10

869

99%

1%

1,080

11

99%

1%

3,327

193

95%

5%

2,689

191

100%

1,091

100%

3,520

100%

2,880

100%

5,140

110

5,250

6,528

282

98%

2%

100%

96%

4%

2,846

100%

3,604

100%

11,590

6

2,852

3,705

16

0%

100%

100%

0%

3

3,607

4,684

14

0%

100%

100%

0%

99%

1%

9,114

106

99%

1%

119

11,709

100%

9,220

100%

14,917

312

98%

2%

11,803

297

98%

2%

6,810

100%

3,721

100% 4,698**

100% 15,229*

100%

12,100

100%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF NEW ARRIVALS

Year ended December 31

≤ 30 years old

31 to 40 years old

41 to 50 years old

≥ 51 years old

TOTAL

Europe

Americas

Asia

Total

Total

Employees 
2017

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2017

%

Employees 
2016

%

474

333

190

53

45%

32%

18%

5%

1,050

100%

133

148

105

93

479

28%

31%

22%

19%

1,939

990

178

35

62%

31%

6%

1%

2,546

1,471

473

181

55%

31%

10%

4%

767

641

357

151

100% 3,142**

100%

4,671*

100%

1,916

100%

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The employees of 3DPLM were included in the Employee Headcount in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 69

%

93%

7%

%

40%

33%

19%

8%

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Environmental Responsibility

2.2  Environmental Responsibility

Since  2010,  our  environmental  responsibility  strategy  has 
been structured in stages around the following main areas of 
focus:

consumption  and  working  processes  and  manage  the 
products compliance to environmental standards. This is the 
positive impact of our products on the environment;

 › establishment  of  a  global  measurement  process  and 

collection of our environmental information;

 › establishment  of  a  global  network  of  employees  called 
Sustainability  Leaders  or  Green  Team,  responsible  for 
implementing our environmental strategy;

 › establishment  of  an  approach  involving  our  employees 
through  voluntary  participation  in  initiatives  aiming  to 
limit the impact of our operations and embody our purpose 
harmonizing product, nature and life.

Our  environmental  responsibility  is  characterized  by  positive 
and negative indirect impacts on our customers and by a direct 
negative impact on the environment due to our operations:

 › our  software  solutions  allow  our  customers  to  reduce 
the  environmental  impact  of  their  products  from  the 
design  stage.  They  can  help  reduce  the  consumption  of 
raw  materials  through  digital  modeling,  optimize  energy 

 › the use of our solutions by our customers generates indirect 
energy consumption for the Group. This consumption is the 
potential  indirect  negative  impact  of  our  products  on  the 
environment;

 › all of our operations are located in offices (see paragraph 2.2.2 
“Responsible  Company”)  and  in  data  centers.  For  our 
activities,  we  use  computer  hardware  and  employees  are 
required to regularly travel to our various sites, and to visit 
our  customers  and  partners.  Our  environmental  impact  is 
therefore mainly generated by the energy consumption of 
buildings  and  data  centers,  the  greenhouse  gas  emissions 
produced by employees’ travel, and electrical and electronic 
waste.

In  the  light  of  these  various  contributions,  we  continue  to 
work on the development of a model to define our impact on 
the environment.

2.2.1  The Group’s vision for environmental responsibility

Dassault Systèmes’ corporate purpose is to provide businesses 
and  people  with  3DEXPERIENCE  universes  to 
imagine 
sustainable  innovations  capable  of  harmonizing  product, 
nature  and  life  (see  paragraph  1.3.1.3  “Dassault  Systèmes’ 
Purpose  and  Strategy”).  Sustainable  development  is  thus  at 
the heart of our corporate purpose. In this context we integrate 
environmental protection in our operations.

at  all  of  our  sites  (see  paragraph  2.2.3  “Responsible 
Employees);

 › Responsible  Partner:  we  strive  to  choose  responsible 
suppliers  through  the 
integration  of  corporate  and 
environmental commitments, and to increase recycling and 
local actions (see paragraph 2.2.4 “Responsible Partner ”).

2.2.1.1  An environmental strategy built 

on three  pillars

In  2015,  we  defined  the  environmental  strategy  of  our 
operations  for  the  next  three  years  based  on  the  following 
three pillars:

 › Responsible  Company:  we  help  our  customers  to  reduce 
their  environmental  impact  using  our  applications  while 
limiting our own impact (see paragraph 2.2.2 “Responsible 
Company”);

 › Responsible  Employee:  we  involve  our  employees  in  our 
environmental  strategy  through  awareness-raising  efforts 

2.2.1.2 

Environmental Management: 
Integration of environmental 
responsibility into the Group’s real 
estate strategy

In  light  of  this  vision,  environmental  strategy  and  annual 
reporting  management  was  entrusted  to  the  Group’s  Real 
Estate,  General  Resources  and  Environment  Management 
department  in  2015,  in  conjunction  with  the  Public  Affairs 
and  Sustainable  Development  department,  which  remains 
responsible  for  partnerships’  development  to  assess  our 
positive net impact on the environment through our software 
applications portfolio.

70 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

2.2.2  Responsible Company

2.2.2.1 

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform at 
the heart of breakthrough innovations

2.2.2.2 

Dassault  Systèmes’  solutions  make  it  possible  to  imagine 
breakthrough innovations for sustainable development.

Energy transition
We collaborate with the world’s renewable energy producers 
and  help  to  accelerate  the  development  of  hydraulic,  wind 
and solar energy. One of our customers a global leader in the 
manufacturing of wind turbines thus considerably reduced its 
development  and  production  time  through  the  Sustainable 
Wind Turbine solution.

In addition, we support innovative solar energy projects such 
as the Solar Impulse project, whose aircraft was designed using 
the modeling applications of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Sustainable mobility
Our solutions are essential for the growth of the autonomous 
vehicle, which allows greater energy efficiency. The design of 
this new type of vehicle must combine mechanical, electronic 
and  systemic  functionalities.  We  work  with  all  of  the  global 
leaders  who  design  and  test  these  vehicles.  We  also  foster 
start-ups’  innovation  in  areas  such  as  two-seater  electric 
airplanes and high speed public transport systems.

Sustainable city
The  3DEXPERIENCity  strategy  based  on  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform addresses urban planning issues by allowing holistic 
and  sustainable  management  of  cities  and  territories.  Thus, 
new  modes  of  transport,  constructions,  infrastructures,  as 
well as services, can be simulated on a single platform, for the 
benefit of inhabitants, companies and public decision-makers.

Industry of the Future
We  are  at  the  heart  of  the  world’s  industrial  policies  and 
programs. All of the technologies allowing the redefinition of 
production models such as cobotics, additive manufacturing, 
and  augmented  reality  are  available  on  the  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform. These technologies allow considerable gains in terms 
of raw materials and resources. For example, in the aerospace 
industry,  the  additive  manufacturing  of  certain  parts  allows 
reduction of up to 80% of their weight.

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Environmental Responsibility

2

3DEXPERIENCE Platform 
for Sustainability: Apps and solutions 
for sustainable development

2

Companies today face a series of technological and ecological 
challenges.  The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  helps  customers 
to  achieve  their  sustainability  and  business  goals,  through  a 
portfolio  of  dedicated  sustainability  applications,  enriching 
our Industry Solutions Experiences, based on:

3D Modeling Technologies
Our portfolio of 3D modeling applications technologies makes it 
possible to create scientifically accurate representations of the 
environmental  impacts  of  products.  These  technologies  also 
offer techniques to reduce these impacts, such as eco-design for 
predictive environmental assessment and virtual prototyping, 
which  improve  the  carbon  footprint,  energy  consumption, 
human health impacts, and overall sustainability of products 
and  systems.  For  example,  SOLIDWORKS  Sustainability 
features an integrated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) dashboard 
that estimates the environmental implications of each design 
decision  using  several  environmental  indicators.  One  of 
our  clients  the  global  leader  in  door-opening  solutions  uses 
SOLIDWORKS Sustainability to reduce product environmental 
impact and material usage while cutting their product material 
and energy costs by 15%.

Virtual+Real Technologies
Technologies  that  enable  real-time  realistic  simulation  can 
help optimize the physical world in virtual universes, leading 
to  reduce  environmental  impacts.  For  complex  products,  our 
simulation  technologies  improve  performance  and  weight 
testing,  allowing  engineers  to  verify  their  functionality  and 
conformity. Industrial and production systems can be executed 
with  minimal  material  and  energy  expenditure  to  enable 
“green” manufacturing. Ultimately, end consumer usage can 
be  simulated  to  examine  and  reduce  environmental  impacts 
over  the  entire  life  cycle.  For  example,  one  of  the  leaders  in 
packaging  design  is  using  SIMULIA  to  simulate  complex 
interactions, resulting in a 27% reduction of carbon footprint 
and plastic resin usage while maintaining product integrity.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 71

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Environmental Responsibility

responsibility 

Intelligent Information Technologies
Searching,  sorting,  filtering,  navigating,  real-time  analysis 
and  understanding  of  large  amounts  of  environmental  data 
are  essential  for  sustainable  innovation.  Data  requirements 
become key for the entire value chain, not only for companies. 
This  expanded  producer 
requires  both 
sophisticated  and  flexible  access  to  large  volumes  of  data  to 
be  able  to  use  information  intelligence  applications  that  can 
generate  an  environmental  impact  dashboard  across  the 
extended  enterprises.  For  example,  the  EXALEAD  search-
based infrastructure allows the management of structured and 
unstructured  environmental  data,  providing  decision  support 
to execute corporate sustainability and environmental impact-
reduction strategies. Attentiveness to public opinion is crucial 
for  the  success  of  these  sustainable  development  strategies: 
NETVIBES enables our customers to assess public sensitivity to 
sustainable development campaigns and trends.

sustainability 

Connectivity Technologies
Connecting  data  and  people,  by  breaking  down  silos  in 
organizations,  contributes 
strategies. 
to 
Connectivity  technologies  allow  companies  to  build  internal 
and external communities to manage sustainability efficiently. 
They  also  make  it  possible  to  connect  product  data  with 
governmental  data  to  proactively  manage  compliance  with 
government  and  industry  environmental  regulations  and 
standards,  such  as  the  Restriction  of  Hazardous  Substances 
(RoHS) directive and the management of minerals which fuel 
conflicts.

Our  solution  for  environmental  compliance  and  materials 
intelligence  help  maintain  a  proactive  risk  minimization 
strategy,  and  make  it  possible  to  engage  the  people  and 
communities  that  are  critical  to  the  success  of  sustainability 
strategies. For example, one of our customers a leader in test 
and  measurement  systems  in  electronics  and  bio-analytic 
instruments uses ENOVIA Materials Compliance Management 
(MCM),  an  automated,  enterprise-wide  materials  compliance 
data  tracking  system,  to  demonstrate  compliance  with  strict 
environmental regulations for more than 1,800 products and 
160,000 parts from more than 7,000 suppliers.

We are a forerunner in creating 3DEXPERIENCE for sustainable 
innovation to help customers achieve a positive environmental 
impact on the planet and grow their businesses sustainably. 
The  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  enables  innovators  to  truly 
understand  the  impact  of  their  ideas  and  processes  on 
people and the environment, to achieve the vision of a more 
sustainable world.

2.2.2.3 

Inclusion of environmental 
considerations in the Company’s 
operational locations

We  choose  our  site  locations  based  on  the  objectives  of 
supporting our business growth and providing our employees 
with  a  pleasant  working  environment  while  integrating 
sustainable  development  strategies  such  as  promoting 
synergies  and  collaboration,  reducing  the  environmental 
footprint of our operations, and improving employee working 
conditions.  We  also  seek  to  be  close  to  our  customers,  our 
research  partners  and  the  leading  schools  and  universities, 
which are major sources of recruitment for our Group.

The  siting  of  our  facilities  is  designed  to  foster  collaboration 
among  employees  and  with  partners  and  customers  by 
grouping  together  sites,  subsidiaries  and  operations  in  a 
particular region or country. This process has, in particular, led 
to an audit of the facilities and their usage conditions, during 
external  growth  transactions,  in  order  to  determine  steps  to 
be taken in connection with the Group’s strategy (maintaining 
the lease, facilities rehabilitation or consolidation).

Since  2008,  we  have  implemented  a  policy  of  setting  up 
our  activities  in  offices  certified  under  local  environmental 
standards  such  as  Haute  Qualité  Environnementale  (High 
Environmental  Quality)  in  France  and  LEED  in  the  United 
States,  or  on  sites  applying  an  environmental  management 
system  such  as  ISO  14001.  In  2017,  56%  of  the  Employee 
Headcount  worked  in  certified  offices  compared  to  70%  in 
2016. This impact is due to the fully consolidation of 3DPLM 
in  2017,  as  its  premises,  which  are  located  in  Pune  and 
Bangalore  (India),  have  no  certification.  3DPLM’s  workforce 
accounts for 17% of the Group’s total employee headcount.

Sustainable  development  is  now  integrated  in  real  estate 
projects right from the inception of any plan to move or open 
up a new site.

Principal Sites
With the exception of facilities totaling 21,000 square meters 
belonging  to  3DPLM  Software  Solutions  Limited  (“3DPLM 
Ltd”) located in Pune (India), the Company does not own the 
offices  it  occupies  and  does  not  have  full  ownership  rights 
over  any  real  estate  or  building,  either  directly  or  through 
a  lease  (see  Notes  14  and  25  to  the  consolidated  financial 
statements).

At December 31, 2017, the principal sites occupied by Group 
companies in its three geographic regions were as set forth in 
the table below (sites > 4,500 sq.m.).

72 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Environmental Responsibility

2

Geographic region

Principal Sites

Area
(in m2)

Activities on the site

Europe

3DS Paris Campus, France(1)

81,000

Headquarters, R&D, Marketing and Sales

3DS Munich Rosenheimer, Germany

3DS  Bois-Le-Duc , The Netherlands

3DS Darmstadt, Germany

7,800

6,600

6,400

R&D, Marketing and Sales

R&D, Marketing and Sales

R&D, Marketing and Sales

Americas

3DS Boston Campus Waltham, Massachussetts, United States(2) 29,800

R&D, Marketing and Sales

2

Asia

3DS Providence, Rhode Island, United States

3DS San Diego, California, United States

3DS Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States

3DPLM Pune, India(3)

3DS Tokyo, Japan

3DS Bangalore Nanda, India

3DS Selangor, Malaysia

8,800

5,700

4,600

R&D, Marketing and Sales

R&D, Marketing and Sales

R&D, Marketing and Sales

20,900

R&D, Marketing and Sales

6,000

6,000

5,900

Marketing and Sales

R&D, Marketing and Sales

R&D, Marketing and Sales

(1)  Dassault Systèmes occupies in Vélizy-Villacoublay a facility covering 57,000 square meters built in 2008 in accordance with the Group’s specifications. Since 2011, Dassault 
Systèmes has rented 11,000 additional square meters in a building located in Meudon-La-Forêt and has benefited from the 3DS Paris Campus facilities. The extension 
of the Group’s headquarters was completed in December 2016, providing 13,000 square meters of additional office space.

(2)  The extension of the 3DS Boston Campus continued in 2017 with the completion of some 2,800 square meters of additional office space.
(3)  The surface area of the 3DPLM sites have been included, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM in 2017.

Europe
Our  global  headquarters  located  at  the  3DS  Paris  Campus  in 
Vélizy-Villacoublay (France) are certified as NF Service Sector 
Buildings  HQE  under  the  HQE  (High  Environmental  Quality) 
system.  We  have 
implemented  real-time  monitoring  of 
operation  and  maintenance  incidents  related  to  the  energy 
consumption of its buildings. The construction of an extension 
to the 3DS Paris Campus started in 2015 and was completed 
in December 2016. In line with the procedure used for the four 
other  buildings,  this  extension  obtained  the  NF  certification 
for high environmental quality service-sector buildings.

Sites located in Cambridge (United Kingdom) and in Stockholm 
(Sweden)  are  SKA  certified.  The  site  located  in  Bois-le-Duc 
(Netherlands) is certified BREEAM-In-Use.

In 2017, the Munich J Wild site (Germany) obtained the “SKA” 
certification for its interior design.

Americas
In the United States, the 3DS Boston Campus is certified LEED 
Gold  for  its  external  construction,  and  LEED  Platinum  for  its 
interior design. LEED is an American certification awarded to 
buildings designed with the goal of optimizing environmental 
performance.  To  optimize  its  energy  consumption,  this  site 
is  equipped  with  condensation  boilers  and  high-yield  air 
conditioning.  The  3DS  Providence  Campus  received  two 
certifications LEED Gold for its external construction, and LEED 
Gold for its interior design.

The site of San Diego is Energy Star certified, while the site of 
Seattle has the LEED Operation and Maintenance certification.

In  Latin  America,  the  site  of  Sao  Paulo  (Brazil)  obtained  the 
LEED for Core and Shell certification.

Environmental  certification  is  either  obtained  at  our  own 
initiative or that of the lessor.

Asia
The  buildings  in  Singapore,  those  in  Shanghai  and  Beijing 
(China), and those in Tokyo (Japan) are certified according to 
local or international environmental standards.

2.2.2.4  Use of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform 

for Dassault Systèmes’ environmental 
reporting

Since  2016,  we  have  been  using  the  Group’s  solutions  to 
monitor and manage our environmental impact.

We have thus fully integrated the monitoring and visualization 
of  the  environmental  data 
in  a  dashboard  using  the 
3DEXPERIENCE platform. Through this dashboard, available to 
all contributors, the environmental data collection, monitoring 
and validation process has been simplified.

Contributors  and  the  Real  Estate,  General  Resources  and 
Environment  Management  department  can  thus  view  the 
progress  of  the  environmental  data  collection,  along  with 
potential  changes  over  a  three-year  period.  They  can  also 
share comments.

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Environmental Responsibility

The  digitization  of  our  sites’  environmental  reporting 
continued  in  2017,  in  particular  through  the  automation  of 
the calculation of scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions.

2.2.2.5  Monitoring and control of the Group’s 

environmental impacts

The Group carried out a project to analyze the material nature 
of its indicators, focusing, in particular, on the key “primary” 
indicators  related  to  its  operations.  These  primary  indicators 
are  the  following:  electricity  consumption,  greenhouse  gas 
emissions,  and  waste  electronic  and  electrical  equipment 
(WEEE).  The  remaining  indicators  are  deemed  “secondary” 
and  include  paper  consumption,  water  consumption  and 
treatment  of  waste.  (See  paragraph  2.2.5  “Methodology  for 
Environmental Reporting”).

Data  presented  in  the  environmental  report  covers  Dassault 
Systèmes  SE  and  all  companies  in  respect  of  which  it 
has  a  shareholding  exceeding  50%  (see  paragraph  2.2.5 
“Methodology  for  Environmental  Reporting”).  Since  2017, 
the  following  consumptions  concern  the  six  buildings  of  the 
3DS Paris Campus and the buildings of 3DPLM.

Energy consumption
The  Real  Estate,  General  Resources  and  Environment 
Management  department 
implements  actions  within 
the  buildings  to  measure  and  optimize  the  sites’  energy 
consumption. The information below concerns electricity and 
natural gas consumption on our sites and data centers. Natural 
gas consumption represents 5% of total energy consumption.

Electricity consumption (in mWh)

Europe

of which 3DS Paris Campus

Americas

Asia

TOTAL

2017

38,088

23,663

18,708

12,298**

69,094*

2016

34,406

19,490

18,160

3,130

55,696

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The energy consumption of 3DPLM was included in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

In  2017,  the  energy  consumption  of  3DLPM  accounted  for 
13% of the Group’s total consumption.

Electricity consumption of the 3DS Paris Campus increased by 
21.4%  between  2016  and  2017  due  to  the  inclusion  of  the 
energy  consumption  of  the  building  located  in  Meudon-La-
Forêt and that of the headquarters extension.

We  use  renewable  energy  at  our  3DS  Paris  Campus 
headquarters, and have also included, in some of our energy 
contracts, the purchase of electricity produced by renewable 
resources for certain sites (3DS Paris Campus in France, 3DS 
Stuttgart, and 3DS Munich J Wild in Germany). As a result, the 
consumption of electricity from renewable energy represents 
36% of total electricity consumption.

In 2017, we launched an energy audit on all of our UK sites.

In 2010, we introduced a process to virtualize our servers. This 
virtualization leads to better use of the equipment, saves space 
at  the  data  center,  and  reduces  the  power  consumed  by  the 
infrastructure, reducing inherent greenhouse gas emissions.

Moreover, in 2014, we initiated a transition to Flash storage, 
a technology which allows the replacement of physical discs 
with  “Flash”  memory.  After  virtualizing  the  majority  of  our 
computing needs, we replaced in 2017 our main disk storage 
arrays  with  this  technology,  enabling  substantial  gains  in 
space and energy consumption through data reduction, while 
improving the performance of hosted applications.

In order to limit our carbon footprint, we opt for products with 
internationally recognized certifications, such as the “Energy 
Star” energy efficiency label, when purchasing IT equipment.

Data centers
Dassault  Systèmes  has  located  part  of  its  servers  at  several 
data  centers  throughout  the  world.  Energy  consumption  in 
these centers is included in the total electricity consumption 
reported above.

In our main data center, the servers are installed in contained 
cold corridors, optimizing their energy consumption.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Since 2012, our Group monitors and reports on its scope 1 and 
2 emissions, as well as some of its scope 3 emissions related 
to business travel.

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2

Greenhouse gas emissions, scopes 1 and 2
To  analyze  our  global  carbon  footprint,  we  use  the  “GHG 
Protocol” (Greenhouse Gas Protocol: www.ghgprotocol.org ).

Following  the  publication  of  the  implementing  decree  of 
Article 173 of the French Energy Transition Act of August 19, 
2016  (Article 173 de la loi de transition énergétique pour 
la  croissance  verte),  we  continued  our  efforts  to  identify 
and  analyze  our  main  significant  sources  of  greenhouse  gas 
emissions along the value chain.

Emissions in Metric Tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2)
SCOPE 1:

Emissions due to on-site natural gas consumption

Emissions due to the on-site fuel consumption of generators

Total emissions due to the use of company vehicles

Emissions due to the use of company vehicles in Europe

Emissions due to the use of company vehicles in the Americas

Emissions due to the use of company vehicles in Asia

Emissions due to the use of refrigerants

TOTAL SCOPE 1

SCOPE 2

Total emissions due to purchases of electricity and district heating

Total emissions due to purchases of electricity and district heating in Europe

Emissions due to purchases of electricity and district heating in the Americas region

Emissions due to purchases of electricity and district heating in Asia

TOTAL SCOPE 2

TOTAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS (SCOPES 1 +2)

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The greenhouse gas emissions of the 3DPLM site were included in in 2017 following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

2017

2016

2

600

30

3,560

3,420

-

140**

710

4,900

20,335

4,835

6,210

9,290**

20,335

25,235*

600

-

3,970

3,870

–

100

370

4,940

12,330

4,060

6,170

2,100

12,330

17,270

The share of emissions related to 3DPLM account for 30% of 
the Group’s total emissions.

Greenhouse  gas  emissions  increased  by  46%  between  2016 
and 2017 due to Group’s organic growth across all regions.

In  terms  of  carbon  intensity  per  employee,  scope  1  and  2 
greenhouse gas emissions increased between 2016 and 2017, 
from 1,8 tCO2 per employee to 2 tCO2.

Category  11  “Use  of  sold  products”  has  been  identified  as 
the  most  significant  source  of  positive  and  negative  impacts 
under scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. In the absence of an 
international standard and with regards to the diversity of our 
portfolio of solutions, this category could not be quantified in 
2017. In 2018, we will develop a negative impact estimation 
methodology  application-based,  which  we  will  roll  out 
gradually to cover our entire portfolio.

Greenhouse gas emissions, scope 3

To  assess  scope  3  greenhouse  gas  emissions,  we  used  the 
Greenhouse  Gas  Protocol  methodology,  which  includes  15 
categories  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions.  In  light  of  Dassault 
Systèmes’  objective  of  providing  companies  and  individuals 
with  3D  experience  universes,  five  categories  have  been 
identified as sources of impacts under scope 3 greenhouse gas 
emissions.

As  the  3D  experience  universes  make  it  possible  to  imagine 
sustainable  innovations  harmonizing  product,  nature  and 
life  (see  paragraph  1.3.1.3  “Dassault  Systèmes’  Purpose 
and  Strategy”)  through  a  portfolio  of  software  solutions, 

We  identified  four  other  categories  relevant  to  the  Group: 
categories  1  “Purchased  goods  and  services”,  6  “Business 
travel”,  7  “Employee  commuting”  and  2  “Capital  goods”.  In 
2018,  we  will  continue  our  efforts  on  developing  a  model 
for  estimating  our  negative 
impact  and  deploying  our 
environmental  strategy  in  our  operations  in  order  to  extend 
our geographic reporting scope.

In  light  of  our  targeted  acquisition  and  growth  strategy, 
which affects the reporting scope, year-to-year comparison of 
estimated  data  is  difficult.  Despite  the  Group’s  best  efforts, 
the indicators and the actions are likely to change in order to 
ensure the continued development, quality and availability of 
the Group’s solutions and services.

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Environmental Responsibility

Use of sold products (Category 11)

Positive impact
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is composed of an applications 
portfolio  which  enables  Dassault  Systèmes’  customers  to 
imagine breakthrough innovations and reduce their greenhouse 
gas  emissions  (see  paragraph  2.2.2.1  “The  3DEXPERIENCE 
platform at the heart of breakthrough innovations”). Each of 
the applications has a unique value and a distinctive positive 
impact on greenhouse gas emissions:

 › CATIA  applications  can  optimize  the  aerodynamics  of 
vehicle models, thereby reducing the vehicles’ greenhouse 
gas emissions in the utilization phase;

 › using the SOLIDWORKS Sustainability application, designers 
can  reduce  greenhouse  gas  emissions  by  choosing  lower-
impact materials in the design phase;

 › DELMIA  applications  used  for  the  planning,  simulation 
and modeling of manufacturing processes make it possible 
to  optimize  material  consumption,  energy  consumption 
and transport during the logistics phase, thereby reducing 
greenhouse gas emissions;

 › SIMULIA  applications  used  for  virtual  tests  and  to  assess 
the  performance,  reliability  and  safety  of  materials  and 
products make it possible to optimize the use of materials 
and energy, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Dassault  Systèmes’  applications  have  different 
impacts, 
depending  on  industry  segments,  customers  and  users. 
Thus,  the  impact  of  design  optimization  in  the  automotive 
industry will be different to the impact generated in high-tech 
or consumer goods sectors. Moreover, the impact will not be 
the same in a large corporation as in a small or medium-sized 
company.

The  overall  assessment  of  the  reduction  in  greenhouse  gas 
emissions  from  the  use  of  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  will 
therefore involve a high degree of uncertainty. Only a case-by-
case assessment would be relevant such as the one conducted 
by  Dassault  Systèmes  in  December  2015  with  Harvard’s 
Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise 
(SHINE)  concerning  automotive  modeling  and  simulation 
applications.

http://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/chge/files/handprints_of_
product_innovation.pdf  

Therefore,  to  assess  the  overall  positive  impacts  of  the  use 
of  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform,  the  Group  will  base  its 
methodology on a per-application study.

Negative impact
The  use  of  Dassault  Systèmes’  software  solutions  involves 
energy  consumption  by  our  customers.  This  energy 
consumption  depends  on  the  computing  power  required  by 
the applications which varies according to the application used 
and their utilization time.

As most of our solutions are installed in the IT infrastructure 
of  our  customers,  a  so-called  on  premise  installation,  it  is 
not possible for the Group to know with certainty the nature 
and  time  of  use.  Besides,  such  data  constitutes  strategic 
confidential information for our customers.

Therefore,  the  methodology  used  to  assess  the  negative 
impacts of the use of our software solutions will also be based 
on a per-application study.

Moreover, as our solutions become increasingly cloud-based, 
the energy consumption related to the use of our applications 
will be included in the energy consumption of our servers, and 
therfore included in our scope 2 reporting.

Purchased goods and services (Category 1)
Purchased  goods  and  services  mainly  consist  of  insurance 
premiums,  bank  charges,  fees  for  consulting  and  other 
intellectual  services,  subcontracting,  communications  and 
other services required for the Group’s business.

For  the  calculation  of  emissions,  we  use  the  Greenhouse 
Gas  Protocol  methodology.  This  category’s  carbon  footprint 
is  estimated  using  monetary  emission  factors  supplied  by 
l'Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie 
(ADEME) and applied to the amounts spent in 2016 in France 
(representing  25%  of  the  global  workforce).  The  uncertainty 
factor  is  very  high  due  to  the  use  of  a  monetary  ratio.  The 
estimates produced should therefore be considered as an order 
of magnitude.

These  emissions  amounted  to  45,570  tCO2 
representing a carbon intensity of 12.4 tCO2 per employee.
In order to limit our carbon footprint, we include environmental 
criteria in our calls for tenders and contracts with our suppliers 
(see paragraph 2.2.4 “Responsible Partner ”).

in  2016, 

Business travel (Category 6)
Due  to  our  Group’s  global  presence,  and  to  remain  in  close 
contact with our customers and partners, our business travel 
is  a  source  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions  having  a  negative 
impact on our scope 3 performance.

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2

Emissions in Metric Tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2)
Total emissions due to employee business air travel

Emissions due to employee business air travel in Europe

Emissions due to employee business air travel in the Americas

Emissions due to employee business air travel in Asia**

Total emissions due to employee business travel by train

Emissions due to employee travel by train in Europe

Emissions due to employee travel by train in the Americas

Emissions due to employee travel by train in Asia**

Total emissions due to employee travel by personal car in connection with work

Emissions due to employee travel using their personal vehicles in Europe

Emissions due to employee travel using their personal vehicles in the Americas

Emissions due to employee travel using their personal vehicles in Asia**

TOTAL

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The greenhouse gas emissions of the 3DPLM site were included in in 2017 following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

2017

22,305

7,375

8,615

6,315**

1,815

300

-

1,515**

1,425

550

525

350**

25,545*

2016

34,780

13,130

13,400

8,250

1,730

295

–

1,435

1,850

490

930

430

38,360

2

The data reported above concerning greenhouse gas emissions 
from business travel covers 96% of the global workforce. The 
emissions stemming from 3DPLM account for 2% of the above 
total emissions.

in  2017, 

These  emissions  correspond  to  25,545  tCO2 
representing a carbon intensity of 1.8 tCO2 per employee.
This  data  is  estimated  on  the  basis  of  the  report  submitted 
by our air/train travel operator, and staff expense records (for 
personal  vehicles).  For  the  calculation  of  emissions,  we  use 
the  Greenhouse  Gas  Protocol  methodology.  The  uncertainty 
factor is very low.

We have been engaged in a travel optimization process since 
2009. The Travel policy implemented limits the environmental 
impact of business travel by giving preference to meetings by 
conference call and video conference rather than by physical 
travel,  use  train  travel  rather  than  air  travel  for  trips  under 
three hours in length, and use of economy class for air travel 
(the carbon footprint of Business class being greater than for 
economy class).

Employee commuting (Category 7)
Since  our  business  is  a  service  sector  business,  employee 
commuting is a source of greenhouse gas emissions having a 
negative impact on our scope 3 performance.

The  emissions  are  calculated  by  estimating  the  distance 
between  the  homes  and  workplaces  of  employees  in  France 
(accounting  for  25%  of  the  global  workforce)  who  are  not 
entitled  to  a  public  transport  allowance,  and  on  the  basis  of 
the information available in 2016.

For the calculation of emissions, we use the Greenhouse Gas 
Protocol methodology. The uncertainty factor is high due to 
the  use  of  an  average  greenhouse  gas  emissions  factor.  The 
estimates produced should therefore be considered as an order 
of magnitude.

These emissions amounted to 6,680 tCO2 in 2016, representing 
a carbon intensity of 1.8 tCO2 per employee.

Capital goods (Category 2)
Since  our  business  consists  in  publishing  software,  capital 
goods  are  a  source  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions  having  a 
negative impact on our scope 3 performance.

These  emissions  are  mainly  related  to  the  production  and 
purchase  of  capital  goods  consisting  of  desktop  computers, 
laptops, data center servers and office furniture.

This category’s carbon footprint is estimated using monetary 
emission  factors  supplied  by  l'Agence  de  l'environnement 
et de la maîtrise de l'énergie  (ADEME)  and  applied  to  the 
amounts  spent  in  2016  in  France  (representing  25%  of  the 
global workforce). The uncertainty factor is very high due to 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 77

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Environmental Responsibility

the  use  of  a  monetary  ratio.  The  estimates  produced  should 
therefore be considered as an order of magnitude.

These emissions amounted to 6,255 tCO2 in 2016, representing 
a carbon intensity of 1.7 tCO2 per employee.

In order to limit our carbon footprint, we include environmental 
criteria in our calls for tenders and contracts with our suppliers 
(see paragraph 2.2.4 “Responsible Partner ”).

Water consumption

Water consumption (in m3)

Europe

of which 3DS Paris Campus

Americas

Asia

TOTAL

2017

43,001

30,373

32,323

54,569**

129,893

2016

37,738

23,608

35,489

4,740

77,967

**  The water consumption of 3DPLM was included in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

In 2017, the water consumption of 3DLPM accounted for 37% 
of the Group’s total consumption.

The  data  related  to  water  consumption  presented  above  is 
mainly based on estimates and as such may differ from actual 
water  consumption  (see  paragraph  2.2.5  “Methodology  for 
Environmental  Reporting  –  Limitations  on  environmental 
reporting”).

Treatment of ordinary waste
In light of the nature of our business, we generate primarily 
ordinary waste such as paper, cardboard and plastic.

The table below indicates the percentage of employees with access to recycling facilities by geographic region:

Percentage of employees with access to recycling facilities at their work location

Europe

of which 3DS Paris Campus

Americas

Asia**

% OF EMPLOYEES WITH ACCESS TO RECYCLING FACILITIES AT THEIR WORK LOCATION

**  The data of the 3DPLM site was included in 2017 following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

2017

93%

100%

100%

39%**

75%

2016

94%

100%

96%

92%

94%

The impact on the percentage of employees having access to waste sorting facilities in Asia is due to the fact that 3DPLM does 
not sort its waste.

Paper consumption

Paper consumption (in metric tons)

Europe

of which 3DS Paris Campus

Americas

Asia

TOTAL

2017

28

18

11

13**

52

2016

29

15

12

10

51

**  The paper consumption of 3DPLM was included in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.

In 2017, the paper consumption of 3DLPM accounted for 5% 
of the Group’s total consumption.

On the 3DS Paris Campus, total paper consumption amounted 
to  18  metric  tons  in  2017  compared  with  15  metric  tons 

in  2016.  In  relation  to  the  number  of  employees,  this 
consumption  decreased  from  6.3  kg  per  employee  in  2016, 
to 5.9 kg in 2017.

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2

2.2.3  Responsible Employee

Dassault  Systèmes  pursues  an  ongoing  policy  of  raising 
employee awareness by involving them in the steps taken to 
save water and energy and promote waste sorting through:

 › a presentation of environmental concerns to new employees 
joining  the  Group,  eco-friendly  habits  to  adopt  in  offices, 
and technologies liable to reduce the environmental impacts 
of its activities;

 › specific events to promote recycling.

Training
In  September  2016,  we  launched  a  training  program  via 
the  3DS  University  application  to  raise  employee  awareness 
of  sustainable  development  issues.  Upon  their  arrival  in  the 
Group, new employees are invited to take this training course 
(see paragraph 2.1.2.2 “Developing, training and recognizing 
expertise,  managing  the  careers  of  Dassault  Systèmes 
employees”).

The training course is divided into three parts:

 › employees  are  firstly  made  aware  of  the  world’s  current 

sustainable development challenges;

 › the  course  content 

is  focused  on  our  environmental 
strategy, based on three pillars (see paragraph 2.2.1.1 “An 
environmental strategy built on three pillars”);

 › the  last  part  reminds  employees  of  the  good  practices  to 
adopt in the office concerning issues such as recycling and 
energy consumption.

In  2017,  450  employees  were  made  aware  of  our  Group’s 
environmental challenges.

2

Awareness-raising actions
In  June  and  December  2017,  the  initiative  called  Le  Bon 
Réflexe – Collecte Solidaire  was  renewed  jointly  on  the  3DS 
Paris Campus by the Dassault Systèmes SE disability taskforce 
and  the  Real  Estate,  General  Resources  and  Environment 
Management department. Employees were asked to drop off 
their personal obsolete or out of order electrical and electronic 
equipment. The collected material was sent for recycling to a 
sheltered employment firm located in the Yvelines department. 
A  total  of  1,227  kg  of  equipment  was  thus  recycled  by  a 
service provider employing people with disabilities.

In 2017, the “Le bon Réflexe – Clean Desk” initiative was once 
again rolled out on the 3DS Paris Campus. During this event, 
employees were invited to drop off their used paper archives, 
supplies  and  cardboard  in  dedicated  collection  areas.  Thus, 
4,348 kg of waste office supplies and paper were recycled by 
a service provider employing people with disabilities.

The process was enhanced across all geographic regions with 
the  implementation  of  local  initiatives  to  raise  employees’ 
awareness of environmental friendly measures. For example, 
on  the  3DS  Boston  Campus,  the  site’s  Green  Team  runs  bi-
annual  “Green  Weeks”.  Throughout  these  weeks,  various 
events were conducted to showcase and encourage employees 
to  increase  their  awareness  of  sustainable  development.  For 
example, activities related to electronic waste, residential solar 
energy, energy efficiency, and the purchase of electric vehicles 
were renewed or initiated on several sites in the United States, 
including the 3DS Boston Campus, 3DS Providence, 3DS San 
Diego and 3DS Auburn Hills.

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Environmental Responsibility

2.2.4  Responsible Partner

include  a  corporate  social  responsibility 
Our  contracts 
component  (see  paragraph  2.1.5  “Business  ethics,  social 
dialogue  and  personal  safety”).  Since  2016,  we  have  been 
strengthening  our  commitment  to  environmental  protection 
by  giving  it  greater  importance  in  our  calls  for  tenders  and 
contracts with our suppliers and service providers.

Inclusion of environmental considerations 
in the Group’s calls for tenders
In 2017, the Real Estate, General Resources and Environment 
Management  department  and  the  Purchasing  Department 
targeted  two  major  calls  for  tenders  in  which  environmental 
considerations  needed  to  be  strengthened:  the  move  to  the 
new building and concierge services for the 3DS Paris Campus. 
We have focused particular attention on service providers with 
environmental  certifications,  recycling  channels  for  office 
supplies and furnishings, the use of local service providers, the 
use  of  the  most  environment-friendly  products,  as  well  as  a 
general policy in terms of corporate social responsibility.

Group commitments in favor of circular economy 
and measures for combating food waste
In 2017, we continued to promote local actions. For example, 
during  events  organized  on  the  3DS  Paris  Campus  to  raise 
employee awareness on sustainable development, we shined 
the spotlight on partners that also included social and ethical 
commitments in the recycling of their electrical and electronic 
waste  in  Europe.  Companies  from  the  social  and  solidarity 
economy are given preference wherever possible.

For example, we entrusted the refurbishing or recycling of our 
computer  equipment  in  the  Europe  area  to  a  company  from 
the  social  and  solidarity  economy  that  employs  people  with 

disabilities  near  our  registered  office  in  Vélizy-Villacoublay. 
This  company  recycles  plastic  materials  to  produce  urban 
furniture. In 2017, we purchased some of this urban furniture 
for our new building’s green spaces.

When  servers  are  decommissioned  from  the  data  center,  we 
favor their re-use for other purposes on the 3DS Paris Campus.

In order to create a positive impact in all the countries in which 
we  operate,  local  contributions  integrating  an  ethical  and/
or  socially  responsible  approach  are  promoted  whenever  as 
possible. In addition, we promote recycling activities woldwide 
and focus on the purchase of materials and furniture that have 
been recycled or certified as environmentally friendly.

Given the nature of our activities, food waste is not considered 
as  a  major  issue  for  the  Group.  Nevertheless,  on  the  3DS 
Paris  Campus,  we  have  included  a  clause  in  our  contract 
with  our  provider  of  catering  services  requiring  the  latter  to 
sort  waste  at  source  and  when  cleaning  the  meal  trays.  All 
the  organic  matter  collected  in  the  company  restaurant  at 
the  registered  office  is  sent  to  composting/mechanization 
firms. In December 2017, a composting system was installed 
on  the  3DS  Paris  Campus.  Awareness-raising  actions  aimed 
at employees were conducted during the European Week for 
Waste  Reduction  in  order  to  reduce  the  wastage  of  bread, 
paper napkins, foodstuffs, etc.

Specific waste treatment
We place great importance on the environmental management 
of  our  computer  equipment  both  in  terms  of  usage  and 
recycling.  The  Company’s  computer  equipment  includes 
desktop  computers,  laptop  computers  and  the  servers  of  its 
data center.

% of specific waste recycled according to environmental standards

Quantity of WEEE(1) recycled according to environmental standards (in kg)

Europe

of which 3DS Paris Campus

Americas

Asia

TOTAL

Indicator verified by the independent verifier.

* 
**  The data of the 3DPLM site was included in 2017, following the full acquisition of 3DPLM.
(1)  WEEE: Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment.

2017

100

13,696

9,392

2,092

6,283**

22,071*

2016

100

10,962

9,709

4,445

1,008

16,415

The share of specific waste related to 3DPLM corresponds to 19% of the Group’s total amount. Since 2015, all electronic waste 
has been disposed of in accordance with environmental standards.

80 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Environmental Responsibility

2

2

2.2.5  Methodology for Environmental Reporting

Methodology and scope of environmental reporting
Our methodology for Environmental Reporting is summarized 
in  the  “Environmental  Reporting  Protocol”.  The  protocol 
defines:

 › the  distinction  between  primary  environmental  indicators 

and secondary indicators;

 › the  methodology 

for  collecting  and  consolidating 

environmental information;

 › the scope for collecting environmental data.

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 225 of the law referred 
to  as  “Grenelle  II”,  the  environmental  reporting  target  scope 
includes  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  and  all  the  companies  in 
respect  of  which  it  has  a  shareholding  exceeding  50%.  It 
should  be  noted  that  companies  acquired  during  the  period 
are excluded from the 2017 environmental reporting scope.

For  the  scope  of  environmental  reporting  as  well  as  for 
calculating  carbon  intensities,  data  related  to  employees 
is  calculated  on  the  basis  of  “full-time  equivalents”,  which 
corresponds to the proportion of “hours worked per standard 
full-time  work  hours”  and  which  was  jointly  defined  and 
shared by both Human Resources and Finance teams.

The  environmental  reporting  scope  fits  to  the  published 
indicators. Most of our environmental indicators are calculated 
on  the  basis  of  the  physical  sites’  operating  data:  buildings’ 
energy consumption, amounts of water consumed, quantities 
of waste produced, etc. Conversely, greenhouse gas emissions 
from  business  travel  are  measured  through  the  tracking  of 
purchases  of  transport  services  (train  and  airline  tickets,  car 
rentals, etc.) by each of the Group’s legal entities.

These characteristics explain the co-existence of two reporting 
scopes for environmental data:

 › for 

indicators  relating  to  energy  consumption,  total 
greenhouse  gas  emissions  scope  1  and  2,  water 
consumption,  general  waste 
treatment,  paper  and 
packaging,  specific  waste  and  greenhouse  gas  emissions 
from  the  recycling  of  computer  equipment,  the  data 
presented in the environmental report concerns the impacts 
measured  at  the  Group’s  main  sites.  For  these  indicators, 
the  environmental  reporting  scope  covers  the  sites  which 
have at least 50 employees, excepted for the site located in 
Seattle.  Although  this  site  did  not  reach  50  employees  in 
2017, we decided to keep it within the scope of reporting 
given the potential for development in 2018. In 2017, the 
reporting  scope  thus  covered  83%  of  Group  employees 
versus 80% in 2016;

 › f or the greenhouse gas emissions related to the scope 3 of 

the Group, we used two reporting scopes:

 › for 

indicators  concerning  business  travel,  the  data 
presented  in  the  environmental  report  concerns  the 
emissions  produced  by  employees  at  the  Group’s  main 
legal entities. For these indicators, the data presented in 
the  environmental  report  covers  the  emissions  produced 
by the employees of legal entities comprising a site with 
at least 50 employees. In 2017, the reporting scope thus 
covered 96% of Group employees versus 95% in 2016,

 › for indicators relating to employee commuting, purchased 
goods  and  services,  and  capital  goods  (greenhouse 
gas  emissions  scope  3),  the  data  presented  in  the 
environmental  report  covers  the  emissions  produced  by 
the  employees  of  the  French  legal  entities,  representing 
25% of Group employees in 2016, excluding acquisitions.

The  environmental  indicators  thus  determined  for  2017  are 
presented  in  paragraphs  2.2.2  “Responsible  Company”  and 
2.2.4 “Responsible Partner”.

Our  environmental  reporting  may  evolve  as  part  of  our 
ongoing improvement process, or to take account of changes 
in applicable regulations.

Collecting and consolidating environmental data
The  environmental  data  was  collected  by  the  Sustainability 
Leaders and consolidated by our Real Estate, General Resources 
and  Environment  Management  department,  based  on  the 
environmental  reporting  protocol.  For  selected  questions, 
such as business travel and data concerning electronic waste, 
external service providers were also consulted.

To  simplify  the  consolidation  of  environmental  data,  a 
dedicated  software  application  was  rolled  out.  This  new 
solution  facilitates  the  structuring  and  standardization  of 
environmental data (regarding all parameters but scope 3 data 
related to greenhouse gas emissions), like-for-like comparisons 
and  an  increase  in  the  frequency  of  information  collection 
from annual to quarterly.

Primary  indicators  are  collected  on  a  quarterly  basis  by  the 
Sustainability  Leaders  and  are  reviewed  and  published  in  a 
quarterly report issued by our Real Estate, General Resources 
and Environment Management department. These indicators 
are presented in detail in this report. They are also checked by 
the independent verifier and are subject to limited assurance.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 81

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Environmental Responsibility

Secondary  indicators  are  collected  on  a  yearly  basis  by  the 
Sustainability Leaders.

Limitations on environmental reporting

In  certain  cases,  the  information  produced  cannot  be  based 
on  actual  consumption.  For  example,  for  certain  foreign 
subsidiaries  whose  contribution  is  low,  the  data  relating  to 
travel is not available in the same format as for the rest of the 
scope.  The  same  applies  to  sites  whose  water  consumption 
and  air-conditioning  refrigerant  recharge  expenses  are 
included  in  the  rent.  In  these  cases,  the  Environmental 
Reporting Protocol specifies the procedure to follow in order 
to make the estimations required (e.g., an estimation of water 

consumption is made on the basis of the averages recorded on 
the other sites in the geographic region based on the number 
of employees or square meters taken up). As a result, actual 
consumption may be different from estimates.

Regarding  waste  treatment,  waste  treatment  and  collection 
are  handled  for  most  subsidiaries  by  local  government, 
which  does  not  furnish  any  information  on  collected  waste. 
It is therefore not possible to provide any information on the 
amount of waste generated. We have nevertheless queried all 
of  our  subsidiaries  included  in  the  2017  reporting  scope,  as 
to whether they sorted their waste. Consequently, our Group 
produces  information  on  the  percentage  of  sites  which  sort 
their waste rather than on the quantity of waste treated (see 
paragraph 2.2.2 “Responsible Company”).

2.2.6 

Industrial and Environmental Risk

Our Group is not aware of any industrial risks, environmental 
risks  or  climate  change  related  risks  which  may  have  a 
significant  impact  on  its  assets  or  operating  results,  and  it 
believes  that  its  business  has  a  very  limited  environmental 
impact:

 › a significant portion of its assets are intangible;

 › none of our Company’s sites produces hazardous waste or 
waste with an environmental impact on the ground, air or 
water, and none of them meets criteria set forth under the 
European  SEVESO  directive  regarding  sites  at  risk  due  to 
hazardous substances, or is classified under ICPE (Classified 
Installation for the Protection of the Environment);

 › our Company does not believe that it is directly exposed to 

climate change issues in the short or medium-term;

 › our  activities  do  not  have  any  known  negative  impact  on 
biodiversity, nor do they generate noise or odors that may 
create  a  nuisance  locally.  In  addition,  our  Company  is  not 
involved with soil usage matters.

The  risk  of  serious  environmental  damage  due  to  our 
Company’s  activities  was  assessed  as  part  of  the  vigilance 
plan set up to comply with the French law of March 27, 2017 
on the duty of vigilance of parent companies and contracting 
undertakings (see paragraph 2.3 “Vigilance Plan”).

The only aspect for which our Company believes there exists a 
minor environmental risk, which would not have a significant 
impact on its financial condition or operating results, is the fuel 
storage  at  the  3DS  Paris  Campus,  the  3DS  Boston  Campus, 
and  the  3DPLM  Pune  site  which  would  be  used  to  produce 
electricity in case of an electricity shortage.

Based on the Company’s limited industrial and environmental 
risks, costs resulting from evaluating, preventing and treating 
industrial and environmental risks are not significant and are 
included under different line items representing investments 
and expenses in the consolidated financial statements.

In  2017,  no  provisions  or  guarantees  for  environmental 
risks  were  recorded  in  the  Group’s  consolidated  financial 
statements.  In  addition,  no  expense  was  recognized  in  the 
financial  statements  related  to  a  court  judgment  regarding 
environmental  issues  or  actions  taken  to  remediate  any 
environmental damage.

To  anticipate  any  regulatory  risks  related  to  environmental 
matters,  Dassault  Systèmes’  Legal  department  and  General 
Resources  and  Sustainable  Development  department  closely 
follow environmental regulations that may have an effect on 
its business.

2.2.7  Financial risks linked to climate change and measures taken 

to reduce them through the implementation of a low-carbon 
strategy

Our Group has not identified any financial risks linked to the impact of climate change on its business. For further information 
regarding risks facing the Company, see paragraph 1.7.1 “Risks Related to the Company’s Business”.

82 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Vigilance Plan

2

2.3  Vigilance Plan

Dassault  Systèmes  conducts  its  business  in  accordance  with 
the  laws  in  force  in  the  countries  where  it  operates  and  in 
compliance with international standards such as the Universal 
Declaration  of  Human  Rights  of  the  United  Nations  and  the 
various  Fundamental  Conventions  of  the  International  Labor 
Organization. It expressed these commitments in 2004 through 
group  policies  such  as  the  Code  of  Business  Conduct  and  the 
Corporate  Social  Responsibility  Principles,  that  suppliers  and 
partners are required to adhere to (see paragraph 2.1.5 “Business 
ethics,  social  dialogue  and  personal  safety”).  Regarding  the 
prevention  of  environmental  risks,  Dassault  Systèmes  has 
structured  its  environmental  responsibility  approach  since 
2010 and strengthened the environmental aspect of its major 
tenders (see paragraph 2.2.4 “Responsible Partner ”).

In accordance with the new Article L. 225-102-4 of the French 
Commercial  Code  (Code de commerce)  introduced  by  Law  of 
March  27,  2017  relative  to  the  duty  of  vigilance  of  parent 
companies and contracting undertakings, Dassault Systèmes is 
setting up a vigilance plan covering the following three areas: (i) 
human rights and fundamental freedoms, (ii) health and safety 
of persons, and (iii) the environment (hereinafter the “Plan”).

During the initial roll-out of the Plan, the first risk assessment 
produced  revealed  the  limited  nature  of  the  risks  regarding 
severe  breaches 
in  the  three  areas  mentioned  above, 
stemming from the Group’s activities or those of its suppliers 
or  subcontractors.  Indeed,  due  to  their  intangible  nature, 
software publishing activities involve no assembly of products 
from a Supply Chain.

Nevertheless, the Group has defined about twenty adapted and 
adjusted  vigilance  measures  to  be  implemented  on  the  short 
and medium terms in order to mitigate risks in the areas covered 
by the Law. The Group is thus working on four main aspects:

 › a “risk management” aspect: the risk assessment is due to 
be refined in the form of a mapping through the in-depth 

2

analysis  of  the  Group’s  supplier  base;  this  will  make  it 
possible to clarify the 2018 and 2019 measures;

 › an  “awareness-raising  and  training”  for  employees’ 
aspect: we plan to review the content of existing employee 
training programs on ethics and compliance and to provide 
specific  training  to  the  Group’s  buyers  and  in  the  future 
to  major  purchasing  officers,  concerning  corporate  social 
responsibility topics and how to address them in relations 
with suppliers;

 › a “general legal” aspect comprising:

 › a  “review  of  existing  policies”  component:  in  2018, 
the  whistleblowing  procedure  provided  for  by  Law  of 
March  27,  2017  and  already  implemented  in  France 
in  particular,  will  be  deployed  within  the  other  Group’s 
various legal entities,

 › a “supplier contracts” component aimed at improving the 
clauses concerning corporate social responsibility issues in 
the Group’s General Purchasing Terms and Conditions and 
in its suppliers’ contracts.

 › a  “processes”  aspect  aimed  at  strengthening  existing 
procedures  and  their  efficiency,  in  particular  concerning 
the  selection  of  new  suppliers;  the  Group  also  decided  to 
adopt a software published by a key player in this domain 
and  designed  to  strengthen  its  actions  to  prevent  non-
compliance risks.

The Plan is implemented by the Group’s various stakeholders, 
i.e.  mainly  the  Purchasing  Department,  Legal  Department, 
Internal Audit Department and Human Resources Department. 
It  will  be  monitored  by  a  steering  committee  composed  of 
members of these departments and of Compliance, which is 
also responsible for the assessment of these procedures.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 83

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Independent Verifi er’s Report on Consolidated Social, Environmental and Societal Information Presented in the Management Report

2.4 

Independent Verifier’s Report on Consolidated 
Social, Environmental and Societal Information 
Presented in the Management Report

This is a free translation into English of the original report issued in the French language and it is provided solely for the 
convenience of English speaking users. This report should be read in conjunction with, and construed in accordance with, French 
law and professional standards applicable in France.

To the shareholders,

In  our  quality  as  an  independent  verifier  accredited  by  the  COFRAC(1)  under  the  number  n°3-1050,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
network of one of the statutory auditors of the company Dassault Systèmes, we present our report on the consolidated social, 
environmental and societal information established for the year ended on the December 31, 2017, presented in chapter 2 of the 
management report, hereafter referred to as the “CSR Information,” pursuant to the provisions of the article L.225-102-1 of the 
French Commercial code (Code de commerce).

Responsibility of the company
It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to establish a management report including CSR Information referred to in the 
article R.225-105-1 of the French Commercial code (Code de commerce), in accordance with the protocols used by the company, 
consisting  in  HR  and  environmental  reporting  protocols  (hereafter  referred  to  as  the  “Criteria”),  and  of  which  a  summary  is 
included in   the management report, as well as available at the company’s headquarters.

Independence and quality control
Our independence is defined by regulatory requirements, the Code of Ethics of our profession as well as the provisions in the 
article  L.822-11-3  of  the  French  Commercial  code  (Code de commerce).  In  addition,  we  have  implemented  a  quality  control 
system, including documented policies and procedures to ensure compliance with ethical standards, professional standards and 
applicable laws and regulations.

Responsibility of the independent verifier
It is our role, based on our work:

 › to attest whether the required CSR Information is present in the management report or, in the case of its omission, that an 
appropriate explanation has been provided, in accordance with the third paragraph of R.225-105 of the French Commercial 
code (Code de commerce) (Attestation of presence of CSR Information);

 › to  express  a  limited  assurance  conclusion,  that  the  CSR  Information,  overall,  is  fairly  presented,  in  all  material  aspects,  in 

according with the Criteria (Limited assurance on CSR Information).

Nonetheless, it is not our role to give an opinion on the compliance with other legal dispositions where applicable, in particular 
those provided for in the Article L.225-102-4 of the French Commercial Code (vigilance plan) and in the Sapin II law n°2016-1691 
of December 9, 2016 (anti-corruption).

Our verification work was undertaken by a team of four people between October 2017 and March 2018 for an estimated duration 
of seven weeks.

We  conducted  the  work  described  below  in  accordance  with  the  professional  standards  applicable  in  France  and  the  Order  of 
May 13, 2013 determining the conditions under which an independent third-party verifier conducts its mission, and in relation 
to the opinion of fairness and the reasonable assurance report, in accordance with the international standard ISAE 3000(2).

(1)  Scope available at www.cofrac.fr.

(2)  ISAE 3000 – Assurance engagements other than audits or reviews of historical information.

84 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Independent Verifi er’s Report on Consolidated Social, Environmental  and Societal Information Presented in the Management Report

2

1.  Attestation of presence of CSR Information

Nature and scope of the work
We obtained an understanding of the company’s CSR issues, based on interviews with the management of relevant departments, 
a presentation of the company’s strategy on sustainable development based on the social and environmental consequences linked 
to the activities of the company and its societal commitments, as well as, where appropriate, resulting actions or programmes.

We have compared the information presented in the management report with the list as provided for in the Article R.225-105-1 
of the French Commercial code (Code de commerce).

In the absence of certain consolidated information, we have verified that the explanations were provided in accordance with the 
provisions in Article R.225-105, paragraph 3, of the French Commercial code (Code de commerce).

We verified that the information covers the consolidated perimeter, namely the entity and its subsidiaries, as aligned with the 
meaning of the Article L.233-1 and the entities which it controls, as aligned with the meaning of the Article L.233-3 of the 
French Commercial code (Code de commerce) with the limitations specified in the Methodological Note in sections 2.1.6 and 
2.2.5 of chapter 2 of the management report.

2

Conclusion
Based  on  this  work,  and  given  the  limitations  mentioned  above,  we  confirm  the  presence  in  the  management  report  of  the 
required CSR information.

2.  Limited assurance on CSR Information

Nature and scope of the work
We undertook seven interviews with the people responsible for the preparation of the CSR Information in the different departments, 
including people in the Human Resources, Facilities, Purchases, Risk and Conformity, Public Affairs, who are in charge of the 
data collection process and, if applicable, the people responsible for internal control processes and risk management, in order to:

 › Assess  the  suitability  of  the  Criteria  for  reporting,  in  relation  to  their  relevance,  completeness,  reliability,  neutrality,  and 

understandability, taking into consideration, if relevant, industry standards;

 › Verify the implementation of the process for the collection, compilation, processing and control for completeness and consistency 
of the CSR Information and identify the procedures for internal control and risk management related to the preparation of the 
CSR Information.

We determined the nature and extent of our tests and inspections based on the nature and importance of the CSR Information, 
in  relation  to  the  characteristics  of  the  Company,  its  social  and  environmental  issues,  its  strategy  in  relation  to  sustainable 
development and industry best practices.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 85

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Independent Verifi er’s Report on Consolidated Social, Environmental and Societal Information Presented in the Management Report

For the CSR Information which we considered the most important(1):

 › At  the  level  of  the  consolidated  entity,  we  consulted  documentary  sources  and  conducted  interviews  to  corroborate  the 
qualitative  information  (organisation,  policies,  actions,  etc.),  we  implemented  analytical  procedures  on  the  quantitative 
information  and  verified,  on  a  test  basis,  the  calculations  and  the  compilation  of  the  information,  and  also  verified  their 
coherence and consistency with the other information presented in the management report;

 › At  the  level  of  the  representative  sample  of  entities  that  we  selected(2)  based  on  their  activity,  their  contribution  to  the 
consolidated  indicators,  their  location  and  a  risk  analysis,  we  undertook  interviews  to  verify  the  correct  application  of  the 
procedures and undertook detailed tests on the basis of samples, consisting in verifying the calculations made and linking them 
with supporting documentation. The sample reviewed therefore represented on average 40 % of the employees and between 
28% and 52% for quantitative environmental information(3).

For the other consolidated CSR information, we assessed their consistency in relation to our knowledge of the company.

Finally, we assessed the relevance of the explanations provided, if appropriate, in the partial or total absence of certain information.

We consider that the sample methods and sizes of the samples that we considered by exercising our professional judgment allow 
us to express a limited assurance conclusion; an assurance of a higher level would have required more extensive verification work. 
Due to the necessary use of sampling techniques and other limitations inherent in the functioning of any information and internal 
control system, the risk of non-detection of a significant anomaly in the CSR Information cannot be entirely eliminated.

Conclusion
Based on our work, we have not identified any significant misstatement that causes us to believe that the CSR Information, taken 
together, has not been fairly presented, in compliance with the Criteria.

Paris-La Défense, the 16 th of March 2018

French original signed by:

Independent Verifier

ERNST & YOUNG et Associés

Eric Mugnier

Partner, sustainable development

Bruno Perrin

Partner

(1)  Social and societal information:

Indicators  (quantitative  information):  workforce  (size  and  breakdown  by  geography,  age,  gender,  type  of  contract  (unlimited/limited),  hiring  and 
terminations, percentage of female managers, absenteeism, total number of training hours;

Qualitative information: employment (total headcount and breakdown, hiring and terminations, remunerations and their evolution), the organisation 
of working time, absenteeism, social relationships (the organisation of social dialogue, collective bargaining agreements), health and safety conditions 
at work, training policies, diversity and equality of treatment and opportunities (including measures undertaken for gender equality), promotion and 
respect of the ILO fundamental conventions , territorial, economic and social impact (impact on neighbouring or local populations), importance of sub-
contracting and the consideration of environmental and social issues in purchasing policies and relations with suppliers and subcontractors, business 
ethics (actions undertaken to prevent bribery and corruption and to ensure personal data security).

Environmental information:

Indicators (quantitative information): energy consumption (in MWh), greenhouse gas emissions for scope 1, scope 2 and part of the scope 3 with the 
emissions associated with business travels (in tonnes of CO2 equivalent), quantity of waste electrical and electronic equipment recycled according to 
environmental norms (in kg), share of sites with environmental certified buildings or offices (in %);

Qualitative information: general environmental policy (organisation, certification procedures, information and training of employees on environmental 
issues), circular economy (measures for preventing, recycling and eliminating waste, energy consumption, measures taken to improve energy efficiency 
and the use of renewable energy), climate change (significant post of greenhouse gas emissions due to the activity of the company, including the use of 
sold products and services).

(2)  The entities Dassault Systèmes S.E. and Dassault Data Service (DS Paris Campus and Terre Europa sites in Vélizy, France); the entities 3DPLM Global 

Services Priv Ltd and 3D PLM Software (3DPLM site in Pune, India).

(3)  The coverage rate of our work is 40 % of the employees for the social data, 52% for the quantities of computers and servers recycled, 44% for energy 
consumption, and 28% for greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 for the source of emissions associated with business travels).

86 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

 
 
 
 
 
Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility
Statutory Auditors’ Attestation on the information relating to the Dassault Systèmes SE’s total amount paid for sponsorship

2.5  Statutory Auditors’ Attestation on the 

information relating to the Dassault Systèmes 
SE’s total amount paid for sponsorship

2

2

This is a free translation into English of a report issued in French and it is provided solely for the convenience of English-speaking 
users. This attestation should be read in conjunction with and construed in accordance with French law and professional standards 
applicable in France.

Statutory auditors’ attestation on the information disclosed under article L.225-115 5° of the French commercial code (Code 
de commerce) relating to the total amount paid in application of 1 and 4 of article 238 bis of the French tax code (Code général 
des impôts) for the year ended December 31, 2017.

To the Shareholders,

In our capacity as statutory auditors of your company and in accordance with article L.225-115 5° of the French commercial code 
(Code de commerce), we have prepared this attestation on the information relating to the total amount paid in application of 1 
and 4 of Article 238 bis of the French tax code (Code général des impôts) for the year ended December 31, 2017, as set out in 
the attached document.

Your chairman of the board was responsible for preparing this information. Our role is to attest this information.

In the context of our role as Commissaires aux comptes (statutory auditors), we have audited your company’s annual financial 
statements for the year ended December 31, 2017. Our audit was conducted in accordance with professional standards applicable 
in France, and was planned and performed solely for the purpose of forming an opinion on the annual financial statements taken 
as a whole and not on any individual component of the accounts used to determine the total amount paid in application of 1 and 
4 of article 238 bis of the French tax code (Code général des impôts). Accordingly, our audit tests and samples were not carried 
out with this objective and we do not express any opinion on any components of the accounts taken individually.

We  performed  those  procedures  which  we  considered  necessary  to  comply  with  professional  guidance  issued  by  the  national 
auditing body (Compagnie nationale des commissaires aux comptes). These procedures, which constitute neither an audit nor a 
review, consisted of performing the necessary reconciliations between the total amount paid in application of 1 and 4 of article 238 
bis of the French tax code (Code général des impôts) and the accounts from which the figure was calculated, and verifying that it 
was consistent with the data used to prepare the annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017.

On the basis of our work, we have no matters to report on the reconciliation of the total amount paid in application of 1 and 4 
of article 238 bis of the French tax code (Code général des impôts), set out in the attached document as €2,349,462  with the 
accounting records used to prepare the annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017.

This attestation shall constitute certification as accurate of the total amount paid in application of 1 and 4 of article 238 bis of 
the French tax code (Code général des impôts), within the meaning of article L.225-115 5° of the French commercial code (Code 
de commerce).

This attestation has been prepared for your attention in the context set out in the first paragraph above, and must not be used, 
distributed or referred to for any other purposes.

Neuilly-sur-Seine and Paris-La Défense, March 16, 2018

The Statutory Auditors

French original signed by

PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit

Thierry Leroux

ERNST & YOUNG et Autres

Nour-Eddine Zanouda

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 87

2 Social, Societal and Environmental Responsibility

Statutory Auditors’ Attestation on the information relating to the Dassault Systèmes SE’s total amount paid for sponsorship

Vélizy-Villacoublay, March 16, 2018

CERTIFICATION RELATING TO THE GLOBAL AMOUNT 
OF SUMS PAID FOR SPONSORSHIP ON 2017

The global amount of sums paid for sponsorship, which are referred to at Article 238 bis of the General Tax Code is 2,349,462 euros 
for 2017.

The global amount of sums paid for sponsorship, which gives rise to fiscal deductions, is 1,479,462 euros.

Thibault de TERSANT

Senior Executive Vice-President, General Secretary

88 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

3

FINANCIAL REVIEW 
AND PROSPECTS

CONTENTS

3.1  Operating and Financial Review 

3.1.1  Executive Overview for 2017 

90

90

3.2  Financial Objectives 

3.1.2  Consolidated Information: 2017 Compared to 2016  98

3.3  Interim and Other Financial 

3.1.3  Variability in Quarterly Financial Results 

3.1.4  Capital Resources 

103

103

Information 

104

105

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Operating and Financial Review

3.1  Operating and Financial Review

The executive overview in paragraph 3.1.1. “Executive Overview for 2017” highlights selected aspects of our business during 
2017. The Executive Overview, Performance Against our non-IFRS Financial Objectives, Definitions of Key Metrics We Use, the 
Supplemental non-IFRS Financial Information and the more detailed discussion that follows in paragraph 3.1.2 “Consolidated 
Information: 2017 Compared to 2016” should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes 
included in paragraph 4.1.1 “Consolidated Financial Statements”.

 3.1.1  Executive Overview for 2017

3.1.1.1 

Summary Overview

Dassault  Systèmes,  the  3DEXPERIENCE  Company,  has  the 
mission to provide business and people with 3DEXPERIENCE 
universes  to  imagine  sustainable  innovations  capable  of 
harmonizing product, nature and life.

We  were  honored  to  have  Dassault  Systèmes  ranked  first 
among  the  2018  Top  100  Most  Sustainable  Corporations 
by  Corporate  Knights  for  our  vision  of  harmonizing  product, 
nature and life and for implementing this vision in everything 
that  we  do.  Empowering  industry  and  people  to  create 
3DEXPERIENCE  universes  to  imagine,  invent,  and  deliver 
disruptive solutions that advance sustainability in domains as 
large as energy, mobility of the future, cities, life sciences and 
high-tech is at the core of our purpose and DNA.

With 3DEXPERIENCE Dassault Systèmes is pioneering the next 
generation innovation platform supporting breakthroughs for 
clients  in  products,  customer  experiences  and  new  business 
models. We believe that the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and our 
industry solutions experiences well address critical needs and 
requirements of our customers.

We  now  reach  a  much  broader  scope  of  our  clients’ 
departments. In turn, with 3DEXPERIENCE Dassault Systèmes 
is  now  addressing  a  much  larger  software  market  scope  – 
26 billion in U.S. dollars, a doubling of our previous perimeter 
–  and  have  a  significant  revenue  opportunity  and  runway. 
On  an  individual  customer  basis,  we  have  the  potential  to 
expand our relationship across multiple departments and from 
a  revenue  perspective,  to  double  or  even  triple  our  potential 
sales  footprint  within  our  largest  individual  clients  and  their 
ecosystems.

2017 illustrated our strategy at work, our financial model at 
work and our growth drivers at work. We well delivered on our 
financial commitments (see “Performance Against Our 2017 

90 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Non-IFRS Financial Objectives” below herein). IFRS and non-
IFRS software revenue increased 8%, led by new licenses and 
other software revenue growth of 11% (IFRS and non-IFRS). 
Seven of the Company’s 12 industry groups reported double-
digit  new  licenses  revenue  growth  in  2017.  (All  revenue 
growth rates are in constant currencies.)

2017 was a very good illustration of the value of our strategy 
with  companies  adopting  our  Industry  Solution  Experiences 
and  3DEXPERIENCE  platform  to  innovate  and  create  new 
categories  of  Customer  Experiences.  This  new  approach  to 
innovation  goes  beyond  digitalization,  and  will  help  enable 
the  transformations  driving  new  business  models  as  part  of 
the Industrial Renaissance of the 21st century.

On  July  25,  2017,  Dassault  Systèmes  entered  into  a  new, 
extended  partnership  with  The  Boeing  Corporation.  Boeing 
will  expand  its  deployment  of  our  products  across  its 
commercial aircraft, space and defense programs. Boeing will 
be  adopting  Dassault  Systèmes’  3DEXPERIENCE  platform 
for  Manufacturing  Operations  Management  and  for  Product 
Lifecycle  Management.  Boeing  will  deploy  the  Company’s 
3DEXPERIENCE  platform  in  phases  and  rely  on  Winning 
Program, Co-Design to Target, Ready for Rate, Build to Operate 
and License to Fly industry solution experiences for aerospace 
and  defense  to  deepen  its  end  to  end  digital  collaboration, 
manufacturing planning and shop floor execution capabilities 
throughout the enterprise. This decision followed a competitive 
process  that  included  the  rigorous  analysis  of  technical  and 
functional  capabilities,  cost  and  business  benefits  across  the 
value chain.

included 

3DEXPERIENCE  engagements  publicly  announced  during 
companies:  Bouygues 
2017 
following 
Construction,  a  global  player 
in  construction;  Chevron 
Products Group, a division of Chevron USA; Damen Shipyards 
Group, an international shipbuilding group; Doosan Infracore, 

the 

Financial Review and prospects
Operating and Financial Review

3

3

Inc.,  a 

a  global  construction  equipment  manufacturer;  Electrolux, 
a  leading  producer  of  household  appliances;  McDermott 
International, 
leading  provider  of  engineering, 
procurement,  construction  and  installation  services;  Scania, 
a  world  leading  supplier  of  transport  solutions;  Schindler, 
adopting  3DEXPERIENCE  for  its  escalator  business;  The 
Boeing  Corporation,  the  world’s  largest  aerospace  company; 
and  VE  Commercial  Vehicles  Limited,  a  joint  venture  in  India 
between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors Limited. From a 
revenue perspective, we exited the year with 3DEXPERIENCE 
software  revenue  representing  about  25%  of  related   fourth 
quarter software revenue.

introduced  3DEXPERIENCE  2018  release 

The  newly 
is 
extending  the  power  of  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform 
demonstrating its value both as an operating system powering 
our industry solutions experiences with our brand applications 
and as a business model powering our M arketplace services.

Two  important  developments  in  the  3DEXPERIENCE  2018x 
release include:

 › The  introduction  of  POWER’BY  which  will  enable  all 
customers  to  benefit  from  the  3DEXPERIENCE  platform’s 
value immediately without any need for migration of legacy 
data. There are three levels: to enable social collaboration; 
to leverage hybrid data for product configuration and bill of 
materials; or to use the full capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE 
platform;

 › The 

introduction  of  “3DEXPERIENCE  Marketplace”  – 
here  we  are  connecting  buyers  and  sellers  of  design  and 
manufacturing content as well as services. Our first two areas 
are: what we call “Make” where buyers can find 3D printing 
suppliers who are connected to the  Marketplace  and “Part 
Supply” where users can find the most comprehensive and 
intelligent catalog of sourceable 3D components.

Core Industries software revenue growth in 2017 was led by 
Industrial Equipment and Transportation & Mobility, our two 
largest industries. In Industrial Equipment we are continuing 
to extend our leadership thanks to SOLIDWORKS, with a record 
year  on  broad-based  strength  as  well  as  to  3DEXPERIENCE. 
Industrial  Equipment  software  revenue  increased  double-
digits  in  constant  currencies  during  2017.  Transportation  & 
Mobility software revenue grew high single-digits in constant 
currencies  with  double-digits  new  licenses  revenue  growth 
during  2017.  Core  Industries  represented  68%  of  total 
software  revenue  in  2017.  We  had  notable  new  business 
signed in Aerospace & Defense which will benefit future years.

Diversification  Industries  represented  32%  of  total  software 
revenue  in  2017,  growing  from  31%  in  2016,  with  strong 

growth  in  High  Tech,  Consumer  Goods-Retail  and  Consumer 
Packaged  Good-Retail.  In  High  Tech,  software  revenue 
increased  11%  in  constant  currencies  in  2017  thanks  to 
multi-million euro transactions in Simulation, Manufacturing 
and  Supply  Chain  Optimization.  We  are  also  expanding  in 
semiconductors winning some key new accounts and growing 
our business with existing clients. As a result, High Tech now 
represents almost 10% of our software revenue. In Consumer 
Packaged Goods-Retail software revenue increased 17%. We 
saw good traction with QUINTIQ for supply chain planning & 
optimization with key wins with food & beverage companies. 
And  we  expanded  in  Beauty  &  Personal  Care  with  DELMIA 
where a new client based in South America, has adopted the 
3DEXPERIENCE Platform and our Perfect Production industry 
solution  to  lower  production  costs  and  improve  efficiency. 
In  Consumer  Electronics,  we  signed  an  agreement  with  a 
leading  global  appliance  company   who  will  use  our  DELMIA 
Manufacturing Operations Management software. (All growth 
rates in constant currencies).

On  a  regional  basis,  2017  software  revenue  increased  10% 
in  Europe  and  was  driven  by  Southern  Europe,  France  and 
Germany and high growth in Russia. In the Americas, software 
revenue  increased  7%  driven  by  North  America.  Software 
revenue  in  Asia  grew  by  6%  with  double-digit  growth  in 
South Korea, India and South-East Asia offset in part by mixed 
performances in Japan and China. (All growth rates in constant 
currencies.)

Geographic diversification was also an area of advancement of 
the Company’s growth drivers. Our global footprint continued 
to expand thanks in part to the progress we are making in High 
Growth Countries. During 2017 High Growth countries non-
IFRS  software  revenue  grew  11%   with  double-digit  growth 
in  most  countries.  High  Growth  countries  represented  17% 
of  total  software  revenue  in  2017  increasing  approximately 
40  basis  points  year  over  year.  (All  growth  rates  in  constant 
currencies.) 

Brand highlights of 2017 include, among others:

 › SOLIDWORKS,  becoming  an  industry  standard.  During 
2017,  SOLIDWORKS  total  software  increased  14%  at 
constant  currency.  It  added  over  20,000  new  customers 
in 2017 and has sold over 800,000 commercial seats. We 
believe it is gaining market share given the level of activity 
we are seeing in different parts of the world and in terms of 
license seats;

 › CATIA  reaching  a  key  milestone,  surpassing  €1  billion  in 

software revenue during 2017;

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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Operating and Financial Review

 › SIMULIA 

significantly  enhancing  our  multi-physics 
simulation  capabilities  over  the  last  two  years  with  the 
acquisition  of  Computer  Simulation  Technology  AG  (CST) 
and  Next  Limit  Dynamics  in  2016  and  then  with  Exa 
Corporation in 2017. We now cover more than 70% of the 
core physics market with leading technology in structural, 
electromagnetics,  in  particular  high  frequency  which  is  so 
critical to enable IoT for smart products, smart mobility and 
smart industry, and in advanced fluids simulation with next-
generation Lattice-Boltzmann technology;

 › DELMIA major wins including The Boeing Corporation.

Dassault Systèmes is continuing to advance its Cloud portfolio, 
resources and services. We have the largest Cloud portfolio on 
our market. To further our Cloud resources and services, during 
2017  we  acquired  a  majority  stake  in  in  Outscale,  a  global 
provider of enterprise-class cloud services. Founded in France 
in 2010, Outscale is an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 security certified 
company  that  provides  enterprise-class  cloud  computing 
infrastructure  services  (IaaS)  to  customers  through  ten  data 
centers in Europe, North America and Asia. With the increased 
investment in Outscale, we are now able to adjust and control 
better  our  cloud  resources  and  services  to  manage  peaks  in 
activity, further diversify our industry segments, deploy new 
features, and provide advanced on premise, private and hybrid 
cloud solutions for its customers.

Net operating cash flow increased 20% to €745.0 million for the 
year ended December 31, 2017, compared to €621.7 million 
in  2016,  reflecting  strong  growth  in  net  income  and  strong 
improvement in working capital. The Company’s uses of cash 
for 2017 were principally for acquisitions as well as for share 
repurchases and cash dividends.

At  December  31,  2017,  our  unearned  revenue  totaled 
€876.4 million and grew 9% at constant currency and on an 
organic  basis.  With  recurring  software  revenue  in  excess  of 
€2  billion  on  an  annual  basis,  we  have  a  significant  level  of 
visibility with respect to our software revenue growth.

The  Company’s  net  financial  position  totaled  €1.46  billion 
at  December  31,  2017,  compared  to  €1.49  billion  at 
December  31,  2016,  reflecting  a  decrease  in  cash,  cash 
equivalents and short-term investments to €2.46 billion from 
€2.49 billion at December 31, 2016, with long-term debt of 
€1.00 billion unchanged.

We  are  implementing  IFRS  15  effective  January  1,  2018 
on  a  modified  retrospective  basis.  Therefore,  we  will  not 

be  restating  prior  years.  IFRS  15  will  have  an  effect  on  the 
timing of our quarterly recognition of rental revenue (periodic) 
but  on  a  full  year  basis  there  is  essentially  no  difference 
between  IAS  18  and  IFRS  15  except  when  we  have  multi-
year  agreements  with  customers.  In  conjunction  with  the 
implementation, we reviewed all the contracts signed in 2017 
and  had  them  restated  on  an  IFRS  15  basis.  The  difference 
between  the  two  revenue  recognition  standards,  IFRS  15 
and IAS 18, on these contracts as of December 31, 2017 was 
estimated at €11 million. The implementation of IFRS 15 on 
January  1,  2018  will  also  lead  to  not  recognize  in  revenue 
the deferred portion of rental agreements concluded in prior 
years, and we will book the corresponding estimated amount 
of €110 million in stockholders’ equity as of January 1, 2018. 
We  will  continue  to  fully  expense  sales  commissions  under 
the IFRS 15 standard. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial 
statements for a description of  accounting policies. In 2018, 
we will report financials also under the former IAS 18 rules for 
comparison purposes.

For a discussion of the Company’s 2018 business outlook, see 
paragraph 3.2 “Financial Objectives”. For further information 
regarding  risks  facing  the  Company,  see  paragraph  1.7.1 
“Risks Related to the Company’s Business”.

Performance against Our 2017 Non-IFRS Financial 
Objectives
In  discussing  and  analyzing  our  results  of  operations, 
Management  considers  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial 
information:  (i)  non-IFRS  revenue  data  excludes  the  effect 
of  adjusting  the  carrying  value  of  acquired  companies’ 
deferred  revenue;  and  non-IFRS  expense  data  excludes, 
(ii)  the  amortization  of  acquired  intangibles,  (iii)  share-based 
compensation expense and related social charges, (iv) certain 
other  operating  income  and  expense,  net,  (v)  certain  one-
time  items  included  in  financial  income  and  other,  net,  and 
(vi) certain one-time tax effects and the income tax effects of 
the above adjustments. A reconciliation of this supplemental 
non-IFRS  financial  information  with  information  set  forth 
in  the  Company’s  consolidated  financial  statements  and  the 
notes  thereto  is  presented  below  under  paragraph  3.1.1.2 
“Supplemental non-IFRS Financial Information”.

Our  management  uses  the  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial 
information, together with the IFRS financial information, for 
financial  planning  and  analysis,  evaluation  of  our  operating 
performance, mergers and acquisition analysis and valuation, 

92 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Review and prospects
Operating and Financial Review

3

3

operational decision-making and for setting financial objectives 
for future periods. Compensation of our senior management is 
based  in  part  on  the  performance  of  our  business  measured 
with the supplemental non-IFRS information. We believe that 
the  supplemental  non-IFRS  data  also  provides  meaningful 
information  to  investors  and  financial  analysts  who  use 
the  information  for  comparing  the  Company’s  operating 
performance to its historical trends and to other companies in 
the software industry, as well as for valuation purposes.

Summary:
Our  results  illustrate  that  we  are  well  delivering  on  the 
commitments we have given:

 › We  set  a  2017  non-IFRS  new  licenses  revenue  growth 
target of 8 to 10% at constant currency. We reported 11% 
growth for 2017 with 10% on an organic basis at constant 
currency;

 › We have a continual focus on operational improvement and 
delivered  underlying,  organic  non-IFRS  operating  margin 
improvement of 100 basis points, a double of our target of 
50 basis points;

 › At the non-IFRS EPS level, we outlined 6 to 8% growth, and 
came in at the high end despite strong currency headwinds. 
In fact, at constant currency EPS grew 10%.

Non-IFRS New Licenses and Other Revenue: Non-IFRS new 
licenses  and  other  revenue  rose  11%  in  constant  currencies 
and  totaled  €855.8  million  and  increased  10%  at  constant 
currency on an organic basis for 2017 at the high end of our 
guidance of 8 to 10% growth.

Non-IFRS  Recurring  Revenue:  Non-IFRS  recurring  software 
revenue  growth  increased  7%  in  constant  currencies,  led 
by  a  strong  level  of  maintenance  subscription  growth  in  all 
three  sales  channels.  Non-IFRS  recurring  revenue  totaled 
€2.03 billion and represented 70% of non-IFRS total software 
revenue for 2017.

Non-IFRS Operating Income and Margin: Non-IFRS operating 
income  passed  the  1-billion-euro  milestone,  growing  8%  in 
2017  to  €1.04  billion.  The  non-IFRS  operating  margin  was 
32.0%  for  2017,  compared  to  31.2%  in  2016,  reflecting  an 
underlying,  organic  improvement  of  about  100  basis  points, 
double our goal of 50 basis points.

Non-IFRS  Earnings  per  Share:  Non-IFRS  net  income  per 
diluted  share  increased  8%  to  €2.68  for  2017,  compared  to 
€2.49 in 2016, and at constant currency would have increased 
10%. Our non-IFRS earnings per share results came in at the 
high end of our guidance despite strong currency headwinds, 
especially during the second half of 2017 compared to 2016.

Definitions of Key Metrics We Use

Information in Constant Currencies
We  have  followed  a  long-standing  policy  of  measuring  our 
revenue  performance  and  setting  our  revenue  objectives 
exclusive  of  currency  in  order  to  measure  in  a  transparent 
manner  the  underlying  level  of  improvement  in  our  revenue 
and  software  revenue  by  type,  industry,  region  and  product 
lines. We believe it is helpful to evaluate our growth exclusive 
of currency impacts, particularly to help understand revenue 
trends in our business.

Therefore, we provide percentage increases or decreases in our 
revenue  and  earnings  (in  both  IFRS  as  well  as  non-IFRS)  to 
eliminate the effect of changes in currency values, particularly 
the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, relative to the euro. When 
trend information is expressed by us “in constant currencies”, 
the  results  of  the  “prior”  period  have  first  been  recalculated 
using the average exchange rates of the comparable period in 
the  current  year,  and  then  compared  with  the  results  of  the 
comparable period in the current year.

While constant currency calculations are not considered to be 
an IFRS measure, we do believe these measures are critical to 
understanding our global revenue results and to compare with 
many of our competitors who report their financial results in 
U.S.  dollars.  Therefore,  we  are  including  this  calculation  for 
comparing IFRS revenue figures for comparable periods as well 
as  for  comparing  non-IFRS  revenue  figures  for  comparable 
periods.  All  constant  currency  information  is  provided  on  an 
approximate basis. Unless otherwise indicated, the impact of 
exchange rate fluctuations is approximately the same for both 
the  Company’s  IFRS  and  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial 
data.

Since 2003, we have been using constant currency to evaluate 
and  report  on  our  revenue  results  and  at  that  time  began 

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Operating and Financial Review

setting  our  revenue  growth  objectives  in  constant  currencies 
and calculating a reported revenue range based upon the key 
currency exchange rate assumptions outlined in our quarterly 
earnings  reports  and  in  our  half-year  and  annual  regulatory 
documents.  We  also  set  our  non-IFRS  revenue  objectives  in 
constant  currencies  in  order  to  provide  transparency  on  our 
activities as compared to the impact of currency exchange rates.

lines  except  SOLIDWORKS  and  acquisitions  (“related  new 
licenses revenue”);  and, b) for software revenue, the Company 
calculates  the  percentage  contribution  by  comparing  total 
3DEXPERIENCE software revenue to software revenue for all 
product  lines  except  SOLIDWORKS  and  acquisitions  (“related 
software revenue”). 

Information on Growth excluding acquisitions 
(“organic growth”)
In addition to discussing total growth we also provide financial 
information  where  we  discuss  growth  excluding  acquisitions 
or  growth  on  an  organic  basis  as  used  alternatively.  In  both 
cases  growth  excluding  acquisitions  have  been  calculated 
using the following restatements of the scope of consolidation: 
for  entities  entering  the  consolidation  scope  in  the  current 
year,  subtracting  the  contribution  of  the  acquisition  from 
the  aggregates  of  the  current  year,  and  for  entities  entering 
the consolidation scope in the previous year, subtracting the 
contribution of the acquisition from January 1 of the current 
year, until the last day of the month of the current year when 
the acquisition was made the previous year.

Information on Industrial Sectors
The  Company’s  global  customer  base  includes  companies  in 
12  industrial  sectors:  Transportation  &  Mobility;  Industrial 
Equipment; Aerospace & Defense; Financial & Business Services; 
High-Tech; Life Sciences; Energy, Process & Utilities; Consumer 
Goods & Retail; Natural Resources; Architecture, Engineering & 
Construction; Consumer Packaged Goods & Retail and Marine 
& Offshore. Commencing in 2012 the Company implemented 
an industry go-to-market strategy with the dual objectives of 
broadening and deepening its presence in its largest industries 
as  well  as  increasing  the  contribution  from  a  diversified  set 
of  industrial  sectors.  “Diversification  Industries”  include: 
Architecture, Engineering & Construction; Consumer Goods & 
Retail; Consumer Packaged Goods & Retail; Energy, Process & 
Utilities; Finance Business Services; High-Tech; Life Sciences; 
Marine & Offshore; and Natural Resources. “Core Industries” 
include:  Transportation  &  Mobility,  Industrial  Equipment, 
Aerospace & Defense and a portion of Business Services.

3DEXPERIENCE New Licenses Revenue and Software 
Revenue Contribution
To  measure  the  progressive  penetration  of  3DEXPERIENCE 
software,  the  Company  utilizes  the  following  ratios:  a) 
licenses  revenue,  the  Company  calculates  the 
for  new 
percentage  contribution  by  comparing  total  3DEXPERIENCE 
new licenses revenue to new licenses revenue for all product 

3.1.1.2 

Supplemental Non-IFRS Financial 
Information

Readers  are  cautioned  that  the  supplemental  non-IFRS 
financial information is subject to inherent limitations. It is 
not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or 
principles and should not be considered in isolation from or 
as  a  substitute  for  IFRS  measurements.  The  supplemental 
non-IFRS  financial  information  should  be  read  only  in 
conjunction  with  the  Company’s  consolidated  financial 
statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. Furthermore, 
the Company’s supplemental non-IFRS financial information 
may not be comparable to similarly titled non-IFRS measures 
used by other companies. Specific limitations for individual 
non-IFRS measures are set forth below.

In evaluating and communicating its results of operations, we 
supplement  our  financial  results  reported  on  an  IFRS  basis 
with  non-IFRS  financial  data.  As  further  explained  below, 
the  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information  excludes 
the  effects  of:  deferred  revenue  adjustments  for  acquired 
companies, amortization of acquired intangibles, share-based 
compensation  expense  and  related  social  charges,  other 
operating  income  and  expense,  net,  certain  one-time  items 
included in financial revenue and other, net, and the income 
tax effect of the non-IFRS adjustments and certain one-time 
tax  effects.  Subject  to  the  limitations  set  forth  above  and 
below,  the  Company  believes  that  the  supplemental  non-
IFRS  financial  information  provides  a  consistent  basis  for 
period-to-period  comparisons  which  can  improve  investors’ 
understanding of its financial performance.

Our  management  uses  the  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial 
information, together with its IFRS financial information, for 
financial  planning  and  analysis,  evaluation  of  its  operating 
performance, mergers and acquisition analysis and valuation, 
operational decision-making and for setting financial objectives 
for future periods. Compensation of our senior management is 
based  in  part  on  the  performance  of  our  business  measured 
with the supplemental non-IFRS information. We believe that 
the  supplemental  non-IFRS  data  also  provides  meaningful 
information  to  investors  and  financial  analysts  who  use 
the  information  for  comparing  the  Company’s  operating 

94 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

performance to its historical trends and to other companies in 
its industry, as well as for valuation purposes.

The supplemental non-IFRS financial information adjusts the 
Company’s IFRS financial information to exclude:

 › deferred  revenue  adjustment  of  acquired  companies: 
under IFRS, deferred revenue of an acquired company must 
be adjusted by writing it down to account for the fair value 
of  obligations  assumed  under  contracts  acquired  through 
the acquisition of the company. As a result, in the case of 
a typical one-year contract, the Company’s IFRS revenues 
for the one-year period subsequent to an acquisition do not 
reflect  the  full  amount  of  revenue  on  assumed  contracts 
that  would  have  otherwise  been  recorded  by  the  acquired 
entity in the absence of the acquisition.

In  its  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information,  the 
Company has excluded this write-down to the carrying value 
of the deferred revenue, and reflects instead the full amount 
of  such  revenue.  The  Company  believes  that  this  non-IFRS 
measure  of  revenue  is  useful  to  investors  and  management 
because  it  reflects  a  level  of  revenue  and  operational  results 
which  corresponds  to  the  combined  business  activities  of 
Dassault Systèmes and the acquired company. In addition, the 
non-IFRS financial information provides a consistent basis for 
comparing its future operating performance, when no further 
adjustments to deferred revenue are required, against recent 
results.

However, by excluding the deferred revenue adjustment, the 
supplemental non-IFRS financial information reflects the total 
revenue that would have been recorded by the acquired entity 
but may not reflect the total cost associated with generating 
the non-IFRS revenue;

 › amortization 

of 

acquired 

intangibles, 

including 
amortization of acquired technology: under IFRS, the cost 
of  acquired  intangible  assets,  whether  acquired  through 
acquisitions of companies or of technology or certain other 
intangible  assets,  must  be  recognized  according  to  the 
assets’ fair value and amortized over their useful life.

In  its  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information,  the 
Company  has  excluded  the  amortization  related  to  acquired 
intangibles in order to provide a consistent basis for comparing 
its  historical  results.  Costs  related  to  internally  developped 
technology  are  typically  expensed  as  incurred.  For  example, 
because  it  typically  incurs  most  of  its  R&D  costs  prior  to 
reaching  technical  feasibility,  its  R&D  costs  are  expensed 
in  the  period  in  which  they  are  incurred.  By  excluding  the 

Financial Review and prospects
Operating and Financial Review

3

3

amortization  expenses  related  to  acquired  intangibles,  the 
supplemental  non-IFRS  financial 
information  provides  a 
uniform  approach  for  evaluating  the  development  cost  of  all 
the  Company’s  technology,  whether  developed  internally  or 
acquired externally. As a result, the Company believes that the 
supplemental  financial  information  offers  investors  a  useful 
basis for comparing its historical results.

However,  the  acquired  intangible  assets  whose  amortization 
costs  are  excluded  contributed  to  revenue  earned  during  the 
period, and it may not have been possible to earn such revenue 
without  such  assets.  In  addition,  the  annual  amortization  of 
acquired intangibles is a recurring expense until they are fully 
amortized;

 › share-based  compensation  expense  and  related  social 
charges: under IFRS, the Company is required to recognize 
in  its  income  statement  all  share-based  payments  to 
employees,  including  grants  of  employee  stock  options 
and performance shares, based on their fair values over the 
period  that  an  employee  provides  service  in  exchange  for 
the award.

The  Company  excludes  this  expense  in  its  supplemental 
non-IFRS  financial  information  as  financial  analysts  and 
investors  use  a  valuation  model  which  may  not  take  into 
account its share-based compensation expense. The exclusion 
of  share-based  compensation  expense  in  the  Company’s 
supplemental non-IFRS financial information therefore helps 
them  ensure  the  consistency  of  their  valuation  metrics.  The 
Company’s  management  considers  the  supplemental  non-
IFRS  information  which  excludes  share-based  compensation 
expense  when 
the  Company’s  operating 
performance,  since  share-based  compensation  expenses  can 
fluctuate  due  to  factors  other  than  the  level  of  its  business 
activity or operating performance.

reviewing 

However,  share-based  compensation 
is  one  component 
of  employee  compensation.  By  excluding  share-based 
compensation  expense,  the  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial 
information  does  not  reflect  the  Company’s  full  cost  of 
attracting,  motivating  and  retaining  its  personnel.  Share-
based compensation expense is a recurring expense;

 › other operating income and expense, net: under IFRS, the 
Company  has  recognized  certain  other  operating  income 
and  expense  comprised  of  the  impact  of  costs  incurred 
in  connection  with  the  voluntary  early  retirement  plan, 
restructuring activities, gains or losses on sale of subsidiaries, 
costs directly related to acquisitions and costs related to site 
closings and reorganization of the Group’s premises.

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Operating and Financial Review

In  its  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information,  the 
Company  excludes  other  operating  income  and  expense 
effects  because  of  their  unusual,  infrequent  or  generally 
non-recurring  nature.  As  a  result,  the  Company  believes 
that  its  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information  helps 
investors better understand the current trends in its operating 
performance.

However, other operating income and expense are components 
of the Company’s income and expense and by excluding them 
the  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information  excludes 
their impact to its net income;

 › certain  one-time  items  included  in  financial  revenue 
and  other,  net:  under  IFRS,  the  Company  has  recognized 
certain  one-time  items  in  financial  revenue  and  other,  net 
comprised of the impact of discontinued hedge accounting 
for  interest  rate  swaps,  gains  and  losses  on  disposals  of 
non-consolidated  equity  investments  and  the  expense 
recognized  following  the  impairment  of  non-consolidated 
equity investments.

In  its  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information,  the 
Company excludes certain one-time items included in financial 
revenue  and  other,  net  because  of  their  unusual,  infrequent 
or  generally  non-recurring  nature.  As  a  result,  the  Company 
believes that its supplemental non-IFRS financial information 
helps  investors  better  understand  the  current  trends  in  its 
operating performance.

However, these one-time items included in financial revenue 
and other, net are components of the Company’s income and 

expense  and  by  excluding  them  the  supplemental  non-IFRS 
financial information excludes their impact to its net income;

 › certain one-time tax effects: The Company 's IFRS financial 
statements reflect the impact of one-time tax effects, such 
as restructurings of activities or tax remeasurment effects, 
which  may  result  in  immediate  adjustment  of  the  income 
tax provision .

In  its  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial  information,  the 
Company  has  excluded  these  one-time  tax  effects  because 
of  their  unusual  nature  in  qualitative  terms.  The  Company 
does  not  expect  such  tax  effects  to  occur  as  part  of  its 
normal business on a regular basis. As a result, the Company 
believes  that  by  excluding  these  one-time  tax  impacts,  its 
supplemental non-IFRS financial information helps investors 
understand  the  current  trends  in  its  operating  performance. 
The Company also believes that the exclusion of certain one-
time tax effects facilitates a comparison of its effective tax rate 
between different periods.

However, these one-time tax effects are a component of the 
Company’s  income  tax  expense.  By  excluding  these  effects, 
the supplemental non-IFRS financial information understates 
or overstates the Company’s income tax expense. These one-
time tax effects are not a recurring expense.

The  following  table  sets  forth  the  Company’s  supplemental 
non-IFRS financial information, together with the comparable 
IFRS  financial  measure  and  a  reconciliation  of  the  IFRS  and 
non-IFRS information.

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages 
and per share data)

Total Revenue

Total revenue by activity

Software revenue

Services revenue

Total revenue 
by geography

Americas

Europe

Asia

Total software revenue 
by product line

CATIA software revenue

ENOVIA software revenue

SOLIDWORKS software 
revenue

Other software revenue

Year ended December 31,

% Change

2017 IFRS

Adjustment(1) 2017 non-IFRS

2016 IFRS

Adjustment(1) 2016 non-IFRS

IFRS non-IFRS(2)

€3,228.0

€14.0

€3,242.0

€3,055.6

€10.0

€3,065.6

6%

6%

2,869.3

358.7

977.3

1,398.5

852.2

1,004.9

321.9

695.8

846.7

13.9

0.1

2,883.2

2,694.7

358.8

360.9

4.8

8.0

1.2

–

–

–

13.9

982.1

942.4

1,406.5

1,301.9

853.4

811.3

1,004.9

321.9

695.8

860.6

970.8

321.4

626.0

776.5

9.6

0.4

3.5

5.7

0.8

– 

–

–

9.6

2,704.3

361.3

6%

(1%)

7%

(1%)

945.9

1,307.6

812.1

970.8

321.4

626.0

786.1

4%

7%

5%

4%

0%

4%

8%

5%

4%

0%

11%

9%

11%

9%

96 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Review and prospects
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3

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages 
and per share data)

2017 IFRS

Adjustment(1) 2017 non-IFRS

2016 IFRS

Adjustment(1) 2016 non-IFRS

IFRS non-IFRS(2)

Year ended December 31,

% Change

Total Operating Expenses

2,499.0

(294.1)

2,204.9

2,383.6

(275.7)

2,107.9

5%

5%

Share-based compensation 
expense

Amortization 
of acquired intangibles

Other operating income 
and expense, net

Operating Income

Operating Margin

Financial revenue 
and other, net

Income before Income 
Taxes

Income tax expense

(of which certain one-time 
tax restructuring effects)

Non-controlling interest

Net Income attributable 
to shareholders

Diluted Net Income 
per Share(3)

(103.9)

(160.3)

(29.9)

729.0

22.6%

103.9

160.3

29.9

308.1

–

–

–

1,037.1

32.0%

(79.3)

79.3

(155.8)

155.8

(40.6)

672.0

22.0%

40.6

285.7

–

–

–

957.7

31.2%

22.4

(20.7)

1.7

(10.5)

5.8

(4.7)

8%

8%

3

751.4

(231.3)

(22.8)

(0.7)

287.4

(113.9)

1,038.8

661.5

(345.2)

(209.3)

22.8

–

–

(0.7)

(6.6)

(5.0)

291.5

(98.4)

6.6

–

953.0

(307.7)

14%

11%

9%

12%

–

(5.0)

€519.4

€173.5

€692.9

€447.2

€193.1

€640.3

16%

€2.01

€0.67

€2.68

€1.74

€0.75

€2.49

16%

8%

8%

(1)  In the reconciliation schedule above, (i) all adjustments to IFRS revenue data reflect the exclusion of the deferred revenue adjustment of acquired companies, (ii) adjustments to 
IFRS operating expense data reflect the exclusion of the amortization of acquired intangibles, share-based compensation expense and related social charges, as detailed below, 
and other operating income and expense, net (iii) adjustments to IFRS financial revenue and other, net reflect the exclusion of certain one-time items included in financial 
revenue and other, net, and (iv) all adjustments to IFRS income data reflect the combined effect of these adjustments, plus with respect to net income and diluted net income 
per share, the income tax effect of the non-IFRS adjustments and certain one-time tax effects.

(in millions of euros)

Cost of revenue

Research and development

Marketing and sales

General and administrative

Total share-based compensation expense

Year ended December 31,

2017 IFRS

Adjustment 2017 non-IFRS

2016 IFRS

Adjustment 2016 non-IFRS

€473.9

576.6

1,015.0

243.3

€(4.1)

(41.6)

(36.6)

(21.6)

(103.9)

€469.8

€463.6

535.0

978.4

221.7

540.5

952.6

230.5

€(3.2)

(33.6)

(27.0)

(15.5)

(79.3)

460.4

506.9

925.6

215.0

(2)  The non-IFRS percentage change compares non-IFRS measures for the two different periods. In the event there is an adjustment to the relevant measure for only one of the periods 

under comparison, the non-IFRS change compares the non-IFRS measure to the relevant IFRS measure.

(3)  Based on a weighted average of 258.3 million diluted shares for 2017 and 257.4 million diluted shares for 2016.

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Operating and Financial Review

3.1.1.3 

Critical Accounting Principles

The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been 
prepared  in  accordance  with  IFRS.  The  preparation  of  these 
financial  statements  requires  the  Company  to  make  certain 
assumptions  and  estimates.  Actual  results  may  differ  from 
these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. The 
Company  believes  the  following  critical  accounting  policies, 
among others, involve the more significant assumptions and 

estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial 
statements:  revenue  recognition,  share-based  payments, 
purchase price allocation for business combinations, goodwill 
and  other  intangible  assets,  income  taxes  and  reasonable 
estimates  about  the  ultimate  resolution  of  the  Company’s 
tax  uncertainties.  See  Note  2  to  the  consolidated  financial 
statements for a description of these accounting policies.

3.1.2  Consolidated Information: 2017 Compared to 2016

Revenue
The Company’s total revenue is comprised of (i) software revenue, which is its primary source of revenue, representing 89% of 
total revenue in 2017, and (ii) services revenue, which represented 11% of total revenue in 2017.

(in millions of euros, except percentages)

Total Revenue

Software Revenue*

Americas software revenue

Europe software revenue

Asia software revenue

Services Revenue

Year ended 
December 31, 2017

% change

% change 
in constant currencies

Year ended 
December 31, 2016

€3,228.0

2,869.3

855.4

1,233.5

780.4

358.7

6%

6%

5%

8%

5%

(1%)

7%

8%

7%

10%

6%

1%

€3,055.6

2,694.7

815.5

1,139.1

740.1

360.9

* 

The Company’s largest national markets as measured by total revenue are the United States, Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. See Note 3 to the consolidated 
financial statements.

Total  revenue  increased  5.6%  or  7%  in  constant  currencies 
for  2017.  On  a  non-IFRS  basis,  total  revenue  and  software 
revenue  increased  7%  and  8%,  respectively  in  constant 
currencies. 2017 financial results include several acquisitions 
completed  during  2016,  the  most  material  of  which  was 
CST  –  Computer  Simulation  Technology  AG,  a  technology 
leader  in  electromagnetic  and  electronics  simulation  which 
was acquired on September 30, 2016 and 2017 acquisitions 
most  notably  Exa  Corporation  which  was  completed  on 
November  17,  2017.  Excluding  acquisitions,  non-IFRS  total 
revenue increased 5% and software revenue growth was 6% 
in constant currencies during 2017.

Software Revenue
Software  revenue  is  primarily  comprised  of  new  licenses 
revenue,  periodic  licenses,  maintenance  and  other  software-
and 
related 

revenue.  Periodic 

subscription 

licenses 

maintenance subscription revenue are referred to together as 
“recurring revenue”.

The Company’s products are principally licensed pursuant to 
one of two payment structures: (i) new licenses, for which the 
customer pays an initial or one-time fee for a perpetual license 
or  (ii)  periodic  (rental  subscription  or  cloud  subscription) 
licenses,  for  which  the  customer  pays  periodic  fees  to  keep 
the  license  active.  Access  to  maintenance  and  unspecified 
product  updates  or  upgrades  requires  payment  of  a  fee, 
which  is  recorded  as  maintenance  revenue.  Periodic  (rental 
or  subscription)  licenses  entitle  the  customer  to  corrective 
maintenance and product updates without additional charge. 
Product  updates  include  improvements  to  existing  products 
but  do  not  cover  new  products.  Other  software-related 
revenue  is  principally  comprised  of  the  Company’s  product 
development revenue relating to the development of additional 
functionalities  of  standard  products  requested  by  customers 

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3

and  reinstated  maintenance.  In  2017  we  regrouped  Other 
software-related  revenue  with  new  licenses  revenue  from 
recurring  software  revenue  for  quarterly  earnings  reporting 
simply to more accurately reflect its nature.

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Software revenue by type:

New licenses revenue

Recurring software revenue 
(periodic and maintenance 
revenue)

Other software-related revenue

Total software revenue

(as % of total revenue)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€845.5

€773.2

2,013.5

10.3

1,910.3

11.2

€2,869.3

€2,694.7

88.9%

88.2%

In constant currencies, software revenue increased 8% led by 
new licenses revenue growth of 11%. Similarly, on a non-IFRS 
basis, software revenue increased 8% in 2017 with non-IFRS 
new  licenses  revenue  growth  of  11%.  On  an  organic  basis, 
new licenses revenue (both IFRS and non-IFRS) increased 10% 
in 2017 in constant currencies.

Seven of the Company’s 12 industry groups reported double-
digit  new  licenses  revenue  growth  in  constant  currencies 
in  2017.  Core  and  Diversification  Industries  represented 
approximately  63%  and  37%,  respectively,  of  new  licenses 
revenue  during  2017.  On  a  regional  basis,  new  licenses 
revenue  growth  in  constant  currencies  was  strongest  in  the 
Americas  and  Europe,  both  with  double-digit  new  licenses 
revenue  growth  on  an  organic  basis.  During  2017  results 
were mixed in Asia, resulting in low single-digits new licenses 
revenue growth in constant currencies.

increased  7% 

Non-IFRS  recurring  revenue 
in  constant 
currencies  and  represented  70%  of  total  software  revenue 
in  2017.  Recurring  revenue  is  comprised  of  maintenance 
subscription and periodic revenue including rental subscription 
and  cloud  revenues.  We  saw  an  excellent  performance  on 
maintenance  subscriptions  across  our  three  sales  channels 
and  across  our  three  regions.  On  an  organic  basis,  non-IFRS 
recurring revenue increased 5% in 2017.

Other software-related revenue totaled €10.3 million in 2017, 
compared to €11.2 million in 2016 and for both periods was 
principally comprised of reinstated maintenance revenue.

By product line and on a non-IFRS basis, CATIA software passed 
the  one-billion-euro  milestone  and  grew  4%  with  growth  in 
Europe and the Americas offset in part by lower performance 
in  Asia.  SOLIDWORKS  software  revenue  increased  14%  to 
€695.8  million  led  by  strong  new  licenses  activity  including 
multi-product  sales  and  high  renewal  rates  for  maintenance 
subscription  revenue.  Other  Software  totaled  €860.6  million 
and increased 11% on solid organic growth and the addition 
of  acquisitions.  ENOVIA  software  revenue  increased  2%.  (All 
growth comparisons are in constant currencies.)

Services Revenue
Services  revenue  is  principally  comprised  of  revenue  from 
consulting  services  in  methodology  for  design,  deployment 
and  support,  training  services  and  engineering  services.  In 
addition,  services  and  other  revenue  also  include  content-
related  digital  production  for  use 
in  3D  visualization, 
advertising, sales and marketing.

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Services revenue

(as % of total revenue)

Year ended December 31,

2017

€358.7

11.1%

2016

€360.9

11.8%

Services  revenue  decreased  0.6%  but 
increased  1%  at 
constant  currency.  Similarly,  non-IFRS  services  revenue  of 
€358.8 million decreased 0.7% but increased 1% in constant 
currencies.

Services revenue results in 2017 reflected mixed results with 
increased services revenue related to 3DEXPERIENCE as well 
as  growth  in  services  for  manufacturing  software  solutions 
and  simulation  offset  principally  by  lower  digital  content 
services on contract renewal delays.

The  non-IFRS  services  revenue  gross  margin  decreased  to 
12.7%  for  2017  compared  to  14.7%  for  2016  due  to  a  less 
favorable mix and increased year-end staffing additions as we 
prepare for higher services activities expected in 2018.

We  are  continuing  to  focus  on  extending  relationships  with 
system  integrators  and  with  sales  partners  to  expand  the 
capacity  for  implementation  of  our  software  solutions  and 
therefore  we  are  actively  reducing  the  pursuit  of  certain 
consulting and services engagements, while targeting to grow 
services revenues in total and our services organization.

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Operating and Financial Review

Operating Expenses

(in millions of euros)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

IFRS Operating expenses

€2,499.0

€2,383.6

Cost of Services Revenue
The  cost  of  services  revenue  includes  principally  personnel 
and other costs related to organizing and providing consulting, 
deployment services, content creation and educational services 
less the technical support provided to sales operations.

 › Amortization of Acquired 

Intangibles

 › Share-based compensation 
expense and related social 
charges

 › Other operating income 

and expense, net

(160.3)

(155.8)

(103.9)

(79.3)

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Cost of services revenue

(as % of total revenue)

Year ended December 31,

2017

€315.7

9.8%

2016

€309.8

10.1%

(29.9)

(40.6)

Cost of services revenue increased €5.9 million or 1.9%.

Non-IFRS operating expenses

€2,204.9

€2,107.9

The  adjustments  and  non-IFRS  operating  expenses  in  the 
table  above  reflect  adjustments  to  the  Company’s  financial 
information  prepared  in  accordance  with  IFRS  by  excluding 
(i)  the  amortization  of  acquired  intangibles;  (ii)  share-based 
compensation expense and related social charges and (iii) other 
operating  income  and  expense,  net.  For  the  reconciliation 
of  this  non-IFRS  financial  information  with  information  set 
forth  in  the  Company’s  financial  statements  and  the  notes 
thereto,  see  paragraph  3.1.1.2  “Supplemental  Non-IFRS 
Financial  Information”  further  above  and  the  discussion  of 
Amortization  of  acquired  intangibles  and  Other  operating 
income and expense, net below herein.

Cost of Software Revenue (excluding amortization 
of acquired intangibles)
The  cost  of  software  revenue  includes  principally  software 
personnel costs, licensing fees paid for third-party components 
integrated  into  the  Company’s  own  products,  hosting  and 
other cloud-related costs and other expenses.

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Cost of software revenue 
(excluding amortization 
of acquired intangibles)

(as % of total revenue)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€158.2

4.9%

€153.8

5.0%

Non-IFRS  costs  of  services  revenue  totaled  €313.3  million 
compared to €308.1 million in 2016, representing an increase 
of  1.7%,  with  organic  growth  of  about  2  percentage  points 
and  growth  from  acquisitions  of  about  1  percentage  point 
offset in part by a net currency benefit of about 1 percentage 
point.

Research and Development Expenses
We  conduct  our  research  and  development  activities  in 
Europe  (mainly  France,  Germany,  the  United  Kingdom,  the 
Netherlands  and  Poland),  the  Americas  (the  United  States 
and  Canada)  and  Asia  Pacific  (mainly  India,  Malaysia  and 
Australia).

Expenses  for  R&D  include  primarily  personnel  costs  as  well 
as  the  rental,  depreciation  and  maintenance  expenses  for 
computers and computer hardware used in R&D, development 
tools, computer networking and communication expenses.

Costs for R&D of software are expensed in the period in which 
they  were  incurred.  We  generally  do  not  capitalize  any  R&D 
costs.  A  small  percentage  of  R&D  personnel  pursue  R&D 
activities  in  the  context  of  providing  clients  with  software 
maintenance,  and  their  cost  is  thus  included  under  cost  of 
software revenue.

Expenses for R&D are recorded net of grants recognized from 
various  governmental  authorities  to  finance  certain  R&D 
activities (mainly R&D tax credits in France).

Cost of software revenue (excluding amortization of acquired 
intangibles)  increased  2.9%.  Non-IFRS  cost  of  software 
revenue increased 2.7% to €156.4 million in 2017.

Growth in IFRS and non-IFRS cost of software revenue reflected 
higher royalty costs and cloud hosting costs principally offset 
in part by a net currency benefit of about 1 percentage point.

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Research and development 
expenses

(as % of total revenue)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€576.6

17.9%

€540.5

17.7%

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General and administrative expenses increased €12.8 million 
or 5.6%.

On  a  non-IFRS  basis,  general  and  administrative  expenses 
were  €221.7  million  in  2017  compared  to  €215.0  million 
in  2016,  increasing  3.1%  in  total,  with  organic  general  and 
administrative  expense  growth  of  3%  and  growth  from 
acquisitions of 1% offset by a net currency benefit of about 
1%.

Amortization of Acquired Intangibles
Amortization  of  acquired 
includes  mainly 
amortization  of  acquired  technology  and  acquired  customer 
relationships.

intangibles 

3

(in millions of euros)

Amortization of acquired 
intangibles

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€160.3

€155.8

Amortization  of  acquired  intangibles  increased  €4.5  million 
principally reflecting the full year impact of several acquisitions 
completed during the second half of 2016.

Other Operating Income and Expense, net
Other  operating  income  and  (expense),  net,  includes  the 
impact  of  events  that  are  unusual,  infrequent  or  generally 
non-recurring in nature.

(in millions of euros)

Other operating income 
and (expense), net

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€(29.9)

€(40.6)

(expense),  net 

decreased 
Other 
income 
operating 
 €(10.7)  million  reflecting 
lower  early  retirement  plan, 
restructuring and relocation costs of €(12.5) million, offset in 
part  by  higher  acquisition  costs  of  €1.8  million.  See  Note  8 
to the consolidated financial statements.

Operating Income

Research and development expenses increased €36.1 million 
or  6.7%  in  2017.  Government  grants  included  in  research 
and  development  on  an  IFRS  and  non-IFRS  basis  totaled 
€36.1 million in 2017 and €29.9 million in 2016. See Note 5 
of the consolidated financial statements.

On  a  non-IFRS  basis,  research  and  development  expenses 
totaled €535.0 million compared to €506.9 million in 2016, 
increasing 5.5% in total, with organic R&D expense growth of 
3% and growth of about 4% from acquisitions, offset in part 
by net currency benefits of about 1.5%.

Marketing and Sales Expenses
Marketing and Sales expenses consist primarily of personnel 
costs,  which  include  sales  commissions  and  personnel  for 
processing sales transactions; marketing and communications 
expenses, including advertising; travel expenses; and marketing 
infrastructure costs, such as information technology resources 
used for marketing.

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Marketing and Sales expenses

(as % of total revenue)

Year ended December 31,

2017

€1,015.0

31.4%

2016

€952.6

31.2%

Marketing  and  sales  expenses  increased  €62.4  million  or 
6.6%.

On  a  non-IFRS  basis,  marketing  and  sales  expenses  were 
€978.4 million in 2017, compared to €925.6 million in 2016, 
increasing  5.7%  in  total,  largely  driven  by  growth  in  sales 
related expenses. Specifically, sales expenses increased 6% on 
an  organic  basis,  and  growth  of  3%  from  acquisitions  offset 
in  part  by  a  net  currency  benefit  of  about  2%.  Marketing 
expenses increased 1.2%.

General and Administrative Expenses
General  and  administrative  expenses  consist  primarily  of 
personnel  costs  of  the  finance,  human  resources  and  other 
departments,  including  legal;  third-party  professional  fees 
(excluding acquisition-related fees) and other expenses; travel 
expenses;  related  infrastructure  costs,  including  information 
technology resources as well as other expenses.

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

General and administrative 
expenses

(as % of total revenue)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

(in millions of euros)

Operating income

Year ended December 31,

2017

€729.0

2016

€672.0

€243.3

7.5%

€230.5

7.5%

IFRS  operating  income  increased  8.5%  or  €57.0  million  for 
2017  principally  driven  by  revenue  growth  as  well  as  IFRS 
operating margin improvement of 60 basis points.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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3 Financial Review and prospects

Operating and Financial Review

On  a  non-IFRS  basis,  operating  income  increased  8.3%  to 
€1.04 billion for 2017, compared to €957.7 million for 2016. 
The non-IFRS operating margin expanded 80 basis points to 
32.0% for 2017 on underlying organic improvement of about 
100 basis points offset in part by acquisition dilution of about 
20 basis points.

Currency  had  a  net  negative  impact  on  IFRS  and  non-IFRS 
operating  income  growth  of  approximately  2  percentage 
points.

Financial revenue and other, net
Financial  revenue  and  other,  net  includes  (i)  interest  income 
and interest expense, net; (ii) foreign exchange gains or losses, 
net, primarily composed of realized and unrealized exchange 
gains  and  losses  on  receivables  and  loans  denominated  in 
foreign  currencies;  and  (iii)  one-time  items,  net  principally 
composed of net gains or losses on sales of investments.

(in millions of euros)

Financial revenue and other, net

Year ended December 31,

2017

€22.4

2016

€(10.5)

Financial  revenue  and  other,  net  was  mainly  comprised  of 
interest  income  and  (expense),  net  of  €13.0  million  (2016: 
€(7.9)  million)  on  growth  in  interest  income  and  lower 
interest  expense  compared  to  2016  interest  expense  where 
it  included  discontinued  hedge  accounting  treatment  for 
interest  rate  swaps;  net  exchange  losses  of  €(10.2)  million 
(2016:  €(9.3)  million),  and  other 
income/(loss)  net  of 
€19.6  million  principally  related  to  the  gain  which  arose 
from  the  remeasurement  of  the  fair  value  of  the  previously 
held  equity  interest  in  Outscale  (2016:  €6.7  million  gain  on 
sale of investment). See Note 9 to the consolidated financial 
statements.

On a non-IFRS basis, financial revenue and other, net totaled 
€1.7 million compared to €(4.7) million in 2016 and reflected 
growth in financial net income of €6.9 million.

The  principal  difference  between 
IFRS  and  non-IFRS 
financial  revenue  and  other,  net  in  2017  was  the  exclusion 
on a non-IFRS basis of an accounting gain related to the re-
measurement of our equity investment in Outscale following 
majority ownership and the principal difference in 2016 was 
the exclusion of the discontinued hedge accounting treatment 
charge on a non-IFRS basis.

Income tax expense

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Income tax expense

Effective consolidated tax rate

Year ended December 31,

2017

€231.3

30.8%

2016

€209.3

31.6%

Income  tax  expense  increased  10.5%  in  2017  compared  to 
2016,  reflecting  principally  an  increase  in  pre-tax  income  of 
13.6%  offset  in  part  by  a  decrease  in  the  effective  tax  rate 
to  30.8%  for  2017  compared  to  31.6%  for  2016.  The  2017 
effective  tax  rate  benefited  from  one-time  deferred  tax  re-
measurements related to the new tax reform legislation, the 
U.S. Tax Cut & Jobs Act, enacted in December 2017, while the 
2016 effect tax rate benefited from a tax reserve reversal.

On  a  non-IFRS  basis,  income  tax  expense  increased  12.2% 
to  €345.2  million  for  2017,  compared  to  €307.7  million  for 
2016, reflecting growth of 9.0% in non-IFRS pre-tax income 
to €1.04 billion as well as an increase in the non-IFRS effective 
tax rate to 33.2% for 2017, compared to 32.3% for 2016. On 
a non-IFRS basis, the one-time deferred tax re-measurements 
related  to  the  new  U.S.  tax  law  was  excluded  from  the 
calculation  of  the  non-IFRS  effective  tax  rate.  In  2016  non-
IFRS effective tax rate benefited from a tax reserve reversal.

See  Note  10  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  an 
explanation of the differences between the effective tax rates 
and  the  taxes  computed  at  the  statutory  French  tax  rate  of 
34.43% for 2017 and 2016.

Net income attributable to shareholders and net 
income per diluted share

(in millions of euros, 
except percentages)

Net income attributable 
to shareholders

Net income per diluted share

Weighted average number 
of diluted shares outstanding

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€519.4

€2.01

€447.2

€1.74

258.3

257.4

IFRS net income per diluted share increased 15.5% to €2.01, 
reflecting  a  13.6%  increase  in  pre-tax  income  as  well  as 
benefiting from a lower effective tax rate in 2017 compared to 
2016. Non-IFRS net income per diluted share totaled €2.68, 
increasing 7.6% or 10% excluding currency effects. On a non-
IFRS  basis,  we  excluded  the  estimated  8  to  9  cent  one-time 
benefit from the new U.S. tax reform law.

In  2016,  IFRS  and  non-IFRS  net  income  per  diluted  share 
included a five-cent impact from a reversal of tax reserves.

102 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Review and prospects
Operating and Financial Review

3

3.1.3  Variability in Quarterly Financial Results

licenses  revenue  growth  has  varied 
Our  quarterly  new 
significantly  and  is  likely  to  vary  significantly  in  the  future, 
reflecting  business  seasonality,  clients’  decision  processes 
and new licenses and rental (periodic) licensing mix. Services 
revenue  activity  also  vary  by  quarter  reflecting  clients’ 
decision  processes  as  well  as  our  decisions  regarding  service 
engagements to be performed by us or by system integrators 
we work with.

Our total software revenue growth, however, is less sensitive 
to quarterly variation due to the significant level of recurring 
software  revenue,  which 
is  comprised  of  maintenance 
subscription  revenue  and  on-premise  rental  subscription 
revenue as well as cloud subscription revenue. In combination, 
recurring  revenue  represented  70%  and  71%  of  total  IFRS 
software  revenue  in  2017  and  2016,  respectively.  This 
significant  level  of  recurring  software  revenue  has  served  as 
a stabilizing factor during periods of macroeconomic softness.

We are implementing IFRS 15 effective as of January 1, 2018. 
While the implementation is not expected to have a material 
impact on overall growth rates for the full fiscal year, we expect 
that  the  implementation  will  cause  a  variation  in  quarterly 
revenue  recognition,  more  specifically  for  periodic  revenue 
within recurring software revenue. Since a higher proportion 
of our periodic contracts renew as of January 1 and are for an 
annual period, we will record a higher percentage in the first 
quarter, leading to a slightly different seasonality pattern for 
recurring software revenue.

3.1.4  Capital Resources

3

Acquisitions  and  divestitures  can  also  cause  the  different 
elements of our revenue to vary from quarter to quarter. Rapid 
changes in currency exchange rates could also cause reported 
revenue,  operating  income  and  earnings  per  share  and  their 
respective  reported  growth  rates  to  vary  from  quarter  to 
quarter.

A  significant  portion  of  new  license  sales  typically  occurs  in 
the  last  month  of  each  quarter,  and  we  normally  experience 
our highest new licenses sales for the year in our fiscal fourth 
quarter  ended  December  31.  In  addition,  software  revenue, 
total  revenue,  operating  income,  operating  margin  and  net 
income have generally been highest in the fourth quarter of 
each year.

In 2017, IFRS total revenue for the fourth, third, second and 
first  quarters  represented,  respectively,  28.2%  (28.8%  in 
2016), 23.3% (24.0% in 2016), 25.0% (24.6% in 2016) and 
23.5%  (22.6%  in  2016)  of  the  Company’s  total  revenue  for 
the year.

Nonetheless,  it  is  possible  that  the  Company’s  quarterly 
total revenue could vary significantly and that its net income 
could  vary  significantly,  reflecting  the  change  in  revenues, 
together with the effects of the Company’s investment plans. 
See  paragraph  1.7.1.11  “Variability  in  Quarterly  Operating 
Results” in Risk Factors.

We  have  significant  financial  flexibility  thanks  to  our  strong 
capital position, with our key uses of cash focused on capital 
returns  to  shareholders  in  the  form  of  dividends,  share 
repurchases  to  minimize  share  dilution  from  stock-based 
employee  performance  programs  and  select  acquisitions 
undertaken  consistent  with  our  Mission,  Strategy  and 
Addressable Market expansion objectives.

of stock options amounting to €62.4 million. During 2017 our 
uses of cash were principally for payment for acquisitions, net 
of cash acquired of €338.2 million and for acquisition of non-
controlling  interests  of  €37.5  million;  shares  repurchases  of 
€133.0 million, cash dividends of €51.3 million (based upon 
the  shareholders  electing  payment  of  the  dividend  in  cash), 
and capital expenditures, net of €84.5 million.

Our net financial position totaled €1.46 billion at December 31, 
2017, compared to €1.49 billion at December 31, 2016, with a 
decrease in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments 
from  €2.49  billion  to  €2.46  billion,  less  long-term  debt  of 
€1.0 billion.

In  2017  our  principal  sources  of  liquidity  were  cash  from 
operations of €745.0 million, and proceeds from the exercise 

In  2016  our  principal  sources  of  liquidity  were  cash  from 
operations of €621.7 million, and proceeds from the exercise 
of  stock  options  amounting  to  €26.8  million.  During  2016 
cash  obtained  from  operations  was  used  principally  to 
fund  acquisitions  of  €262.7  million,  net  of  cash  acquired, 
to  repurchase  shares  in  the  amount  of  €127.3  million,  to 
distribute  cash  dividends  aggregating  €101.9  million  (based 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

103

3 Financial Review and prospects

Financial Objectives

upon  the  shareholders  electing  to  receive  cash),  and  to 
make  additions  to  property,  equipment  and  intangibles  of 
€56.7 million, net of sales.

Exchange rate fluctuations had a negative translation effect, 
on  cash  and  cash  equivalent  balances,  of  €195.4  million  as 
of  December  31,  2017,  and  had  a  positive  translation  effect 
on  cash  and  cash  equivalent  balances  of  €35.7  million  as  of 
December 31, 2016.

We  follow  a  conservative  policy  for 
its  cash 
resources, mostly relying on short-term maturity investments. 
Investment  rules  are  defined  by  our  financial  management 
team  and  controlled  by  the  Treasury  department  of 
Dassault Systèmes SE.

investing 

See  also  the  Consolidated  Statements  of  Cash  Flows  in 
paragraph 4.1.1 “Consolidated Financial Statements”.

3.2  Financial Objectives

We announced our initial 2018 non-IFRS financial objectives 
on February 1, 2018 at the time of the release of our unaudited 
annual financial results for 2017 and are confirming them as 
of the date of this report.

 › 2018 non-IFRS operating margin of about 31.0% to 31.5% 
compared to 32% in 2017 reflecting estimated acquisition 
dilution and currency headwinds offset in part by moderate 
organic improvement at constant currency;

The  Company  is  implementing  IFRS  15  effective  as  of 
January 1, 2018. While the implementation is not expected to 
have a material impact on overall growth rates for the full fiscal 
year, the Company expects that the implementation will cause 
a variation in quarterly revenue recognition, more specifically 
for  periodic  revenue  within  recurring  software  revenue.  To 
aid investors and analysts, during 2018, the first year of the 
implementation of IFRS 15 we will provide IFRS and non-IFRS 
quarterly  and  full  year  financial  information  in  accordance 
with IFRS 15. We will also provide quarterly and full year IFRS 
and  non-IFRS  financial  information  as  well  as  our  quarterly 
and full year financial objectives on an IAS 18 implementation 
basis to provide comparability to our 2017 accounts.

Our objectives are subject to the assumptions and cautionary 
statements  set  forth  below  and  are  subject  to  revision,  as 
market and business conditions as well as currency exchange 
rates evolve during 2018.

Our initial 2018 financial objectives are given in IAS 18 on a 
non-IFRS basis, and are as follows:

 › 2018  non-IFRS  revenue  growth  objective  range  of  about 
8%  to  9%  in  constant  currencies  at  €3.355  billion  to 
€3.385  billion  reflecting  the  principal  2018  currency 
exchange  rate  assumptions  below  for  the  U.S.  dollar  and 
Japanese yen as well as the potential impact from additional 
currencies  representing  about  17%  of  our  total  revenue 
in 2017;

 › 2018 non-IFRS earnings per share of about €2.83 to €2.88, 
representing  a  growth  objective  of  about  6%  to  8%,  or 
about 11% to 13% on a constant currency basis;

 › These  financial  objectives  are  based  upon  an  average 
exchange  rate  assumption  of  U.S.  dollar  1.25  per  euro  for 
the 2018 first half and 1.20 per euro for the 2018 second 
half  and  Japanese  yen  of  135.0  per  euro  for  2018.  Based 
upon these currency assumptions we expect that the first 
half of 2018 will reflect a significant currency headwind to 
revenue and earnings per share growth rates as reported.

Our financial objectives are prepared and communicated only 
on a non-IFRS basis and are given in IAS 18. The 2018 annual 
non-IFRS objectives set forth above do not take into account the 
following accounting elements and are based upon the 2018 
currency exchange rate assumptions above: deferred revenue 
write-downs currently estimated at approximately €5 million 
for  2018;  share-based  compensation  expense,  including 
related  social  charges,  currently  estimated  at  approximately 
€60  million  for  2018  and  amortization  expense  for  acquired 
intangibles currently estimated at approximately €160 million 
for  2018.  These  objectives  do  not  include  any  impact  from 
other operating income and expense, net principally comprised 
of acquisition, integration and restructuring expenses. These 
estimates do not include any new stock option or share grants, 
or  any  new  acquisitions  or  restructurings  completed  after 
February 1, 2018.

104 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Review and prospects
Interim and Other Financial Information

3

In addition to our non-IFRS financial objectives for 2018, we 
have had in place since June 13, 2014 a mid-term objective to 
grow our non-IFRS EPS to about €3.50 for 2019. This would 
represent  a  potential  doubling  of  our  non-IFRS  EPS  over 
a  five-year  period  compared  to  the  base  year  2014.  We  are 
maintaining this goal.

The  information  above  includes  statements  that  express 
objectives for our future financial performance. Such forward-

looking  statements  are  based  our  management’s  views  and 
assumptions as of the date of this Annual Report and involve 
known  and  unknown  risks  and  uncertainties.  Our  actual 
results or performance may be materially negatively affected 
and differ materially from those in such statements due to a 
range of factors as described in this Annual Report. For more 
information  regarding  the  risks  we  face,  see  paragraph  1.7 
“Risk factors”.

3.3 

Interim and Other Financial Information

3

Dassault Systèmes has not published any quarterly or half-year financial information since the date of its last audited financial 
statements.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

105

3 Financial Review and prospects

106 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

4

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4.1  Consolidated Financial Statements  108

4.3  Legal and Arbitration Proceedings  182

CONTENTS

4.1.1  Consolidated Financial Statements 

4.1.2  Statutory Auditors’ Report on the Consolidated 

Financial Statements 

4.2  Parent Company Financial 

Statements 

108

148

153

4.2.1  Parent Company Financial Statements and Notes  153

4.2.2  Selected financial and other information 

for Dassault Systèmes SE over the last five years 

174

4.2.3  Statutory Auditors’ Report on the Parent 

Company Financial Statements 

4.2.4  Statutory Auditors’ Report on Related Party 

Agreements and Commitments 

175

180

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

107

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

The  consolidated  and  parent  company  financial  statements  below  will  be  submitted  for  approval  at  the  General  Meeting  of 
Shareholders of Dassault Systèmes scheduled for May 22, 2018.

4.1  Consolidated Financial Statements

In compliance with article 28 of the European Regulation no. 809/2004 of the European Commission, the consolidated financial 
statements for 2016 and 2017 are incorporated by reference in this Annual Report as stated on page  2  hereof.

4.1.1  Consolidated Financial Statements

Consolidated Statements of Income

(in thousands of euros, except per share data)

New licenses revenue and other software revenue

Periodic licenses and maintenance

Software revenue

Services revenue

TOTAL REVENUE

Cost of software revenue

Cost of services revenue

Research and development

Marketing and sales

General and administrative

Amortization of acquired intangibles

Other operating income and expense, net

OPERATING INCOME

Interest income and expense, net

Other financial income and expense, net

INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense

NET INCOME

Attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

Non-controlling interest

Earnings per share

Basic net income per share

Diluted net income per share

Year ended December 31,

Notes

2017

2016

€855,824

€784,356

2,013,469

1,910,316

4

2,869,293

2,694,672

358,715

360,914

3,228,008

3,055,586

(158,228)

(315,743)

(576,587)

(1,014,960)

(243,268)

(160,286)

(29,931)

729,005

13,030

9,389

751,424

(231,280)

€520,144

(153,838)

(309,757)

(540,506)

(952,566)

(230,463)

(155,830)

(40,592)

672,034

(7,928)

(2,607)

661,499

(209,292)

€452,207

€519,410

€447,192

€734

€5,015

€2.04

€2.01

€1.76

€1.74

8

9

9

10

11

11

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

108 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(in thousands of euros)

NET INCOME

Gains on available for sale securities

Gains on cash flow hedges

Foreign currency translation adjustment

Income tax on items to be reclassified

Other comprehensive income to be reclassified to profit or loss 
in subsequent periods, net of tax

Remeasurements of defined benefit pension plans

Income tax on items not being reclassified

Other comprehensive income not being reclassified to profit or loss 
in subsequent periods, net of tax

OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME, NET OF TAX

TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME, NET OF TAX

Attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

Non-controlling interest

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Year ended December 31,

Notes

2017

2016

€520,144

€452,207

23

22

4,058

6,600

(337,830)

(2,529)

(329,701)

6,126

(2,068)

4,058

(325,643)

€194,501

-

17,195

72,530

(6,110)

83,615

(12,506)

2,885

(9,621)

73,994

€526,201

€194,311

€520,903

€190

€5,298

4

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

109

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands of euros)

Assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments

Trade accounts receivable, net

Income tax receivable

Other current assets

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS

Property and equipment, net

Non-current financial assets

Deferred tax assets

Intangible assets, net

Goodwill

TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS

TOTAL ASSETS

(in thousands of euros)

Liabilities and equity

Trade accounts payable

Accrued compensation and other personnel costs

Unearned revenue

Income tax payable

Other current liabilities

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES

Deferred tax liabilities

Borrowings, non-current

Other non-current liabilities

TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

Common stock

Share premium

Treasury stock

Retained earnings and other reserves

Other items

Parent shareholders’ equity

Non-controlling interest

TOTAL EQUITY

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

110 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Year ended December 31,

Notes

2017

2016

12

12

13

13

14

15

10

17

18

19

10

20

19

€2,459,445

€2,436,701

1,281

895,900

74,548

168,333

56,064

820,442

108,230

148,999

3,599,507

3,570,436

168,958

162,267

108,908

135,402

174,824

135,886

1,066,440

1,079,076

1,923,726

1,847,442

3,430,299

3,372,630

€7,029,806

€6,943,066

€149,314

€144,860

325,708

876,412

18,410

157,614

315,796

853,147

27,262

124,575

1,527,458

1,465,640

186,628

258,729

1,000,000

1,000,000

319,673

335,866

1,506,301

1,594,595

130,466

645,798

128,998

500,098

(312,343)

(222,933)

3,578,991

3,173,639

(48,734)

280,423

3,994,178

3,860,225

1,869

22,606

23

3,996,047

3,882,831

€7,029,806

€6,943,066

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands of euros)

Net income

Adjustments for non-cash items

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

Net cash provided by operating activities

Additions to property, equipment and intangibles

Purchases of short-term investments

Proceeds from sales and maturities of short-term investments

Payment for acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

Other

Net cash used in investing activities

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

Cash dividends paid

Repurchase of treasury stock

Acquisition of non-controlling interests

Net cash used in financing activities

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD

Supplemental disclosure

Income taxes paid

Cash paid for interest

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Year ended December 31,

Notes

2017

2016

€520,144

€452,207

24

24

14, 17

214,422

10,458

745,024

(84,538)

(57,941)

109,025

245,759

(76,224)

621,742

(56,655)

(41,320)

60,952

16

(338,165)

(262,664)

4,183

765

(367,436)

(298,922)

23

23

62,404

(51,277)

(132,994)

(37,540)

(159,407)

(195,437)

22,744

26,827

(101,944)

(127,259)

-

(202,376)

35,723

156,167

2,436,701

2,280,534

€2,459,445

€2,436,701

€210,110

€309,539

€11,976

€11,257

4

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

111

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

Other items

(in thousands of euros)

Common 
stock

Share 
premium

Treasury
stock

Retained 
earnings and 
other reserves

Available-
for-sale 
securities

Cash flow 
hedges

Foreign 
currency 
translation 
adjustment

Parent 
shareholders’ 
equity

Non-
controlling 
interest

Total 
Equity

JANUARY 1, 2016

€128,357 €454,448 €(108,921) €2,797,556

− €(10,651)

€207,742 €3,468,531

€19,167 €3,487,698

Net income

Other comprehensive 
income, net of tax

COMPREHENSIVE 
INCOME, NET OF TAX

Dividends

Exercise 
of stock options

−

−

−

−

−

−

140

19,062

501

26,588

−

−

−

−

−

447,192

(9,621)

437,571

(119,287)

−

Treasury stock transactions

Share-based payments

Other changes

−

−

−

−

−

−

(114,012)

(13,247)

−

−

71,764

(718)

DECEMBER 31, 2016

€128,998 €500,098 €(222,933) €3,173,639

Net income

Other comprehensive 
income, net of tax

COMPREHENSIVE 
INCOME, NET OF TAX

Dividends

Exercise 
of stock options

Treasury stock transactions

Share-based payments

Transactions with 
non-controlling interests

Other changes

−

−

−

−

−

−

506

82,667

962

63,033

−

−

−

−

−

519,410

(134,450)

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

(89,410)

(43,584)

−

−

−

92,520

(47,880)

15,278

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

447,192

5,015

452,207

11,130

72,202

73,711

283

73,994

11,130

72,202

520,903

5,298

526,201

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

(100,085)

(1,859)

(101,944)

27,089

(127,259)

71,764

(718)

−

−

−

−

27,089

(127,259)

71,764

(718)

€479

€279,944 €3,860,225

€22,606 €3,882,831

−

−

519,410

734

520,144

4,058

3,368

4,761

(337,286)

(325,099)

(544)

(325,643)

523,468

3,368

4,761 (337,286)

194,311

190

194,501

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

−

(51,277)

63,995

(132,994)

92,520

−

−

−

−

(51,277)

63,995

(132,994)

92,520

(47,880)

(20,927)

(68,807)

15,278

−

15,278

DECEMBER 31, 2017

€130,466 €645,798 €(312,343) €3,578,991

€3,368

€5,240 €(57,342) €3,994,178

€1,869 €3,996,047

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

112 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for Years 
Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

CONTENTS

Note 1  Description of Business 

114

Note 14  Property and Equipment 

Note 2 

Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies 

Note 15  Non-Current Financial Assets 

114

Note 16  Business Combinations 

Note 3 

Segment and Geographic Information  119

Note 4 

Software Revenue 

Note 5  Government Grants 

Note 6 

Personnel Costs 

Note 7 

Share-based Payments 

Note 8  Other Operating Income 

and Expense, Net 

Note 9 

Interest Income and Expense, 
Net and Other Financial Income 
and Expense, Net 

Note 10 

Income Taxes 

Note 11  Earnings per Share 

Note 12  Cash and Cash Equivalents 

and Short-term Investments 

Note 13  Trade Accounts Receivable, 

Net and Other Current Assets 

121

122

122

122

126

126

127

128

129

130

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

131

132

132

134

135

136

137

4

Note 17 

Intangible Assets 

Note 18  Goodwill 

Note 19  Other Liabilities 

Note 20  Borrowings 

Note 21  Derivatives and Currency 

and Interest Rate Risk Management  137

Note 22  Post-employment Benefits 

Note 23  Shareholders’ Equity 

Note 24  Consolidated Statements 
of Cash Flows 

Note 25  Commitments and Contingencies 

Note 26  Related-Party Transactions 

Note 27  Principal Statutory Auditors’ Fees 

and Services 

Note 28  Principal Dassault Systèmes 

Companies 

139

142

143

144

145

146

147

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

113

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1  Description of Business

The “Company” or the “Group” refers to Dassault Systèmes SE 
and  its  subsidiaries.  The  Company  provides  end-to-end 
software  solutions  and  services,  designed  to  support 
companies’  innovation  processes,  from  specification  and 
design of a new product, to its sale to the customer, through all 
stages of digital mock-up, simulation, and realistic 3D virtual 
experiences representing the end-user experience.

The  Company’s  global  customer  base  includes  companies 
in  12  vertical   sectors:  Transportation  &  Mobility;  Industrial 
Equipment; Aerospace & Defense; Financial & Business Services; 
High-Tech; Life Sciences; Energy, Process & Utilities; Consumer 
Goods & Retail; Natural Resources; Architecture, Engineering & 
Construction;  Consumer  Packaged  Goods  &  Retail  and 

Marine & Offshore. To serve its customers, the Company has 
developed a broad software applications portfolio, comprised 
of  3D  modeling  applications,  simulation  applications,  social 
and  collaborative  applications,  and  information  intelligence 
applications, powered by its 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

incorporated  under 

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  is  a  European  company  (Societas 
Europaea), 
laws  of  France. 
The  Company’s  registered  office 
located  at  10,  rue 
Marcel  Dassault, 
in  Vélizy-Villacoublay,  France.  The 
Dassault Systèmes SE shares are listed in France on Euronext 
Paris.  These  consolidated 
statements  were 
established by The Board of Directors on March 15, 2018.

financial 

the 
is 

Note 2  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of preparation and consolidation
The  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements  were 
prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards  (“IFRS”)  as  adopted  by  the  European  Union  as  of 
December  31,  2017.  The  consolidated  financial  statements 
are presented in thousands of euros except where otherwise 
indicated.

The  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  accounts 
of Dassault Systèmes SE and its subsidiaries. Companies over 
which  the  Company  has  control  are  fully  consolidated.  The 
Group controls an entity when (i) it has power over this entity, 
(ii)  is  exposed  to  or  has  rights  to  variable  returns  from  its 
involvement with that entity, and (iii) has the ability to use its 
power over that entity to affect the amount of those returns. 
Companies  over  which  the  Company  exercises  significant 
influence  are  accounted  for  under  the  equity  method. 
Intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated.

Impact of recently issued accounting standards
New  standards,  interpretations  or  amendments  effective 
beginning  on  January  1,  2017  did  not  have  a  significant 
impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The Company undertakes no early application of any standard 
or  interpretation  or  associated  amendments  which  were 
already published in the Official Journal of the European Union 
at December 31, 2017:

IFRS 15 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers
IFRS  15  establishes  the  accounting  principles  that  an  entity 
shall apply to recognize revenue from contracts with customers. 
It replaces the previous standards and interpretations related 
to revenue recognition, notably IAS 18 “Revenue” and IAS 11 
“Construction  contracts”  and  IFRIC  13  “Customer  Loyalty 
Programmes”. The standard provides a single, principle-based, 
five-step model to be applied in order to define the timing and 
the amount of revenue arising from a contract with a customer. 
It includes a guide to applying the standard, notably regarding 
the  licenses  and  specific  provisions  for  how  to  recognize 
incremental costs of obtaining or fulfilling a contract, that are 
not addressed by other standards. The standard requires the 
disclosure of new qualitative and quantitative information in 
the notes to the consolidated accounts.

The Company is adopting IFRS 15 for the fiscal year beginning 
January 1, 2018. The main change impact relates to Periodic 

114 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

4

Licence offers that bundle license and maintenance for a term 
generally of one year (Yearly License Charge), which revenue 
is  recognized,  until  the  fiscal  year  ended  December  31, 
2017,  ratably  over  the  contract  period.  Based  on  the  new 
criteria  established  by  IFRS  15,  a  bundled  Periodic  License 
is  split  into  two  performance  obligations:  software  license 
and  maintenance.  While  revenue  from  software  license  is 
recognized  when  the  control  of  the  license  is  transferred  to 
the  customer,  the  revenue  from  maintenance  is  recognized 
rateably over the term of the license. Therefore, a significant 
proportion  of  revenue  from  periodic  licenses  is  recognized 
when  the  license  is  transferred  to  the  customer  for  new 
contracts or contract renewals. In effect, the total amount of 
revenue  recognized  from  bundled  Periodic  Licenses  remains 
unchanged,   but  only  the  pattern  of  recognition  over  the 
contract period (generally one year) is modified.

The  Company  implements  IFRS  15  using  the  modified-
retrospective transition method (also called cumulative effect 
method). Under this method, the transition effect is accounted 
for  within  the  consolidated  equity  at  the  date  of  initial 
application, i.e. January 1, 2018, without any adjustment to 
the  prior  year  comparative  information.  The  positive  equity 
adjustment amounts to €110 million before income taxes or 
€80 million net (assuming expected tax rates as of the date of 
issuance of the 2017 consolidated financial statements).

In 2018, the Company will continue to update its procedures 
and  information  systems  to  collect  the  new  quantitative 
information  to  be  disclosed  in  the  notes  to  the  2018 
consolidated financial statements.

IFRS 9 – Financial Instruments
IFRS 9 “Financial Instruments” is replacing IAS 39 “Financial 
Instruments:  Recognition  and  Measurement”.  The  new 
Standard  addresses  the  classification  and  measurement  of 
financial instruments, the impairment of financial assets and 
the hedge accounting.

The  Company  applies  IFRS  9  from  January  1,  2018, 
retrospectively  except  for  the  new  requirements  related  to 
hedge  accounting.  As  allowed  by  IFRS  9  the  Company  will 
not  restate  its  2017  comparative  information  in  its  2018 
consolidated financial statements.

IFRS 9 introduces a new impairment model based on expected 
credit  loss,  while  IAS  39  is  based  on  an  incurred  credit  loss 
model.  The  Company  applies  the  simplified  approach  to 
account for the expected losses on trade accounts receivables.

The Company assessed the impact of IFRS 9 implementation 
and did not identify any material changes to the classification 
and measurement of its financial assets and liabilities.

IFRS 16 – Lease
On  January  13,  2016,  the  IASB  issued  the  new  accounting 
standard IFRS 16 “Leases”. IFRS 16 is a major revision in the 
accounting  of  leases.  The  standard  provides  a  single  lessee 
accounting  model,  requiring  lessees  to  recognize  assets  and 
liabilities for all leases unless the lease term is 12 months or 
less  or  the  underlying  asset  has  a  low  value.  Based  on  this 
model,  the  amortization  of  assets  will  be  accounted  for  in 
operating expense, and the cost of the debt towards the lessor 
will be accounted for in financial expense. Under the current 
standard, rent expense is recorded in operating expense.

The Company will adopt IFRS 16 for the fiscal year beginning 
January 1, 2019 using the simplified retrospective approach.

In  2017,  the  Company  identified  its  lease  contracts  and 
measured the lease liabilities of the main contributing entities 
and analysed available IT solutions.

The  Company  is  currently  updating  its  information  systems 
and  procedures  to  collect  and  process  any  lease  data  in 
accordance with the new provisions introduced by IFRS 16.

Summary of significant accounting policies

Use of estimates
The  preparation  of  financial  statements 
in  conformity 
with  IFRS  requires  management  to  make  estimates  and 
assumptions  that  affect  the  reported  amounts  of  assets 
and  liabilities,  revenue  and  expenses  and  disclosure  of 
contingent  assets  and  liabilities  at  the  date  of  the  financial 
statements.  Areas  involving  the  use  of  significant  estimates 
and assumptions mainly include: assessing product lifecycles; 
identifying  the  different  elements  comprising  a  software 
solution  arrangement,  including  the  distinction  between 
upgrades/enhancements, new products and services, contract 
price  allocation  to  the  different  elements  and  determining 
the revenue recognition date of those elements; determining 
when  technological  feasibility  is  achieved  for  its  products; 
estimating  the  recoverable  amount  of  goodwill;  determining 
the  nature,  fair  value  and  useful  life  of  acquired  intangible 
assets  in  a  business  combination;  determining  assumptions 
to estimate the fair value of share-based payments; assessing 
the recognition of deferred tax assets; and making reasonable 
estimates about the ultimate resolution of the Company’s tax 
uncertainties  based  on  current  tax  laws  and  the  Company’s 
interpretation  thereof.  Actual  results  and  outcomes  could 
differ from management’s estimates and assumptions.

Foreign currency adjustments
The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries 
is generally the applicable local currency. Assets and liabilities 
with functional currencies other than the euro are translated 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

115

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

into euro equivalents at the rate of exchange in effect on the 
balance  sheet  date.  Revenues,  expenses  and  cash  flows  are 
translated at the average exchange rates for the year unless this 
average is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative 
effect of the rates prevailing on the transaction dates, in which 
case revenues, expenses and cash flows are translated at the 
rate  on  the  dates  of  the  transactions.  Translation  gains  or 
losses are recorded in Other items in shareholders’ equity.

Exchange  differences  on  the  settlement  or  retranslation 
of  monetary  items  in  a  currency  other  than  the  Company’s 
and  its  subsidiaries’  functional  currency  are  recorded  in  the 
statement of income.

Revenue recognition
The  Company  derives  revenue  from  two  primary  sources: 
(1)  new  software  licenses,  periodic  licenses,  maintenance 
and other software revenue, which includes software license 
updates, technical support and the development of additional 
functionalities  of  standard  products  requested  by  clients; 
(2) consulting and training services and other revenue.

Revenues are disclosed net of taxes collected from customers 
and remitted to governmental authorities.

New Software Licenses, Periodic Licenses, Maintenance and Other 
Software  Revenue  – Software  license  revenue  represents  fees 
earned from granting customers licenses to use the Company’s 
software.  The  Company’s  software  license  revenue  consists 
of  perpetual  and  periodic  license  sales  of  software  products. 
Software  license  revenue  is  recognized  (to  the  extent  the 
Company  has  no  remaining  obligations  to  perform)  when: 
evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery and acceptance has 
occurred,  the  amount  of  revenue  and  associated  costs  can  be 
measured reliably, and it is probable that the economic benefits 
associated  with  the  transaction  will  flow  to  the  Company. 
In  instances  when  any  of  the  four  criteria  are  not  met,  the 
Company  defers  recognition  of  software  license  revenue  until 
all criteria are met. Revenue related to the licensing of software 
through  value-added  resellers  (VARs)  is  generally  recognized 
when evidence of a sale to an end-user customer is provided to 
the  Company,  assuming  all  other  revenue  recognition  criteria 
have been met.
Periodic  licenses  generally  have  a  one-year  term  and  the 
corresponding  fee  is  recognized  ratably  over  the  term  of  the 
license.

Maintenance  revenue  represents  periodic  fees  associated 
with  the  sale  of  unspecified  product  updates  on  a  when-

and-if-available  basis  and  technical  support.  Maintenance 
agreements  are  entered  into  in  connection  with  the  initial 
software  license  purchase.  Maintenance  support  may  be 
renewed  by  the  customer  at  the  conclusion  of  each  term. 
Revenue  from  maintenance  is  recognized  on  a  straight-line 
basis over the term of the maintenance agreement.

Other  software  revenue  mainly  relates  to  the  development 
of  additional  functionalities  of  standard  products  requested 
by  clients  and  is  recognized  as  the  development  work  is 
performed.

Recurring  fees  for  periodic  licenses  and  maintenance  are 
reported within software revenue.

Revenue  under  multiple-element  arrangements,  which 
typically  include  new  software  licenses  and  maintenance  or 
service agreements sold together, is allocated to each element 
in the arrangement primarily using the residual method based 
upon the fair value of the undelivered elements. Discounts, if 
any,  are  applied  to  the  delivered  elements,  usually  software 
licenses,  under  the  residual  method.  For  maintenance,  fair 
value  is  generally  determined  based  upon  the  expected 
renewal rate. When a sale of license goes along with a service 
essential  to  the  software  functionality,  the  revenue  will  be 
recognized on percentage of completion basis.

Services  Revenue  – Services  revenue  consists  primarily  of 
fees  from  consulting  services  in  methodology  for  design, 
deployment  and  support,  and  training  services.  Services 
generally  do  not 
require  significant  modification  or 
customization  of  software  products  and  are  accounted 
for  separately  to  the  extent  they  are  not  essential  to  the 
functionality of software products.
Service  revenues  derived  from  time  and  material  contracts 
are  recognized  as  time  is  incurred.  Service  revenues  derived 
from  fixed  price  contracts  are  generally  recognized  using 
a  percentage  of  completion  basis.  For  customer  support 
contracts,  when  no  performance  criteria  is  provided  for, 
revenue  is  recognized  ratably  over  the  term  of  the  contract, 
generally one year, on a straight-line basis.

Share-based payment
The  Company  recognizes  compensation  expense  for  share-
based  payment  awards  expected  to  vest  on  a  straight-line 
basis  over  the  requisite  service  period  of  the  entire  award. 
Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if 
necessary,  in  subsequent  periods  if  actual  forfeitures  differ 
from initial estimates.

116 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

4

Stock  options  are  measured  at  fair  value  on  the  date  of  the 
grant  using  an  option-pricing  model  based  on  assumptions 
made by management on expected volatility, expected option 
life and distributed dividends.

Performance  shares  are  measured  at  fair  value  based  on 
the  quoted  price  of  the  Company’s  common  stock  on  the 
date  of  grant.  The  fair  value  may  also  include  the  impact  of 
certain conditions based on an option-pricing model. Vesting 
conditions  excluded  from  the  fair  value  measurement  are 
taken into account to estimate the number of shares that will 
eventually vest. At the end of each reporting period, the Group 
reviews  this  estimate  and  records  the  impact  of  changes  to 
original estimate, if any, in the statement of income.

For  performance  share  plans  that  allow  the  beneficiaries  to 
acquire shares either upon satisfaction of a market condition or 
a non-market vesting condition, the Group estimates the fair 
value of the equity instrument at grant date for each possible 
outcome, and accounts for the share-based payment based on 
the most likely outcome at the end of each reporting period.

Cost of software revenue
Cost  of  software  revenue  primarily  includes  software  license 
expense  for  software  products  included  in  the  Company’s 
software, maintenance costs and delivery expense.

Research and development
Research costs are expensed as incurred.

Costs incurred to develop computer software products include 
mainly  payroll  and  other  headcount-related  costs  associated 
with  development  of  the  Company’s  products.  They  also 
include  amortization  expense,  lease  and  maintenance  costs 
of  computer  equipment  used  for  product  development, 
software  expenditures  and  costs  of  information  technology 
and communication.

Due  to  specificities  in  the  software  industry,  the  Company 
has determined that technological feasibility is the key criteria 
to  capitalize  development  expenditure  as  it  is  generally  the 
last  criteria  to  be  met.  Currently  the  risks  and  uncertainties 
inherent in the software development process make it difficult 
to  demonstrate  technological  feasibility  before  a  working 
prototype has been completed, which generally occurs shortly 
before  the  commercial  release  of  its  software  products.  As  a 
consequence,  costs  incurred  after  technological  feasibility 
is  established  that  could  potentially  be  capitalized  are  not 
material.

Government grants
The  Company  receives  grants  from  various  governmental 
authorities  to  finance  certain  research  and  development 
activities,  including  research  and  development  tax  credits  in 
France  that  are  treated  as  government  grants.  Government 
grants  are  recognized  as  a  reduction  of  research  and 
development costs or cost of services and other revenue when 
the qualifying research and development activities have been 
performed and there is reasonable assurance that the grants 
will be received.

Other operating income and expense, net
The  Company  distinguishes  income  and  expense  that  is 
unusual, infrequent or generally non-recurring in nature in the 
consolidated statement of income. Such income and expense 
includes  the  impact  of  restructuring  activity  and  other 
generally  non-recurring  events,  such  as  gain  or  loss  on  sale 
of subsidiaries, costs directly related to acquisitions, and costs 
related to site closings or moving from one site to another.

Other financial income and expense, net
Other  financial  income  and  expense  primarily  includes  the 
impact of remeasuring financial instruments at fair value, gains 
and losses on disposals and the impairment of investments in 
non-consolidated  companies,  exchange  gains  and  losses  on 
monetary items and change in fair value of derivative financial 
instruments not qualified for hedge accounting.

Income taxes
Deferred income tax is recognized using the liability method on 
temporary differences arising between the tax bases of assets 
and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the consolidated 
financial  statements.  However,  deferred  income  tax  is  not 
accounted  for  if  it  arises  from  initial  recognition  of  an  asset 
or liability in a transaction other than a business combination 
that, at the time of the transaction, affects neither accounting 
nor  taxable  profit  or  loss.  Deferred  income  tax  is  determined 
using tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantially 
enacted by the balance sheet date and are expected to apply 
when the related deferred income tax asset is realized or the 
deferred income tax liability is settled.

Deferred  tax  assets  are  recognized  for  all  deductible  temporary 
differences,  the  carry  forward  of  unused  tax  credits  and  any 
unused tax losses. Deferred income tax assets are recognized only 
to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profit will be 
available against which the temporary differences can be utilized.

Deferred  income  tax  is  provided  on  temporary  differences 
arising  on  investments  in  subsidiaries  and  associates,  except 
where the timing of the reversal of the temporary difference 
is  controlled  by  the  Company  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

117

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Allowance for doubtful accounts and loans receivable
The  allowance  for  doubtful  accounts  and  loans  receivable 
reflects  the  Company’s  best  estimate  of  probable  losses 
inherent in the receivable balance. The Company determines 
the  allowance  based  on  known  troubled  accounts,  historical 
experience and other currently available evidence.

Financial instruments
Fair  Value  –  The  carrying  amounts  of  cash  and  cash 
equivalents,  short-term  investments,  accounts  receivable, 
accounts  payable  and  accrued  expenses  approximate  fair 
value, due to the short-term maturities of such instruments. 
Foreign  exchange  options  and  forward  contracts,  which  are 
designated  and  serve  as  hedges,  are  recorded  at  their  fair 
market  value.  Fair  value  is  measured  based  on  the  following 
fair  value  hierarchy:  level  1:  quoted  price  in  active  markets; 
level  2:  inputs  observable  directly  or  indirectly,  other  than 
quoted  price  included  in  level  1;  level  3:  inputs  not  based 
on  observable  market  data.  Cash,  cash  equivalents  and 
short-term  investments  are  measured  using  the  level  1  fair 
value. Derivative instruments are measured using the level 2 
fair  value.  Other  investments  that  are  not  equity  method 
investments are measured using the level 3 fair value.

Cash  and  Cash  Equivalents  and  Short-Term  Investments  – 
The Company considers deposits with banks, investments in 
money  market  mutual  funds  and  marketable  debt  securities 
with short-term maturities to be cash equivalents since they are 
readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject 
to  an  insignificant  risk  of  change  in  value.  Other  marketable 
debt securities and mutual funds that do not qualify as cash 
equivalents are considered to be short-term investments and 
are  generally  classified  as  trading  securities  with  changes  in 
fair value recorded in interest income and expense, net.

Non-Current  Financial  Assets  –  Non-current  financial  assets 
include, principally, available-for-sale equity securities at fair 
value,  loans,  deposits  and  other  non-current  receivables  at 
amortized cost and equity method investments. For available-
for-sale  equity  securities,  any  unrealized  holding  gains  and 
losses  excluded  from  operating  results  are  recognized  in  the 
consolidated  statements  of  comprehensive 
income  until 
realized.  The  Company  assesses  declines  in  the  value  of 
individual  investments  to  determine  whether  such  decline  is 
other-than-temporary  and  thus  the  investment  is  impaired. 
This  assessment  is  made  by  considering  available  evidence 
including  changes  in  general  market  conditions,  specific 
industry  and  individual  company  data,  the  length  of  time 
and the extent to which the market value has been less than 
cost,  the  financial  condition  and  near-term  prospects  of  the 
individual company, and the Company’s intent and ability to 
hold the investment.

Derivative  Instruments  –  The  Company  uses  derivative 
instruments  to  manage  exposures  to  foreign  currency  and 
interest  rates.  Derivative  instruments  are  measured  at  their 
fair value and changes in the fair value affect the consolidated 
statements of income unless specific hedge accounting criteria 
are met. Changes in the fair value of derivatives designated as 
cash-flow hedges are reported as a component of shareholders’ 
equity until the hedged item is recognized in earnings.

Property and equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated 
using  the  straight-line  method  over  their  estimated  useful 
lives: computer equipment, two to five years; office furniture 
and  equipment,  five  to  10  years;  buildings,  30  years; 
leasehold  improvements  are  depreciated  over  the  shorter  of 
the life of the assets or the remaining lease term. Repair and 
maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.

Intangible assets
Intangible  assets  primarily 
include  acquired  technology, 
contractual  customer  relationships  and  computer  software. 
Costs related to intangible assets are capitalized and amortized 
using  the  straight-line  method  over  their  estimated  useful 
lives, which range from two to 16 years. No intangible assets 
have been identified with an indefinite useful life.

Business combinations and goodwill
Business combinations are accounted for using the purchase 
method.  The  cost  of  an  acquisition  is  measured  as  the  fair 
value  of  the  assets  transferred,  equity  instruments  issued 
and  liabilities  incurred  or  assumed  on  the  acquisition  date. 
Identifiable  assets  acquired  and  liabilities  and  contingent 
liabilities  assumed  in  a  business  combination  are  measured 
initially at fair value at the date of acquisition, irrespective of 
the extent of any non-controlling interest.

Goodwill is initially measured at cost being the excess of the 
cost of the business combination over the Company’s share in 
the net fair value of the acquiree’s identifiable assets, liabilities 
and contingent liabilities.

After initial recognition, goodwill is measured at cost less any 
accumulated impairment losses. For the purpose of impairment 
testing, goodwill acquired in a business combination is, from 
the acquisition date, allocated to each of the Company’s cash 
generating  units  or  group  of  cash  generating  units  that  are 
expected  to  benefit  from  the  synergies  of  the  combination, 
irrespective of whether other assets or liabilities of the acquiree 
are assigned to those units.

118 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

4

Goodwill is tested whenever events or changes in circumstances 
indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, and 
at  a  minimum  annually.  For  the  purpose  of  the  impairment 
test, the Company relies upon projections of future cash flows 
and  takes  into  account  assumptions  regarding  the  evolution 
of  the  market  and  its  ability  to  successfully  develop  and 
commercialize  its  products.  Changes  in  market  conditions 
could  have  a  major  impact  on  the  valuation  of  assets  and 
liabilities and could result in additional impairment losses.

Provisions
Provisions  are  recognized  as  liabilities  to  cover  probable 
outflows  of  resources  that  can  be  estimated  and  that  result 
from  present  obligations  (legal,  contractual  or  constructive) 
relating to past events. In cases where a potential obligation 
resulting  from  past  events  exists,  but  where  occurrence  of 
the outflow of resources is not probable or where the amount 
cannot be reliably estimated, a contingent liability is disclosed 
among the Company’s commitments.

The amount of the provision provided is the best estimate of 
the  outflow  of  resources  required  to  extinguish  this  present 
obligation.

Treasury shares
Own  equity  instruments  which  are  reacquired  (treasury 
shares) are recognized at cost and deducted from equity. Gains 
and losses on the purchase, sale, issue or cancellation of the 
Company’s own equity instruments are credited or charged to 
shareholders’ equity and are not recognized in the statement 
of income.

Borrowings
Borrowings  are  recognized  initially  at  fair  value,  net  of 
transaction  costs 
incurred.  Any  difference  between  the 
recorded amount and the redemption value is amortized into 
income  over  the  period  of  the  borrowing  using  the  effective 
interest rate method.

Post-employment benefits
The  Company’s  payments  for  defined  contribution  plans  are 
recorded as expenses for the relevant period.

For  defined  benefit  plans  concerning  post-employment 
benefits, the Company uses the projected unit credit method 
to  determine  the  present  value  of  its  obligations.  Under  this 
method, benefits are attributed to periods of service according 
to  the  plan’s  benefit  formula.  However,  if  an  employee’s 
service  in  later  years  will  earn  a  materially  higher  level  of 
benefit than in earlier years, benefits are attributed to periods 
of service on a straight-line basis.

Actuarial gains and losses are charged or credited to equity in 
other comprehensive income in the period in which they arise.

The future payments for employee benefits are measured on 
the basis of future salary increases, retirement age, mortality 
and  length  of  employment  with  the  Company,  and  are 
discounted at a rate determined by reference to yields on long-
term high quality corporate bonds of a duration corresponding 
to the estimated duration of the benefit plan concerned.

The  net  expense  for  the  year,  corresponding  to  the  sum  of 
the  current  service  costs,  past  service  costs  and  net  interest 
expense or income, is charged in full to operating income.

Note 3  Segment and Geographic Information

Operating  segments  are  components  of  the  Company  for 
which  discrete  financial  information  is  available  and  whose 
operating  results  are  regularly  reviewed  by  management  to 
assess  performance  and  allocate  resources.  The  Company 
operates in a single operating segment, the sale of software 
solutions,  whose  aim  is  to  offer  customers  an  integrated 
innovation  process,  from  the  development  of  a  new  concept 
to  the  realistic  experience  of  the  resultant  product,  through 
all  stages  of  detailed  design,  scientific  simulation  and 
manufacturing, thanks to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The  assessment  of  the  operating  segment’s  performance 
is  based  on  the  Group’s  supplemental  non-IFRS  financial 
information  (see  paragraph  3.1.1.2  “Supplemental  Non-
IFRS  Financial  Information”).  The  accounting  policies  used 

differ from those described in Note 2 Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies as follows:

 › the  measure  of  operating  segment  revenue  and  income 
includes the whole revenue that would have been recognized 
by  acquired  companies  had  they  remained  stand-alone 
entities but which is partially excluded from Group revenue 
to reflect the fair value of obligations assumed;

 › the measure of operating segment income excludes share-
based  compensation  expense  and  associated  payroll  taxes 
(see  Note  6  Personnel  Costs  and  Note  7  Share-based 
Payments), amortization of acquired intangibles, and other 
operating  income  and  expense,  net  (see  Note  8  Other 
Operating Income and Expense, Net).

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

119

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

(in thousands of euros)

TOTAL REVENUE FOR OPERATING SEGMENT

Adjustment for unearned revenue of acquired companies

TOTAL REVENUE

(in thousands of euros)

INCOME FOR OPERATING SEGMENT

Adjustment for unearned revenue of acquired companies

Share-based compensation expense and related payroll taxes

Amortization of acquired intangibles

Other operating income and expense, net

OPERATING INCOME

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€3,241,982

€3,065,617

(13,974)

(10,031)

€3,228,008

€3,055,586

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€1,037,118

€957,700

(13,974)

(103,922)

(160,286)

(29,931)

(10,031)

(79,213)

(155,830)

(40,592)

€729,005 

€672,034 

Data by geographic operations of the Company is established according to geographical location of the consolidated companies 
and is as follows:

Total revenue

Total assets

Additions to 
property, 
equipment 
and intangibles

€1,122,165

€4,250,466

€54,151

547,682

252,108

1,360,400

1,314,972

745,443

400,018

1,580,548

699,995

2,258,017

2,063,321

521,323

133,158

48,423

2,291

19,182

18,756

11,205

898

€3,228,008

€7,029,806

€84,538

€1,027,655

€4,224,578

€35,938

496,249

219,556

1,284,581

1,234,761

743,350

409,094

1,959,214

720,539

2,191,327

1,982,857

527,161

155,254

20,457

1,967

18,543

16,414

6,336

2,192

€3,055,586

€6,943,066

€60,817

(in thousands of euros)

2017

Europe

of which France

of which Germany

Americas

of which the United States

Asia

of which Japan

TOTAL

2016

Europe

of which France

of which Germany

Americas

of which the United States

Asia

of which Japan

TOTAL

120 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

The  Company  also  receives  data  that  identifies  the  location  of  the  Company’s  end-user  customers.  Using  such  information, 
revenue by geographic area would be as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Europe

of which France

of which Germany

Americas

of which the United States

Asia

of which Japan

TOTAL REVENUE

Note 4  Software Revenue

Software revenue is comprised of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

New licenses revenue

Periodic licenses and maintenance revenue

Other software revenue

SOFTWARE REVENUE

Breakdown of software revenue by main product line is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

CATIA software revenue

SOLIDWORKS software revenue

ENOVIA software revenue

Other

SOFTWARE REVENUE

4

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€1,398,478

€1,301,944

291,324

387,498

977,349

874,186

852,181

404,928

273,167

365,961

942,389

828,799

811,253

393,118

€3,228,008

€3,055,586

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€845,483

€773,180

2,013,469

1,910,316

10,341

11,176

€2,869,293

€2,694,672

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€1,004,875

€970,817

695,764

321,887

846,767

626,010

321,441

776,404

€2,869,293

€2,694,672

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

121

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 5  Government Grants

Government grants and other government assistance were recorded in the consolidated statements of income as a reduction to 
research and development expenses and to cost of services, as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Research and development

Costs of services

TOTAL GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Note 6  Personnel Costs

Year ended December 31,

2017

€36,102

1,118

€37,220

2016

€29,916

1,507

€31,423

Personnel costs
Personnel costs, excluding share-based payments (€92.5 million in 2017 and €71.8 million in 2016, see Note 7 Share-based 
Payments) and associated payroll taxes (€11.4 million in 2017 and €7.4 million in 2016), are presented in the following table:

(in thousands of euros)

Personnel costs

Social security costs

TOTAL

Average number of employees was 14,651 and 13,817 in 2017 and 2016 respectively.

Note 7  Share-based Payments

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€(1,248,197)

€(1,171,951)

(287,096)

(262,214)

€(1,535,293)

€(1,434,165)

Compensation  expense  related  to  share-based  payments,  including  associated  payroll  taxes,  is  recorded  in  the  consolidated 
statements of income as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Research and development

Marketing and sales

General and administrative

Cost of revenue

TOTAL COMPENSATION EXPENSE RELATED TO SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€(41,548)

€(33,580)

(36,557)

(21,576)

(4,241)

(26,928)

(15,448)

(3,257)

€(103,922)

€(79,213)

122 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Changes during 2017 and 2016 of unvested options and performance shares were as follows:

UNVESTED AT JANUARY 1, 2016

Granted

Vested

Forfeited

UNVESTED AT DECEMBER 31, 2016

Granted

Vested

Forfeited

UNVESTED AT DECEMBER 31, 2017

Number of awards

Performance 
shares

Stock options

Total

2,673,390

2,405,255

5,078,645

1,082,950

1,947,785

3,030,735

(336,310)

(683,205)

(1,019,515)

(41,810)

(296,636)

(338,446)

3,378,220

3,373,199

6,751,419

1,101,700

2,050,370

3,152,070

(1,021,050)

(1,221,519)

(2,242,569)

(24,550)

(388,693)

(413,243)

3,434,320

3,813,357

7,247,677

Performance shares
Pursuant to an authorization granted by the shareholders at 
the  General  Meeting  of  Shareholders  held  on  September  4, 
2015, the Board of Directors at the meeting held on May 23, 
2017 decided to grant 801,700 performance shares to some 
employees and executives (Plan 2017-A) and 300,000 shares 
to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors 
and Chief Executive Officer as part of a plan of progressively 
associating  him  with  the  Company’s  capital  (Plan  2017-B). 
Such  shares  shall  be  delivered  subject  to  the  condition  that 
the beneficiary be an employee or a director of the Company 
at the end of a two years presence period and subject to the 
achievement of a condition based on the Company non-IFRS 
diluted earnings per share growth. This condition is based on 

a  targeted  growth  between  the  non-IFRS  diluted  earnings 
per  share  of  the  Group  for  the  year  2019,  excluding  foreign 
currency effects, and the one achieved in the year 2016 (non-
vesting condition).

The weighted average grant-date fair value of shares granted 
in  2017  was  €43.35.  It  was  estimated  based  on  the  quoted 
price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant, 
adjusted  to  include  the  non-vesting  condition  based  on  the 
non-IFRS  diluted  earnings  per  share  using  a  Monte  Carlo 
model. The model simulates the performance of the non-IFRS 
diluted earnings per share of the Company excluding foreign 
currency effects. Assumptions used are an expected volatility 
of 9.82% and an average risk-free interest rate of (0.12)%.

4

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

123

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

A summary of the Company’s performance shares plans is as follows:

Plans

2010-04

2014-A

2014-B

2015-A

2015-B

2016-A

2016-B

2017-A

2017-B

Date of General Meeting 
of Shareholders

05/27/2010 05/30/2013 05/30/2013 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015

Date of grant by Board of Directors 09/07/2012 02/21/2014 02/21/2014 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 05/26/2016 05/26/2016 05/23/2017 05/23/2017

Total number of shares granted

539,230

529,940

1,078,460(2)

1,059,880

150,000

300,000

734,600

734,600

300,000

300,000

782,950

782,950

300,000

300,000

801,700

801,700

300,000

300,000

Restated total number 
of shares granted(1)

Acquisition period (in years)(3)

Three 
or four(4)

Four

Four

Two

Two

Two 
or three(7)

Two 
or three(7)

Three

Three

Performance conditions

See Note(5)

See Note(6)

See Note(6)

See Note(6)

See Note(6)

See Note(8)

See Note(8)

See Note(9)

See Note(9)

Performance conditions is reached
at December 31, 2017

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

See Note(10)

See Note(10)

N/A

N/A

(1)  For shares granted before July 17, 2014, total number of shares granted has been restated to reflect the two-for-one stock split effected on July 17, 2014.
(2)  Including 28,000 shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, subject to an additional performance condition 

related to his variable compensation.

(3)  Subject to the condition that the beneficiary be an employee or a director of the Company at the acquisition date, with the exception of 2017-A and 2017-B plans, for which 

the presence period is two years.

(4)  Three years in France and four years outside of France.
(5)  Non-market performance conditions based on actually realized non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group compared to the upper limit of the non-IFRS diluted earnings 
per share objective during three years (2012, 2013 and 2014). The shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, 
are also subject to an additional performance condition related to variable compensation dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board of 
Directors.

(6)  Performance condition measured based on two alternative criteria, the growth of the non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group or the outperformance of the price of 
the Dassault Systèmes share compared to the performance of the CAC 40 index (market condition) for each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 for 2014-A and 2014-B 
Shares, and for the year 2016 for 2015-A and 2015-B Shares, compared to the year 2014. Such growth or difference must be at least equal to a threshold established by the 
Board of Directors. The 2015-B Shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, are also subject to an additional 
performance condition related to variable compensation dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board of Directors.

(7)  Share acquisition divided into two tranches, the first vesting in May 26, 2018 and the second in May 26, 2019.
(8)  Performance condition for the first tranche will be measured based on the average performance of two criteria: the growth of the non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the 

Group for the year 2017, excluding foreign currency effects, compared to the year 2015 (non-market condition), and the outperformance of the price of the 
Dassault Systèmes share compared to the performance of the CAC 40 index between February 2016 and February 2018 (market condition). Such growth and outperformance 
must be at least equal to a threshold established by the Board of Directors. Performance condition for the second tranche will be measured based on two cumulative criteria: 
the growth of the non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group for the year 2018, excluding foreign currency effects, compared to the year 2015 (non-market condition), 
and the outperformance of the price of the Dassault Systèmes share compared to the performance of the CAC 40 index between February 2016 and February 2019 (market 
condition). Such growth and outperformance must be at least equal to a threshold established by the Board of Directors. The 2016-B shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, 
Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, are also subject to an additional performance condition related to his variable compensation itself 
dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board of Directors.

(9)  Performance condition based on a targeted growth between the non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group for the year 2019, excluding foreign currency effects, and 

the one achieved in the year 2016 (non-vesting condition). Such growth must be at least equal to a threshold (expressed as a percentage) established by the Board of Directors 
granting the shares.

(10) Tranche 1 performance condition will be measured by March 15, 2018 Board of Directors.

Performance shares granted in 2017 are measured at fair value on the quoted price of the Company's common stock on the date 
of grant. 

124 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Stock option
The  main  features  of  the  Group  stock  option  plans  are  as 
follows: Options vest over various periods ranging from one to 
four years, subject to continued employment, options expire 
eight  to  ten  years  from  grant  date,  or  after  termination  of 
employment, whichever is earlier, options have generally been 
granted at an exercise price equal to or greater than the grant-
date market value of the Company’s share.

Pursuant  to  an  authorization  granted  by  the  shareholders 
at  the  General  Meeting  of  Shareholders  held  on  May  26, 
2016, the Board of Directors at the meeting held on May 23, 
2017  decided  to  grant  2,050,370  options  to  subscribe  to 
Dassault Systèmes shares to certain employees, at an exercise 
price of €82.00 (Plan 2017-01).

Such  options  shall  be  vested  at  the  end  of  an  acquisition 
period  of  one  to  three  years,  subject  to  the  condition  that 
the  beneficiary  be  an  employee  of  the  Company  at  the 
acquisition  date  and  to  the  achievement  of  certain  non-
market performance objectives for the years 2017, 2018 and 
2019.  The  options  expire  ten  years  from  grant  date  or  after 
termination of employment, whichever is earlier.

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted 
in  2017  was  €10.01.  It  was  estimated  on  the  date  of  grant 
using  a  Black-Scholes  option  pricing  model.  Assumptions 
used  are  as  follows:  weighted-average  expected  life  of  6 
years, expected volatility rate of 19%, expected dividend yield 
of  0.70%  and  average  risk-free  interest  rate  of  0.23%.  The 
expected volatility was determined using a combination of the 
historical  volatility  of  the  Company’s  stock  and  the  implied 
volatility of the Company’s exchange-traded options.

A summary of the Company’s stock option activity is as follows:

4

OUTSTANDING AS OF JANUARY 1,

Granted

Exercised

Forfeited

OUTSTANDING AS OF DECEMBER 31,

Exercisable

2017

2016

Number 
of options

5,961,562

2,050,370

(1,924,838)

(391,850)

5,695,244

1,881,887

Weighted 
average 
exercise price

€49.31

€82.00

€33.25

€66.86

€65.30

€47.89

Number 
of options

5,312,096

1,947,785

(1,001,683)

(296,636)

5,961,562

2,588,363

Weighted 
average 
exercise price

€38.40

€69.00

€27.04

€58.31

€49.31

€29.41

A summary of the remaining contractual life and the exercise price of options outstanding as of December 31, 2017 is presented 
below:

Stock option plan

2010-01

2014-01

2015-01

2016-01

2017-01

OUTSTANDING AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

Number 
of options

722,988

201,197

1,260,006

1,558,578

1,952,475

5,695,244

Remaining 
life (years)

Exercise price

0.40

4.40

7.68

8.40

9.39

7.43

€23.50

€45.50

€62.00

€69.00

€82.00

€65.30

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

125

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 8  Other Operating Income and Expense, Net

Other operating income and expense, net are comprised of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Acquisition costs and other(1)

Costs incurred in connection with voluntary early retirement plan(2)

Costs incurred in connection with relocation activities(3)

Restructuring costs(4)

OTHER OPERATING INCOME AND EXPENSE, NET

Year ended December 31,

2017

€(9,475)

(8,395)

(7,011)

(5,050)

2016

€(7,737)

(14,137)

(9,959)

(8,759)

€(29,931)

€(40,592)

(1)  Transaction costs primarily relating to the acquisition of Exa in 2017 and CST in 2016.
(2)  In June 2016, the Group has implemented for French subsidiaries a voluntary early retirement plan over 3 years. This plan allows eligible employees to retire early while 

receiving a replacement income until they can access to their full pension. This plan is treated as a post-employment benefit which estimated costs are based on an assumption 
of expected proportion of employees to enter the plan and accrued taking into account the employees estimated residual service period.

(3)  In 2017 and 2016, primarily composed of expenses for vacant leasehold properties related to the reorganization of the Group’s premises in North America.
(4)  In 2017 and 2016, primarily composed of severance costs relating to the termination of employees following the Company’s decision to rationalize its sales organization 

principally in Asia and Europe.

Note 9 

Interest Income and Expense, Net and Other Financial 
Income and Expense, Net

Interest income and expense, net and other financial income and expense, net for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 
are as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Interest income(1)

Interest expense(2)

INTEREST INCOME AND EXPENSE, NET

Foreign exchange losses, net(3)

Other, net(4)

OTHER FINANCIAL INCOME AND EXPENSE, NET

Year ended December 31,

2017

€25,450

(12,420)

13,030

(10,242)

19,631

€9,389

2016

€17,400

(25,328)

(7,928)

(9,318)

6,711

€(2,607)

(1)  Interest income is primarily composed of interests on cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.
(2)  In 2017, mainly includes interest expense of €11.8 million due pursuant to two term loan facility agreements entered into in October 2015 for €650 million and in June 2013 
for €350 million (see Note 20. Borrowings). In 2016, mainly include interest expense of €11.2 million due pursuant to these two term loan facility agreements, and the impact 
of discontinued hedge accounting for interest rate swaps for €12.6 million given the expected trend of negative interest rates (see Note 21. Derivatives).
(3)  Foreign exchange losses, net are primarily due to the depreciation of the U.S. dollar occurred in 2017 and Malaysian ringgits and British pounds in 2016.
(4)  In 2017, mainly include (i) the gain on sale of an investment and, (ii) following the acquisition of Outscale during the first half of 2017, the remeasurement to fair value of equity 

interests of Outscale and of the convertible bond, both were previously held by the Company. In 2016, mainly includes a gain on sale of investment.

126 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Note 10  Income Taxes

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Provisions and other expenses

Profit-sharing and pension accruals

Net tax loss and tax credit carryforward assets

Amortization and basis difference

Amortization of acquired intangibles

Other

NET DEFERRED TAX LIABILITY

Deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabilities

NET DEFERRED TAX LIABILITY

Change in deferred taxes can be summarized as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

NET DEFERRED TAX LIABILITY AS OF JANUARY 1,

Changes included in the income statement

Business combinations

Other changes included in shareholders’ equity

Currency translation adjustments

NET DEFERRED TAX LIABILITY AS OF DECEMBER 31,

The components of income before income taxes are as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

France

Foreign

INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES

The components of income tax expense are as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

France

Foreign

CURRENT TAXES

France

Foreign

CHANGE IN DEFERRED TAXES

INCOME TAX EXPENSE

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

4

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€70,195

€87,334

42,190

56,190

17,138

44,651

42,963

24,285

(246,730)

(299,967)

(16,703)

(22,109)

€(77,720)

€(122,843)

108,908

135,886

(186,628)

(258,729)

€(77,720)

€(122,843)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€(122,843)

€(98,570)

80,098

(39,396)

(856)

5,277

43,170

(59,337)

(6,013)

(2,093)

€(77,720)

€(122,843)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€355,868

€290,719

395,556

370,780

€751,424

€661,499

Year ended December 31,

2017

€(137,248)

(174,130)

(311,378)

7,979

72,119

80,098

2016

€(98,774)

(153,688)

(252,462)

12,716

30,454

43,170

€(231,280)

€(209,292)

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

127

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Differences  between  the  income  tax  provision  and  the  provision  computed  using  the  statutory  French  income  tax  rate  are  as 
follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Taxes computed at the statutory rate of 34.43% in 2017 (34.43% in 2016)

Foreign tax rate differentials

R&D tax credit and other tax credits(1)

Tax exempt income

Adjustments of prior income tax provision

Other, net(2)

INCOME TAX EXPENSE

Effective tax rate

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€(258,715)

€(227,754)

(9,327)

17,032

21,595

1,055

(2,920)

(6,681)

13,723

19,813

4,412

(12,805)

€(231,280)

€(209,292)

30.8%

31.6%

(1)  R&D tax credit and other tax credits derived mainly from research tax credits in France and in the United States.
(2)  In 2017, included mainly tax impact in connection with French cotisation sur la valeur ajoutée des entreprises (“CVAE”), exceptional tax contribution in France and effect of the 

new tax legislation in the USA on deferred taxes. In 2016, included mainly tax impact in connection with French CVAE and reversal of tax reserves.

At December 31, 2017, there were unrecognized tax losses and tax credit carried forward of €46.5 million, which are scheduled 
to expire after 2023.

Note 11  Earnings per Share

Basic  net  income  per  share  is  determined  by  dividing  net 
income attributable to equity holders of the Company by the 
weighted  average  number  of  common  shares  outstanding 
during the period. Diluted net income per share is determined 

by  dividing  net  income  attributable  to  equity  holders  of 
the  Company  by  the  combination  of  the  weighted  average 
number of common shares outstanding during the period and 
the dilutive effect of stock options and performance shares.

The following table presents the calculation for both basic and diluted net income per share:

(in thousands of euros, except shares and per share data)

Net income attributable to equity holders of the Company

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

Dilutive effect of share-based payments

Diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding

Basic net income per share

Diluted net income per share

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€519,410

€447,192

254,938,653

253,916,266

3,363,318

3,483,036

258,301,971

257,399,302

€2.04

€2.01

€1.76

€1.74

128 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Note 12  Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments

Cash and cash equivalents are comprised of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Bank accounts

Cash equivalents

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€142,407

€66,759

2,317,038

2,369,942

€2,459,445

€2,436,701

At  December  31,  2017  and  2016,  approximately  61%  and 
45%  of  cash  and  cash  equivalents  was  denominated  in 
U.S. dollars, respectively.

Short-term investments of €1.3 million and €56.1 million at 
December  31,  2017  and  2016,  respectively,  were  primarily 
comprised  of  bank  certificates  of  deposit,  mutual  funds  and 
fixed  term  deposits.  As  at  December  31,  2017,  none  of  the 
short-term  investments  is  dominated  in  U.S.  dollars  while 
approximately  85%  of  investments  are  denominated  in  U.S. 
dollars as at December 31, 2016.

Cash,  cash  equivalents  and  short-term 
investments  are 
maintained  on  deposit  with  high  credit-quality  financial 
institutions,  principally  in  Europe.  The  Company  follows  a 
conservative  policy  for  investing  its  cash  resources,  mostly 
relying on short-term maturity investments. Investment rules 
are determined and controlled by the Treasury department of 
Dassault Systèmes SE.

The  Company  has  adopted  policies  regarding  financial 
ratings  and  the  spread  of  maturity  dates  in  order  to  ensure 
the  security  and  liquidity  of  its  financial  instruments.  The 
Company’s  management  oversees  the  credit-worthiness  of 
its counterparts and the quality of its investments closely and 
believes that it has minimal exposure to the risk of bankruptcy 
of  any  one  of  them.  The  Company  also  closely  oversees  the 
liquidity of its financial assets held at these same counterparts. 
In  this  regard,  the  Company  follows  in  particular  the  credit 
rating  of  each  of  its  counterparties  and,  up  to  the  present 
time, all of its counterparties are rated in the Investment Grade 
category by rating agencies. As a result, the Company believes 
that it has very low exposure to credit or counterparty risk.

The  Group  has  a  central  cash  management  operated  by  a 
banking  institution.  In  this  context,  the  parent  company  of 
the  bank  offered  a  guarantee  to  the  Group  in  the  amount 
of  €417  million,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Group  offered  a 
guarantee to the bank for the same amount.

4

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

129

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 13  Trade Accounts Receivable, Net and Other Current Assets

Trade accounts receivable and other current assets are receivables measured at amortized cost.

Trade accounts receivable

(in thousands of euros)

Trade accounts receivable

Allowance for trade accounts receivable

TRADE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET

The maturities of trade accounts receivable, net, were as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Trade accounts receivable past due at closing date:

Less than 3 months past due

3 to 6 months past due

More than 6 months past due

TRADE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE PAST DUE

Trade accounts receivable not yet due

TOTAL TRADE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€920,805

€843,818

(24,905)

(23,376)

€895,900

€820,442

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€98,643

€84,805

9,101

8,924

116,668

779,232

18,030

11,059

113,894

706,548

€895,900

€820,442

The Company is not dependent on any of its principal clients. No single customer or sales channel partner represented more than 
5% of the Company’s total revenue in 2017 and 2016.

Other current assets
Other current assets consist of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Prepaid expenses

Value added tax

Derivatives, current(1)

Other current assets

TOTAL OTHER CURRENT ASSETS

(1)  See Note 21. Derivatives and Currency and Interest Rate Risk Management.

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€82,419

€75,704

57,689

13,598

14,627

49,332

8,909

15,054

€168,333

€148,999

130 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Note 14  Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consist of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Computer equipment

Office furniture and equipment

Leasehold improvements

Buildings

TOTAL

Year ended December 31, 2017

Year ended December 31, 2016

Gross

Accumulated 
depreciation

Net

Gross

Accumulated 
depreciation

Net

€226,507

€(137,969)

€88,538

€177,734

€(128,278)

€49,456

57,979

116,096

6,782

(41,601)

(56,904)

(1,932)

16,378

59,192

4,850

58,792

113,013

7,140

(40,736)

(50,560)

(1,703)

18,056

62,453

5,437

€407,364

(238,406)

€168,958

€356,679

€(221,277)

€135,402

The change in the carrying amount of property and equipment as of December 31, 2017 is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

NET PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT 
AS OF JANUARY 1, 2017

Additions

Business combinations

Other changes

Depreciation for the period

Exchange differences

NET PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT 
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

Computer 
equipment

Office furniture 
and equipment

Leasehold 
improvements

Buildings

Total

€49,456

€18,056

46,649

27,059

(262)

(31,385)

(2,979)

5,601

242

(151)

(6,267)

(1,103)

€62,453

12,519

275

(24)

(11,510)

(4,521)

€5,437

€135,402

113

-

-

(356)

(344)

64,882

27,576

(437)

(49,518)

(8,947)

€88,538

€16,378

€59,192

€4,850

€168,958

The change in the carrying amount of property and equipment as of December 31, 2016 is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

NET PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT 
AS OF JANUARY 1, 2016

Additions

Business combinations

Other changes

Depreciation for the period

Exchange differences

NET PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT 
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2016

Computer 
equipment

Office furniture 
and equipment

Leasehold 
improvements

Buildings

Total

€49,068 

€19,984 

€60,505 

€5,769 

€135,326 

24,526

973

(1,017)

(24,817)

723

3,376

722

202

(6,502)

274

10,344

609

172

(10,271)

1,094

40

-

-

(391)

19

38,286

2,304

(643)

(41,981)

2,110

€49,456 

€18,056 

€62,453 

€5,437 

€135,402 

4

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

131

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 15  Non-Current Financial Assets

Non-current financial assets consist of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Tax receivable(1)

Investments

Derivatives, non-current(2)

Loans receivable, non-current

Deposits and other non-current financial assets

NON-CURRENT FINANCIAL ASSETS

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€123,098

€123,098

19,219

4,009

-

15,941

15,498

3,922

16,164

16,142

€162,267

€174,824

(1)  In 2017 and 2016, tax payments following tax reassessments which are disputed by the Group with the relevant authorities (see Note 25 Commitments and Contingencies).
(2)  See Note 21 Derivatives and Currency and Interest Rate Risk Management.

Note 16  Business Combinations

2017 acquisitions

Exa Corp. (“Exa”)
On  November  17,  2017,  the  Company  acquired  100% 
of  Exa,  for  a  consideration  transferred  of  approximately 
€344.2  million.  Based  in  Burlington  (Massachusetts)  in  the 
United States, Exa is a global innovator in simulation software 
for product engineering.

The  preliminary  allocation  of  the  purchase  price  resulted  in 
€176.4 million of goodwill. The primary items that generated 
goodwill  include  mainly  the  value  of  the  synergies  between 
Exa and the Company’s activities.

Other acquisitions
The  Company  acquired  a  majority  stake  in  Outscale  and 
completed  its  acquisition  of  100%  of  AITAC  B.V.  and  Expi 

GmbH  for  total  consideration  transferred  of  approximately 
€62.3 million in April, June and September 2017 respectively.

These transactions resulted in €37.1 million of goodwill.

Purchase price allocation
The  estimated  fair  values  of  assets  acquired  and  liabilities 
assumed  in  connection  with  the  acquisitions  presented 
below are provisional. The Company is waiting for additional 
information  necessary  to  finalize  these  fair  values  and  the 
provisional measurements of fair value presented are subject 
to change. The Company expects to finalize the valuation and 
complete the purchase price allocation as soon as practical and 
no later than one year from the acquisition date.

132 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

The purchase prices of Exa and other acquisitions have been allocated to identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed based 
on estimated fair values at the date of the acquisition is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade accounts receivable

Other assets

Intangible assets acquired(1)

Unearned revenue(2)

Other liabilities

Deferred taxes, net

TOTAL IDENTIFIABLE NET ASSETS

Goodwill

Non-controlling interest

TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE

(1)  Intangible assets acquired are subject to amortization and include the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Software

Customer relationships

Other

TOTAL INTANGIBLE ASSETS REQUIRED

Exa Corp.

€16,718

17,776

15,511

191,607

(12,092)

(22,574)

(39,169)

€167,777

176,419

-

Other 
acquisitions

Total

€18,060

€34,778

753

23,868

4,521

(335)

(16,949)

(998)

18,529

39,379

196,128

(12,427)

(39,523)

(40,167)

€28,920

€196,697

37,054

(3,703)

213,473

(3,703)

€344,196

€62,271

€406,467

Exa Corp.

€106,062

85,545

-

Other 
acquisitions

Total

€4,181

€110,243

-

340

85,545

340

€191,607

€4,521

€196,128

4

(2)  The carrying values of unearned revenue were reduced to reflect the fair value of obligations assumed. As a result, approximately €7.9 million of revenues that would have otherwise 

been recorded by these entities had they not been acquired by the Company will not be recognized in the Company’s consolidated statements of income.

The  unaudited  financial  information  presented  in  the  table 
below  summarizes  the  combined  results  of  operations  for 
the year ended December 31, 2017 as if the acquisitions had 
occurred  at  the  beginning  of  the  period.  This  information  is 
presented for informational purposes and does not purport to 
be indicative of the results that will be achieved in the future. 

This  financial  information  reflects  the  adjustment  to  reduce 
unearned revenue to the fair value of the associated obligation, 
and  the  additional  amortization  expense,  assuming  the  fair 
value  adjustments  to  deferred  revenue  and  intangible  assets 
had been applied from the beginning of the period, with the 
related tax effects.

(in thousands of euros)

Revenue

Net income

Year ended December 31, 2017 
(unaudited)

€3,280,265

€483,346

In addition, the portion of acquired companies’ revenue and net income generated since the acquisition date and included in the 
Company’s consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2017 is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Revenue

Net income

Year ended December 31, 2017

€6,104

€6,228

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

133

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

2016 acquisitions

Computer Simulation Technology AG (“CST”)
On September 30, 2016, the Company acquired 100% of CST, for a consideration transferred of approximately €294.0 million. 
Based near Frankfurt, Germany, CST is the technology leader in electromagnetic and electronics simulation.

The allocation of the purchase price resulted in €126.1 million of goodwill.

Note 17  Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consist of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Software

Customer relationships

Other intangible assets

Year ended December 31, 2017

Year ended December 31, 2016

Gross

Accumulated 
amortization

Net

Gross

Accumulated 
amortization

Net

€1,251,159

€(645,669)

€605,490

€1,180,815

€(591,839)

€588,976

1,050,153

(603,563)

446,590

1,053,573

(578,716)

32,708

(18,348)

14,360

34,809

(19,566)

474,857

15,243

TOTAL INTANGIBLE ASSETS

€2,334,020

€(1,267,580)

€1,066,440

€2,269,197

€(1,190,121)

€1,079,076

The change in the carrying amount of intangible assets as of December 31, 2017 is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Software

Customer 
relationships

Other intangible 
assets

Total intangible 
assets

NET INTANGIBLE ASSETS AS OF JANUARY 1, 2017

€588,976

€474,857

€15,243

€1,079,076

Business combinations

Other additions

Amortization for the period

Exchange differences

110,243

19,391

(89,517)

(23,603)

85,545

(3,015)

(77,551)

(33,246)

340

3,280

(1,106)

(3,397)

196,128

19,656

(168,174)

(60,246)

NET INTANGIBLE ASSETS AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

€605,490

€446,590

€14,360

€1,066,440

The change in the carrying amount of intangible assets as of December 31, 2016 is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Software

Customer 
relationships

Other intangible 
assets

Total intangible 
assets

NET INTANGIBLE ASSETS AS OF JANUARY 1, 2016

€527,673

€490,383

€6,753

€1,024,809

Business combinations

Other additions

Amortization for the period

Exchange differences

123,635

12,296

(80,411)

5,783

55,700

36

(82,728)

11,466

-

10,199

(1,317)

(392)

179,335

22,531

(164,456)

16,857

NET INTANGIBLE ASSETS AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2016

€588,976

€474,857

€15,243

€1,079,076

134 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Note 18  Goodwill

The change in the carrying amount of goodwill as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

GOODWILL AS OF JANUARY 1,

Business combinations

Exchange differences and other changes

GOODWILL AS OF DECEMBER 31,

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€1,847,442

€1,662,333

211,548

(135,264)

146,348

38,761

€1,923,726

€1,847,442

The  Company  performed  annual  impairment  tests  in  the 
fourth quarter of 2017 and 2016; no impairment of goodwill 
was identified as a result of these tests.

For  the  purpose  of  the  impairment  test,  the  Company 
identified  12  cash-generating  units  (“CGUs”)  or  groups  of 
CGUs  as  of  December  31,  2017,  generally  corresponding  to 

the Company’s main software products. Each CGU represents 
the  lowest  level  within  the  Company  at  which  goodwill  is 
monitored for internal management purposes. Goodwill tested 
for impairment purposes was allocated to each CGU, or groups 
of CGUs that were expected to benefit from the synergies of 
the combination.

4

Goodwill allocated to each CGU or groups of CGUs is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

SIMULIA

BIOVIA

CATIA

ENOVIA

DELMIA

QUINTIQ

GEOVIA

3DEXCITE

Other

TOTAL

December 31, 
2016

Exa Corp.

Other 
acquisitions

Exchange 
differences and 
other changes

December 31, 
2017

€394,599

€176,419

€(1,454)

€(29,509)

€540,055

428,545

231,738

169,610

154,742

119,495

122,943

113,143

112,627

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

36,718

337

(472)

-

-

-

-

(51,722)

(9,260)

(18,207)

(15,042)

-

(6,803)

-

(4,721)

376,823

259,196

151,740

139,228

119,495

116,140

113,143

107,906

€1,847,442

€176,419

€35,129

€(135,264)

€1,923,726

The recoverable amount of each CGU or groups of CGUs has 
been  determined  based  on  a  value  in  use  calculation.  This 
calculation  uses  cash  flow  projections  based  on  financial 
budgets  covering  a  five-  to  ten-year  period.  The  ten-year 
period  projections  are  used  for  activities  that  have  longer 
development  cycles,  representing  approximately  35%  of 
the  Group’s  total  goodwill  as  of  December  31,  2017.  Key 
assumptions used to determine the value in use of assets are 
derived from management objectives for revenue growth and 
operating  margin  of  each  CGU  or  groups  of  CGUs.  The  pre-
tax discount rates are between 8.2% and 10.9%. Cash flows 
beyond  that  five-  to  ten-year  period  have  been  extrapolated 

using  a  steady  growth  rate  comprised  between  2%  and  3%, 
reflecting long-term growth rates in the software industry.

At December 31, 2017, based on management estimates, the 
Company concluded that the value in use of each CGU or groups 
of  CGUs  exceeded  its  carrying  value.  Management  believes 
that  any  reasonable  possible  change  in  key  assumptions 
described above on which recoverable amount is based would 
not  cause  each  CGU  or  groups  of  CGUs’  carrying  amount  to 
significantly  exceed  its  recoverable  amount.  In  particular,  an 
increase of 150 basis points in the pre-tax discount rate or a 
decrease  of  100  basis  points  in  the  long-term  growth  rates 
would not cause each CGU or groups of CGUs’ carrying amount 
to significantly exceed its recoverable amount.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

135

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 19  Other Liabilities

Other liabilities are comprised of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Value added tax and other taxes

Provisions, current (1)

Post employment benefits (2)

Derivatives, current (3)

Other current liabilities (4)

TOTAL OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES

Post-employment benefits (2)

Provisions, non-current (1)

Accrual for deferred lease incentives

Employee profit sharing, non-current

Derivatives, non-current (3)

Other non-current liabilities

Year ended December 31,

2017

€96,818

7,246

8,042

1,062

44,446

€157,614

€139,074

73,042

43,913

27,587

11,958

24,099

2016

€88,399

11,380

6,497

524

17,775

€124,575

€141,442

78,788

43,385

27,251

24,080

20,920

TOTAL OTHER NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

€319,673

€335,866

(1)  See reconciliation of provisions below.
(2)  See Note 22 Post-employment Benefits.
(3)  See Note 21 Derivatives and Currency and Interest Rate Risk Management.
(4)  In 2017, includes the remaining debt related to the acquisition of redeemable preference share linked to the finalization of the acquisition of 3DPLM for €27.2 million 

(see Note 23. Shareholders’ equity). In 2016, includes the contingent consideration related to CST acquisition (see Note 16 Business Combinations).

The change in the carrying value of provisions as of December 31, 2017 is as follows:

Claims, 
litigation 
and other

€13,851

5,329

(542)

(9,167)

142

(1)

Restructuring Total provisions

€17,794

15,530

(11,645)

(8,578)

-

(535)

€90,168

32,691

(12,187)

(28,153)

404

(2,635)

€80,288

€9,612

€12,566

(in thousands of euros)

PROVISIONS AS OF JANUARY 1, 2017

Additions

Utilization

Reversal of unused amounts

Business combinations

Exchange differences and other

PROVISIONS AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

Tax risks

€58,523

11,832

-

(10,408)

262

(2,099)

€58,110

136 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Note 20  Borrowings

In June 2013, the Company entered into a term loan facility 
agreement  for  €350  million,  which  was  immediately  fully 
drawn down. The facility provides credit for a period of 6 years 
and bears interest at Euribor 1 month plus 0.55% per annum.

In  October  2015,  the  Company  entered  into  a  new  five-
year  term  loan  facility  agreement,  which  maturity  can  be 

extended  by  two  additional  years,  for  €650  million.  The 
facility was immediately fully drawn down and bears interest 
at  Euribor  1  month  plus  0.50%  per annum.  The  Company 
exercised  the  option  for  a  one-year  extension  twice,  one  in 
October 2016 and the other in October 2017, which extends 
the termination date to its new maturity in October 2022.

The table below provides a breakdown of total borrowings by contractual maturity date as of December 31, 2017:

(in thousands of euros)

Term loan facilities in euros

Payments due by period

Total

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

3-5 years

€1,000,000

€-

€350,000

€650,000

4

Note 21  Derivatives and Currency and Interest Rate Risk 

Management

The  fair  market  values  of  derivative 
instruments  were 
determined  by  financial  institutions  using  option  pricing 
models.

All  financial  instruments  related  to  the  foreign  currency 
hedging  strategy  of  the  Company  have  maturity  dates  of 
less  than  3  years  when  the  maturity  of  interest  rate  swap 
instruments  is  less  than  5  years.  Management  believes  that 
counter-party  risk  on  financial  instruments  is  minimal  since 
the Company deals with major banks and financial institutions.

A description of market risks to which the Company is exposed 
to is provided in paragraph 1.7.2 “Financial and Market Risks”.

Foreign currency risk

The Company operates internationally and transacts in various 
foreign currencies, primarily U.S. dollars and Japanese yen.

In  2017,  revenue  denominated  in  U.S.  dollars  represented 
36.4% of total revenue, compared with 36.5% in 2016. The 
Company’s  operating  expenses  denominated  in  U.S.  dollars 
represented  33.3%  of  total  operating  expenses  in  2017, 
compared with 34.4% in 2016.

As  a  result,  the  Company’s  net  operating  exposure  to  U.S. 
dollars  amounted  to  €342.1  million  in  2017  (10.6%  of  the 
Company’s total revenue). The average value of the U.S. dollar 
decreased  by  approximately  5%  against  the  euro  in  2017 
following a stability in 2016, resulting in a negative impact on 

the Company’s revenue and operating income in 2017, and a 
neutral impact in 2016.

In  2017,  revenue  denominated  in  Japanese  yen  represented 
12.0%  of  total  revenue,  compared  to  13.1%  in  2016.  The 
Company’s operating expenses denominated in Japanese yen 
represented  5.0%  of  total  operating  expenses  in  2017  and 
5.2% in 2016.

As a result, the Company’s net operating exposure to Japanese 
yen  amounted  to  €262.4  million  in  2017  (8.1%  of  the 
Company’s total revenue), and this exposure was in part hedged 
through  market  instruments  at  a  level  of  €182.6  million,  as 
further described below. The average value of the Japanese yen 
decreased by approximately 2% against the euro in 2017, after 
an increase in value of approximately 12% in 2016, resulting 
in a negative impact on the Company’s revenue and operating 
income in 2017 and a positive impact in 2016.

The Company usually hedges exchange rate risk related to its 
revenues  and  expenses  coming  from  usual  and  predictable 
activity  arising  in  the  normal  course  of  operations.  The 
Company may also cover occasional exchange rate risk arising 
from  specific  transactions,  such  as  acquisitions  paid  for  in 
foreign currencies. Hedging activities are generally carried out 
and  managed  by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  for  its  own  account 
and  on  behalf  of  its  subsidiaries.  In  certain  cases,  however, 
the Company can authorize selected subsidiaries to enter into 
hedging instruments directly.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

137

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

The table below sets forth, for the year ended December 31, 2017, the euro value of the Company’s revenue, operating expenses 
and net position, before and after hedging, denominated in U.S. dollars, Japanese yen and other currencies, principally the euro:

(in thousands of euros)

Revenue

Operating expenses

NET POSITION

Hedge

NET POSITION AFTER HEDGE

With  all  other  variables  held  constant,  movements  in  euro/
U.S. dollar exchange rates by +10% or -10% would have had 
an  impact  of  (31.1)  and  38.0  million  on  operating  income, 
respectively. In addition, with all other variables held constant, 
movements in euro/Japanese yen exchange rates by +10% or 
-10% would have had an impact of €(23.9) and €29.2 million 
on operating income, respectively.

To  manage  currency  exposure,  the  Company  generally  uses 
foreign exchange forward contracts. Except as indicated in the 
table below, the derivative instruments held by the Company 
are  designated  as  accounting  hedges,  have  high  correlation 

Year ended December 31, 2017

U.S. dollars

Japanese yen

Euro and other 
currencies

Total

€1,173,437

€388,467

€1,666,104

€3,228,008

(831,296)

€342,141

€-

€342,141

(126,087)

(1,541,620)

(2,499,003)

€262,380

€182,649

€79,731

€124,484

€84,827

€39,657

€729,005

€267,476

€461,529

with  the  underlying  exposure  and  are  highly  effective  in 
offsetting underlying price movements.

The  effectiveness  of  forward  contracts  and  currency  options 
is measured using forward rates and the forward value of the 
underlying  hedged  transaction.  During  2017  and  2016,  the 
portion of gains or losses from hedging instruments excluded 
from  the  assessment  of  effectiveness  and  the  ineffective 
portions of hedges was nil.

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the fair value of instruments used to manage the currency exposure was as follows:

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

(in thousands of euros)

Nominal amount

Fair value Nominal amount

Forward exchange contract Japanese yen/euros – sale (1)

€71,106

€12,601

€162,391

Forward exchange contract euros/Indian rupees – sale (1)

Forward exchange contract euros/U.S. dollars – sale (1)

Forward exchange contract U.S. dollars/Indian rupees – sale (1)

Forward exchange contract Japanese yen/U.S. dollars – sale (1)

Forward exchange contract British pounds/euros – sale (1)

Cross currency swaps Canadian dollars/euros (2)

Cross currency swaps Australian dollars/euros (2)

Other instruments (2)

23,694

42,500

15,450

-

22,542

68,648

69,636

51,218

39

(542)

670

-

(56)

816

3,171

(181)

19,163

51,500

31,673

57,301

36,019

72,765

73,214

70,650

Fair value

€4,066

1,247

1,581

512

4,735

75

(3,341)

(1)

(315)

(1)  Instruments entered into by the Company to hedge the foreign currency exchange risk of forecasted royalty flows.
(2)  Mainly derivatives not designated as hedging instruments. Changes in the derivatives’ fair value were recorded in other financial income and expense, net in the consolidated 

statement of income. Cross currency swaps mainly relate to the acquisition of Gemcom.

Interest rate risk

Except for their impact on the general economic environment, 
which  is  difficult  to  quantify,  the  Company  believes  that 
changes  in  interest  rates  in  2017  did  not  materially  affect 
its  revenue  and  earnings  before  financial  income.  Similarly, 
interest rates are not expected to affect its business or future 

operating income. Therefore, the Company’s interest rate risk 
is primarily a risk related to a reduction of financial revenue.

In  October  2015,  the  Company  entered  into  interest  rate 
swap  agreements  for  a  total  amount  of  €650  million  with 
the  objective  of  modifying  forecasted  interest  obligations 

138 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

relating  to  the  €650  million  new  French  term  loan  facility 
(see  Note  20  Borrowings)  so  that  the  interest  payable 
effectively becomes fixed at 0.72% from October 2015 until 
October 2020.

In  July  2013  and  October  2014,  the  Company  entered 
into  interest  rate  swap  agreements  for  a  total  amount  of 
€350  million  that  have  the  economic  effect  of  modifying 
forecasted  interest  obligations  relating  to  the  €350  million 
French  term  loan  facility  (see  Note  20  Borrowings)  so  that 
the interest payable effectively becomes fixed at 1.48% from 
June 2014 until June 2018 and 1.04% from June 2018 until 
July 2019.

The effectiveness of interest rate swap agreements is measured 
using  forward  interest  rates.  In  2016,  hedge  accounting  has 
been  discontinued  as  interest  rate  swaps  no  longer  met  the 
effectiveness criteria for hedge accounting given the expected 

trend of negative interest rates. Consequently, changes in fair 
value of interest rate swaps are recognized in interest income 
and  expense,  net  for  €8.4  million  in  2017  and  for  €(6.9)  in 
2016. Accumulated gains and losses on changes in fair value 
recognized  in  equity  are  reclassified  to  profit  or  loss  in  the 
periods  when  the  hedged  item  affects  profit  or  loss  (€(5.5) 
million in 2017 and €(5.7) million in 2016).

Financial revenue, which is composed of interest income from 
cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, is sensitive 
to  fluctuations  in  interest  rates.  As  of  December  31,  2017, 
cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled 
€2,459 million, including 848 million sensitive to fluctuations 
in interest rates mostly in Europe. With all other variables held 
constant,  an  increase  in  interest  rates  of  100  basis  points 
would have had a positive impact in 2017 of €8.2 million on 
financial income and a decrease in interest rates of 100 basis 
points would have had a negative impact of €9.6 million.

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the fair value of instruments used to manage the interest rate risk was as follows:

4

(in thousands of euros)

Interest rate swaps in euros

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

Nominal amount

Fair value Nominal amount

Fair value

€1,000,000

€(11,931)

€1,000,000

€(20,332)

Note 22  Post-employment Benefits

Contributions made to defined contribution plans were €23.8 
million and €22.7 million in 2017 and 2016 respectively.

The Company provides defined benefit retirement indemnities 
to  the  employees  of  its  French  operations,  and  sponsors 
defined  benefit  pension  plans  for  certain  employees  in  the 
United States. The Company also has certain defined benefit 
plans in other countries, mainly in Germany and in Japan.

In  France,  defined  employee  benefits 
include  certain 
gratifications  paid  upon  anniversary  of  employment  and 
retirement  indemnities  that  are  based  upon  an  individual’s 
years of credited service and annualized salary at retirement. 
Retirement indemnity benefits vest and are settled as a lump 
sum paid to the employee upon the employee’s retirement.

In  June  2016,  the  Group  has  implemented  for  French 
subsidiaries  a  voluntary  early  retirement  plan  over  3  years. 

This  plan  allows  eligible  employees  to  retire  early  while 
receiving a replacement income until they can access to their 
full pension. This plan is treated as a post-employment benefit 
which estimated costs are based on an assumption of expected 
proportion of employees to enter the plan and accrued taking 
into account the employees estimated residual service period.

In  the  United  States,  pension  benefits  are  based  upon 
years  of  credited  service  and  the  employee’s  average  final 
salary.  Retirement  benefits  are  funded  by  the  Company’s 
contributions to segregated pension plan assets, in an amount 
that  is  sufficient  to  meet  or  exceed  the  minimum  annual 
funding  requirements  of  the  Employee  Retirement  Income 
Security  Act.  In  2011,  the  Company  decided  to  freeze  the 
American defined-benefit pension plan.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

139

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

The projected benefit obligation was determined using the prospective method, based on the following assumptions:

Assumptions

Assumptions used to determine the benefit obligation are as follows:

Discount rate

1.80%*

3.80% 0.50% – 3.50%

1.74%*

4.10% 0.40% – 2.70%

Average rate of compensation increase

2.50% – 2.80%

N/A 2.50% – 5.00% 2.50% – 2.80%

N/A 2.60% – 5.00%

Year ended December 31, 2017

Year ended December 31, 2016

Europe

Americas

Asia

Europe

Americas

Asia

* 

Except for the voluntary early retirement plan implemented for French subsidiaries.

Components of net periodic benefit cost

The components of net periodic benefit cost were as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Service cost*

Interest cost on benefit obligations

Interest income on plan assets

Other

NET PERIODIC BENEFIT COST

* 

In 2016, includes past service costs related to the voluntary early retirement plan implemented for French subsidiaries for €6.6 million.

Obligations and funded status

Changes in benefit obligations and plan assets as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 are as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Benefit obligations at beginning of year

Service cost

Interest cost on benefit obligations

Remeasurement (gains) losses*

Benefits paid

Settlement

Exchange rate differences and other changes

BENEFIT OBLIGATIONS AT END OF YEAR

Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year

Employer contribution

Interest income on plan assets

Benefits paid

Remeasurement (losses)

Exchange rate differences and other changes

FAIR VALUE OF PLAN ASSETS AT END OF YEAR

NET DEFINED BENEFIT LIABILITY

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€(15,467)

€(22,360)

(4,521)

2,190

2,078

(4,764)

2,356

-

€(15,720)

€(24,768)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€226,641

€190,983

15,467

4,521

(4,720)

(7,680)

-

(6,855)

22,360

4,764

10,704

(4,343)

(136)

2,309

€227,374

€226,641

78,702

3,010

2,190

(1,795)

3,516

(5,365)

€74,145

4,221

2,356

(1,587)

(1,764)

1,331

€80,258

€78,702

€(147,116)

€(147,939)

*  Remeasurement gains and losses mainly arise from changes in financial assumptions. A decrease of 150 basis points in the discount rates would increase the obligation by 

€53.1 million.

140 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

The benefit obligation by geographical location is as follows:

Europe

Americas

Asia

TOTAL BENEFIT OBLIGATIONS

The fair value of plan assets by geographical location is as follows:

Europe

Americas

TOTAL FAIR VALUE OF PLAN ASSETS

Plan assets

The weighted average asset allocations are as follows:

Debt instruments

Equity instruments

Other

TOTAL

Cash flows

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Year ended December 31,

2017

72%

18%

10%

100%

2016

70%

20%

10%

100%

Year ended December 31,

2017

47%

53%

100%

2016

48%

52%

100%

4

Year ended December 31,

2017

60%

34%

6%

100%

2016

61%

33%

6%

100%

The Company does not expect to make any additional contributions to the hedge funds related to its pension plans in 2018.

The planned payments to the beneficiaries for future periods are presented in the following table:

(in thousands of euros)

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023-2027

Total

€11,372

€11,985

€11,044

€9,395

€9,536

€66,893

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

141

4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 23  Shareholders’ Equity

Shareholders’ equity activity

As  of  December  31,  2017,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  had  260,932,531  common  shares  issued  with  a  nominal  value  of  €0.50 
per share.

Changes in shares outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 are as follows:

(in number of shares)

SHARES ISSUED AS OF JANUARY 1,

Dividend paid in shares

Exercise of stock options

Cancellation of treasury stock

SHARES ISSUED AS OF DECEMBER 31,

Treasury stock as of December 31,

SHARES OUTSTANDING AS OF DECEMBER 31,

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

257,996,603

256,714,186

1,011,090

280,734

1,924,838

1,001,683

-

-

260,932,531

257,996,603

(4,904,227)

(4,370,051)

256,028,304

253,626,552

The primary objective of the Company’s capital management 
is  to  ensure  that  it  maintains  a  strong  credit  rating  and 
healthy capital ratios in order to support its business and for 
the  purpose  of  increasing  the  profitability  of  shareholders’ 
equity  and  earnings  per  share.  The  Company  manages  its 
capital structure and adjusts it in light of changes in economic 
conditions.  To  maintain  or  adjust  the  capital  structure,  the 
Company may adjust the dividend payment to shareholders, 
return capital to shareholders or issue new shares. No changes 
were made in the objectives, policies or processes during the 
years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Dividend rights

Dassault Systèmes SE is required to maintain a legal reserve 
equal  to  10%  of  the  aggregate  nominal  value  of  its  issued 
share  capital.  The  legal  reserve  balance  was  €12.9  and 
€12.8 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, 
and  represents  a  component  of  retained  earnings  in  the 
consolidated balance sheet. The legal reserve is distributable 
only upon the liquidation of Dassault Systèmes SE.

Distributable  profit,  consisting  of  net  income  of  the  year 
increased  by  retained  earnings  from  prior  years  and  after 
deduction  for  legal  reserve  when  required,  is  available  for 
distribution  to  shareholders  of  the  Company  as  dividends. 
Allocation of this profit is subject to approval by the General 
Meeting  of  Shareholders  following  recommendations  by  the 
Board of Directors.

In  2017  and  2016,  the  Shareholders’  Meeting  approved  the 
distribution  of  a  dividend  of  €134.5  and  €119.3  million  for 

2016  and  2015  respectively,  and  offered  shareholders  the 
option to receive payment of their dividend in the form of new 
Dassault Systèmes shares. Shareholders who opted to receive 
payment in whole or in part of the 2016 and 2015 dividend 
in the form of new Dassault Systèmes SE shares represented 
approximately  61%  and  16%  of  Dassault  Systèmes’  shares, 
respectively,  resulting  in  the  issuance  of  1,011,090  and 
280,734 new ordinary shares in 2017 and 2016, respectively. 
The cash dividend was paid in 2017 and 2016 in an aggregate 
amount of €51.3 million and €100.1 million, respectively.

Dividends per share were €0.53 and €0.47 as of December 31, 
2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

No dividend was paid to non-controlling interest in 2017. In 
2016, €1.9 million was paid.

Stock repurchase programs

The  General  Meeting  of  Shareholders  authorized  the  Board 
of  Directors  to  implement  a  share  repurchase  program 
limited  to  25,000,000  of  Dassault  Systèmes’  shares.  Under 
this  authorization,  the  Company  may  not  buy  shares  at  a 
price exceeding €100 per share or above a maximum annual 
aggregate amount of €500 million.

Furthermore,  the  Group  signed  a  liquidity  agreement  for 
an  initial  period  until  December  31,  2017,  automatically 
renewable for subsequent 12-month terms. On December 31, 
2017, 1,646,539 shares were purchased, at an average price 
of  €81.40,  and  1,584,571  shares  were  sold,  at  an  average 
price of €81.18.

142 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Components of other comprehensive income

(in thousands of euros)

CASH FLOW HEDGES:

(Losses) Gains arising during the year

Less: reclassification adjustments for gains or losses included in the income statement

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€9,368 

2,768

€6,600

€(300) 

(17,495)

€17,195

Finalization of the acquisition of 3DPLM

On March 2, 2017, the Company finalized the acquisition of 
3D PLM Software Solutions Limited (3DPLM), its joint venture 
in  India  with  Geometric  Ltd,  increasing  its  share  in  3DPLM 
capital from 42% to 100%. This transaction was entered into 
in  April  2016  with  Geometric  Ltd  through  a  court-approved 
scheme  which  was  subject  to  shareholders,  High  Court  and 
other Indian statutory approvals.

In  exchange  for  the  ownership  in  3DPLM,  shareholders  of 
Geometric  Ltd.  received  one  listed  redeemable  preference 
share of Indian rupees 68 in 3DPLM against every one share of 

Geometric Ltd., refundable for a period of 15 months and with 
an annual 7 percent preferential dividend. As of December 31, 
2017,  the  remaining  debt  related  to  the  acquisition  of 
additional shares of Geometric Ltd was €27.2 million and was 
accounted for in other current liabilities.

3DPLM  being  already  fully  consolidated  in  the  Company’s 
consolidated financial statements, the transaction was treated 
as  an  equity  transaction  and  accounted  for  in  shareholders’ 
equity 
in  the  consolidated  financial  statements  ended 
December 31, 2017.

4

Note 24  Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Adjustments for non-cash items consist of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Depreciation of property and equipment

Amortization of intangible assets

Non-cash share-based payment expense

Deferred taxes

Other

ADJUSTMENTS FOR NON-CASH ITEMS

Changes in operating assets and liabilities consist of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

(Increase) in trade accounts receivable

(Decrease) Increase in accounts payable

Increase in accrued compensation

Increase (decrease) in income tax payable

Increase in unearned revenue

Changes in other assets and liabilities

CHANGES IN OPERATING ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Notes

14

17

6, 7

10

Year ended December 31,

2017

€49,518

168,174

92,520

(80,098)

(15,692)

2016

€41,981

164,456

71,764

(43,170)

10,728

€214,422

€245,759

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

€(111,243)

€(61,271)

(975)

28,469

22,093

86,555

(14,441)

€10,458

17,866

29,671

(116,542)

52,358

1,694

€(76,224)

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

143

 
 
 
4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 25  Commitments and Contingencies

Leases

The Company leases computer equipment, premises and office equipment under operating leases. Rent expense under operating 
leases was €82.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 and €77.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.

At December 31, 2017, future minimum annual rental commitments under non-cancelable lease obligations were as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023 and thereafter

TOTAL FUTURE MINIMUM LEASE PAYMENTS

3DS Paris Campus (Headquarters facilities)
The  Company  has  leased  approximately  57,000  square 
meters  of  office  space  for  its  headquarters  facilities  located 
in  Vélizy-Villacoublay,  outside  Paris,  France  since  June  30, 
2008.  In  February  2013,  the  Company  entered  into  a  new 
lease  agreement  for  its  headquarters  facilities  for  a  non-
cancelable initial term of 10 years beginning with the delivery 
of an additional 13,000 square meters of office space in the 
fourth quarter of 2016. Close to that site, the Company also 
leases approximately 11,000 square meters more in a building 
located  in  Meudon-La-Forêt,  since  October  2010.  Future 
minimum rental payments until the end of the lease amount 
to  approximately  €226.7  million  in  the  aggregate  and  have 
been included in the table presented above.

3DS Boston Campus
The  Company  leases  approximately  30,000  square  meters 
of  office  space  for  its  campus  located  in  the  United  States, 
regrouping the primary operating facilities of the Company’s 
main  American  activities.  The 
lease  agreement 
signed  June  1st,  2011  included  a  lease  term  of  12  years.  In 
September 2016, the lease has been extended for 25 months 
and will end June 30, 2026. Future minimum rental payments 
amount to approximately €117.4 million in the aggregate and 
have been included in the table presented above.

initial 

Litigation and other proceedings

The Company is involved in litigation and other proceedings, 
such  as  civil,  commercial  and  tax  proceedings,  incidental  to 
normal operations.

Operating leases

€84,733

77,839

67,182

56,030

50,317

166,623

€502,724

The  Company  is  subject  to  ongoing  tax  audits  and  tax 
reassessments  in  jurisdictions  in  which  the  Company  has  or 
had operations. Certain of these reassessments, in particular 
those  related  to  acquisition  financing,  are  being  challenged 
by the Company which is strongly confident in the technical 
merits of its positions and will continue to defend them with 
the relevant tax authorities. In this context, the Company made 
payments to the French tax authorities for a total amount of 
€123.1 million from 2014 to 2016, but disputed them with 
the  relevant  authorities.  In  March  and  December  2017,  the 
Company appealed first instance judgments in relation to this 
dispute.

It  is  not  possible  to  determine  with  certainty  the  outcome 
of  the  dispute  and  notably  the  resulting  expense  for  the 
Group, if any. However, in the opinion of management, after 
consultation with its lawyers, the resolution of such litigation 
and  proceedings  should  not  have  a  material  effect  on  the 
consolidated financial statements of the Company.

Other commitments

In  October  2017,  the  Company  announced  the  signing  of 
a  definitive  agreement  to  acquire  its  partner  No  Magic, 
Incorporated, a global solutions company focused on model-
based  systems  engineering  and  architecture  modeling  for 
software,  and  system  of  systems.  The  completion  of  the 
transaction  is  subject  to  customary  conditions  precedent, 
including  foreign  investment  approvals  by  the  competent 
authorities in the United States and in Lithuania.

144 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Note 26  Related-Party Transactions

Compensation of key management personnel

The table below summarizes compensation granted to the members of the Group Executive Committee and to the Chairman of 
the Board of Directors as of December 31, 2017 and 2016:

(in thousands of euros)

Short-term benefits (1)

Share-based compensation (2)

COMPENSATION OF KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

(1)  Including gross salaries, bonus, incentives, profit-sharing, directors’ fees and fringe benefits.
(2)  Expense recorded in the income statement for share-based payments (stock options and performance shares).

Year ended December 31,

2017

€11,133

37,059

€48,192

2016

€11,230

29,339

€40,569

4

In certain circumstances, the Group Chief Executive Officer is 
entitled  to  an  indemnity  payment  upon  the  termination  of 
his  functions  as  Chief  Executive  Officer.  The  amount  of  the 
indemnity  due  would  be  equivalent  to  a  maximum  of  two 
years  of  compensation  as  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  would 
depend on satisfying the performance conditions established 
for calculating his variable compensation.

Other transactions with related parties

The Company licenses its products for internal use to Dassault 
Aviation, a sister company to the Company. The Chairman of 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  is  also  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  of 

the Industrial Group Marcel Dassault which controls Dassault 
Aviation.  Dassault  Aviation  licenses  the  Company’s  products 
on  commercial  terms  consistent  with  those  granted  to  the 
Company’s  other  customers  of  similar  size.  These  licenses 
generated  €9.9  million  and  €13.4  million  of  software 
revenue  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2017  and  2016, 
respectively. The Company also provides service and support 
to Dassault Aviation. Such activity generated service revenues 
of  €5.0  and  €4.0  million  in  the  years  ended  December  31, 
2017 and 2016, respectively. The balances of trade accounts 
receivable  with  Dassault  Aviation  were  €1.7  million,  and 
€8.0 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 27  Principal Statutory Auditors’ Fees and Services

The following table presents the amount of fees paid to each of the Company’s principal Statutory Auditors in 2017 and 2016:

(in thousands of euros, excluding VAT)

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit

Ernst & Young et Autres

Amount

%

Amount

%

Certification of accounts

Audit opinion, review of statutory 
and consolidated financial statements (1):

 › issuer

 › other consolidated subsidiaries

SUBTOTAL

Other services

Other audit related services (2):

 › issuer

 › other consolidated subsidiaries

Other services (Legal, tax, social) (3):

 › issuer

 › other consolidated subsidiaries

SUBTOTAL

TOTAL

€795

€1,007

1,575

1,851

2,370

2,858

81

99

-

171

351

50

93

-

158

301

€2,721

€3,159

29%

58%

87%

3%

4%

0%

6%

13%

100%

32%

58%

90%

2%

3%

0%

5%

10%

€353

€230

519

872

112

87

218

108

525

497

727

26

260

105

645

1,036

25%

37%

62%

8%

6%

16%

8%

38%

13%

28%

41%

1%

15%

6%

37%

59%

100%

€1,397

€1,763

100%

100%

(1)  Audit fees consist of fees billed for the annual audit services engagement and other audit services for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, which are those services 
that only the Statutory Auditor reasonably can provide, and include the Group audit, statutory audits, consents, attest services, and services provided in connection with 
documents filed with the AMF.

(2)  Audit-related fees generally consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s 

financial statements or that are traditionally performed by the Statutory Auditor, and include due diligence services related to acquisitions, consultations concerning financial 
accounting and reporting standards, attestation services not required by statute or regulation, and information system reviews. In 2017 and 2016, they primarily included fees 
related to certain acquisitions.

(3)  Fees billed by members of the Statutory Auditors’ respective networks to consolidated subsidiaries are related to the support in the execution of software licensing reviews and 
to local and international tax compliance services, including the review of tax returns and tax services regarding statutory, regulatory or administrative developments and 
expatriate tax assistance and compliance.

146 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Note 28  Principal Dassault Systèmes Companies

The principal Dassault Systèmes SE subsidiaries included in the scope of consolidation as at December 31, 2017 are as follows:

Country

France

France

Germany

Germany

Germany

Consolidated companies

Dassault Data Services SAS

Outscale SAS

Dassault Systemes Deutschland GmbH

Dassault Systemes 3DExcite GmbH

CST – Computer Simulation Technology GmbH

Netherlands

Dassault Systemes B.V.

Italy

Sweden

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Canada

United States

United States

United States

United States

United States

United States

United States

United States

China

India

India

Dassault Systemes Italia Srl

Dassault Systemes AB

Dassault Systemes UK Limited

Dassault Systemes Biovia Limited

Dassault Systèmes Canada Inc.

Dassault Systemes Americas Corp.

Dassault Systemes Corp.

Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp.

Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation

Dassault Systemes 3DExcite Corp.

Dassault Systemes Biovia Corp.

Spatial Corp.

Exa Corp.

Dassault Systemes (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd

3D PLM Software Solutions Limited

Dassault Systemes India Private Limited

South Korea

Dassault Systemes Korea Corp.

Japan

Japan

Singapore

Australia

Malaysia

Dassault Systemes K.K.

SolidWorks Japan K.K.

Dassault Systemes Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Dassault Systemes Australia Pty Ltd

Dassault Systemes Innovation Technologies Malaysia Sdn.Bhd

4

% of Interest

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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4 Financial Statements

Consolidated Financial Statements

 4.1.2  Statutory Auditors’ Report on the Consolidated Financial 

Statements

This is a translation into English of the statutory auditors’ report on the consolidated financial statements of the Company issued 
in French and it is provided solely for the convenience of English speaking users.

This statutory auditors’ report includes information required by European regulation and French law, such as information about the 
appointment of the statutory auditors or verification of the information concerning the Group presented in the management report.

This report should be read in conjunction with, and construed in accordance with, French law and professional auditing standards 
applicable in France.

To the General Meeting of Dassault Systèmes SE,

Opinion

In compliance with the engagement entrusted to us by your General Meetings, we have audited the accompanying consolidated 
financial statements of Dassault Systèmes SE for the year ended December 31, 2017.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements give a true and fair view of the assets and liabilities and of the financial 
position of the Group as at December 31, 2017 and of the results of its operations for the year then ended in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union.

The audit opinion expressed above is consistent with our report to the Audit Committee.

Basis for opinion

Audit framework
We conducted our audit in accordance with professional standards applicable in France. We believe that the audit evidence we 
have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Our responsibilities under these standards are further described in the “Responsibilities of the Statutory Auditors relating to the 
audit of the consolidated financial statements” section of our report.

Independence
We conducted our audit engagement in compliance with the independence rules applicable to us for the period from January 1, 
2017 to the date of our report and in particular we did not provide any prohibited non-audit services referred to in Article 5(1) of 
Regulation (EU) No. 537/2014 or in the French Code of Ethics (Code de déontologie) for Statutory Auditors.

Justification of assessments – Key audit matters

In accordance with the requirements of Articles L.823-9 and R.823-7 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) relating 
to the justification of our assessments, we inform you of the key audit matters relating to the risks of material misstatement that, 
in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the consolidated financial statements of the current period, 
as well as how we addressed those risks.

These matters were addressed as part of our audit of the consolidated financial statements as a whole, and therefore contributed to the 
opinion we formed as expressed above. We do not provide a separate opinion on specific items of the consolidated financial statements.

Recognition of revenue from complex contractual agreements

Risk identified
The Group derives revenue from multiple sources, chief among them new software licenses, periodic licenses, maintenance and 
services.

Where  these  complex  contractual  arrangements  include  multiple  elements  sold  as  a  single  package,  determining  the  date  of 
recognition of the resulting revenue and how that revenue should be allocated between the various elements of the agreements 
can be difficult and require a significant degree of judgment from management.

148 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

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Consolidated Financial Statements

4

The revenue for each element of a multiple-element agreement is not always recognized at the amount invoiced for that element 
under  the  corresponding  agreement.  Instead,  the  revenue  is  broken  down  between  the  elements  using  the  residual  method, 
based on the fair value of undelivered elements. This applies in particular to the fair value of annual maintenance services, which 
is determined based on the expected renewal rate of the service in question for the following year. Allocating revenue between 
the various elements requires making analyses and, potentially, making adjustments, both of which can be complex.

In addition, service agreements negotiated shortly after a software license sale and deemed essential to the functionality of the 
software product in question are accounted for with the license sale, rather than separately. In this example, the license sale is 
recognized on a percentage of completion basis, in line with the service provided. Determining whether or not a service is essential 
to the functionality of a product requires significant judgment from management, as does analyzing the potential future profits 
to be gained from the corresponding long-term contract.

Moreover, recognizing revenue from complex contractual agreements typically requires an in-depth analysis of the contractual 
terms and conditions, together with other relevant documentation shared with customers during negotiations, with a view to 
ascertaining the full scope and type of the elements the Group has committed to providing and thus recognizing the revenue for 
each element on the appropriate date and at the appropriate value.

For  the  above  reasons,  we  deemed  the  recognition  of  revenue  from  complex  multiple-element  agreements  to  be  a  key  audit 
matter.

Our response
In the course of our audit, we assessed and tested the internal control systems relating to the recognition of revenue and that 
were implemented by the Group within its main shared services centers worldwide.

Throughout the year we also performed tests on all complex multiple-element agreements deemed significant, as well as on a 
sample of randomly selected agreements, with the aim of verifying that the allocation of revenue between the various elements 
was consistent with the Group’s accounting policies and that the correct amount of revenue had been recognized with respect to 
the appropriate reporting period. Our tests consisted primarily in analyzing the contractual terms and conditions, re-calculating 
the fair value of each element tested and performing the verification of the consistency of revenue assessments with the Group’s 
accounting policies and IFRS.

We also tested all significant manual accounting entries affecting revenue from complex contractual arrangements for consistency 
with the Group’s accounting policies.

Lastly, we considered the related disclosures provided in Notes 2 and 4 to the consolidated financial statements.

Business combinations and impairment of goodwill and non-current assets

Risk identified
Each  year,  the  Group  undertakes  selected  key  acquisitions  with  a  view  to  broadening  its  offering  to  customers.  In  these 
circumstances, the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities of the acquired entities are recognized by the Group 
at their fair value, on the acquisition date. The Group uses specific procedures to measure the fair value of the transferred assets 
and liabilities at the date of acquisition. The excess of the price of the acquisition over the fair value of the net acquired assets is 
recorded as goodwill. As at December 31, 2017, the Group’s non-current assets included goodwill of €1.924 million, software for 
€605 million and customer relationships for €447 million, deriving primarily from business combinations. The Group performs 
annual impairment tests.

Given (i) the materiality of the amounts in question in the Group’s financial statements and (ii) the valuation methods used in 
acquisitions and in annual impairment tests, which rely in particular on projected future cash flows, we deemed the measurement 
of non-current assets to be a key audit matter. In order to implement these techniques, management must rely on assumptions 
and make estimates. Moreover, as many of the Group’s acquisitions concerned relatively new companies, the degree of judgment 
involved in projecting future cash flows is all the more significant as projections cannot necessarily be compared with historical 
data from these companies.

4

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Consolidated Financial Statements

Our response
For each acquisition, we assessed the methods used to identify and measure the assets and liabilities acquired and to implement 
the annual impairment test of the related goodwill.

Our procedures consisted in assessing the design and accuracy of the valuation techniques employed by the Group as well as the 
appropriateness of the main assumptions and estimates used, particularly in terms of future cash flows, long-term growth rates 
and discount rates. We also compared the initial cash flow forecasts with actual cash flows.

In  addition,  we  carried  out  our  own  sensitivity  analyses  to  supplement  our  assessment  of  the  appropriateness  of  the  key 
assumptions and inputs.

Lastly, we analyzed the related disclosures provided in Notes 2 and 18 to the consolidated financial statements.

Tax risks

Risk identified
The  Group  has  operations  in  many  countries  and  must  therefore  abide  by  multiple  different  laws  and  regulations.  This  is 
particularly the case for tax policy, which can be a source of risk for the Group in terms of how it is applied. The Group is involved 
in a certain number of tax disputes, chief among them a dispute brought against reassessments relating to acquisition financing. 
Accordingly, between 2014 and 2016, the Group made payments totaling €123.1 million to the French tax authorities further to 
adjustments of the tax bases for the relevant years audited.

The Group assesses its tax positions and the technical justifications therefor at the end of each quarterly reporting period.

Where a risk in terms of how the local tax rules are to be applied is identified, the Group measures and records a provision for tax 
risk if the occurrence of an outflow of resources appears likely.

Conversely, when it makes a payment further to a disputed tax reassessment and where it deems its position in that dispute to 
be technically justified, the Group simultaneously records a tax credit for the refund it will likely receive (as was the case for the 
above-mentioned acquisition financing matter). In this case, there is a risk that the tax credit will not be recovered.

Given (i) the materiality of the ongoing tax disputes and (ii) the complex technical analyses required of management, we deemed 
the assessment of tax provisions to be a key audit matter. These analyses are specific to each tax jurisdiction and require a significant 
degree of judgment from management. Moreover, they are ultimately subject to a final decision from the tax authorities concerned.

Our response
We evaluated the main grounds for reassessment cited by the local tax authorities against the Group, as well as the decisions made 
by management with respect to tax risks and disputes deemed significant. We also assessed the consistency of the assumptions 
and estimates used to account for tax provisions with the Group’s accounting policies and IFRS. We conducted our work with 
guidance from our experts in international and French tax law.

For the more significant disputes for which a tax credit is recognized, in particular the above-mentioned acquisition financing 
matter, with guidance from our tax experts, we also carried out a critical assessment of the technical opinions and consultations 
obtained by the Group from independent tax lawyers with a view to assessing the consistency thereof with the decisions made 
by management and the accounting treatments applied.

Lastly, we examined the related disclosures provided in Notes 15 and 25 to the consolidated financial statements.

Verification of the information pertaining to the Group presented in the management report

As  required  by  law  and  in  accordance  with  professional  standards  applicable  in  France,  we  have  also  verified  the  information 
pertaining to the Group presented in the Board of Directors’ management report.

We have no matters to report as to its fair presentation and its consistency with the consolidated financial statements.

150 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Report on other legal and regulatory requirements

Appointment of the Statutory Auditors
We  were  appointed  Statutory  Auditors  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  by  your  General  Meeting  held  on  June  8,  2005  for 
PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit and on May 27, 2010 for Ernst & Young et Autres.

As at December 31, 2017, PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit was in the thirteenth year of total uninterrupted engagement, and 
ERNST & YOUNG et Autres in the eighth year.

ERNST & YOUNG Audit previously acted as Statutory Auditor from 1998.

Responsibilities of management and those charged with governance for the consolidated financial statements
Management is responsible for preparing consolidated financial statements presenting a true and fair view in accordance with 
International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  as  adopted  by  the  European  Union  and  for  implementing  the  internal  control 
procedures it deems necessary for the preparation of consolidated financial statements free of material misstatement, whether 
due to fraud or error.

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the company’s ability to continue 
as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting, 
unless it expects to liquidate the company or to cease operations.

The Audit Committee is responsible for monitoring the financial reporting process and the effectiveness of internal control and 
risk management systems, as well as, where applicable, any internal audit systems, relating to accounting and financial reporting 
procedures.

The consolidated financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors.

4

Responsibilities of the Statutory Auditors relating to the audit of the consolidated financial statements

Objective and audit approach
Our  role  is  to  issue  a  report  on  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  Our  objective  is  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about 
whether  the  consolidated  financial  statements  as  a  whole  are  free  of  material  misstatement.  Reasonable  assurance  is  a  high 
level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with professional standards will always detect 
a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually 
or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these 
consolidated financial statements.

As specified in Article L.823-10-1 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce), our audit does not include assurance on 
the viability or quality of management of the company.

As  part  of  an  audit  conducted  in  accordance  with  professional  standards  applicable  in  France,  the  Statutory  Auditors  exercise 
professional judgment throughout the audit and furthermore:

 › Identifies and assesses the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or 
error, designs and performs audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtains audit evidence considered to be sufficient 
and appropriate to provide a basis for his opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is 
higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or 
the override of internal control;

 › Obtains an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the 

circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the internal control;

 › Evaluates the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management 

and the related disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements;

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Consolidated Financial Statements

 › Assesses the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence 
obtained,  whether  a  material  uncertainty  exists  related  to  events  or  conditions  that  may  cast  significant  doubt  on  the 
company’s ability to continue as a going concern. This assessment is based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of 
the audit report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Company to cease to continue as a going concern. If the 
Statutory Auditor concludes that a material uncertainty exists, he is required to draw attention in the audit report to the related 
disclosures in the consolidated financial statements or, if such disclosures are not provided or are inadequate, to issue a qualified 
opinion or a disclaimer of opinion;

 › Evaluates the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements and assesses whether these statements represent 

the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation;

 › Obtains sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or business activities within the 
group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. The Statutory Auditor is responsible for the direction, 
supervision and performance of the audit of the consolidated financial statements and for the opinion expressed thereon.

Report to the Audit Committee
We submit a report to the Audit Committee which includes in particular a description of the scope of the audit and the audit 
program implemented, as well as the results of our audit. We also report any significant deficiencies in internal control that we 
have identified regarding the accounting and financial reporting procedures.

Our report to the Audit Committee includes the risks of material misstatement that, in our professional judgment, were of most 
significance in the audit of the consolidated financial statements and which constitute the key audit matters that we are required 
to describe in this report.

We also provide the Audit Committee with the declaration provided for in Article 6 of Regulation (EU) No 537-2014, confirming 
our independence within the meaning of the rules applicable in France, as defined in particular in Articles L.822-10 to L.822-14 of 
the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) and in the French Code of Ethics (Code de déonthologie) for Statutory Auditors. 
Where appropriate, we discuss any risks to our independence and the related safeguard measures with the Audit Committee.

Neuilly-sur-Seine and Paris La Défense, March 16, 2018

The Statutory Auditors

PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit

French original signed by:

Thierry Leroux

ERNST & YOUNG et Autres

French original signed by:

Nour-eddine Zanouda

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Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

4.2  Parent Company Financial Statements

4.2.1  Parent Company Financial Statements and Notes

The 2017 financial statements presented below are the individual parent company financial statements of Dassault Systèmes SE.

Presentation of the parent company financial statements and the valuation methods used

The financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017 have been prepared in accordance with the French General Chart 
of Accounts (Plan comptable général). They are presented in the same manner and prepared using the same valuation methods 
as the preceding year.

 In 2017, operating revenue increased 9.2% to €1,487.7 million from €1,362.4 million in 2016 driven by the performance on the 
French and European markets. The portion of revenue earned from export sales amounted to €1,177.2 million, or 80.2% of net 
sales. Software revenue increased 6.3% to €1,115.5 million in 2017 from €1,049.1 million in 2016.

4

Operating expenses increased 10.7% to €1,160.7 million in 2017, from €1,048.2 million in 2016. The main drivers of this change 
were as follows:

 › the  transmissions universelles de patrimoine  or  TUP  have  impacted  all  expenditures  items  mainly  from  higher  personnel 
costs  following  the  integration  of  119  new  employees  (apprentices  and  professional  training  contractors  excluded)  as  at 
December 31, 2017;

 › the other purchases and external expenses increased mainly due to higher costs related to a new building at the 3DS Campus 

and to higher expenses relating to distribution and IT services principally for on-line service activities;

 › personnel costs grew resulting from the increase in new hiring principally in R&D, from the performance shares plans, and from 

salary inflation;

 › depreciation, amortization and provisions increased mainly resulting from the TUP and from the delivery in May 2017 of a new 

building at the 3DS Campus;

 › other expenses decreased by 4.9% driven by the full year impact of lower royalties from Group products sales, as a result of the 

acquisition in 2016 of ENOVIA-SmarTeam technology which was previously held by another Group subsidiary.

Operating income increased 4.1% to €327.0 million in 2017 compared to €314.2 million in 2016.

Financial income for 2017 amounted to €69.4 million, compared with €87.7 million for the preceding year, showing a decrease 
of €18.3 million. This change was principally due to net unfavorable changes in the provisions for financial contingencies and 
exchange losses, partly offset by higher dividends paid by Group subsidiaries.

Exceptional income and loss amounted to a loss of €19.7 million in 2017 compared to a loss of €28.3 million in 2016. This is 
principally explained in 2017 by a capital gain on a sale of a shareholding, and by a favorable outcome of a long-running dispute.

In 2017, income tax expense amounted to €70.0 million as compared to €57.1 million in 2016. The effective income tax rate 
increased from 17.5% in 2016 to 21.4% in 2017 notably driven by the 15% exceptional contribution on income tax in 2017.

Net income decreased to €257.8 million in 2017 compared with €269.6 million in 2016.

At  December  31,  2017,  cash  and  cash  equivalents  and  marketable  securities  stood  at  €764.8  million,  compared  with 
€1,212.1 million at December 31, 2016. This decrease was mainly driven by some subsidiary recapitalization in accordance to 
the Group’s acquisition policy.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

153

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

Statement of income

(in thousands of euros)

OPERATING REVENUE

Revenue

Of which exports

Other revenue

OPERATING EXPENSE

Other purchases and external expenses

Taxes, duties and similar payments

Personnel Costs

Depreciation, amortization and provisions

Other operating expense

OPERATING INCOME

FINANCIAL INCOME AND EXPENSE, NET

CURRENT INCOME

EXCEPTIONAL INCOME/(LOSS)

EMPLOYEE PROFIT-SHARING

Contractual employee profit-sharing (intéressement)

Contractual employee profit-sharing (participation)

INCOME TAX EXPENSE

NET INCOME

Year ended December 31,

Notes

2017

2016

1,487,714

1,362,417

3

1,468,592

1,350,179

1,177,180

1,124,029

19,122

12,238

(1,160,689)

(1,048,188)

(467,876)

(413,588)

(28,501)

(24,233)

4

(429,016)

(376,947)

(70,272)

(59,971)

(165,023)

(173,449)

5

6

7

327,025

69,372

396,397

(19,708)

(48,903)

(24,464)

(24,439)

(69,973)

257,812

314,229

87,731

401,960

(28,345)

(46,916)

(23,458)

(23,458)

(57,113)

269,586

154 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Balance sheet

(in thousands of euros)

Assets

NON-CURRENT ASSETS NET

Intangible Assets

Property and Equipment

Non-current Financial Assets

CURRENT ASSETS NET

Receivables

Marketable Securities

Treasury Shares

Cash and cash equivalents

PREPAID EXPENSES

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION ADJUSTMENT

TOTAL ASSETS

(in thousands of euros)

Liabilities and equity

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Capital

Share and contribution premiums

Legal reserve

Retained earnings

Income (loss) for the fiscal year

Regulated provisions

PROVISIONS FOR CONTINGENCIES AND LOSSES

FINANCIAL LIABILITIES

TRADE PAYABLES

UNEARNED REVENUE

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION ADJUSTMENT

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

4

Year ended December 31,

Notes

2017

2016

10

11

12

13

14

14

3,483,132

2,818,554

345,399

49,432

313,617

37,420

3,088,301

2,467,517

1,482,703

2,004,024

474,146

692,016

243,781

72,760

65,396

40,495

592,512

1,206,967

199,450

5,095

52,853

19,764

5,071,726

4,895,195

Year ended December 31,

Notes

2017

2016

15

3,418,844

3,148,402

130,466

917,388

12,900

128,998

771,689

12,836

2,100,087

1,965,014

257,812

269,586

191

279

181,736

155,738

1,026,684

1,028,057

390,430

53,595

437

521,210

39,933

1,855

5,071,726

4,895,195

16

17

19

20

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

155

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

156 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

Notes to the Annual Financial Statements for Years 
Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

CONTENTS

Note 1  Description of Business 

and Key Events of the Year 

Note 2 

Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies 

Note 3 

Revenue Breakdown 

Note 4 

Personnel Costs 

Note 5 

Financial Income and Expense, Net 

Note 6 

Exceptional Income/Loss 

Note 7 

Income Tax 

Note 8 

Performance Shares 

Note 9  Additional Information 

Note 10 

Intangible Assets 

Note 11  Property and Equipment 

Note 12  Non-Current Financial Assets 

Note 13  Receivables 

158

158

161

161

162

163

163

164

165

165

165

166

166

Note 14  Treasury 

Note 15  Shareholders’ Equity 

Note 16  Provisions for Contingencies 

and Losses 

Note 17  Financial Liabilities 

Note 18  Elements Concerning 

Related Companies 

Note 19  Trade Payables 

Note 20  Prepaid Expenses 

and Unearned Revenue 

Note 21  Financial Commitments 

Note 22  Other Commitments 

and Contingencies 

Note 23  Additional Information 

Note 24 

Information Relating to Subsidiaries 
and Shareholdings 

166

167

169

170

170

171

171

171

172

173

173

4

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

157

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

Note 1  Description of Business and Key Events of the Year

Description of business

Dassault Systèmes SE provides end-to-end software solutions 
and  services,  designed  to  support  companies’  innovation 
processes, from specification and design of a new product, to 
its manufacturing, supply and sale to the customer, through all 
stages of digital mock-up, simulation, and realistic 3D virtual 
experiences representing user experience.

Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s  global  customer  base 
includes 
companies in 12 industrial sectors: Transportation & Mobility; 
Industrial  Equipment;  Aerospace  &  Defense;  Financial  & 
Business Services; High-Tech; Life Sciences; Energy, Process & 
Utilities;  Consumer  Goods  &  Retail;  Natural  Resources; 
Architecture, Engineering & Construction; Consumer Packaged 
Goods & Retail and Marine & Offshore. To serve its customers, 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  has  developed  a  broad  software 
applications portfolio, comprised of 3D modeling applications, 
simulation  applications,  social  and  collaborative  applications, 
and  information  intelligence  applications,  all  powered  by  its 
3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  is  a  European  company  (Societas 
Europaea) incorporated under the laws of France. The Company’s 
registered office is located at 10, rue Marcel Dassault, in Vélizy-
Villacoublay,  France.  The  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  shares  are 
listed in France on Euronext Paris. These financial statements 
were  established  under  the  responsibility  of  the  Board  of 
Directors on March 15, 2018.

Key Events of the Year

As part of its program to simplify the organization of its legal 
entities  throughout  the  world,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  carried 
out three merger operations (or TUP) in 2017:

 › 3DVIA SAS on January 3, 2017;

 › ORTEMS SAS and QUINTIQ SAS on April 1, 2017.

Dassault Systemes SE used cash on hand to finance, via capital 
contributions or loans, important acquisitions made by certain 
subsidiaries during the year.

Note 2  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The financial year lasts for 12 months from January 1 through 
December 31.

Revenues are disclosed net of taxes collected from customers 
and remitted to governmental authorities.

The  annual  financial  statements  for  the  fiscal  year  ended 
December 31, 2017 have been prepared and are presented in 
accordance  with  the  accounting  ANC  rule  n°2016-07  dated 
November  4,  2016  and  updating  the  ANC  rule  n°2014-03 
related  to  the  French  General  Chart  of  Accounts  (PCG).  In 
particular,  the  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  in 
accordance  with  the  principle  of  prudence,  the  principle  of 
continuity of accounting methods from one year to the next, 
the  independence  of  financial  years,  and  the  assumption 
that the business is a going concern. Assets and liabilities are 
initially recorded at historical cost.

Significant accounting polices applied are as follows:

Revenue

licenses,  periodic 

(1)  new  software 

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  derives  revenue  from  three  primary 
sources: 
licenses, 
maintenance  and  other  software  revenue,  which  includes 
the 
software 
development of additional functionalities of standard products 
requested by clients; (2) consulting and training services and 
other revenue; and (3) royalties from distribution agreements 
signed primarily with the Group’s subsidiaries.

technical  support  and 

license  updates, 

New Software Licenses, Periodic Licenses, Maintenance 
and Other Software Revenue

Software license revenue represents fees earned from granting 
customers  licenses  to  use  the  Company’s  software.  The 
Company’s software license revenue consists of perpetual and 
periodic  license  sales  of  software  products.  Software  license 
revenue  is  recognized  (to  the  extent  Dassault  Systèmes  SE 
has  no  remaining  obligations  to  perform)  when:  evidence 
of  an  arrangement  exists,  delivery  and  acceptance  has 
occurred,  the  amount  of  revenue  and  associated  costs  can 
be  measured  reliably,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  economic 
benefits  associated  with  the  transaction  will  flow  to  the 
Company. In instances when any of the four criteria are not 
met,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  defers  recognition  of  software 
license  revenue  until  all  criteria  are  met.  Revenue  related  to 
the licensing of software through value-added resellers (VARs) 
is  generally  recognized  when  evidence  of  a  sale  to  an  end-
user customer is provided to the Company, assuming all other 
revenue recognition criteria have been met.

158 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

Periodic  licenses  generally  have  a  one-year  term  and  the 
corresponding  fee  is  recognized  ratably  over  the  term  of  the 
license.

Maintenance  revenue  represents  periodic  fees  associated 
with  the  sale  of  unspecified  product  updates  on  a  when-
and-if-available  basis  and  technical  support.  Maintenance 
agreements  are  entered  into  in  connection  with  the  initial 
software  license  purchase.  Maintenance  support  may  be 
renewed  by  the  customer  at  the  conclusion  of  each  term. 
Revenue  from  maintenance  is  recognized  on  a  straight-line 
basis over the term of the maintenance agreement.

Other  software  revenue  mainly  relates  to  the  development 
of  additional  functionalities  of  standard  products  requested 
by  clients  and  is  recognized  as  the  development  work  is 
performed.

Recurring fees for periodic license and maintenance are reported 
within software revenue; see Note 3 Revenue Breakdown.

Revenue  under  multiple-element  arrangements,  which 
typically  include  new  software  licenses  and  maintenance  or 
service agreements sold together, is allocated to each element 
in the arrangement primarily using the residual method based 
upon the fair value of the undelivered elements. Discounts, if 
any,  are  applied  to  the  delivered  elements,  usually  software 
licenses,  under  the  residual  method.  For  maintenance,  fair 
value  is  generally  determined  based  upon  the  expected 
renewal rate. When a sale of license goes along with a service 
essential  to  the  software  functionality,  the  revenue  will  be 
recognized on percentage of completion basis.

Services Revenue

Services  and  other  revenue  consists  primarily  of  fees  from 
consulting  services  in  methodology  for  design,  deployment 
and support, and training services. Services generally do not 

require significant modification or customization of software 
products and are accounted for separately to the extent they 
are  not  essential  to  the  functionality  of  software  products. 
Service revenues derived from time and material contracts are 
recognized as time is incurred.

Service  revenues  derived  from  fixed  price  contracts  are 
generally recognized using a percentage of completion basis. 
For customer support contracts, when no performance criteria 
is provided for, revenue is recognized ratably over the term of 
the contract, generally one year, on a straight-line basis.

Research and development

incurred.  Technological 
Research  costs  are  expensed  as 
feasibility  is  not  demonstrated  before  a  working  prototype 
has  been  completed.  Technological  feasibility  is  generally 
demonstrated  shortly  before  the  commercial  release  of 
software  products.  As  a  consequence,  costs  incurred  after 
is  established  and  that  could 
technological  feasibility 
potentially be capitalized are not material.

Research  and  development  tax  credits  are  recognized  as  a 
deduction of the income tax expense.

Intangible assets, property and equipment

Intangible  assets,  property  and  equipment  are  recognized  at 
cost, including ancillary expenses, when they are purchased, 
at  their  production  cost  when  they  are  produced  internally, 
and at their integration value.

Under  the  ANC  rule  n°2015-06  dated  November  23,  2015, 
technical  deficits  from  mergers  (TUP)  and  goodwill  have  been 
allocated to their underlying assets and amortized if necessary 
since January 1, 2016. Residual goodwill considered as permanent 
is not amortized but subject to yearly impairment tests.

4

The useful life of intangible assets, property and equipment is presented below:

Amortization using the straight-line method

Intangible assets

Software

Technologies

Customer assets

Tangible assets

Computer equipment

Fixtures and fittings

Office furniture

Depreciation using the declining balance method may be used for computer equipment.

Amortization period

3 to 5 years

5 to 10 years

5 to 10 years

3 to 5 years

Over the term of the lease

10 years

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

159

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

Non-current Financial Assets

Derivatives

Investments  in  subsidiaries  are  recognized  at  cost  without 
revaluation  of  the  transaction  currencies.  Expenses  directly 
related  to  the  acquisition  of  equity  securities  are  included  in 
the acquisition cost of these securities. Loans and advances to 
subsidiaries are valued at their net realizable value.

Dassault Systèmes SE can manage exposure to foreign currency 
and interest rates with regards to revenue and cost generated 
by its ongoing and predictable activity. Dassault Systèmes SE 
can also mitigate a given foreign currency exposure linked to 
specific operations.

At  least  once  a  year ,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  reviews  the  net 
realizable value of its investments and loans and advances to 
subsidiaries. In particular, the net realizable value of securities 
takes into account the amount of shareholders’ equity, long-
term profitability and strategic factors. An impairment loss is 
recognized if the net realizable value is less than the carrying 
value for a long period of time.

Marketable Securities

Marketable  securities  are  initially  recorded  at  cost  and  are 
depreciated,  when  applicable,  by  referring  to  their  quoted 
price in an active market at year end.

Receivables and payables

Trade receivables are reported at their net receivable value and 
trade payables are reported at their nominal value. For trade 
receivables, an allowance is recorded when the net realizable 
value is lower than the carrying value taking into account, in 
particular, aging and risk of non-collectability.

to 

order 

hedge 

In 
exposure, 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  uses,  as  needed,  foreign  exchange 
contracts  or  financial  instruments  for  which  total  maximum 
losses are known from the outset.

currency 

foreign 

Interest rate derivatives

Financial  income  and  expense  resulting  from  the  use  of 
derivatives are recorded in the income statement in the same 
manner as income and expense from the covered transactions 
when the derivatives are considered to be hedging transactions 
from  an  accounting  perspective.  If  the  instruments  do  not 
qualify as hedging, they are accounted for as follows:

 › net unrealized losses are fully reserved;

 › net  gains  are  recognized  in  the  income  statement  upon 

settlement.

Exchange rate derivatives

Exchange rate derivatives are included in Dassault Systèmes SE’s 
currency  position.  Unrealized  losses  on  these  derivatives  are 
taken into account in determining the provision for unrealized 
exchange losses.

Foreign currency transactions

Isolated open position

Transactions  in  foreign  currencies  are  recorded  in  euros  in 
the income statement at the monthly average exchange rate, 
except  for  significant  transactions  which  are  booked  at  the 
daily exchange rate. Receivables, payables and cash in foreign 
currencies are converted to euros in the balance sheet at the 
closing  exchange  rate  or  at  the  hedged  rate  when  they  are 
subject to exchange rate hedging. The conversion differences 
are  recorded  on  the  balance  sheet  in  “Unrealized  Exchange 
Losses/Gains”.  In  the  event  of  unrealized  losses,  a  provision 
for contingencies (exchange loss) is recorded.

Provisions for Contingencies and losses

Provisions  for  contingencies  and  losses  are  recognized  when 
liabilities  to  cover  are  probable  to  generate  outflows  of 
resources resulting from a present obligation. These provisions 
are  estimated  to  take  into  account  the  most  probable 
hypothesis at the closing date.

Any transaction that does not qualify as a hedge is classified 
in a category called “isolated open position”. The accounting 
treatment is as follows:

 › derivatives are recorded in the balance sheet at their fair value;

 › a  provision  for  unrealized  losses  derivatives  is  booked 

impacting the profit and loss account.

As a consequence, changes in the value of derivatives that do 
not qualify as hedge are recorded in adjustment accounts (as 
well as interest rate options are currently recorded according 
to the French General Chart of Accounts).

Tax credit in favor of competitiveness 
and employment (CICE)

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  recognizes  the  tax  credit  in  favor  of 
competitiveness  and  employment  (the  Crédit d’Impôt pour la 
Compétitivité et l’Emploi, or CICE) as an offset to personnel costs.

160 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Notes on the Income Statement

Note 3  Revenue Breakdown

(in thousands of euros)

New licenses revenue

Periodic licenses and maintenance revenue

Royalties

TOTAL SOFTWARE REVENUE

Services

Other revenue

TOTAL REVENUE

The breakdown of software revenue by geographic area is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Europe

Asia

Americas

TOTAL SOFTWARE REVENUE

Note 4  Personnel Costs

Personnel costs are comprised of the following:

(in thousands of euros)

Salaries and wages

Social security costs

TOTAL PERSONNEL COSTS

Average Headcount by Category

Salaried employees by category

Managers

Supervisors and technicians

Employees

TOTAL AVERAGE HEADCOUNT (IN FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS)*

*  Apprentices and professional training contractors excluded.

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

4

Year ended December 31,

2017

128,238

354,197

633,112

2016

112,091

322,969

614,015

1,115,547

1,049,075

40,396

312,649

36,390

264,714

1,468,592

1,350,179

Year ended December 31,

2017

656,945

280,904

177,698

2016

582,014

287,667

179,394

1,115,547

1,049,075

Year ended December 31,

2017

288,877

140,139

429,016

2016

255,040

121,907

376,947

Year ended December 31,

2017

3,098

116

49

3,263

2016

2,868

109

53

3,030

The merger operations (TUP) carried out in 2017 increased the headcount of Dassault Systèmes SE by 119 employees.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

161

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

Tax credit in favor of competitiveness and employment (CICE)

The  tax  credit  in  favor  of  competitiveness  and  employment  (the  Crédit d’Impôt pour la Compétitivité et l’Emploi,  or  CICE)  is 
based on total compensation due for the current period. In 2017, an amount of €2.0 million of CICE was recognized compared to 
€1.7 million in 2016, and was allocated to funding working capital requirements.

Compensation of Executives

The total gross compensation paid to executive officers by Dassault Systèmes SE during 2017 was as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Salaries

Benefits

Directors’ fees*

TOTAL COMPENSATION OF EXECUTIVES

* 

Compensation is based on payments made. 2017 directors’ fees represent €73,700 paid in 2018.

Note 5  Financial Income and Expense, Net

Net financial income and expense is as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Interest income

Interest expense

INTEREST INCOME AND EXPENSE, NET

Revenue from disposals of investment securities

Net foreign exchange income (expense), net other financial contingencies

Net reversal (additions) of provisions for impairment

FINANCIAL INCOME AND EXPENSE, NET

Year ended December 31,

2017

4,427

22

73

2016

4,554

20

71

4,522

4,645

Year ended December 31,

2017

94,528

(11,959)

82,569

3,971

2,323

(19,491)

69,372

2016

73,606

(11,872)

61,734

8,752

(22,587)

39,832

87,731

Interest income is comprised primarily of dividends paid by Group subsidiaries for an amount of €83.2 million in 2017 compared 
to €62.0 million in 2016 as well as from income from treasury investments. Changes in provisions for impairment result from 
impairment test updates (see Note 2 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 24 Information relating to Subsidiaries 
and Shareholdings).

162 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

Note 6  Exceptional Income/Loss

Exceptional loss for the year ended December 31, 2017 was 
€19.7 million compared to a loss of €28.3 million for the year 
ended December 31, 2016. The evolution in 2017 is mainly 
driven by a favorable outcome of a dispute and a capital gain 
on a sale of a shareholding.

A  company  agreement  regarding  employment  forecasting, 
competencies  and  social  transformation  (GPEC)  has  been 
signed in June 2016 for three years with no automatic renewal 
(see  Note  16  Provisions  for  Contingencies  and  Losses).  The 
goal of this agreement is to implement means and measures 
allowing  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  to  reach  three  strategic 
objectives:

 › anticipation  of  competencies  needed  to  sustain  the 

Company’s development;

 › training  modalities  for  employees  to  acquire  those 

competencies;

 › internal  and  external  employment  evolution  plan, 

in 

interaction with its ecosystem.

This  agreement  applies  to  all  employees  of  the  French 
subsidiaries  of  the  Group.  It  includes  innovating  structures 
which enable the sharing of competencies, the development 
of entrepreneurial projects, the research of new but non-rival 
jobs  outside  the  Group  and  the  facilitation  of  the  transition 
between work and retirement on a voluntary basis.

The costs relating to this agreement are recorded as exceptional 
expenses and amounted to €7.0 million in 2017 compared to 
€11.1 million in 2016.

4

Note 7 

Income Tax

The tax group included 11 entities at the end of December 2017.

Under  the  tax  integration  agreement,  it  is  agreed  that  the 
income  tax  expense  of  tax-integrated  companies  will  be  the 

same as it would have been if each subsidiary had not been a 
member of the Group. Without the tax integration agreements, 
the income tax expense of Dassault Systèmes SE, the head of 
the tax group, would have been €70.9 million in 2017.

The breakdown of income tax between current income and exceptional income for the year ended December 31, 2017, was as 
follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Current income

Exceptional income

TOTAL

Income 
before tax

Tax (expense) 
credit

Income after 
income tax

396,397

(68,612)

327,785

(99,050)

29,077

(69,973)

297,347

(39,535)

257,812

The effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2017 was 21.4% against 17.5% in 2016. This increase is notably 
driven by the exceptional contribution on income tax in 2017.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

163

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

Note 8  Performance Shares

Pursuant to an authorization granted by the shareholders at the General Meeting of Shareholders held on September 4, 2015, the 
Board of Directors at the meeting held on May 23, 2017 decided to grant 801,700 performance shares to some employees and 
executives (Plan 2017-A) and 300,000 shares to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive 
Officer as part of a plan of progressively associating him with the Company’s capital (Plan 2017-B).

A summary of the Company’s performance shares plans is as follows:

Plans

2010-04

2014-A

2014-B

2015-A

2015-B

2016-A

2016-B

2017-A

2017-B

Date of General Meeting 
of Shareholders

Date of grant by Board 
of Directors

Total number 
of shares granted

Restated total number 
of shares granted (1)

Acquisition period 
(in years) (3)

05/27/2010 05/30/2013 05/30/2013 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 09/04/2015

09/07/2012 02/21/2014 02/21/2014 09/04/2015 09/04/2015 05/26/2016 05/26/2016 05/23/2017 05/23/2017

539,230

529,940

150,000

734,600

300,000

782,950

300,000

801,700

300,000

1,078,460 (2)

1,059,880

300,000

734,600

300,000

782,950

300,000

801,700

300,000

Three 
or four (4)

Four

Four

Two

Two

Two 
or three (7)

Two 
or three (7)

Three

Three

Performance conditions

See Note (5)

See Note (6)

See Note (6)

See Note (6)

See Note (6)

See Note (8)

See Note (8)

See Note (9)

See Note (9)

Performance conditions 
is reached at December 31, 
2017

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

See Note (10)

See Note (10)

N/A

N/A

(1)  For shares granted before July 17, 2014, total number of shares granted has been restated to reflect the two-for-one stock split effected on July 17, 2014.
(2)  Including 28,000 shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, subject to an additional performance condition 

related to his variable compensation.

(3)  Subject to the condition that the beneficiary be an employee or a director of the Company at the acquisition date with the exception of 2017-A and 2017-B plans, for which the 

presence period is two years.

(4)  Three years in France and four years outside of France.
(5)  Non-market performance conditions based on actually realized non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group compared to the upper limit of the non-IFRS diluted earnings 
per share objective during three years (2012, 2013 and 2014). The shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, 
are also subject to an additional performance condition related to variable compensation dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board of 
Directors.

(6)  Performance condition measured based on two alternative criteria, the growth of the non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group or the outperformance of the price of the 
Dassault Systèmes share compared to the performance of the CAC 40 index (market condition) for each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 for 2014-A and 2014-B Shares, and 
for the year 2016 for 2015-A and 2015-B Shares, compared to the year 2014. Such growth or difference must be at least equal to a threshold established by the Board of 
Directors. The 2015-B Shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, are also subject to an additional performance 
condition related to variable compensation dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board of Directors.

(7)  Share acquisition divided into two tranches, the first vesting in May 26, 2018 and the second in May 26, 2019.
(8)  Performance condition for the first tranche will be measured based on the average performance of two criteria: the growth of the non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the 

Group for the year 2017, excluding foreign currency effects, compared to the year 2015 (non-market condition), and the outperformance of the price of the Dassault Systèmes 
share compared to the performance of the CAC 40 index between February 2016 and February 2018 (market condition). Such growth and outperformance must be at least 
equal to a threshold established by the Board of Directors. Performance condition for the second tranche will be measured based on two cumulative criteria: the growth of the 
non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group for the year 2018, excluding foreign currency effects, compared to the year 2015 (non-market condition), and the 
outperformance of the price of the Dassault Systèmes share compared to the performance of the CAC 40 index between February 2016 and February 2019 (market condition). 
Such growth and outperformance must be at least equal to a threshold established by the Board of Directors. The 2016-B shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman 
of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, are also subject to an additional performance condition related to his variable compensation itself dependent on achieving 
performance criteria previously established by the Board of Directors.

(9)  Performance condition based on a targeted growth between the non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of the Group for the year 2019, excluding foreign currency effects, and the 
one achieved in the year 2016 (non-vesting condition). Such growth must be at least equal to a threshold (expressed as a percentage) established by the Board of Directors 
granting the shares.

(10) Tranche 1 performance condition will be measured by March 15, 2018 Board of Directors.

The expense related to performance shares plans, for personnel of subsidiaries of Dassault Systèmes SE is recharged when the 
shares  are  definitively  attributed  to  beneficiaries.  During  the  vesting  period,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  accrues  only  for  the  costs 
related to the performance shares attributed to employees contributing directly to its activity.

164 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

Note 9  Additional Information

Research and Development Expenses

In 2017, Dassault Systèmes SE recorded a total of €243.0 million of research and development expenses, which corresponds to 
21.8% of software revenue.

Notes to the Balance Sheet

Note 10  Intangible Assets

(in thousands of euros)

Goodwill

Software, technology and other

TOTAL GROSS VALUE

Goodwill

Software, technology and other

TOTAL AMORTIZATION AND PROVISIONS

Goodwill

Software, technology and other

TOTAL NET VALUE

4

Year ended December 31

2016

Additions

Disposals

301,284

148,495

449,779

(40,712)

(95,450)

(136,162)

260,572

53,045

313,617

52,124

29,191

81,315

(32,019)

(17,514)

(49,533)

20,105

11,677

31,782

(64)

-

(64)

64

-

64

-

-

-

2017

353,344

177,686

531,030

(72,667)

(112,964)

(185,631)

280,677

64,722

345,399

Residual goodwill considered as permanent, amounted to €85.6 million net of provisions.

Increase of intangible assets was mainly driven by the TUP carried out in 2017 (see Note 1 Description of Business and Key 
Events of the Year).

Note 11  Property and Equipment

(in thousands of euros)

Machinery and equipment

Fixtures and fittings

Office furniture and equipment

TOTAL GROSS VALUE

Machinery and equipment

Fixtures and fittings

Office furniture and equipment

TOTAL DEPRECIATION

Machinery and equipment

Fixtures and fittings

Office furniture and equipment

TOTAL NET VALUE

Year ended December 31,

2016

75,015

27,924

18,892

121,831

(57,956)

(15,050)

(11,405)

(84,411)

17,059

12,874

7,487

37,420

Additions

23,346

6,992

2,114

32,452

(12,666)

(2,377)

(1,183)

(16,226)

10,680

4,615

931

16,226

Disposals

(31)

-

(4,214)

(4,245)

31

-

-

31

-

-

(4,214)

(4,214)

2017

98,330

34,916

16,792

150,038

(70,591)

(17,427)

(12,588)

(100,606)

27,739

17,489

4,204

49,432

The acquisitions were mainly related to the preparation of the new building extending Dassault Systèmes SE headquarter located 
in Vélizy-Villacoublay.

The decrease of the line item “Office furniture and equipment” resulted from an accounting reclassification in “Fixtures and fittings”.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

165

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

Note 12  Non-Current Financial Assets

(in thousands of euros)

Investments in subsidiaries

Loans and advances to subsidiaries

Treasury Shares

TOTAL GROSS VALUE

Provision for impairment

TOTAL PROVISION FOR IMPAIRMENT

Investments in subsidiaries

Loans and advances to subsidiaries

Treasury Shares

TOTAL NET VALUE

2016

2,205,963

304,981

25,008

2,535,952

(68,435)

(68,435)

2,137,528

304,981

25,008

Year ended December 31,

Additions

636,592

137,904

71,538

846,034

(65,362)

(65,362)

571,230

137,904

71,538

Disposals

(33,032)

(147,848)

(25,008)

2017

2,809,523

295,037

71,538

(205,888)

3,176,098

46,000

46,000

12,968

(147,848)

(25,008)

(87,797)

(87,797)

2,721,726

295,037

71,538

2,467,517

780,672

(159,888)

3,088,301

The increase in investments in subsidiaries mainly related to the recapitalization of Group entities.

Note 13  Receivables

External unpaid issued invoices are split as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

(A) overdue split

Number of bills

Total amount of external invoices 
(VAT excluded)

Percentage of total external revenue 
(VAT excluded)

Year ended December 31, 2017

1 to 30 days

31 to 60 days

61 to 90 days

0 day 
(indicative)

7,228

91 days 
and over

Total
(1 day and over)

2,272

79,417

3,208

1,322

15.2%

0.6%

0.3%

642

0.1%

2,926

8,098

0.6%

1.6%

Total amount of trade receivables excluded from (A) 
and related to claims or not yet issued (VAT excluded)

21,607

Reference payment terms applied by Dassault Systèmes SE with third parties are contractual deadlines ranging from 30 days 
from the end of the month to 60 days net.

The share of overdue above one year related to other receivables is not material.

Note 14  Treasury

Marketable Securities

At  December  31,  2017,  marketable  securities  amounted 
to  €692.0  million  compared  with  €1,207.0  million  at 
December 31, 2016. They are mainly held in euro denominated 
monetary investments. The balance as of December 31, 2017 
included €(11.9) million related to treasury instruments.

166 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

The decrease in marketable securities is principally attributable 
to the financing of the recapitalization of Group entities.

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

Treasury Shares

Share repurchases are analyzed below as at December 31, in 2017:

Treasury shares directly managed by Dassault Systèmes SE(1)

Treasury shares managed through liquidity agreement(2)

TREASURY SHARES AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

Number of shares 
authorized and issued

Average price
(in euros)

Total
(in thousands 
of euros)

4,267,587

133,026

4,400,613

71.09

89.60

71.65

303,399

11,919

315,318

(1)  The General Meeting of Shareholders authorized the Board of Directors to implement a share repurchase program limited to 25,000,000 of Dassault Systèmes’ shares. Under 

this authorization, the Company may not buy shares at a price exceeding €100 per share or above a maximum annual aggregate amount of €500 million. In  2017, 
1,493,258 shares were purchased, at an average price of €85.46, and 1,021 ,050 shares were delivered to the beneficiaries of performance shares plans, at an average purchase 
price of €42.69.

(2)  The Group signed a liquidity agreement for an initial period until December 31, 2017, automatically renewable for subsequent 12-month terms. In  2017, 1,646,539 shares 

were purchased, at an average price of €81.40, and 1,584,571 shares were sold, at an average price of €81.18.

4

Note 15  Shareholders’ Equity

Share Capital

Changes in share capital during the year ended December 31, 2017 were as follows:

SHARES AS OF JANUARY 1, 2017

Shares issued pursuant to exercise of share subscription options

Capital increase*

SHARES AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

* 

See “Dividend rights” below.

Shareholder base

On December 31, the share capital of Dassault Systèmes SE was held by:

(%)

Public

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Charles Edelstenne (1) and beneficiaries (2)

Bernard Charlès

Treasury stock (3) and indirect treasury stock (4)

Directors and senior management (5)

TOTAL

Number of shares 
authorized and issued

Par value
(in euros)

Capital
(in euros)

257,996,603

1,924,838

1,011,090

260,932,531

0.50

0.50

0.50

0.50

128,998,301

962,419

505,545

130,466,265

2017

49.4

40.9

6.0

1.3

1.9

0.5

2016

49.7

41.1

6.1

1.1

1.6

0.4

100.0

100.0

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

167

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

On December 31, the voting rights in Dassault Systèmes SE were held by:

(in % of exercisable voting rights) (2)

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Public

Charles Edelstenne (1) and beneficiaries (2)

Bernard Charlès

Directors and senior management (5)

TOTAL

2017

55.3

34.4

8.2

1.6

0.5

2016

55.6

34.4 

8.2

1.5

0.3 

100.0

100.0

(1)  Including shares held in trust for the benefit of his family and managed by Mr. Edelstenne.
(2)  At December 31, 2017, Mr. Edelstenne held 4,208,530 shares with all ownership rights and 3,364 shares through two family companies which he manages, representing a 

total of 1.61% of the capital and 2.14% of the exercisable voting rights, as well as 11,527,200 shares with “usage” rights (usufruit). For the usage rights with respect to these 
11,527,200 shares, representing 6% of the exercisable voting rights, Mr. Edelstenne can only exercise the right to vote on decisions of the General Meeting concerning the 
allocation of profits; the holders of the bare property rights (nue-propriété) exercise the right to vote for other resolutions in compliance with Article 11 of the by-laws.

(3)  Including 131,026 shares through the liquidity agreement as of December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2016, such number was 57,524 shares.
(4)  Shares held by SW Securities LLC. This company is a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes SE, Dassault Systèmes’ shares held by it do not have voting rights.
(5)  Management excluding Mr. Edelstenne and Mr. Charlès.

Stock Option Plan

A s  ummary of the stock option activity is as follows:

(in euros)

OUTSTANDING AS OF JANUARY 1,

Number of options granted

Exercised

Forfeited

OUTSTANDING AS OF DECEMBER 31,

Exercisable

2017

2016

Number 
of options

5,961,562

2,050,370

(1,924,838)

(391,850)

5,695,244

1,881,887

Weighted 
average exercise 
price

Number 
of options

Weighted 
average exercise 
price

49.31

82.00

33.25

66.86

65.30

47.89

5,312,096

1,947,785

(1,001,683)

(296,636)

5,961,562

2,588,363

38.40

69.00

27.04

58.31

49.31

29.41

A summary of the remaining contractual life and the exercise price of options outstanding as of December 31, 2017 is presented 
below:

Stock option plan

2010-01

2014-01

2015-01

2016-01

2017-01

OUTSTANDING AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

Number 
of options

Remaining life 
(years)

Exercise price

722,988

201,197

1,260,006

1,558,578

1,952,475

5,695,244

0.40

4.40

7.68

8.40

9.39

7.43

23,50

45,50

62,00

69,00

82,00

65,30

168 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

Movements in Shareholders’ Equity

Movements in shareholders’ equity for the year ended December 31, 2017 were as follows:

Year ended December 31,

Appropriation 
of 2016 earnings

Effect of 
exercising options

Net income for 
2017 fiscal year

Other

(in thousands of euros)

Share Capital

Share and contribution premiums

Legal reserve

Retained earnings

Income (loss) for the fiscal year

Regulated provisions

2016

128,998

771,689

12,836

1,965,014

269,586

279

506

82,667

64

135,072

(269,586)

-

962

63,033

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

257,812

(88)

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

3,148,402

(51,277)

63,995

257,724

Dividend rights

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2017

130,466

917,389

12,900

2,100,086

257,812

191

3,418,844

4

The Combined General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 23, 2017 approved a dividend of €134.5 million. The General Meeting 
approved offering shareholders the option to receive payment of their dividend for 2016 in the form of new Dassault Systèmes SE 
shares. As a result, 1,011,090 new ordinary shares were created. The cash dividend was paid in the total amount of €51.3 million.

Note 16  Provisions for Contingencies and Losses

Movements of provisions for contingencies and losses were as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Provisions for performance shares

Provisions for exchange losses

Provisions for post-employment benefits

Other provisions for contingencies and losses

Provisions for jubilee awards

TOTAL PROVISIONS

Year ended December 31,

Additions

Utilization

Reversal of 
unused amounts

2016

73,379

19,761

22,627

34,274

5,697

62,664

28,565

4,709

7,137

613

(38,966)

(19,762)

(244)

(15,737)

(9)

155,738

103,688

(74,718)

-

-

-

(910)

(2,062)

(2,972)

2017

97,077

28,564

27,092

24,764

4,239

181,736

Changes in provisions for contingencies and losses impacted captions of the income statement as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Operating income

Financial income and expense, net

Exceptional income/(loss)

TOTAL

Additions

Utilization

49,444

28,564

25,679

103,688

(26,113)

(30,150)

(18,455)

(74,718)

Reversal of 
unused amounts

(2,972)

-

-

(2,972)

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

169

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

Provisions for Post-employment Benefits

Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s  commitment  in  terms  of  post-
employment benefits was evaluated and recognized using the 
prospective  actuarial  future  rights  pro  rata  method  with  the 
use of a corridor.

This method takes into account rights acquired by employees 
on  the  date  of  their  retirement,  computed  on  the  basis  of 
the  employees’  seniority  and  annual  salary  at  the  time  of 
retirement. These rights are acquired and paid to employees 
when they retire as a fixed amount.

The  projected  benefit  obligation  at  December  31,  2017  was 
determined  based  on  the  following  assumptions:  retirement 

Note 17  Financial Liabilities

Financial liabilities are as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Bank loans and borrowings

Mandatory employee profit-sharing scheme

Other financial liabilities

TOTAL FINANCIAL LIABILITIES

between  60  and  65  years  of  age,  discount  rate  of  1.80%, 
average  increase  in  salaries  of  2.80%  and  a  3.00%  expected 
return on plan. Dassault Systèmes SE has an insurance policy 
with  Sogecap,  a  life  insurance  company  affiliated  with  the 
Société  Générale,  intended  to  cover  the  retirement  payment 
commitments. Pursuant to this policy, Dassault Systèmes SE 
has  invested  a  total  of  €11.3  million.  Actuarial  gains  and 
losses and the cost of past service is spread in profit using the 
corridor method. They totaled €15.3 million to be spread over 
an average residual employee service of 21.5 years.

Less than 1 year

1 to 5 years

2017

2016

Year ended December 31,

477

3,223

19

1,000,000

1,000,477

1,000,388

14,950

8,015

18,173

8,034

19,159

8,510

3,719

1,022,965

1,026,684

1,028,057

In  June  2013,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  entered  into  a  six-year 
term  loan  facility  agreement  for  €350  million.  The  facility 
was  immediately  drawn  down  and  bears  interest  at  Euribor 
1-month plus 0.55% per annum.

In  October  2015,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  entered  into  a  new 
loan  facility  agreement,  which  maturity 
five-year  term 

could be extended by two additional years at the Company’s 
option, for €650 million. The facility was immediately drawn 
down and bears interest at Euribor 1-month plus 0.50% per 
annum.  In  October  2016  and  October  2017,  the  Company 
exercised the option extension for one year, which extends the 
termination date to its new maturity in October 2022.

Note 18  Elements Concerning Related Companies

(in thousands of euros)

Loans receivable

Trade accounts receivable and related items

Current accounts receivable

Accounts payable and related items

Current accounts with credit balances

Finance income: dividends collected and net interest received

Year ended December 31,

2017

288,585

97,735

98,104

26,155

116,825

93,208

2016

297,904

51,092

254,193

–

287,242

73,157

Current accounts with debit and credit balances sharply decreased as a result of the implementation of the new cash pooling 
structure set up within the Group for the foreign subsidiaries. 

170 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

Note 19  Trade Payables

External unpaid received invoices are split as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

(A) overdue split

Number of invoices

Total amount of external invoices 
(VAT excluded)

Percentage of total external purchases 
(VAT excluded)

Year ended December 31, 2017

1 to 30 days

31 to 60 days

61 to 90 days

0 day 
(indicative)

2,157

91 days 
and over

Total
(1 day and over)

1,625

3,666

1,182

1.4%

0.5%

993

0.4%

188

0.1%

1,141

3,504

0.4%

1.4%

Total amount of trade payables excluded from (A) 
related to invoices not yet recognized (VAT excluded)

44,896

Reference payment terms applied by Dassault Systèmes SE with third parties are contractual deadlines of 45 days from the end 
of the month. Late payments mainly result from the lack of compliance with procurement rules.

The share of overdue above one year related to other trade payables amounts to €5.4 million in 2017. It includes the loan from 
the employee profit-sharing fund.

4

Note 20  Prepaid Expenses and Unearned Revenue

Prepaid expenses are mainly made of IT services paid in advance.

Unearned revenue is composed primarily of deferred software, maintenance and support revenue relating to periods subsequent 
to year end. Unearned revenue amounted to €53.6 million in 2017 compared to €39.9 million in 2016.

Note 21  Financial Commitments

Financial Instruments

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the fair value of instruments used to manage currency and interest rate exposure was as follows:

(in thousands of euros)

Interest rate swaps in euros (1)(5)

Forward exchange contract Japanese yen/euros – sale (3)

Cross currency swaps Canadian dollars/euros (4)

Cross currency swaps Australian dollars/euros (4)

Forward exchange contract euros/U.S. dollars – sale (2)

Forward exchange contract euros/U.S. dollars – buy (2)

Forward exchange contract British pounds/euros – sale (3)

Other instruments (5)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

Nominal amount

Fair value Nominal amount

1,000,000

(11,931)

1,000,000

71,106

68,648

69,636

42,500

42,500

22,542

19,208

12,601

162,391

816

3,171

(542)

542

(56)

109

72,765

73,214

51,500

51,500

36,019

28,025

Fair value

(20,332)

4,066

(3,341)

(1)

1,581

(1,581)

75

189

(1)  Term loan facilities obtained by Dassault Systèmes SE in June 2013 and October 2015 respectively for €350 million and €650 million (see Note 17 Financial liabilities). 

Transaction recorded as isolated open position (see Note 14 Treasury for the balance sheet impact).

(2)  Dassault Systèmes SE has entered into hedging agreements for its subsidiaries.
(3)  Instruments (hedge accounting) entered into by the Company to hedge the foreign currency exchange risk of forecasted royalty flows.
(4)  Hedging contracts with regards to loans made to subsidiaries to finance acquisitions; these instruments are not designated as hedging instruments.
(5)  Mainly derivatives designated as isolated open position.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

171

4 Financial Statements

Parent Company Financial Statements

The Company usually hedges exchange rate risk related to its 
revenues  and  expenses  coming  from  usual  and  predictable 
activity  arising  in  the  normal  course  of  operations.  The 
Company may also cover occasional exchange rate risk arising 
from  specific  transactions,  such  as  acquisitions  paid  for  in 
foreign currencies. Hedging activities are generally carried out 
and  managed  by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  for  its  own  account 
and  on  behalf  of  its  subsidiaries.  In  certain  cases,  however, 
the Company can authorize selected subsidiaries to enter into 
hedging instruments directly.

The  fair  market  values  of  derivative 
instruments  were 
determined  by  financial  institutions  using  market  prices  and 
option pricing models.

At the end of 2017, foreign exchange contracts have maturity 
dates  of  less  than  three  years.  Swaps  of  cross  currency  and 
interest rates have respectively a maturity less than three and 
five years.

Increases and Reductions in Future Income Tax Payable

Increases and reductions in future income tax payable have been evaluated on the basis of the standard corporate tax rate, plus 
extraordinary contributions when applicable.

(in thousands of euros)

Nature of temporary differences

SHORT TERM (34.43% TAX RATE)

Provision for mandatory profit-sharing

Depreciation of receivables

Other

LONG TERM (25.83% TAX RATE FOR 2017 AND 28.92% FOR 2016)

Provision for post-employment benefits

TOTAL TEMPORARY DIFFERENCES

Net reduction of the future corporate tax debt

(34.43% tax rate)

(25.83% tax rate for 2017 and 28.92% for 2016)

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

40,061

24,440

12,924

2,697

37,118

37,118

77,179

13,793

9,586

39,333

23,458

15,537

338

32,475

32,475

71,808

13,542

9,392

Note 22  Other Commitments and Contingencies

Leases

Litigation and other proceedings

Dassault Systèmes SE has leased approximately 57,000 square 
meters of office space for its headquarters facilities located in 
Vélizy-Villacoublay, outside Paris, France since June 30, 2008. 
In  February  2013,  the  Company  entered  into  a  new  lease 
agreement for its headquarters facilities for a non-cancelable 
initial  term  of  10  years  beginning  with  the  delivery  of  an 
additional 13,000 square meters of office space in the fourth 
quarter of 2016.

On December 31, 2017, commitments stood at €234.8 million 
for  real  estate  and  equipment  rentals  (compared  with 
including 
€256.8  million  as  of  December  31,  2016) 
€214.0  million  relating  to  the  lease  for  the  headquarters  in 
Vélizy-Villacoublay  (compared  with  €233.6  million  as  of 
December  31,  2016);  and  €12.7  million  (compared  with 
€14.5 million as of December 31, 2016) related to the lease 
of the “Terre Europa” site, next to the headquarters, effective 
as from July 2011.

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  is  involved  in  litigation  and  other 
proceedings,  such  as  civil,  commercial  and  tax  proceedings, 
incidental to normal operations.

Dassault Systèmes SE is subject to ongoing tax audits and tax 
reassessments.  Certain  of  these  reassessments,  in  particular 
those  related  to  acquisition  financing,  are  being  challenged 
by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  which  is  strongly  confident  in  the 
technical  merits  of  its  positions  and  will  continue  to  defend 
them  with  the  relevant  tax  authorities.  In  this  context, 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  made  payments  to  the  French  tax 
authorities  for  a  total  amount  of  €123.1  million  from  2014 
to 2016, but disputed them with the relevant authorities. In 
March  and  December  2017,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  appealed 
first instance judgments in relation to this dispute.

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4

It  is  not  possible  to  determine  with  certainty  the  outcome 
of  the  dispute  and  notably  the  resulting  expense  for 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE,  if  any.  However,  in  the  opinion  of 
management, after consultation with counsels, the resolution 
of such litigation and proceedings should not have a material 
effect on the financial statements of the Company.

Guarantee pledged

The  Group  has  a  central  cash  management  operated  by  a 
banking  institution.  In  this  context,  the  parent  company  of 
the bank offered a guarantee to the Group in the amount of 
$500  million,  and  at  the  same  time  Dassault  Systèmes  SE 
offered a guarantee to the bank for the same amount.

Moreover,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  offered  guarantees  in  the 
framework of contracts between subsidiaries and third parties 
for a total amount of €38 million.

Note 23  Additional Information

Events after the reporting period

None.

Identity of the Consolidating Company

Dassault Systèmes SE’s business is included in the consolidated financial statements of Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS, 
whose registered office is located at 9, Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées – Marcel Dassault, 75008 Paris, France.

Note 24  Information Relating to Subsidiaries and Shareholdings

(in thousands of euros) (1)

> 50% owned subsidiaries (2)

Dassault Systemes Corp. (3)

Dassault Systemes UK Ltd

Dassault Systèmes International SAS

Dassault Systèmes Canada Software Inc.

Dassault Systemes KK

Dassault Systemes Israel Ltd

Dassault Systemes Deutschland GmbH

Share capital 
and share 
premiums

Equity excluding 
share capital and 
share premiums

% of interest

Net profit 
or loss

1,541,146

729,905

341,359

128,943

33,577

32,220

29,293

10,601

(493)

(5,626)

71,912

47,531

(8,774)

114,177

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

27,594

845

(5,545)

(6,723)

1,053

27,479

(18,190)

(1)  The earnings of foreign subsidiaries are presented in local GAAP for the year 2016, based either on statutory accounts or, if not available, on accounts communicated 

in the framework of the consolidation process. The results and revenue have been converted using the 2017 average annual exchange rates for the relevant currencies, 
while the shareholders’ equity of foreign subsidiaries have been converted using the closing rates in effect at year-end 2017.

(2)  Subsidiaries with gross book values exceeding 1% of Dassault Systemes SE’s capital at December 31, 2017.
(3)  American holding company owning 100% of Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp., and Dassault Systemes Holding LLC, the latter itself holding principally 100% 

of Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp. and Dassault Systemes Americas Corp.

4

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(in thousands of euros)

Gross book value of shares

Net book value of shares

Loans and advances

Guarantees received (provided)

Dividend rights received

Subsidiaries

Participations

French

273,781

273,781

137,481

11,000

–

Foreign

2,535,723

2,447,926

96,059

64,930

83,212

French

Foreign

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

4.2.2  Selected financial and other information 

for Dassault Systèmes SE over the last five years

(in euros)

Share capital

Share Capital

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

126,932,985

128,182,039

128,357,093

128,998,301

130,466,265

Number of shares authorized and issued (2)

126,932,985

256,364,077

256,714,186

257,996,603

260,932,531

Statement of income data

Revenue

Result before income tax, profit sharing, 
amortization and provisions

Result before income tax, profit sharing, amortization 
and provisions and reversals of provisions

Income tax

Regulated employee profit-sharing

Optional employee profit-sharing

Net income

Data per share

Result after income tax and profit sharing 
and before amortization and provisions

Basic net income per share

Dividend per share (2)

Personnel

Average headcount (3)

1,064,558,462 1,125,687,175 1,260,845,593 1,350,178,886 1,468,591,921

435,033,094

359,636,561

533,131,911

508,202,894

567,265,426

413,314,821

304,131,981

447,874,625

429,982,212

463,298,523

68,216,039

45,164,304

76,133,045

57,113,129

69,972,918

15,512,132

17,921,044

21,163,228

23,457,774

24,439,598

18,421,890

17,921,044

21,163,228

23,457,773

24,463,855

263,440,594

183,005,154

299,471,749

269,585,830

257,812,287

2.45

2.08

0.83

0.87

0.71

0.43

1.28

1.17

0.47

1.26

1.04

0.53

1.32

0.99

0.58 (1)

2,449

2,672

2,080

3,030

3,263

Personnel costs paid during the year

180,114,271

203,666,853

229,015,587

255,040,681

288,877,319

Social security contributions paid during the year

86,640,481

99,949,422

111,452,364

121,906,769

140,138,953

(1)  To be proposed for approval at the General Meeting scheduled for May 22, 2018.
(2)  Historical data prior to 2014 does not reflect the two-for-one stock split of Dassault Systèmes SE shares carried out on July 17, 2014.
(3)  Apprentices and professional training contractors are excluded.

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4

4.2.3  Statutory Auditors’ Report on the Parent Company Financial 

Statements

This is a translation into English of the statutory auditors’ report on the financial statements of the Company issued in French and 
it is provided solely for the convenience of English speaking users.

This statutory auditors’ report includes information required by European regulation and French law, such as information about the 
appointment of the statutory auditors or verification of the management report and other documents provided to the shareholders.

This report should be read in conjunction with and construed in accordance with French law and professional auditing standards 
applicable in France.

To the General Meeting of Dassault Systèmes SE,

Opinion

In  compliance  with  the  engagement  entrusted  to  us  by  your  General  Meetings,  we  have  audited  the  accompanying  financial 
statements of Dassault Systèmes SE for the year ended December 31, 2017.

In  our  opinion,  the  financial  statements  give  a  true  and  fair  view  of  the  assets  and  liabilities  and  of  the  financial  position  of 
the Company as at December 31, 2017 and of the results of its operations for the year then ended in accordance with French 
accounting principles.

The audit opinion expressed above is consistent with our report to the Audit Committee.

4

Basis for opinion

Audit framework
We conducted our audit in accordance with professional standards applicable in France. We believe that the audit evidence we 
have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Our responsibilities under these standards are further described in the “Responsibilities of the Statutory Auditors relating to the 
audit of the financial statements” section of our report.

Independence
We conducted our audit engagement in compliance with the independence rules applicable to us for the period from January 1, 2017 
to  the  date  of  our  report  and  in  particular  we  did  not  provide  any  prohibited  non-audit  services  referred  to  in  Article  5(1)  of 
Regulation (EU) No 537/2014 or in the French Code of Ethics (Code de déontologie) for Statutory Auditors.

Justification of assessments – Key audit matters

In accordance with the requirements of Articles L.823-9 and R.823-7 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) relating 
to the justification of our assessments, we inform you of the key audit matters relating to the risks of material misstatement that, 
in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the financial statements of the current period, as well as 
how we addressed those risks.

These matters were addressed as part of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and therefore contributed to the opinion 
we formed as expressed above. We do not provide a separate opinion on specific items of the financial statements.

Recognition of revenue from complex contractual agreements

Risk identified
The Company derives revenue from multiple sources, chief among them new software licenses, periodic licenses, maintenance and services.

Where  these  complex  contractual  arrangements  include  multiple  elements  sold  as  a  single  package,  determining  the  date  of 
recognition of the resulting revenue and how that revenue should be allocated between the various elements of the agreements 
can be difficult and require a significant degree of judgment from management.

The revenue for each element of a multiple-element agreement is not always recognized at the amount invoiced for that element 
under  the  corresponding  agreement.  Instead,  the  revenue  is  broken  down  between  the  elements  using  the  residual  method, 
based on the fair value of undelivered elements. This applies in particular to the fair value of annual maintenance services, which 
is determined based on the expected renewal rate of the service in question for the following year. Allocating revenue between 
the various elements requires making analyses and, potentially, adjustments, both of which can be complex.

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In addition, service agreements negotiated shortly after a software license sale and deemed essential to the functionality of the 
software product in question are accounted for with the license sale, rather than separately. In this example, the license sale is 
recognized on a percentage of completion basis, in line with the service provided. Determining whether or not a service is essential 
to the functionality of a product requires significant judgment from management, as does analyzing the potential future profits 
to be gained from the corresponding long-term contract.

Moreover, recognizing revenue from complex contractual agreements typically requires an in-depth analysis of the contractual 
terms and conditions, together with other relevant documentation shared with customers during negotiations, with a view to 
ascertaining the full scope and type of the elements the Company has committed to providing and thus recognizing the revenue 
for each element on the appropriate date and at the appropriate value.

For the above reasons, we deemed the recognition of revenue from complex multiple-element agreements to be a key audit matter.

Our response
In the course of our audit, we assessed and tested the internal control systems relating to the recognition of revenue and that 
were implemented by the Company.

Throughout the year we also performed tests on all complex multiple-element agreements deemed significant, as well as on a 
sample of randomly selected agreements, with the aim of verifying that the allocation of revenue between the various elements 
was  consistent  with  the  Company’s  accounting  policies  and  that  the  correct  amount  of  revenue  had  been  recognized  with 
respect to the appropriate reporting period. Our tests consisted primarily in analyzing the contractual terms and conditions, re-
calculating the fair value of each element tested and performing the verification of the consistency of revenue assessments with 
the Company’s accounting policies and with French accounting principles.

We also tested all significant manual accounting entries affecting revenue from complex contractual arrangements for consistency 
with the Company’s accounting policies.

Lastly, we considered the related disclosures provided in Notes 2 and 3 to the financial statements.

Valuation of investments in subsidiaries and loans and advances to subsidiaries

Risk identified
As described in Note 12 to the financial statements, investments in subsidiaries and loans and advances to subsidiaries amounted 
to €2.722 million and €295 million respectively at December 31, 2017, therefore representing some of the largest assets on the 
balance sheet. They are carried at cost and may be impaired, as applicable, based on their value in use.

As indicated in Note 2 to the financial statements, the calculation of value in use takes into account the share of equity in the 
relevant subsidiaries at the reporting date, together with their long-term profitability and strategic factors. Estimating the book 
value therefore requires management to exercise judgment, relying on forecasts to define the profitability outlook.

Accordingly,  due  to  the  inherent  uncertainty  of  certain  components  of  the  valuation,  in  particular  the  likelihood  of  achieving 
projections, we deemed the valuation of investments in subsidiaries and loans and advances to subsidiaries to be a key audit matter.

Our response
In order to assess the reasonableness of the estimated values in use of investments in subsidiaries and loans and advances to 
subsidiaries, based on the information provided to us, our audit work consisted primarily in verifying that the estimated values in 
use determined by management were based on the appropriate valuation method and underlying data.

For valuations based on historical data, we verified that the equity values used were consistent with the financial statements of 
the entities concerned. For valuations based on forecast data, we obtained management’s analyses on the profitability outlook 
and the strategic factors relating to these entities. We also performed the verification of the consistency of the assumptions used 
with the economic environment at the reporting date and at the date on which the financial statements were prepared.

Where the value in use was lower than the acquisition value of an investment, we made sure that the appropriate provision for 
contingencies had been recorded relating to the subsidiary in question and to any loans or advances granted to that subsidiary.

Lastly, we considered the related disclosures provided in Notes 2 and 12 to the financial statements.

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4

4

Tax risks

Risk identified
The Company is involved in a certain number of tax disputes, chief among them a dispute brought against reassessments relating 
to acquisition financing. Accordingly, between 2014 and 2016, the Company made payments totaling €123.1 million to the 
French tax authorities further to adjustments of the tax bases for the relevant years audited.

The Company assesses its tax positions and the technical justifications therefor at the end of each quarterly reporting period.

Where a risk in terms of how the tax rules are to be applied is identified, the Company measures and records a provision for tax 
risk if the occurrence of an outflow of resources appears likely.

Conversely, when it makes a payment further to a disputed tax reassessment and where it deems its position in that dispute to be 
technically justified, the Company simultaneously records a tax credit for the refund it will likely receive (as was the case for the 
above-mentioned acquisition financing matter). In this case, there is a risk that the tax credit will not be recovered.

Given  (i)  the  materiality  of  the  ongoing  tax  disputes  and  (ii)  the  complex  technical  analyses  required  of  management,  we 
deemed the assessment of tax provisions to be a key audit matter. These analyses require a significant degree of judgment from 
management and are ultimately subject to a final decision from the French tax authorities.

Our response
We  evaluated  the  main  grounds  for  reassessment  cited  by  the  French  tax  authorities  against  the  Company,  as  well  as  the 
decisions made by management with respect to tax risks and disputes deemed significant. We also assessed the consistency of 
the assumptions and estimates used to account for tax provisions with the Company’s accounting policies and French accounting 
principles. We conducted our work with guidance from our experts in French tax law.

For the more significant disputes for which a tax credit is recognized, in particular the above-mentioned acquisition financing 
matter, with guidance from our tax experts, we also carried out a critical assessment of the technical opinions and consultations 
obtained by the Company from independent tax lawyers with a view to assessing the consistency thereof with the decisions 
made by management and the accounting treatments applied.

Lastly, we considered the related disclosures provided in Note 22 to the financial statements.

Verification of the management report and of the other documents provided to the shareholders

In  accordance  with  professional  standards  applicable  in  France,  we  have  also  performed  the  specific  verifications  required  by 
French law.

Information given in the management report and in the other documents provided to the shareholders with 
respect to the Company’s financial position and the financial statements
We have no matters to report as to the fair presentation and the consistency with the financial statements of the information 
given in the Board of Directors’ management report and in the other documents provided to the shareholders with respect to the 
financial position and the financial statements.

Report on corporate governance
We attest that the Board of Directors’ report on corporate governance sets out the information required by Articles L.225-37-3 
and L.225-37-4 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce).

Concerning the information given in accordance with the requirements of Article L.225-37-3 of the French Commercial Code 
(Code de commerce) relating to remuneration and benefits received by corporate officers and any other commitments made in 
their favor, we have verified its consistency with the financial statements, or with the underlying information used to prepare 
these financial statements and, where applicable, with the information obtained by your Company from companies controlling it 
or controlled by it. Based on this work, we attest to the accuracy and fair presentation of this information.

Concerning the information given in accordance with the requirements of Article L.225-37-5 of the French Commercial Code 
(Code de commerce) relating to those items your Company has deemed liable to have an impact in the event of a takeover bid or 
exchange offer, we have verified its consistency with the underlying documents, which were disclosed to us. Based on this work, 
we have no matters to report with regard to this information.

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Other information

In accordance with French law, we have verified that the required information concerning the identity of the shareholders and 
holders of the voting rights has been properly disclosed in the management report. 

Report on other legal and regulatory requirements

Appointment of the Statutory Auditors
We  were  appointed  Statutory  Auditors  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  by  your  General  Meeting  held  on  June  8,  2005  for 
PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit and on May 27, 2010 for ERNST & YOUNG  et Autres.

As at December 31, 2017, PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit was in the thirteenth year of total uninterrupted engagement, and 
ERNST & YOUNG et Autres in the eighth year.

ERNST & YOUNG Audit previously acted as Statutory Auditor from 1998.

Responsibilities of management and those charged with governance for the financial statements
Management is responsible for preparing financial statements presenting a true and fair view in accordance with French accounting 
principles, and for implementing the internal control procedures it deems necessary for the preparation of financial statements 
free of material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the Company’s ability to continue as a going 
concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting, unless it 
expects to liquidate the company or to cease operations.

The Audit Committee is responsible for monitoring the financial reporting process and the effectiveness of internal control and 
risk management systems, as well as, where applicable, any internal audit systems, relating to accounting and financial reporting 
procedures.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors.

Responsibilities of the Statutory Auditors relating to the audit of the financial statements

Objective and audit approach
Our  role  is  to  issue  a  report  on  the  financial  statements.  Our  objective  is  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  the 
financial statements as a whole are free of material misstatement. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not 
a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with professional standards will always detect a material misstatement when 
it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could 
reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

As specified in Article L.823-10-1 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce), our audit does not include assurance on 
the viability or quality of management of the Company.

As  part  of  an  audit  conducted  in  accordance  with  professional  standards  applicable  in  France,  the  Statutory  Auditor  exercises 
professional judgment throughout the audit and furthermore:

 › Identifies and assesses the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, designs 
and performs audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtains audit evidence considered to be sufficient and appropriate 
to provide a basis for his opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for 
one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of 
internal control;

 › Obtains an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the 

circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the internal control;

 › Evaluates the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management 

and the related disclosures in the notes to the financial statements;

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4

 › Assesses the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence 
obtained,  whether  a  material  uncertainty  exists  related  to  events  or  conditions  that  may  cast  significant  doubt  on  the 
company’s ability to continue as a going concern. This assessment is based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of 
the audit report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Company to cease to continue as a going concern. If the 
Statutory Auditor concludes that a material uncertainty exists, he is required to draw attention in the audit report to the related 
disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are not provided or are inadequate, to issue a qualified opinion or 
a disclaimer of opinion;

 › Evaluates the overall presentation of the financial statements and assesses whether these statements represent the underlying 

transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

Report to the Audit Committee
We submit a report to the Audit Committee which includes in particular a description of the scope of the audit and the audit 
program implemented, as well as the results of our audit. We also report any significant deficiencies in internal control that we 
have identified regarding the accounting and financial reporting procedures.

Our report to the Audit Committee includes the risks of material misstatement that, in our professional judgment, were of most 
significance in the audit of the financial statements and which constitute the key audit matters that we are required to describe 
in this report.

4

We also provide the Audit Committee with the declaration provided for in Article 6 of Regulation (EU) No 537-2014, confirming 
our independence within the meaning of the rules applicable in France, as defined in particular in Articles L.822-10 to L.822-14 
of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) and in the French Code of Ethics for Statutory Auditors (Code de déontologie). 
Where appropriate, we discuss any risks to our independence and the related safeguard measures with the Audit Committee.

Neuilly-sur-Seine and Paris La Défense, March 16, 2018

The Statutory Auditors

French original signed by

PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit

Thierry Leroux

ERNST & YOUNG et Autres

Nour-eddine Zanouda

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4.2.4  Statutory Auditors’ Report on Related Party Agreements 

and Commitments

This is a free translation into English of a report issued in French and it is provided solely for the convenience of English speaking 
users. This report should be read in conjunction with, and construed in accordance with, French law and professional standards 
applicable in France.

To the Shareholders,

In our capacity as statutory auditors of your company, we hereby report on certain related party agreements and commitments.

We  are  required  to  inform  you,  on  the  basis  of  the  information  provided  to  us,  of  the  terms,  the  conditions  and  the  reasons 
justifying the company’s interest of those agreements and commitments indicated to us, or that we may have identified in the 
performance of our engagement. We are not required to comment as to whether they are beneficial or appropriate or to ascertain 
the existence of any such agreements and commitments. It is your responsibility, in accordance with Article R.225-31 of the 
French Commercial Code (Code de commerce), to evaluate the benefits resulting from these agreements and commitments prior 
to their approval.

In addition, we are required, where applicable, to inform you in accordance with Article R.225-31 of the French Commercial Code 
(Code de commerce) concerning the implementation, during the last financial year, of the agreements and commitments already 
approved by the General Meeting of Shareholders.

We performed those procedures which we considered necessary to comply with professional guidance issued by the national 
auditing  body (Compagnie Nationale des Commissaires aux Comptes)  relating  to  this  type  of  engagement.  These  procedures 
consisted in verifying that the information provided to us is consistent with the documentation from which it has been extracted.

Agreements and commitments submitted for approval by the General Meeting of Shareholders

We hereby inform you that we have not been advised of any agreements or commitments authorized in the course of the year to 
be submitted to the General Meeting of Shareholders for approval in accordance with Article L.225-38 of the French commercial 
code (Code de Commerce).

Agreements and commitments approved in prior years

We  hereby  inform  you  that  we  have  not  been  advised  of  any  agreements  or  commitments  already  approved  by  the  General 
Meeting of Shareholders, whose implementation continued during the year.

In addition, we have been advised that the following agreements and commitments which were approved by the General Meeting 
of Shareholders in prior years were not implemented during the year.

1. With Mr. Bernard Charlès, directeur général

Nature and purpose
Indemnity in the event of the removal of Mr. Bernard Charlès from corporate office.

Conditions
At its meeting on May 26, 2014, on the occasion of the renewal of Mr Bernard Charlès’ term of office as directeur général, the 
Board of Directors authorized, upon the proposal of the Remuneration and Selection Committee, the renewal of the agreement 
granting Mr Bernard Charlès a compensation in case of the termination of his functions as directeur general according to the terms 
adopted by the Board of Directors at its meetings on May 27, 2010, March 28, 2008 and March 27, 2009.

At its meeting on May 26, 2014, the Board of Directors decided to make no change to the conditions, as defined by the Board 
of Directors at its meeting on March 27, 2009, in which this compensation would be due in view of the recommendations of 
the  Remuneration  and  Selection  Committee  and  in  accordance  with  the  recommendations  integrated  into  the  AFEP/MEDEF 
Consolidated Corporate Governance Code (Code de gouvernement d’entreprise consolidé) of December 2008.

The amount of the indemnity due would be equivalent to a maximum of two years of remuneration of the directeur général and 
would depend on meeting performance targets established for the calculation of his variable remuneration.

180 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Financial Statements
Parent Company Financial Statements

4

4

The amount paid would be calculated as a prorated percentage of the variable remuneration paid during the three years prior to 
the departure in relation to the target variable remuneration for these same years.

Thus, the amount due would be calculated according to the following formula:

 › total gross remuneration (including variable remuneration but excluding benefits in kind and directors’ fees) due in respect of 

his corporate office for the two years ended prior to the date of departure;

 › multiplied  by  the  figure  resulting  from  the  division  i)  of  the  amount  of  the  variable  remuneration  paid  to  the  directeur 
général during the three years ended prior to the date of the departure (numerator), by ii) the amount of the target variable 
remuneration decided for each of these same years by the Board of Directors according to the achievement of the targets fixed 
for the company (denominator).

The indemnity may only be paid in the event of a change of control or strategy duly established by the Board of Directors that 
results in a forced departure within the following twelve months. It could also be paid in a scenario of a forced departure without 
being related to poor results of the company or to mismanagement by the directeur général; the Board of Directors can then 
decide to grant all or part of the termination compensation.

The indemnity will not be due in a situation where the directeur général leaves the company on his own initiative to take up a new 
position, or changes position within the group, or if he is able to claim a pension within a short time period.

Besides,  in  the  event  of  exceptional  events  that  could  seriously  damage  the  group’s  image  or  income  and  have  a  significant 
negative impact on the stock market share price of your company, according to the assessment of the Board of Directors, or in 
the event of misconduct independent of his functions and incompatible with the normal performance of his office as directeur 
général, the Board of Directors may establish that the indemnity will not be due.

2.  With the board members of your company, in connection with the insurance policy « Civil liability 

of the directors and the corporate officers « signed with the company Insurance Allianz

a. Nature and purpose
Advance to the Board Members of their expenses of possible legal defense instituted against them in the exercise of their mandate.

Conditions
In its meeting on July 24, 1996, the Board of Directors authorized the decision to have your company advance their expenses 
to a legal and compensations that the board members might have if their personal civil liability would be questioned, in case 
the  insurance  policy  signed  with  the  company  CHARTIS  Insurance  (Allianz),  would  not  cover  these  advances  and  financial 
consequences.

b. Nature and purpose
Payment of the possible legal defense expenses of Board Members taking place in the United Sates.

Conditions
In its meeting on September 23, 2003, the Board of Directors authorized the decision to have your company pay the fees and 
travel expenses that board members of the company and of its subsidiaries might have to meet to prepare their personal defense 
before a civil, criminal or administrative jurisdiction of the United States if this defense were to be exercised within the scope of 
an inquiry or investigations being carried out against your company.

Payment of these expenses is ensured on the three-part condition that the board members and senior executives concerned are 
assisted by lawyers selected by the company, that the company remains in control of its strategic choices in terms of procedure 
and methods of defense and that the expenses incurred be reasonable.

Neuilly-sur-Seine and Paris-La Défense, March 16, 2018

The Statutory Auditors

French original signed by

PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit

Thierry Leroux

ERNST & YOUNG et Autres

Nour-eddine Zanouda

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

181

4 Financial Statements

Legal and Arbitration Proceedings

4.3  Legal and Arbitration Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, the Company is involved from time to time in litigation, tax audits or regulatory inquiries. 
The Company is subject to ongoing tax audits and tax reassessments in jurisdictions in which it has or had operations. Certain 
reassessments have been contested and the Company is under discussion with the relevant tax authorities. To the Company’s 
knowledge, there is no outstanding, suspended or pending government proceeding, litigation or arbitration, which has had during 
the last twelve months preceding the publication of this Annual Report (Document de référence), or is likely to have, a significant 
impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

182 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

5

CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE

CONTENTS

5.1  The Board’s Corporate 
Governance Report 

5.2.2  Internal Control Participants and Organization 

215

184

5.2.3  Internal Control and Risk Management Procedures  215

5.1.1  Composition and Practices 

of the Board of Directors 

5.1.2  The Executive Committee 

5.1.3  Principles established by the Board of Directors 

pertaining to compensation of the Executive 
Officers and directors 

5.1.4  Summary of the Compensation and Benefits Due 
to Corporate Officers (mandataires sociaux)  

5.1.5  Application of the AFEP-MEDEF Code 

5.1.6  Other information required by Articles L. 225-37 

et seq. of the French Commercial Code 

184

196

197

201

211

212

5.2.4  Internal Control Procedures Relating 

to the Preparation and Treatment of Financial 
and Accounting Information 

5.2.5  Evaluation of Internal Control 

5.2.6  Limitations on Internal Control 

5.3  Transactions in Dassault Systèmes 
shares by the Management 
of the Company 

5.4  Statutory Auditors 

5.2  Internal Control Procedures 
and Risk Management 

5.2.1  Definition and objectives of internal control 

214

214

5.5  Declarations regarding 

the administrative Bodies 
and Senior Management 

216

217

217

218

220

221

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5.1  The Board’s Corporate Governance Report

Report of the Board to the Combined General Meeting 
of May 22, 2018
To the Shareholders of Dassault Systèmes,

The  purpose  of  this  report  is  to  describe  inter  alia  the 
composition and practices of the Board of Directors of Dassault 
Systèmes  SE,  the  application  thereto  of  the  principle  of 
balanced  representation  of  men  and  women,  and  the  policy 
and details of the executives’ remuneration.

This  report  was  drawn  up  in  accordance  with  the  French 
Commercial Code and the regulations of the Financial Markets 
Authority  (AMF),  based  on  work  carried  out  by  the  Finance, 
Legal and Internal Audit departments of Dassault Systèmes. It 
has been reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by 
the Board of Directors on March 15, 2018.

Since  its  IPO  in  1996,  Dassault  Systèmes  has  sought  to 
implement  the  best  international  standards  of  corporate 
governance. Dassault Systèmes currently adheres to most of 
the  recommendations  of  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code  (available 
on  the  MEDEF  website:  www.medef.com)  and  therefore 
summarizes in a table the reasons why it does not apply certain 
of these recommendations (see paragraph 5.1.5 “Application 
of the AFEP-MEDEF Code”).

5.1.1  Composition and Practices of the Board of Directors

5.1.1.1 

Composition of the Board of Directors

As of the date of this Annual Report, the Board of Directors of 
Dassault Systèmes SE comprises 12 members whose term of 
office is four renewable years:

 › Charles Edelstenne (Chairman);

 › Bernard Charlès (Vice-Chairman);

 › Thibault de Tersant;

 › Jean-Pierre Chahid-Nouraï;

 › Catherine Dassault;

 › Arnoud De Meyer;

 › Odile Desforges;

 › Soumitra Dutta;

 › Tanneguy  de  Fromont  de  Bouaille  (director  representing 

employees);

 › Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault;

 › Laurence Lescourret;

 › Toshiko Mori.

The composition of the Board of Directors of Dassault Systèmes 
SE  reflects  the  particular  attention  the  Company  pays  to 
seeking a balance between senior and new directors, between 
independent  and  non-independent  directors,  between 
women  and  men,  as  well  as  to  the  diversity  of  background, 
nationalities and competences.

As  at  December  31,  2017,  the  proportion  of  independent 
directors  as  per  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code  (i.e.  excluding  the 
director representing the employees) was  55%. This is higher 
than  the  ratio  recommended  by  the  Code  for  controlled 
companies (1/3).

To assess such independence, Dassault Systèmes SE bases its 
decision  on  the  definition  of  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code,  which 
has been incorporated into the internal regulation of the Board 
of  Directors,  whereby  a  director  is  independent  when  he  or 
she  has  no  relationship  whatsoever  with  Dassault  Systèmes 
SE,  the  Group  or  its  management  which  might  compromise 
his or her free judgment. At its meeting of March 15, 2018, 
the  Board  of  Directors  assessed,  as  it  does  every  year,  the 
independence of its members, and concluded that six directors 
are  independent:  Ms.  Desforges,  Ms.  Mori,  Ms.  Lescourret, 
Messrs.  Chahid-Nouraï,  De  Meyer  and  Dutta.  This  decision 
by the Board is based on the answers from the directors to a 
questionnaire.

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5

As  none  of  the  independent  directors  have  a  business 
relationship  with  the  Group,  the  Board  of  Directors  had  to 
express  an  opinion,  as  at  present,  neither  on  the  materiality 
of any such relationship nor on the criteria used to assess it.

Dassault Systèmes SE is also committed to ensure a significant 
female  representation  on   the  Board,  which  is,  with  45%  of 
women  directors  (excluding  the  director  representing  the 
employees  in  accordance  with  law)  above  the  minimum  of 
40% set forth by law.

Lastly,  in  terms  of  internationalization,  the  Board  has  three 
non-French  members  -  a  Belgian,  a  Japanese  and  an  Indian 
director - accounting for 25% of the members.

The  average  age  of  the  directors  was  61  at  the  date  of  this 
Annual Report.

The above information is summarized in the table below.

COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF DASSAULT SYSTÈMES SE

Director

Charles Edelstenne(1)

Bernard Charlès(1)

Thibault de Tersant(1)

Jean-Pierre Chahid-Nouraï

Catherine Dassault

Arnoud De Meyer

Odile Desforges

Soumitra Dutta

Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille

Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault

Laurence Lescourret

Toshiko Mori

Independence

of office Term expires in

Change in 2017

Start of 1st term 

Contribution to 
the diversity of the 
Board’s composition

04/08/1993

04/08/1993

04/08/1993

04/15/2005

07/20/2016

2018

2018

2018

2019

2019

04/15/2005

2019

Ratification(2)

05/30/2013

2021

Re-appointment

05/23/2017

2021

Appointment

06/24/2016

07/23/2014

05/26/2016

05/26/2011

2020

2020

2020

2019

X

X

X

X

X

X

5

Enhanced female 
representation

Enhanced 
international 
representation

Enhanced female 
representation

Enhanced 
international 
representation

Enhanced female 
representation

Enhanced female 
and international 
representation

(1)  Renewal  proposed to the General Meeting of May 22, 2018.
(2)  Cooptation decided by the Board on July 20, 2016.

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The roles and duties performed by the Dassault Systèmes SE Corporate Officers (mandataires sociaux) in 2017 are indicated in 
the table below.

CHARLES EDELSTENNE – CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Biography: Charles Edelstenne is currently Chairman of the Board 
of  Directors  after  having  subsequently  occupied  the  positions 
of  Manager  and  then  Chairman  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  of 
Dassault  Systèmes  of  which  he  is  the  founder.  He  is  also  Chief 
Executive Officer of Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault after having 
occupied the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 
Dassault Aviation from 2000 to 2013. Before that and within the 
same Company, he was Vice President responsible for economic 
and  financial  affairs  (1986-2000)  and  General  Secretary  (1975-
1986). He holds a chartered accountant qualification.

Age: 80

Nationality: French

Professional address: Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault – 9 Rond-
Point  des  Champs-Élysées  –  Marcel  Dassault,  75008  Paris  – 
France

Term expires: General Meeting of May 22, 2018

Other current positions and directorships:

Date of first appointment: 04/08/1993

Dassault  Systèmes  shares  owned  at  December  31,  2017: 
15,739,094 (including a majority of beneficial ownership shares)

With  the  Dassault  Group,  in  France:  Chief  Executive  Officer 
and  member  of  the  Supervisory  Board  of  Groupe  Industriel 
Marcel Dassault SAS (GIMD)(1), Honorary Chairman and Director 
of  Dassault  Aviation  SA  (listed  company,  subsidiary  of  GIMD), 
Director  of  Sogitec  Industries  SA,  Dassault  Médias  SA,  Groupe 
Figaro Benchmark SASU

With  the  Dassault  Group,  outside  France:  Director  of  SABCA 
(listed  company,  subsidiary  of  GIMD)  (Belgium),  Director  of 
Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation (United -States)

Outside  the  Dassault  Group:  Director  of  Thales  and  Carrefour 
(listed  companies),  and  Banque  Lepercq  de  Neuflize  &  Co.  Inc. 
(USA); Honorary Chairman of Gifas(2), Manager of the partnerships 
Arie, Arie 2, Nili and Nili 2

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

Chairman of Gifas and Cidef(3)

Chairman  and  CEO  of  Dassault  Aviation  SA  (listed  company, 
subsidiary of GIMD), Chairman of the Board of Dassault Falcon Jet 
Corporation and Chairman of Dassault International, Inc.

(1)  GIMD is the main shareholder of Dassault Systèmes SE (See paragraph 6.3.2 “Controlling Shareholder”).
(2)  Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales.
(3)  Conseil des i ndustries de d éfense f rançaises.

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BERNARD CHARLÈS – VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Biography: Bernard Charlès has been Vice-Chairman of the Board 
(since  2016)  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  Dassault  Systèmes 
since 2002. Since 1995, Mr. Charlès has had executive functions 
which  he  shared  with  Mr.  Edelstenne.  Prior  to  holding  this 
position,  Mr.  Charlès  served  as  Director  of  the  New  Technology, 
Research and Development and Strategy department from 1986 
to 1988 and as Director of Strategy, Research and Development 
from 1988 to 1995.

Age: 60

Nationality: French

Professional  address:  Dassault  Systèmes  –  10  rue  Marcel-
Dassault, 78140 Vélizy-Villacoublay – France

Main  position:  Vice-Chairman  of  the  Board  and  Chief  Executive 
Officer of Dassault Systèmes

Term expires: General Meeting of May 22, 2018

Other current positions and directorships:

Date of first appointment: 04/08/1993

Dassault  Systèmes  shares  owned  at  December  31,  2017: 
3,290,441

With  the  Dassault  Systèmes  Group,  outside  France:  Chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Dassault  Systemes  Corp.,  Dassault  Systemes 
SolidWorks Corp., Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp. and Dassault 
Systemes Biovia Corp. (United- States); Chairman of the Advisory 
Board  (corporate  body)  of  Dassault  Systemes  3DExcite  GmbH 
(Germany)

Outside  the  Dassault  Systèmes  Group,  in  France:  Director  of 
Sanofi (listed company)

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years (all 
inside the Dassault Systèmes Group, outside France):

Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Dassault  Systemes  Delmia  Corp., 
Dassault  Systemes  Enovia  Corp.  (United  States),  Dassault 
Systemes  Canada  Software  Inc.  (Canada)  and  Chairman  of  the 
Supervisory Board of RealTime Technology AG (Germany)

5

THIBAULT DE TERSANT – SENIOR EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER(1)

Biography:  Thibault  de  Tersant  has  been  Senior  Executive  Vice-
President and Chief Financial Officer of Dassault Systèmes since 
2003.  He  joined  Dassault  Systèmes  in  1988  as  Executive  Vice-
President  and  Chief  Financial  Officer.  Prior  to  joining  Dassault 
Systèmes, Mr de Tersant served as a finance executive at Dassault 
International.

Age: 60

Nationality: French

Professional  address:  Dassault  Systèmes  –  10  rue  Marcel-
Dassault, 78140 Vélizy-Villacoublay – France

Main  position:  Senior  Executive  Vice-President  and  Chief 
Financial Officer of Dassault Systèmes

Term expires: General Meeting of May 22, 2018

Main other current positions and directorships:

Date of first appointment: 04/08/1993

Dassault  Systèmes  shares  owned  at  December  31,  2017: 
114,034

With  the  Dassault  Systèmes  Group,  in  France:  President   of 
Dassault Systèmes International SAS

Chairman of the Board of La Fondation Dassault Systèmes

With  the  Dassault  Systèmes  Group,  outside  France:  Chairman 
of the Board of Spatial Corp., Director of Dassault Systemes Corp., 
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp., Dassault Systemes Simulia 
Corp.,  Dassault  Systèmes  Biovia  Corp.  (United  States);  Member 
of  the  Advisory  Board  (corporate  body)  of  Dassault  Systemes 
3DExcite GmbH (Germany)

Outside  the  Dassault  Systèmes  Group:  Director  of  Temenos 
(listed  company)  (Switzerland);  Director  of  DFCG  (the  French 
National  Association  of  Chief  Financial  Officers  and  Financial 
Controllers)

Other  positions  held,  and  expired,  during  the  past  five  years 
(all inside the Dassault Systèmes Group, outside France):

Manager  of  Elsys  SPRL,  Director  of  Dassault  Systemes  Delmia 
Corp., and Dassault Systemes Enovia Corp. (United States)

(1)  As of February 5, 2018, Thibault de Tersant was named General Secretary of Dassault Systèmes.

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JEAN-PIERRE CHAHID-NOURAÏ – INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Chairman of the Audit Committee
Member and Chairman of the Compensation and Nomination 
Committee (until the end of the Board meeting of March 15, 2018)

is  an 

Jean-Pierre  Chahid-Nouraï 

Biography: 
independent 
consultant. He was a managing director (administrateur délégué) 
of  Finanval  Conseil  from  1992  to  2007.  Former  member  of  the 
Michelin management and Financial Manager, Mr. Chahid-Nouraï 
was  also  an  investment  banker  at  MM.  Lazard  Frères  et  Cie, 
Banque Veuve Morin-Pons, Financière Indosuez and S.G. Warburg, 
as well as a consultant with McKinsey & Co. Warburg, as well as 
a  consultant  with  McKinsey  &  Co.  At  the  same  time,  he  taught 
finance at ESSEC, the Centre de Formation à l’Analyse Financière, 
INSEAD and CEDEP (Centre Européen d’Éducation Permanente).

Age: 79

Nationality: French

Professional  address:  56  rue  de  Boulainvilliers,  75016  Paris  – 
France

Main position: Director

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2018

Other current positions and directorships:

None

Date of first appointment: 04/15/2005

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 2,070

Director of the Fondation Stanislas pour l’Éducation

CATHERINE DASSAULT – DIRECTOR

Biography:  Catherine  Dassault  is  a  member  of  the  Organizing 
Committee  and  the  Honorary  Committee  of  the  French 
Alzheimer’s  Research  Association,  to  whose  growth  she  has 
contributed  decisively.  Catherine  Dassault  also  sits  on  the  Board 
of  the  Institut  de  l’Engagement,  which  helps  young  volunteers 
enrolled in France’s Civic Service scheme to pursue their studies, 
find a job or set up their own business. Before devoting her time 
to  helping  develop  and  fund  medical  research  and  education, 
Catherine Dassault studied law and psychology and worked in the 
advertising and communications industry.

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2018

Date of first appointment: 07/20/2016

Age: 50

Nationality: French

Professional address: Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault – 9 Rond-
Point  des  Champs-Élysées  –  Marcel  Dassault,  75008  Paris  – 
France

Main  position:  Active  member  of  associations  recognized  to  be 
of public interest

Other current positions and directorships:

Director of Dassault Aviation

Director of l’Institut de l’engagement

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 1,419

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

Manager of C’est Ainsi (SARL)

188 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

ARNOUD DE MEYER – INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Chairman of the Scientific Committee
Member of the Compensation and Nomination Committee (until the 
end of the Board meeting of March 15, 2018)

Biography:  Arnoud  De  Meyer  is  President  of  the  Singapore 
Management  University.  Mr.  De  Meyer  is  a  specialist  in  the 
management of innovation and has published numerous articles 
and  books  on  this  subject.  He  was  previously  Management 
Professor  and  Director  of  Judge  Business  School  (University  of 
Cambridge,  U.K.)  and  Professor  of  Technology  Management 
at  INSEAD  and  Deputy  -Dean  of  INSEAD  in  France  in  charge  of 
Administration  and  External  Relations.  He  has  also  taught  at 
Waseda University and Keio Business School in Japan and created 
the INSEAD Campus in Singapore.

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2018

Date of first appointment: 04/15/2005

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 1,176

ODILE DESFORGES – INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Member of the Audit Committee

Biography:  Odile  Desforges  graduated  from  the  École  Centrale 
Paris  in  1973.  She  began  her  career  at  the  Transport  Research 
Institute,  before  joining  Renault  in  1981  as  Planner  and  then 
Product Engineer. In 1986, she joined the Purchasing department 
as  manager  for  external  equipments.  She  then  became  Body 
Equipment  Purchasing  General  Manager  for  Renault/Volvo 
Purchasing Organization, then for Renault. In 1999, she became 
Executive  Vice-President  of  Renault-VI  Mack  Group,  before 
becoming in 2001 President of Volvo Group’s 3P Business Unit.

In  2003,  she  was  appointed  Senior  Vice-President,  Purchasing, 
and  Chairwoman  and  -Managing  Director  of  Renault  Nissan 
Purchasing  Organization  (RNPO).  Between  March  1,  2009  and 
July 1, 2012, she was Executive Vice-President, Engineering and 
Quality, and a member of the Group Executive Committee.

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2020

Date of first appointment: 05/30/2013

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 300

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5

Age: 63

Nationality: Belgian

Professional  address:  Singapore  Management  University  – 
81 Victoria Street, Singapore 188065 – Singapore

Main position: President of Singapore Management University

Other current positions and directorships:

Outside  France:  Director  of  Temasek  Management  Services 
Pte.  Ltd,  Singapore  International  Chamber  of  Commerce,  SMU 
Ventures Pte. Ltd, member of the Board of Directors of Singapore 
National  Research  Foundation,  Director  of  the  Singapore 
Symphony Orchestra

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

Director of Kylian Technology Management Pte. Ltd.

5

Age: 68

Nationality: French

Professional address: 3, rue Henri Heine, 75016 Paris – France

Main position: Director

Other current positions and directorships:

In France: Director of Safran, Faurecia and Imerys (listed companies)

Outside France: Director of Johnson Matthey Plc (United -Kingdom)

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

Director of RNBV, RNTBCI, Renault Espana SA and Sequana

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SOUMITRA DUTTA – INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Member of the Compensation and Nomination Committee 
(at the end of the Board meeting of December 8, 2017)
Member of the Scientific Committee

Biography: Soumitra Dutta began his career in 1985 as a research 
assistant  at  University  of  California,  Berkeley,  USA.  Between 
1988 and 1990, he gained further research experience at General 
Electric.  He  then  joined  Insead,  the  international  management 
school based in Fontainebleau (France), where he served as lecturer 
then dean of technology and e-learning. In 1999, he set up eLab@
Insead,  the  school’s  research  and  analytics  center  focused  on 
big  data  analytics  for  businesses,  which  he  headed  until  2012. 
In  2002,  he  was  named  dean  of  Executive  Education  at  Insead. 
During  his  tenure  at  Insead,  Soumitra  Dutta  also  participated  in 
setting up and managing three strategy consultancies specialized 
in new technologies and innovation, which he developed before 
selling them. In 2012, he was appointed Dean of the Samuel Curtis 
Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University in 
New York, and in 2016 became the founding dean of the Cornell 
College of Business, comprising Cornell’s three accredited business 
programs:  the  School  of  Hotel  Administration,  the  Charles  H. 
Dyson  School  of  Applied  Economics  and  Management,  and  the 
Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ended December 31, 2020

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 0*

* 

Soumitra Dutta acquired 100 ADRs in March 2018 .

Age: 54

Nationality: Indian

Professional  address:  College  of  Business  -  Cornell  University  - 
Ithaca, New York (USA)

Main  position:  Former  Dean  and  Professor  of  Operations, 
Technology and Information Management, SC Johnson College of 
Business Cornell University 

Other current positions and directorships:

Director of Sodexo (listed company) and Chairman of the Board 
of  The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business 
(AACSB), USA.

Other positions held during the past five years:

Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Fisheye  Analytics  Ltd, 
Singapore.

TANNEGUY DE FROMONT DE BOUAILLE – DIRECTOR REPRESENTING THE EMPLOYEES

Biography:  Tanneguy  de  Fromont  de  Bouaille  is  the  director 
representing  the  employees  appointed  by  the  CFE-CGC.  He  has 
been recruited by Dassault Systèmes in 1992 and currently serves 
as Consumer Goods and Retail Industry Sales Director, after having 
been  employed  as  General  Manager  of  Dassault  Data  Services 
(between  1992  and  2004),  and  Europe  Sales  Administration 
Director for ENOVIA (between 2004 and 2012). He previously held 
technical  functions  and  then  commercial  agency  management 
functions  with  Cap  Gemini  France  and  Cap  Gemini  America. 
Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille graduated from École Centrale 
Lyon and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Age: 63

Nationality: French

Professional  address:  Dassault  Systèmes  –  10  rue  Marcel-
Dassault, 78140 Vélizy-Villacoublay – France

Main  position:  Consumer  Goods  and  Retail  Industry  Sales 
Director of Dassault Systèmes

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2019

Date of first appointment: 06/24/2016

Main other current positions and directorships:

None

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 13,257

None

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Age: 52

Nationality: French

Professional address: Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault – 9 Rond-
Point  des  Champs-Élysées  –  Marcel  Dassault,  75008  Paris  – 
France

Main  position:  Director  of  Communication  and  Patronage, 
Dassault Group

Other current positions and directorships:

With  the  Dassault  Group: member of the Supervisory Board of 
GIMD,  permanent  representative  of  GIMD  on  the  Supervisory 
Board of Immobilière Dassault, member of the Board of Directors 
of  Dassault  Aviation  (listed  company),  member  of  the  Strategy 
Committee HDF, Director and Vice-Chairman of the Serge Dassault 
Foundation, Director of Artcurial

Outside  the  Dassault  Group:  Director  of  Biomérieux  (listed 
company),  General  Manager  of  H  Investissements,  General 
Manager of HDH

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

Member of Strategic Committee of Dassault Développement

5

Age: 44

Nationality: French

Professional address: ESSEC Business School – Avenue Bernard-
Hirsch – 95021 Cergy-Pontoise – France

Main position: Associate professor in the Finance department – 
ESSEC Business School

Other current positions and directorships:

Independent Director of Le Crédit Lyonnais SA (listed company)

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

MARIE-HÉLÈNE HABERT-DASSAULT – DIRECTOR

Biography:  Marie-Hélène  Habert-Dassault  has  been  Group 
Director  of  Communication  and  Patronage  since  1998.  She 
joined  the  Dassault  Group  in  1991  as  Deputy  Director  of 
Communications  after having started her career at DDB Publicité 
in London as a media planning consultant. She holds a Master’s 
degree in Business Law and Taxation, a business law practitioner 
diploma (Assas, 1988) and a Master’s in Strategy and Marketing 
(Sciences Po, 1989)    .

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2019

Date of first appointment: 07/23/2014

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 500*

*  Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault is a shareholder of GIMD.

LAURENCE LESCOURRET – INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Compensation and Nomination Committee (at the 
end of the Board meeting of December 8, 2017)
Member of the Compensation and Nomination Committee (at the 
end of the Board meeting of March 15, 2018)

Biography:  Laurence  Lescourret  has  been  an  associate  professor 
at the Finance department of ESSEC Business School since 2010. 
She is also a Director of ESSEC’s “Capital Markets and Regulation” 
Excellence  Center  and  an  affiliate  academic  researcher  at  the 
Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique (CREST).

She  holds  a  PhD  in  finance  from  HEC  Paris  (2003),  a  Master  in 
management  from  EDHEC,  a  Master  “104  Finance”  from  Paris 
Dauphine University, and a Master in political economy analysis 
from the École d’Économie de Paris.

Between 2004 and 2011, she was first an assistant professor, co-
director and ultimately Director of the ESSEC Finance department. 
She also taught at ENSAE between 2000 and 2010.

As an academic researcher, she is the author of several publications 
on  organizing  and  regulating  capital  markets  and  has  received 
distinction for her work. She was the 2013 recipient of the Vega 
Prize from the Federation of European Securities Exchanges and 
received  the  2015  award  for  best  research  Article  on  derivative 
products  granted  by  the  IFSID  (Montreal Institute of Structured 
Finance and Derivatives).

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2019

Date of first appointment: 05/26/2016

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 115

Member of the Supervisory Board of Groupe ESSEC

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TOSHIKO MORI – INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Member of the Scientific Committee

Biography: Toshiko Mori is the Robert P. Hubbard Professor in the 
Practice of Architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of 
Design and was the Chairman of the department of Architecture 
from 2002 to 2008. She is principal of Toshiko Mori Architect, and 
founder of VisionArc, a think-tank promoting global dialogue for a 
sustainable future. She has been honored with numerous awards: 
several  American  Institute  of  Architects  New-York Awards; the 
Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of 
Arts and Letters; the American Institute of Architects New-York 
Chapter Medal of Honor; and the 2016 Tau Sigma Delta National 
Honor Society Gold Medal. Her project in Senegal won the Plan 
2016 award in Culture, was a finalist for the Aga Khan 2014-2016 
award, and won the Architizer 2016 A+ awards for Architecture + 
Community and Architecture + Humanitarianism. The project was 
also recently awarded the American Institute of Architects 2017 
Institute  Honor  Award.  Architectural  Digest  listed  her  amongst 
their biennial AD100 in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

She  is  a  member  of  the  World  Economic  Forum  Global  Future 
Council  on  The  Future  of  Cities,  jury  member  of  the  Alvar  Aalto 
Medal  2017,  and  was  inducted  as  a  member  of  the  American 
Academy of Arts & Sciences. Lastly she is a partner of Paracoustica, 
a  non-profit  organization  which  brings  music  to  underserved 
communities.

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2018

Date of first appointment: 05/26/2011

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 600

Age: 66

Nationality: Japanese

Professional  address:  Toshiko  Mori  Architect,  199  Lafayette 
Street, New York, NY 10012 – USA

Main position: Founder of Toshiko Mori Architect PLLC

Other current positions and directorships:

Outside France: Robert P. Hubbard Professor in Harvard Graduate 
School of Design, member of the American Institute of Architects 
College of Fellows, member of the World Economic Forum Global 
Future Council on Future of Cities and Urbanism, member of the 
Advisory Board of A + U Magazine, member of the G1 Summit 
(Japan) and member of the Alvar Aalto Medal 2017 jury.

Other positions held, and expired, during the past five years:

President  of  World  Economic  Forum  Global  Agenda  Council  on 
Design

Advisor to Isamu Noguchi Museum

Member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on 
Design & Innovation

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5.1.1.2 

Practices of the Board of Directors

Separation of the offices of Chairman and Chief 
Executive Officer
Dassault  Systèmes  separated  the  offices  of  Chairman  of  the 
Board  and  Chief  Executive  Officer.  In  addition  to  the  balance 
of  powers  that  this  offers,  it  enables  the  Chairman  and  the 
Chief Executive Officer to concentrate on their specific remits 
(described  below)  within  an  experienced  and  harmonious 
management  team  (Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne  previously  held 
both roles as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault 
Systèmes SE).

Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne,  Chairman  of  the  Board,  organizes 
and supervises the work of the Board and reports thereon at 
the  General  Shareholders’  Meeting.  He  ensures  the  proper 
functioning  of  the  Board  and  the  committees  of  Dassault 
Systèmes  SE  and  their  compliance  with  the  best  practices 
of  good  corporate  governance,  for  example,  by  making  sure 
in 2017, as well as over the last yea rs, that the directors are 
capable  of  fulfilling  their  duties.  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès,  Vice-
Chairman  of  the  Board  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  keeps 
him  regularly  informed  of  significant  matters  concerning 
the Company and in particular its strategy, organization and 
investment  projects.  Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne  also  oversees 
maintaining  quality  relations  with  shareholders  in  close 
coordination with measures taken in this area by Mr. Bernard 
Charlès.  All  of  these  tasks  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  are 
directed toward serving the Company, and his actions are taken 
into account in reviewing and determining his compensation. 

The  Chief  Executive  Officer  is  vested  by  law  with  the  most 
comprehensive  powers  to  represent  Dassault  Systèmes 
SE,  subject  to  the 
in 
paragraph  5.1.1.4  “Powers  of  the  Chief  Executive  Officer” 
below.  He  represents  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  in  its  dealings 
with third parties.

limitations  of  powers 

indicated 

The  Board  of  Directors  has  set  up  a  number  of  special 
committees to help it perform its tasks: the Audit Committee 
(established  in  1996),  the  Compensation  and  Nomination 
Committee  and  the  Scientific  Committee  (established  in 
2005).  The  committees  report  regularly  to  the  Board  as 
to  the  performance  of  their  missions.  The  composition 
of  these  committees  and  their  practices  are  described  in 
paragraph  5.1.1.3  “Composition,  Practices  and  Activities  of 
the Board Committees”.

In  the  event  the  General  Meeting  of  May  22,  2018   would 
renew  Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne  and  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès  as 
directors,  Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne  and  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès 
would be renewed respectively as Chairman of the Board and 
as Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

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5

Main provisions of the Board’s internal regulation
The  Board  has  an  internal  regulation.  It  was  amended  on 
December 8, 2017 to strengthen  the confidentiality obligation 
of  each  Director,  and  set  out  the  rules  for  preventing  and 
managing conflicts of interest, as recommended in the AFEP-
MEDEF Code.

The Audit Committee has its own charter.

The  internal  regulation  stipulates  the  frequency  of  the 
Board  meetings  take  place  and  how  Board  members  may 
participate in them. It also provides rules on the information 
and  disclosure  provided  to  the  Board  members  on  a  regular 
basis (e.g. information on off-balance sheet commitments and 
the  cash  position)  and  in  case  of  event  which  might  have  a 
material  impact  on  the  Company’s  prospects,  outlook  or  on 
the implementation of the Company’s strategy.

The internal regulation requires that, each year:

 › the Board reviews the independence of the directors;

 › the  independent  directors  meet  on  one  occasion  without 
the  other  directors  to  have  a  general  discussion  on  the 
practices of the Board of Directors, and if applicable, debate 
specific subjects; and

 › the  Board  discusses  its  practices.  Every  three  years,  the 

Board conducts a formal review.

In  terms  of  confidentiality  obligations,  the  Board  regulation 
stipulates that the directors, or any persons attending meetings 
of the Board or one of its committees, must keep confidential 
all information obtained in connection with the fulfillment of 
their duties. In terms of preventing and managing conflicts of 
interest,  all  directors  are  required  to  notify  the  Board  of  any 
actual or potential conflicts of interest with the Group and, in 
such circumstances, abstain in the vote taken on such matters. 
Specifically, the involvement of a director in a transaction in 
which the Group has a direct interest, or which has come to 
their attention in their capacity as director, must be notified to 
the Board prior to its conclusion. In addition, directors are not 
permitted to use their title or position to obtain benefits of any 
kind, for themselves or third parties. In terms of the number of 
positions held in other companies, each director is required to 
inform the Board of any other position held in another French 
or foreign company, including in their committees. Moreover, 
the  executive  officers  (dirigeants mandataires sociaux)  must 
first  obtain  the  approval  from  the  Board  prior  to  accepting  a 
new term of office in a listed company. The internal regulation 
also  requires  them  to  hold,  directly  or  indirectly,  a  relatively 
significant number of Dassault Systèmes SE shares (except the 
director representing the employees), and to comply with the 
Group’s rules on the prevention of insider trading.

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The Board of Directors’ activities in 2017
The  Board  of  Directors  met  eight  times  in  2017,  with  an 
attendance rate of 97%.

The Board’s review of its practices and performance
The  Board  of  Directors  is  constantly  seeking  to  improve  its 
practices. To this end:

 › it  asks  the  independent  directors  for  their  comments  on 
the subject. The independent directors meet every year to 
discuss the Board’s practices. In 2017, a presentation was 
made  to  them  on  this  topic,  after  which  they  were  able 
to  have  a  discussion  without  the  presence  of  the  Dassault 
Systèmes teams, before reporting on their discussion to the 
Board;

 › it holds a debate at least once a year on its practices, and 
conducts  a  formal  review  every  three  years,  in  accordance 
with its internal regulation and the AFEP-MEDEF Code. At 
the  debate  held  in  2017,  the  directors  declared  that  they 
were  very  satisfied  with  both  the  work  and  practices  of 
the Board and did not formulate any specific improvement 
recommendation.

The  Board  declared  that  it  was  satisfied  with  the  effective 
contribution of the directors to the works of the Board, notably 
on  the  basis  of  the  attendance  and  the  involvement  of  each 
director.

5.1.1.3 

Composition, Practices and Activities 
of the Board committees

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee consists solely of independent directors: 
Ms.  Odile  Desforges,  Ms.  Laurence  Lescourret  and  Mr.  Jean-
Pierre  Chahid-Nouraï,  the  Committee  Chairman.  All  have 
financial or accounting expertise.

It is the task of the Audit Committee to oversee:

 › matters  related  to  the  preparation  and  the  auditing  of 
accounting  and  financial  information,  in  compliance  with 
the applicable regulations and its Charter;

 › the  preparation  process  for  financial  information,  the 
effectiveness of the internal control and risk management 
systems, the audit by the Statutory Auditors of the annual 
financial statements and consolidated financial statements 
and the independence of the Statutory Auditors; and

 › the  relationship  between  Dassault  Systèmes  and 

its 
Statutory  Auditors.  In  this  regard,  the  Audit  Committee 
is  involved  in  appointing  and  reappointing  the  Statutory 
Auditors and in approving their appointment for non-audit 
related missions. It monitors the Statutory Auditors to ensure 
they fulfill their mission and takes account of the findings 
and  conclusions  of  the  Haut  Conseil  du  Commissariat  aux 
Comptes after audits have been conducted.

On  all 
recommendations to the Board of Directors.

these  matters, 

this  Committee 

reports 

its 

In addition to the deliberations on its agenda pursuant to the 
law (notice of the General Meeting, the drafting of this report 
and the annual management report), the Board also discussed 
principally the following issues:

 › the  Group  strategy  (definition  and  review  of  strategic 
directions,  review,  and  approval  where  necessary,  of 
partnership, acquisition and guarantee transactions);

 › the  financial  statements  and  the  budget  (approval  of 
the  2016  annual  financial  statements  and  consolidated 
financial statements, the consolidated financial statements 
for the first half of 2017, the 2017 forward accounts and 
the review of the 2017 quarterly results); the Board is kept 
informed  as  to  the  Group’s  financial  position  by  reports 
from the Audit Committee and presentations made at each 
meeting  by  the  Senior  Executive  Vice-President  and  Chief 
Financial Officer;

 › the review of the assessment of the internal control system;

 › the compensation of directors and allocation of shares and 

share subscription options;

 › the payment of additional profit-sharing (profit sharing and 

participation) for fiscal year 2016;

 › the professional equality policy;

 › the amendment of the Board’s internal regulation;

 › the  Board’s  composition  and  practices  (verification  of  the 
independent status of independent directors-  examination 
of materiality of any business relationships with the Group; 
appointment of a new director);

 › the compliance of Dassault Systèmes SE with the rules and 

recommendations on corporate governance;

 › modification  of  the  composition  of  some  of  the  Board’s 

committees.

Directors’ training
All  the  directors  are  invited  to  attend  an  annual  information 
day  launched  in  2015  for  the  independent  directors  and  a 
3DEXPERIENCE Forum which the Group organizes every year, 
notably  in  France,  the  United  States  and  Japan,  to  receive 
feedback  from  its  clients  and  partners  in  these  markets.  In 
accordance  with  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code,  each  director  may 
request, if he or she considers it necessary, additional training 
relating  to  Dassault  Systèmes’  specific  features,  businesses 
and markets.

Tanneguy  de  Fromont  de  Bouaille  benefits  from   training 
specifically designed to his office of director representing the 
employees.

Finally,  the  members  of  the  Audit  Committee  receive,  upon 
appointment, information on the specific accounting, financial 
and operational aspects of the Group.

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The  Audit  Committee  also  provides  the  Board  with  regular 
reports on its activities, the results of the process of certification 
of  the  financial  statements  by  the  Statutory  Auditors,  how 
this  process  contributed  to  the  integrity  of  the  financial 
information  and  the  role  it  played  in  this  process.  It  informs 
the Board immediately of any difficulties it encounters.

It  approves  the  annual  plan  for  internal  audits  and  gives  its 
opinion on the department’s organization. Lastly, it authorizes 
the  Statutory  Auditors  to  provide  services  other  than  the 
certification of the financial statements.

In  the  performance  of  its  missions,  the  Audit  Committee  is 
given  presentations  by  the  Group’s  financial  management, 
particularly regarding risks and, as the case may be, off-balance 
sheet  commitments,  and  during  the  audit  of  the  financial 
statements,  a  presentation  from  the  Statutory  Auditor  on 
the results of the statutory audit and the accounting options 
selected. With regard to the efficiency of the internal control 
and risk management systems, the Statutory Auditors informs 
the Audit Committee of their main findings and the Internal 
Audit Director reports to the Audit Committee the conclusions 
of his work. In addition, the Committee may call on external 
experts, having assessed their expertise and independence.

In  2017,  the  Audit  Committee  met  eight  times,  including 
three  meetings  at  head  office,  which  were  attended  by  the 
Senior  Executive  Vice-President  and  Chief  Financial  Officer, 
the  Company  Finance  Vice-President,  the  Group  Controller, 
the  Financial  Reporting  Director,  the  Internal  Audit  Director, 
the  General  Counsel  and  the  Statutory  Auditors  of  the 
Company, with which regular discussions were held without 
the management in attendance. The meetings preceding the 
disclosure  of  the  quarterly  results  took  place  by  conference 
call. The attendance rate for meetings of the Audit Committee 
in 2017 was 100%.

During 2017, in addition to reviewing the financial statements, 
the  Audit  Committee  had  the  opportunity  to  express  an 
opinion on various topics brought to its attention, including:

 › approval of services not related to the audit;

 › presentation  on  the  significant  changes  in  accounting 

standards (IFRS or French) and their impacts;

 › validation and follow-up of an internal audit plan for fiscal 

year 2017;

 › review  and  assessment  of  the  internal  control  system  in 
2016  and  validation  and  follow-up  of  the  2017  internal 
audit;

 › drafting of the external audit plan for 2017;

 › a  review  of  the  position  of  the  insurance  policies  and 

compliance matters;

 › re-appointment of a Statutory Auditor;

 › possible  acquisitions  of  target  companies,  as  well  as  the 

Group’s corporate simplification scheme.

Compensation and Nomination Committee
The  Compensation  and  Nomination  Committee  is  comprised 
solely  of  independent  directors:  until  March  15,2018,  the 
Committee  was  comprised  of  Mr.  Jean-Pierre  Chahid-Nouraï, 
Mr. Arnoud De Meyer and, since the end of the December 8, 
2017 Board meeting and to ensure an efficient transition, Ms. 
Laurence Lescourret and Mr. Soumitra Dutta. Since March 15, 
2018, the Committee is composed of Ms. Laurence Lescourret 
and Mr. Soumitra Dutta. Mr. Chahid-Nouraï was Chairman of 
the  Committee  until  the  Board  meeting  of  March  15,  2018 
and, at the end of this meeting, has been succeeded by Ms. 
Laurence Lescourret.

The main duties of this Committee are:

 › to  propose  to  the  Board  of  Directors  the  amounts  for 
compensation  and  benefits  of  the  executive  officers 
(dirigeants mandataires sociaux), including the formulas and 
the  rules  to  apply  for  determining  variable  compensation, 
and to verify the application of these rules;

 › to  evaluate  the  overall  amount  and  the  allocation  of  the 

directors’ fees;

 › to  propose  to  the  Board  the  nomination  or  renewal  of 
directors and examine the independence of those who are 
so  identified,  based  on  the  criteria  set  out  in  the  AFEP-
MEDEF Code;

 › to  examine  the  Company’s  policy  for  nominating,  and  to 
be informed of the compensation policy for the managers, 
including non-executive officers;

 › to  discuss  the  employee  profit-sharing  and  incentive  plan 
comprised  of  grants  of  performance  shares  and  share 
subscription options; and

 › to  propose  to  the  Board  of  Directors  solutions  in  case  of 
vacancy  of  the  position  of  Chairman  of  the  Board  and  of 
Chief Executive Officer.

When  the  Compensation  and  Nomination  Committee  carries 
out its nomination work, it liaises with Mr. Charles Edelstenne, 
Chairman of the Board and Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman 
of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.

In relation to its duties, the Committee met four times in 2017, 
with  an  attendance  rate  of  100%.  During  these  meetings, 
the  Committee  made  recommendations  to  the  Board  in  the 
following topics:

 › the  composition  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and 

its 

Committees;

 › the  independence  of  directors,  which  was  reviewed  in 
relation to the responses of each director to a questionnaire;

 › the  compensation  of  executive  officers  (dirigeants 

mandataires sociaux);

 › the  share  plans  and  share  subscription  option  plans  for 

Group directors and employees;

 › the amount and allocation of the attendance fees allocated 

to directors.

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On  a  general  and  ongoing  basis,  the  Compensation  and 
Nomination Committee monitors the compliance of Dassault 
Systèmes with the law and best practice in the area of corporate 
governance, particularly with regard to the composition of the 
Board.

Scientific Committee
Similar  to  the  other  Board  Committees,  the  Scientific 
Committee is comprised solely of independent directors: Ms. 
Toshiko Mori and Mr. Arnoud De Meyer and Soumitra Dutta. 
Mr.  Arnoud  De  Meyer  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  until 
the Board meeting of March 15, 2018 and, at the end of the 
meeting,  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Soumitra  Dutta.  It  meets  at 
least once a year. The Committee reviews the main directions 
of  research  and  development,  as  well  as  the  Company’s 
technological achievements and makes recommendations on 
these  matters.  The  persons  with  principal  responsibility  for 
these  matters  within  Dassault  Systèmes  are  invited  to  the 
Committee’s meetings.

The  Scientific  Committee  met  twice  in  2017,  with  an 
attendance  rate  of  100%.  At  these  meetings,  it  reviewed  a 
number  of  topics  central  to  Dassault  Systèmes  strategy  and 
in particular:

 › multiphysics, multiscale and data-driven simulation; and

5.1.2  The Executive Committee

 › research  into,  and  the  sciences  applied  to,  the  biosphere, 

geosphere and fabersphere.

5.1.1.4 

Powers of the Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to French law, the Chief Executive Officer represents 
Dassault Systèmes SE in dealings with third parties within the 
limits  set  by  the  corporate  purpose  of  the  Company  and  by 
the powers reserved by law to the shareholders or the Board 
of Directors.

However, under the Dassault Systèmes SE’s by-laws, certain 
decisions  of  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  are  submitted  to  the 
prior  approval  of  the  Board.  This  concerns,  in  particular,  the 
acquisition or the disposal of an entity, shareholding or asset 
(excluding internal transactions) or the use of external funding 
(bank  loan  or  capital  market  issue),  if  the  amount  of  the 
transaction  exceeds  a  threshold  set  each  year  by  the  Board. 
This  threshold,  which  was  set  by  the  Board  on  March  15, 
2018, is €500 million .

On March 15, 2018, the Board also renewed its authorization to 
the Chief Executive Officer to grant guarantees, endorsements 
or  securities  in  the  name  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  up  to  an 
aggregate amount of €500 million .

Chaired by Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Committee gathers together 
the managers of the main Dassault Systèmes business areas and functions.

In 2017, the Executive Committee comprised ten members:

Bernard Charlès(1)

Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Dominique Florack

President, Research and Development

Thibault de Tersant(2)

Senior Executive Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer

Bruno Latchague

Monica Menghini

Pascal Daloz

Sylvain Laurent

Laurent Blanchard

Laurence Barthès

Philippe Forestier

Senior Executive Vice-President, Global Field Operations (Americas), Industry solutions and Indirect channels

Executive Vice-President, Chief Strategy Officer

Executive Vice-President, Brands and Corporate Development

Executive Vice-President, Global Field Operations (Asia-Oceania), Worldwide Business Transformation

Executive Vice-President, Global Field Operations (EMEAR)(3), Worldwide Alliances and Services

Executive Vice-President, Chief People and Information Officer

Executive Vice-President, Global Affairs and Communities

(1)  Mr. Bernard Charlès is an acting executive officer (dirigeant mandataire social exécutif) as defined by the AFEP-MEDEF Code.
(2)  Mr. Thibault de Tersant is also a director of Dassault Systèmes SE.
(3)  Europe Middle-East Africa Russia.

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Since February 5, 2018, the Executive Committee has 9 members:

Bernard Charlès(1)

Dominique Florack

Pascal Daloz

Thibault de Tersant(2)

Bruno Latchague

Sylvain Laurent

Laurent Blanchard

Laurence Barthès

Florence Verzelen

Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer

President, Research and Development

EVP, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Strategy Officer

Senior EVP, General Secretary

Senior EVP, Global Field Operations Americas, Global Brands, Indirect channels

EVP, Global Field Operations Asia / Oceania, Global Direct Business Transformation Sales Force

EVP, Global Field Operations EMEAR(3), Alliances Strategy

EVP, Chief People & Information Officer

EVP, Industry Solutions, Marketing, Global Affairs and Communications

(1)  Mr. Bernard Charlès is an acting executive officer (dirigeant mandataire social exécutif) as defined by the AFEP-MEDEF Code.
(2)  Mr. Thibault de Tersant is also a director of Dassault Systèmes SE.
(3)  Europe Middle-East Africa Russia.

5.1.3  Principles established by the Board of Directors pertaining 

to compensation of the Executive Officers and directors

5

Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s  compensation  policy  is  designed  to 
attract, motivate and retain highly qualified individuals, with 
the aim of ensuring the success of Dassault Systèmes. Indeed, 
this success depends on the achievement of its objectives, in 
particular,  strategic,  business  and  financial  objectives,  over 
the medium and long term. In setting criteria for determining 
compensation,  Dassault  Systèmes  seeks  to  strike  a  balance 
between short, medium and long-term financial objectives, in 
order  to  take  into  account  the  creation  of  stockholder  value 
and recognize individual performance.

The annual compensation of the executive officers (dirigeants 
mandataires  sociaux)  is  set  by  the  Board  on  the  basis  of 
recommendations  of  the  Compensation  and  Nomination 
Committee. Such Committee bases its recommendations on a 
benchmark of compensations granted to Presidents of Boards 
of Directors or Supervisory Boards and CEOs of French groups 
part of the SBF 120 index, and of compensations granted to 
CEOs  (also  founders  in  a  majority  of  cases)  of  international 
technology companies.

Also, in accordance with the recommendations of the AFEP-
MEDEF  Code,  the  compensation  elements  due  or  granted 
for  the  last  fiscal  year  to  each  executive  officer  (dirigeant 
mandataire social) within the meaning of AFEP-MEDEF Code, 
i.e. Charles Edelstenne, Chairman, and Bernard Charlès, Vice-
Chairman  and  CEO,  will  be  subject  to  shareholders’  vote.  In 
2017,  such  resolutions  relating  to  compensation  elements 
due or granted for the 2016 fiscal year to Charles Edelstenne 
(8th  resolution)  and  to  Bernard  Charlès  (9th  resolution)  were 
approved by 97.93% and 91.351%, respectively.

Besides, in accordance with Article L. 225-37-2 of the French 
Commercial Code, the principles and criteria applicable to the 
determination,  distribution  and  to  the  granting  of  the  fixed, 
variable and, as the case may be, exceptional elements which 
are  part  of  the  total  compensation  and  benefits  of  all  kinds 
attributable to Mr. Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of the Board, 
and  to  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès,  Vice-Chairman  and  CEO,  for  the 
purposes of their duty during 2018 and which form part of the 
compensation policy relating to them, will be subject to a vote 
in the next General Meeting (see paragraph 7.1 “Presentation 
of  the  resolutions  proposed  by  the  Board  of  Directors  to  the 
General  Meeting  on  May  22,  2018”).  In  accordance  with 
Article L. 225-100 of French Commercial Code, the payment 
of the variable or exceptional compensation elements resulting 
of  the  implementation  of  the  compensation  policy,  for  the 
2018 fiscal year, will be subject to a vote of the shareholders 
during  the  General  Meeting  convened  to  approve  the  2018 
annual accounts.

Finally, in accordance with the same applicable legal provisions, 
payment  of  the  variable  or  exceptional  compensation 
elements  for  2017,  resulting  of  the  implementation  of  the 
compensation policy applicable to Mr. Charles Edelstenne and 
Mr. Bernard Charlès approved by the General Meeting held on 
May  23,  2017,  will  be  subject  to  a  vote  of  the  shareholders 
during  the  General  Meeting  convened  to  approve  the  2017 
annual  accounts  (see  paragraph  7.1  “Presentation  of  the 
resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors to the General 
Meeting on May 22, 2018”).

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5.1.3.1 

Fixed, variable and exceptional 
compensation and in-kind benefits

 › the  annual  compensation  of  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès,  Vice-

Chairman of the Board and CEO.

The  annual  compensation  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  is  a 
fixed  amount.  However,  the  compensation  of  each  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Group  is  comprised  of  a 
fixed portion and a variable portion. The variable portion may 
represent  a  significant  part  of  the  total  compensation  if  the 
annual  targets  are  achieved  or  outperformed.  The  targets 
are  reviewed  every  year  in  order  to  be  consistent  with  the 
Company’s  strategic  orientations  and 
individual 
management targets.

include 

The members of the Executive Committee within the French 
scope, except for Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board 
and Chief Executive Officer, are also eligible for profit-sharing 
payments in the same manner as other employees of Dassault 
Systèmes  SE,  as  described  in  paragraph  2.1.4  “Valuation  of 
the performance and recognition of the employees”.

Each year, the Board of Directors sets:

 › the amount of the compensation (fixed only in accordance 
with the recommendation of the AFEP-MEDEF Code) of Mr. 
Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of the Board.

At its meeting on March 15, 2018, the Board of Directors set 
the  amount  of  the  Chairman’s  2018  fixed  compensation  at 
€982,000, unchanged since 2014. 

For  his  office  as  CEO,  the  annual  target  compensation  with 
objectives  achieved  of  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès  is  comprised  of  a 
fixed  portion  for  50%,  paid  monthly,  and  a  variable  portion 
for 50%, paid annually in relation to the achievement of the 
performance criteria previously set by the Board of Directors. 
The  level  of  achievement  of  the  objectives  determines  the 
amount  actually  paid  for  the  variable  compensation,  which 
can result in a payment below the target, or up to 140%. Any 
significant change in his fixed compensation is made over the 
long term and relates to the increase in the Group’s scope and 
market footprint.

The variable portion of the CEO’s compensation paid in 2018 
in  respect  of  2017,  was  set  by  the  Board  at  its  meeting  of 
March 15, 2018, upon recommendation of the Compensation 
and Nomination Committee, at at €1,417,750   after review of 
the achievement of the performance criteria set, representing 
107%   of the annual target variable compensation in 2017.

The categories of performance criteria, each equally weighted, 
are set forth in the following table with an indication, for each 
of  them,  of  the  level  of  payment  resulting  from  the  level  of 
satisfaction of the quantifiable and qualitative objectives.

Performance criteria categories

Diluted net earnings per share on a non-IFRS consolidated basis (hereinafter referred to as the “EPS”) 
in line with the objectives communicated by Dassault Systèmes for the year

Company’s efficiency processes, measured by the fact that the non-IFRS operating margin is in line 
with the objectives announced by Dassault Systèmes for the year

Dassault Systèmes’ competitive position, measured by the evolution of the increase in the turnover 
compared to the competitors and the increase of the weight of the diversification industries in the global 
software turnover

Composition of product portfolio

Implementation of the Group’s short-, medium- and long-term strategy contributing to future growth

Type

Quantifiable

Quantifiable

Quantifiable

Qualitative

Qualitative

104 %

110 %

102 %

104 %

115 %

During  its  meeting  held  on  March  15,  2018,  the  Board 
of  Directors  also  set  the  foregoing  performance  criteria 
categories  to  assess  the  payment  of  the  CEO’s  variable 
compensation for 2018. In 2018, those performance criteria 
categories  show,  as  for  2017,  a  limit  of  40%  to  the  purely 
qualitative  part  of  this  variable  compensation.  In  order  to 
protect  the  Company’s  competitive  position,  the  Board  of 
Directors  considered  that  it  was  not  appropriate  to  disclose 
further  details  of  the  qualitative  performance  criteria.  These 
qualitative  and  quantifiable  criteria,  which  are  discussed 
by  the  Compensation  and  Nomination  Committee  and  the 
Board,  are  both  internal  and  external  in  nature  and  depend 
on the Group’s annual performance or its multi-year strategy 
(medium  and  long-term).  In  addition,  they  include  a  strong 
“Social  and  Environmental  Responsibility”  dimension 
in  relation  with  the  Group’s  business,  each  of  Dassault 
Systèmes’  brands  incorporating  a  promise  of  sustainable 
(see  paragraphs  2.2.2.2  “3DEXPERIENCE 
development 

platform for Sustainability: apps and solutions for sustainable 
development”, 2.1.4 “Rewarding performance and recognizing 
employees” and 2.1.2.3 “Developing relations with the social, 
regional and community environment”).

At  its  meeting  of  March  15,  2018,  the  Board  of  Directors 
set  the  2018  annual  target  compensation  (with  objectives 
achieved)  for  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  at  €2,780,000, 
 composed  of  a  fixed  portion  of  €1,390,000   and  a  variable 
portion,  the  amount  of  which  will  depend  upon  the 
achievement of the objectives and will be subject to the prior 
approval by the General Meeting called to approve the 2018 
financial statements .  Accordingly, in 2018, the annual target 
compensation (with objectives achieved ) of the Chief Executive 
Officer, which had remained unchanged since 2015, increased 
by 4.9% compared with 2017.

Mr.  Bernard  Charlès,  as  Chief  Executive  Officer,  receives 
benefits  in-kind  in  the  form  of  the  use  of  a  vehicle  provided 

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by  Dassault  Systèmes  SE,  as  indicated  in  paragraph  5.1.4. 
“Summary of Compensation and Benefits Due to Directors”.

As  regards  his  office  as  Vice-Chairman  of  the  Board,  Mr. 
Bernard  Charlès  has  not  been  granted  nor  has  received  any 
compensation in 2017.

Finally,  Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne,  Chairman  of  the  Board, 
and  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès,  Vice-Chairman  of  the  Board  and 
Chief  Executive  Officer,  have  not  been  granted  in  2017  any 
exceptional compensation or any multi-annual compensation. 
They are not beneficiaries of an additional retirement plan or 
any indemnity under a non-competition clause.

5.1.3.2 

Performance Shares and Share 
Subscription Options

The  members  of  the  Group’s  Executive  Committee  are  given 
long-term  incentives  notably  through  grants  of  Dassault 
Systèmes performance shares or share subscription options to 
associate them with the development and performance of the 
Company. In general, performance shares or share subscription 
options  may  be  granted  to  key  employees  of  the  Company, 
the  number  granted  to  each  of  them  being  dependent  on 
level  of  responsibility.  (see 
individual  performance  and 
paragraph  5.1.4.2   “Interests  of  Executive  Management  and 
Employees in the Share Capital of Dassault Systèmes SE”).

Grants of share subscription options and performance shares 
generally occur during identical periods. However, there may 
have been rare exceptions to this rule, given the recent changes 
in the tax and legal frameworks, or on the compliance with the 
knowledge of inside information by the corporate officers.

The General Meeting of September 4, 2015 set the maximum 
number  of  shares  which  could  be  granted  to  the  executive 
officers (dirigeants mandataires sociaux) at 35% of the overall 
amount  approved,  assessed  on  the  date  of  allocation,  which 
was 1,809,724 shares at May 23, 2017.

Within  the  framework  of  this  authorization,  the  Board  of 
Directors  which  met  on  May  23,  2017,  decided,  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  Compensation  and  Nomination 
Committee, to grant 300,000 shares (“2017-B” Shares) to the 
Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer as part 
of the gradual process of making Bernard Charlès a company 
shareholder  that  began  several  years  ago,  with  the  aim  of 
recognizing his entrepreneurial role during more than 30 years 
with  the  Group  and  providing  him  with  an  equity  interest 
comparable  to  that  of  founders  of  companies  in  the  same 
sector  or  more  generally  his  peers  in  technology  companies 
around  the  world.  This  number  of  300,000  shares  granted 
remains unchanged since 2005, which is the year of first grant 
to the CEO (taking into account the two-for-one share split on 
July 17, 2014).

These 2017-B -shares represent 5.80% of the overall amount 
approved by the General Meeting of September 4, 2015.

The  shares  allocated  to  the  CEO  will  be  vested  on  May  23, 
2020  provided,  per  the  requirements  of  the  AFEP-MEDEF 
Code, the beneficiary remains with the Company and fulfills 
the  performance  condition.  These  conditions  are  identical 

to  those  of  the  2017-A  performance  shares  plan  for  certain 
employees of the Group. The performance condition is based 
on  the  Group’s  intrinsic  performance  as  measured  by  the 
increase  in  EPS  (neutralized  from  currency  effects)  between 
2016  and  2019.  The  increase  must  be  at  least  equal  to  a 
threshold  (expressed  as  a  percentage)  set  by  the  Board  that 
allocated  the  shares  in  question.  The  achievement  level  will 
vary linearly subject to a threshold and a target defined by the 
Board on May 23, 2017.

In  accordance  with  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code  and  AMF 
recommendations,  the  Board  meeting  of  May  23,  2017 
resolved  that  the  Vice-Chairman  of  the  Board  and  CEO  shall 
maintain  under  registered  form  at  least  15%  of  the  total 
amount of shares vested to him under the 2017-B grant, such 
percentage  being  calculated  after  deduction  of  the  number 
of shares which would be necessary to sell to pay taxes due, 
social  charges  and  expenses  related  to  the  sale  of  the  total 
number of shares vested. 

Thus, the Vice-Chairman of the Board and CEO shall maintain 
under registered form, until the end of his functions as CEO, 
15% of the total number of shares acquired under all grants of 
performance shares to his profit since 2007, calculated after 
deduction of the number of shares which would be necessary 
to sell to pay taxes due, social charges and expenses related to 
the sale of the total number of shares vested.

Mr.  Bernard  Charlès  also  formally  agreed  not  to  use  forward 
contracts  in  order  to  secure  a  capital  gain  in  connection 
with  the  sale  of  performance  shares  or  the  exercise  of  stock 
options,  until  the  expiry  of  the  legal  holding  period.  The 
Dassault Systèmes’ insider trading rules already impose such 
restriction.

Further information concerning share subscription options and 
performance shares is provided in paragraph 5.1.4 “Summary 
of Compensation and Benefits Due to Directors”.

Aside from Dassault Systèmes SE, no other Group company has 
granted  shares  or  options  to  corporate  officers  (mandataires 
sociaux) in 2017.

During  its  review  of  the  Group’s  policy  regarding  long 
term  compensation,  the  Compensation  and  Nomination 
Committee  of  March  15,2018  has  studied  the  grants  which 
would  be  proposed  in  2018  to  the  profit  of  some  managers 
and employees of the Group, as it is the case each year (see 
paragraph  5.1.4.2  “Interests  of  Executive  Management  and 
Employees in the share capital of Dassault Systèmes SE”). The 
Compensation  and  Nomination  Committee  has  specifically 
resolved,  in  the  context  of  the  examination  of  the  gradual 
process  of  making  Bernard  Charlès  a  company  shareholder, 
with  the  aim  of  recognizing  his  entrepreneurial  role  and 
providing him with an equity interest comparable to his peers 
to grant him 300,000 performance shares.

If  the  Board  were  to  decide  to  grant  the  remaining  of  the 
envelope  of  performance  shares  authorized  by  the  General 
Meeting  dated  September  4,  2015  in  order  to  keep  the 
tax  regime  of  this  authorization,  it  shall  decide  it  before 
November  4,  2018.  The  Board,  upon  recommendation  of 
the  Compensation  and  Nomination  Committee,  would  then 

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anticipate, before such date, the 2019 grant to the benefit of 
the managers and employees of the Group (including 300,000 
shares  to  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès’  profit),  it  being  specified,  for 
the  avoidance  of  doubt,  that  the  grant  which  could  be  done 
in  2019  would  not  be  made  to  the  beneficiaries  of  this 
anticipated allocation.

5.1.3.3 

Indemnities Due in the Event 
of the Imposed Departure (départ 
contraint) of Mr. Bernard Charlès

In accordance with the French Commercial Code and the AFEP-
MEDEF Code, the principle and the amount of the indemnity 
paid to the Chief Executive Officer upon the termination of his 
functions are subject to conditions, in particular performance 
conditions.  Thus  the  indemnity  would  be  due  in  case  of  a 
change in control or strategy duly acknowledged by the Board 
of  Directors,  which  results  in  an  imposed  departure  (départ 
contraint) in the subsequent 12 months. The indemnity may 
also  be  paid  if  the  imposed  departure  is  not  linked  to  poor 
results  of  the  Company  or  to  mismanagement  by  the  Chief 
Executive  Officer,  the  Board  of  Directors  being  entitled  to 
decide to pay all or part of the indemnity.

However,  the  indemnity  would  not  be  due  in  the  event  the 
Chief  Executive  Officer  were  to  leave  the  Company  on  his 
own initiative to take a new position elsewhere, or were to be 
assigned a new position within the Company, or if he were to 
receive retirement benefits shortly after leaving. Furthermore, 
in the event of exceptional circumstances seriously damaging 
the  image  or  results  of  the  Company  and  significantly 
reducing, in the opinion of the Board, the market price of the 
Company’s  shares  or  in  the  event  of  misconduct  other  than 
in connection with his corporate functions (faute séparable de 
ses fonctions) and incompatible with the normal performance 
of  his  mandate,  the  Board  may  decide  that  the  indemnity 
payment is not due.

The  amount  of  the  indemnity  due  to  the  Chief  Executive 
Officer  in  the  event  of  the  termination  of  his  functions  will 
be  equivalent  to  a  maximum  of  two  years  of  compensation 
as  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  will  depend  on  satisfying  the 
performance conditions established for calculating his variable 
compensation.  The  amount  paid  would  be  calculated  pro 
rata with respect to the percentage of variable compensation 
which was paid during the three years preceding his departure 
as  compared  to  the  targeted  variable  compensation  for  such 
years.  The  amount  due  would  be  calculated  by  using  the 
following formula:

 › the  aggregate  gross  compensation  (including  variable 
compensation  but  excluding  compensation  in  kind  and 
directors’ fees) due in connection with his position for the 
two years ended prior to the date of departure;

 › multiplied  by  the  quotient  of  (i)  the  amount  of  variable 
compensation  actually  paid  during  the  three  fiscal  years 
completed  prior  to  the  date  of  departure  with  regard  to 
their respective years of reference (numerator), divided by 
(ii) the amount of target variable compensation determined 
for  each  of  these  years  by  the  Board  of  Directors  on  the 
basis  of  achievement  of  the  objectives  set  for  the  Group 
(denominator).

The  indemnity  is  thus  subject  to  performance  conditions 
related to achieving targets fixed for the variable compensation.

5.1.3.4  Directors’ Fees

As Chairman of the Board and director respectively, Mr. Charles 
Edelstenne and Mr. Bernard Charlès receive directors’ fees (see 
paragraph 5.1.4 “Summary of the Compensation and Benefits 
Due to Corporate Officers (mandataires sociaux)”).

The  General  Meeting  of  May  23,  2017,  set  the  maximum 
annual amount of directors’ fees at €500,000.

For 2017, the amount of the directors’ fees actually granted to 
the Dassault Systèmes SE directors was €429,181, of which 
€212,481 was for their positions (fixed portion) and €216,700 
was for attendance of meetings of the Board of Directors and 
its  committees  (variable  portion).  In  accordance  with  the 
AFEP-MEDEF Code, the variable portion of the directors’ fees 
is structurally greater.

The  distribution  of  the  fees  among  the  directors  for  2017 
is  based  on  the  following  principles,  which  were  set  by  the 
Board of Directors at its meeting on May 23, 2017: €16,500 
per  director,  an  additional  €16,500  for  the  Chairman  of  the 
Board  and  an  extra  €4,400  for  the  Chairman  of  the  Audit 
Committee (these amounts are prorated for the actual period 
served in the positions during the year); €2,200 per director 
for actual attendance at a Board meeting; €4,400 per member 
of the Audit Committee for actual attendance at a meeting of 
that  Committee;  €2,200  per  member  of  the  Compensation 
and  Nomination  Committee  or  Scientific  Committee  for 
each  meeting  of  these  committees  they  physically  attend; 
and  €1,100  for  each  attendance  via  conference  call  or 
videoconference at a meeting of the Board of Directors or one 
of these committees.

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5.1.4  Summary of the Compensation and Benefits Due to Corporate 

Officers (mandataires sociaux) 

5.1.4.1 

Compensation of the Corporate Officers (mandataires sociaux)

The tables below provide a summary, in accordance with the 
recommendations of the AMF and the AFEP-MEDEF Code, of 
the compensation and benefits paid to the corporate officers 
of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE,  pursuant  to  Article  L.  225-37-3 
of  the  French  Commercial  Code  (see  also  paragraphs  5.1.3 

“Principles established by the Board of Directors pertaining to 
compensation of the Executive Officers and directors”, 5.1.4.2 
“Interests  of  Executive  Management  and  Employees  in  the 
Share Capital of Dassault Systèmes SE”).

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF THE COMPENSATION, OPTIONS AND SHARES AWARDED TO EACH EXECUTIVE OFFICER

(in euros)

Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of the Board

Compensation due for the year (detailed in Table 2)

Value of the variable multi-year compensation granted during the year

Value of the stock options granted during the year (detailed in Table 4)

Value of the performance shares granted during the year (detailed in Table 6)

Value of the other long-term compensation plans

Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Compensation due for the year (detailed in Table 2)

Value of the variable multi-year compensation granted during the year

Value of the stock options granted during the year (detailed in Table 4)

Value of the performance shares granted during the year (detailed in Table 6)

Value of the other long-term compensation plans

2017

2016

1,027,100

1,027,100

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

2,783,284 

2,740,626

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

See below

See below

5

VALUE OF THE SHARES GRANTED TO BERNARD CHARLÈS, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE 
OFFICER, AS PART OF THE PLAN TO PROGRESSIVELY ASSOCIATE HIM WITH THE COMPANY’S CAPITAL
These  shares  are  granted  to  Bernard  Charlès,  Vice-Chairman 
of the Board and Chief Executive Officer as part of the gradual 
process  of  associating  him  with  the  Company’s  capital  that 
began  several  years  ago,  with  the  aim  of  recognizing  his 
entrepreneurial  role  during  more  than  30  years  with  the 

Company and providing him with an equity interest comparable 
to that of founders of companies in the same sector, and more 
generally,  of  his  peers  in  technology  companies  around  the 
world.

(in euros)

Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

2017

2016

Value of the shares granted during the year (see Table 6)(1)

13,004,841(2)

9,519,744(3)

(1)  Value based on the method chosen for the consolidated financial statements before the spreading of the expense and taking into account the performance criteria.
(2)  i.e. 300,000 2017-B Shares granted in 2017.
(3)  i.e. 300,000 2016-B Shares granted in 2016.

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TABLE 2: SUMMARY OF THE COMPENSATION OF EACH EXECUTIVE OFFICER
The gross compensation before tax of the executive officers (dirigeants mandataires sociaux) is set forth in the table below.

(in euros)

Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of the Board

Fixed compensation(1)

Annual variable compensation

Multi-year variable compensation

Extraordinary compensation

Directors’ fees (2)

Benefits in kind (3)

TOTAL

Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board 
and Chief Executive Officer(4)

Fixed Compensation

Annual variable compensation(5)

Multi-year variable compensation

Extraordinary compensation

Directors’ fees

Benefits in kind (9)

TOTAL

2017

2016

Amounts payable 
for the fiscal year

Amounts 
paid in 2017

Amounts due in 
respect of the year

Amounts 
paid in 2016

982,000

982,000

982,000

982,000

N/A

N/A

N/A

45,100

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

45,100

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

45,100

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

43,000

N/A

1,027,100

1,027,100

1,027,100

1,025,000

1,325,000

1,325,000

1,325,000

1,325,000

1,417,750 (6)

1,378,000(7)

1,378,000(7)

1,523,750(8)

N/A

N/A

28,600

11,934

N/A

N/A

27,500

11,934

N/A

N/A

27,500

10,126

N/A

N/A

28,000

10,126

2,783,284 

2,742,434

2,740,626

2,886,876

(1)  GIMD paid Mr. Charles Edelstenne, as GIMD’s Chief Executive Officer, gross fixed compensation of €804,828 in 2017 and €802,404 in 2016.
(2)  GIMD paid Mr. Charles Edelstenne, for his term as a member of GIMD’s Supervisory Board, directors’ fees of €28,137 in 2017 and €28,740 in 2016.
(3)  GIMD granted benefits in kind related to the use of a car for Mr. Charles Edelstenne equivalent to an amount of €10,411 in 2017 and €10,440 in 2016.
(4)  With the exception of director’s fees, Dassault Systèmes has paid to Bernard Charlès each of the compensation elements referred to in the table above with respect to his office 

as Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Systèmes. In 2017, Mr. Charlès did not receive any compensation in consideration of this office as Vice-Chairman.

(5)  The rules governing the determination of variable compensation of the Chief Executive Officer are described in paragraph 5.1.3 “Principles established by the Board of Directors 

pertaining to compensation of the Executive Officers and directors”.

(6)  Variable portion due for 2017 and paid in 2018.
(7)  Variable portion due for 2016 and paid in 2017.
(8)  Variable portion due for 2015 and paid in 2016.
(9)  These benefits in kind provided by Dassault Systèmes SE are related to the use of a car by Bernard Charlès.

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TABLE 3: DIRECTORS’ GROSS FEES AND OTHER COMPENSATION RECEIVED BY THE NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
The directors do not receive any compensation other than the fees set forth in the table below, except for Charles Edelstenne and 
Bernard Charlès, whose compensation is set forth in Table 2 above, Thibault de Tersant, Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief 
Financial Officer, and Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille (director representing the employees) whose compensations are set forth 
in Notes 1 and 4 to the table below.

(in euros)

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS (MANDATAIRES SOCIAUX NON-DIRIGEANTS)

Thibault de Tersant*

Jean-Pierre Chahid-Nouraï

Catherine Dassault (director since July 20, 2016)

Nicole Dassault (director until May 27, 2016)(1)

Arnoud De Meyer

Odile Desforges 

Soumitra Dutta (director since May 23, 2017)

Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille*
(director representing the employees since June 24, 2016)

Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault(2)

Laurence Lescourret (director since May 26, 2016)

Toshiko Mori

TOTAL

Directors’ fees paid 
in 2017 for fiscal 
year 2016

Directors’ fees paid 
in 2016 for fiscal 
year 2015

28,600

57,200

11,793

6,627

38,500

42,900

–

14,111

27,500

25,318

28,600

281,149

28,000

53,000

–

22,000

38,000

44,000

–

–

28,000

–

30,000

243,000

5

(1)  In 2017 and 2016 respectively, GIMD paid Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault directors’ fees of €11,667 and €21,911 for her office as member of the Supervisory Board of GIMD.
(2)  In 2017 and 2016 respectively, GIMD paid Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault directors’ fees of €28,137 and €25,325 for her role as a member of the Supervisory Board of GIMD, 
and compensation of €347,495 and €343,830.88 for her role as Director of Communication and Patronage, Dassault Group. GIMD also granted her a bonus in an amount 
of €10,000 and €5,000 and benefits in kind related to the use of a car in an amount of €3,314 and €3,323.82.
The overall compensations received by Thibault de Tersant and Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille in 2017 and 2016 is set out below:

* 

Thibault de Tersant, director, Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer

Fixed Compensation

Annual variable compensation

Multi-year variable compensation

Extraordinary compensation

Directors’ fees

Benefits in kind(3)

TOTAL

Compensation 
paid in 2017

Compensation 
paid in 2016

490,000

250,000(1)

–

2,119

20,020

9,867

480,000

240,000(2)

–

3,147

28,000

9,867

772,006

761,014

(1)  Variable portion due for 2016. In 2017, Thibault de Tersant also received €37,134.78 in respect of mandatory and contractual profit-sharing.
 (2)  Variable portion due for 2015. In 2016, Thibault de Tersant also received €35,920.68 in respect of mandatory and contractual profit-sharing.
(3)  These benefits in kind are related to the use of a car provided by Dassault Systèmes SE. 

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Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille, director representing the employees(1)

Fixed Compensation

Annual variable compensation

Multi-year variable compensation

Extraordinary compensation

Directors’ fees

Benefits in kind

TOTAL

Compensation paid 
in 2017

Compensation paid 
in 2016

118,350

25,376(2)

N/A

1,246

N/A

N/A

116,769

24,690(3)

N/A

1,135

N/A

N/A

144,972

142,594

(1)  Dassault Systèmes SE has paid to Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille each of the compensation elements referred to in the table above with respect to his employment 

contract as Consumer Goods and Retail Industry Sales Director with Dassault Systèmes SE. Mr. de Fromont de Bouaille did not receive any directors’ fees in respect of his 
office as Dassault Systèmes SE paid the directors’ fees due for 2016 and 2017, directly to the CFE-CGC for the director representing employees.

(2)  Variable portion due for 2016. In 2017, Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille also received €32,788.82 in respect of mandatory and contractual profit-sharing.
(3)  Variable portion due for 2015. In 2016, Tanneguy de Fromont de Bouaille also received €34,480.83 in respect of mandatory and contractual profit-sharing. 

Other elements relating to the compensation of the directors are described in  paragraph 5.1.3.4 “Directors’ Fees” .  

TABLEAU 4: SHARE SUBSCRIPTION OR PURCHASE OPTIONS GRANTED IN 2017 TO EACH EXECUTIVE OFFICER 
BY THE ISSUER AND BY ANY OF THE GROUP COMPANIES

(in euros)

Charles Edelstenne

TOTAL

Bernard Charlès

TOTAL

No. and date 
of the plan

Type of options 
(purchase or 
subscription)

Value of 
the options

Number of options 
granted in 2017

Exercise price Exercise period

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

TABLE 5: SUBSCRIPTION OR PURCHASE OPTIONS EXERCISED DURING 2017 BY EACH EXECUTIVE OFFICER

(in euros)

Charles Edelstenne

Bernard Charlès

TOTAL

No. and date 
of the plan

Number of 
options exercised 
in 2017

–

–

2008-02

100,000

–

–

Exercise price

–

€19.50

–

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TABLE 6: SHARES GRANTED IN 2017 TO EACH EXECUTIVE OFFICER BY THE ISSUER AND BY ANY OF THE GROUP 
COMPANIES

No. and date 
of the plan

Number of performance 
shares granted in 2017

Value of the 
shares
(in euros)(1)

Date of 
acquisition

Date of 
availability

Performance 
conditions

Charles Edelstenne

Bernard Charlès

TOTAL

–

2017-B
05/23/2017

N/A

–

–

–

300,000(2)

13,004,841

05/23/2020

05/23/2020

–

Yes

300,000

(1)  Value based on the method chosen for the consolidated financial statements before the spreading of the expense and taking into account the performance criteria.
(2)  Such shares are granted to Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, as part of the gradual process of associating him with the Company’s capital 
that began several years ago, with the aim of recognizing his entrepreneurial role during more than thirty years with the Group and providing him with an equity interest 
comparable to that of founders of companies in the same sector, and more generally, of his peers in technology companies around the world.

TABLE 7: SHARES THAT BECAME AVAILABLE DURING 2017 FOR EACH EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Bernard Charlès

TOTAL

No. and date 
of the plan

2015-B
09/04/2015

Number of shares that 
became available 
in 2017

Vesting 
conditions

300,000(1)

300,000

5

(1)  Such shares have been granted to Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, as part of the gradual process of associating him with the Company’s 
capital that began several years ago, with the aim of recognizing his entrepreneurial role during more than thirty years with the Group and providing him with an equity interest 
comparable to that of founders of companies in the same sector, and more generally, of his peers in technology companies around the world. In accordance with law, a portion 
of such shares is subject to lock-up (see paragraph 5.1.3.2 “Performance Shares and Share Subscription Options”).

TABLE 8: HISTORY OF SHARE SUBSCRIPTION AND PURCHASE OPTIONS GRANTED
See paragraph 5.1.4.2 “Interests of Executive Management and Employees in the Share Capital of Dassault Systèmes SE” below.

TABLE 9: SHARE SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS GRANTED TO THE TOP TEN EMPLOYEES WHO ARE NOT -EXECUTIVE 
DIRECTORS, AND OPTIONS EXERCISED BY THESE EMPLOYEES
See paragraph 5.1.4.2 “Interests of Executive Management and Employees in the Share Capital of Dassault Systèmes SE” below.

TABLE 10: HISTORY OF PERFORMANCE SHARES GRANTED
See paragraph 5.1.4.2 “Interests of Executive Management and Employees in the Share Capital of Dassault Systèmes SE” below.

TABLE 11: MONITORING OF THE AFEP-MEDEF’S RECOMMENDATIONS
As  indicated  in  the  table  below,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  complies  with  the  main  recommendations  of  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code 
regarding compensation and benefits granted to executive officers (dirigeants mandataires sociaux).

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Additional 
retirement plan

Yes

Employment 
agreement

Yes

No

X

X

Indemnities or benefits 
due or which may become 
due in the event 
of termination of or change 
in present functions

Indemnities related to 
a non-competition clause

No

X

Yes

No

X

Yes

X

X*

No

X

X

Executive officers

Charles Edelstenne

Chairman of the Board
Director since (1st appointment): 
04/08/1993
Term: until the annual General 
Meeting to be held in 2018

Bernard Charlès

Vice-Chairman of the Board 
and Chief Executive Officer
1st appointment as CEO: 04/08/1993
Term: until the annual General 
Meeting to be held in 2018

* 

The conditions for payment and the amount of the indemnities owed are described in paragraph 5.1.3.3 “Indemnities Due in the Event of the Imposed Departure (départ 
contraint) of Mr. Bernard Charlès”.

There  is  no  specific  additional  retirement  plan  (régime 
complémentaire  de  retraite)  for  the  executive  officers.  The 
companies controlled by Dassault Systèmes SE have not paid 
any compensation or granted any other benefits in kind to the 
executive officers (dirigeants mandataires sociaux) mentioned 
above.

The  Table  10  “Summary  of 
variable  multi-annual 
compensations for each executive officer (dirigeant mandataire 
social)”  recommended  by  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code  is  not 
relevant as no such variable multi-annual compensations have 
been  granted  to  any  executive  officer  (dirigeant mandataire 
social) of Dassault Systèmes SE.

5.1.4.2 

Interests of Executive Management 
and Employees in the Share Capital 
of Dassault Systèmes SE

Dassault Systèmes share subscription options
As  of  December  31,  2017,  there  were  five  active  share 
subscription  options  plans  for  the  benefit  of  certain  Group 
managers  and  employees.  The  exercise  price  of  share 
subscription  options,  for  all  the  plans,  was  fixed  without  a 
discount.

The General Meeting of May 26, 2016 authorized the Board 
of  Directors  to  grant  options  to  subscribe  or  to  purchase 
Company shares for a period of 38 months, provided that the 
total of all outstanding stock options does not give a right to 
more than 5% of Dassault Systèmes SE’s share capital. At its 
meeting  on  May  23,  2017,  the  Board  of  Directors  used  this 
authorization  to  grant  to  901  beneficiaries  2,050,370  share 

subscription options (the “2017-01 Options”), the exercise of 
which  is  subject  to  them  remaining  with  the  Company  and 
performance  conditions  for  each  reference  year  2017,  2018 
and 2019.

The  new  shares  created  by  the  exercise  of  options  between 
January  1  and  the  date  of  the  Annual  General  Meeting 
deciding on the allocation of profit related to the most recently 
completed  fiscal  year  are  entitled  to  receive  the  dividend 
distributed  with  respect  to  that  year.  As  a  result,  the  new 
shares are traded on the same line as the previously existing 
shares.

However,  the  new  shares  created  as  from  the  day  after  this 
Annual  General  Meeting  do  not  have  a  right  to  receive  this 
dividend.  Those  shares  are  temporarily  listed  on  a  second 
trading  line  until  the  date  the  shares  trade  ex-dividend  (i.e. 
without the right to receive the dividend to be distributed on 
Dassault Systèmes shares).

The following table provides certain information on the stock 
options plans in effect during 2017.

HISTORY OF SHARE SUBSCRIPTION AND PURCHASE 
OPTIONS GRANTED
(Corresponding  to  Table  8  of  the  AMF  Position-
Recommendation No. 2009-16)

For  all  the  grants  prior  to  July  17,  2014,  the  figures  in  this 
table  (options,  shares  and  exercise  price)  reflect  the  two-for-
one split of the Dassault Systèmes share effective on July 17, 
2014  and  the  correlative  multiplication  of  the  number  of 
shares that may be exercised.

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Stock option plan

General Meeting

Board of Directors

Total Number of shares to be subscribed 
pursuant to options exercise

 › by corporate officers 
(mandataires sociaux)

Bernard Charlès

Thibault de Tersant

2008-02

2010-01

2014-01

2015-01

2016-01

2017-01

Total

05/22/2008

05/27/2010

05/30/2013

05/30/2013

05/26/2016

05/26/2016

11/27/2009

05/27/2010

05/26/2014

09/04/2015

05/26/2016

05/23/2017

3,703,000

2,480,000

624,450

1,965,555

1,947,785

2,050,370

12,771,160

340,000

220,000

100,000(1)

100,000(1)

240,000

120,000

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

560,000

200,000

360,000

Starting point for exercising the options

11/27/2013

05/27/2014

02/21/2016

09/04/2016

05/26/2017

05/23/2018

Expiry date

Exercise price (in euros)

Terms of exercise

11/26/2017

05/26/2018

05/25/2022

09/03/2025

05/25/2026

05/22/2027

19.50 

23.50

45.50

62.00

69.00

82.00

See note(2)

See note(3)

See note(4)

See note(5)

Total number of shares subscribed 
pursuant to options exercised 
as of 12/31/2017

Cumulative number of options canceled 
or null and void as of 12/31/2017

Number of options outstanding 
as of 12/31/2017

Number of shares subscribed pursuant to 
options exercised between 01/01/2018 
and 02/28/2018

Number of options canceled or null 
and void between 01/01/2018 
and 02/28/2018

Number of options outstanding 
as of 02/28/2018

Total number of shares subscribed 
pursuant to options exercised 
as of 02/28/2018

3,393,000

1,550,312

111,083

435,659

195,926

0

5,685,980

310,000

206,700

312,170

269,890

193,281

97,895

1,389,936

N/A

722,988

201,197

1,260,006

1,558,578

1,952,475

5,695,244

5

N/A

210,074

14,334

50,572

22,132

0

297,112

N/A

N/A

0

64,006

10,441

31,556

62,265

168,268

512,914

122,857

1,198,993

1,504,890

1,890,210

5,229,864

3,393,000

1,760,386

125,417

486,231

218,058

0

5,983,092

(1)  The options granted to the Chief Executive Officer are subject to performance conditions related to his variable compensation actually paid out over three years, the amount of 

which is itself dependent upon the satisfaction of the performance criteria defined by the Board of Directors of Dassault Systèmes SE.

(2)  The 2014-01 options are exercisable by one-third tranches as from February 21, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company 

and fulfills the performance conditions related to the target for his or her respective brand.

(3)  The 2015-01 options are exercisable by one-third tranches as from September 4, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company 

and fulfills the performance condition relating to the diluted net earnings per share on a non-IFRS consolidated basis (hereinafter referred to as the “EPS”), and/or the 
achievement of the target for his or her respective brand.

(4)  The 2016-01 options are exercisable by one-third tranches as from May 26, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company and 

fulfills the performance condition relating to the EPS (neutralized from currency effects), and/or the achievement of the target for his or her respective brand.

(5)  The 2017-01 options are exercisable by one-third tranches as from May 23, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company and 

fulfills the performance condition relating to the EPS (neutralized from currency effects), and/or the achievement of the target for his or her respective brand.

For information regarding the dilutive effect on share capital 
by  the  exercise  of  options,  see  also  paragraph  6.2.1  “Share 
Capital at February 28, 2018”.

At  December  31,  2017,  the  only  corporate  officers 
(mandataires sociaux) holding such share subscription options 
were Bernard Charlès and Thibault de Tersant.

For  information  regarding  the  equity  interests  in  Dassault 
Systèmes SE of the corporate officers (mandataires sociaux), 
see paragraphs 5.1.1 “Composition and Practices of the Board 
of Directors” and 6.3 “Information about the Shareholders” in 
this Annual Report (Document de référence).

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SHARE SUBSCRIPTION AND PURCHASE OPTIONS OF THE TOP TEN EMPLOYEES OF DASSAULT SYSTÈMES 
WHO ARE NOT -EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND THE OPTIONS THEY EXERCISED DURING 2017
(Corresponding to Table 9 of the AMF Position-Recommendation No. 2009-16)

 The following table sets forth, on a global basis, the total number and weighted average exercise price of shares subscribed by 
the ten Group employees who exercised the largest number of Dassault Systèmes SE stock options during 2017 and who are not 
corporate officers (mandataires sociaux) of the Dassault Systèmes SE.

Total number 
of options

Average 
weighted price 
per option

Plan
no. 2008-02

Plan
no. 2010-01

Plan
no. 2014-01

Plan
no. 2015-01

Plan
no. 2016-01

Plan
no. 2017-01

Stock options granted in 2017 
to the ten employees 
who received the largest number 
of stock options

Stock options exercised in 2017 
by the ten employees 
who exercised the largest number 
of stock options*

320,250

€82.00

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

320,250

596,848

€42.80

377,350

172,000

18,332

14,583

14,583

N/A

* 

For all the grants prior to July 17, 2014, the figures in this table (options and exercise price) reflect the two-for-one split of the Dassault Systèmes share effective on July 17, 
2014 and the correlative multiplication of the number of shares that may be exercised.

Performance shares
The  General  Meeting  of  September  4,  2015  authorized  the 
Board of Directors to grant Dassault Systèmes shares, up to a 
maximum of 2% of Dassault Systèmes SE’s capital at the date 
of  granting  by  the  Board  of  Directors  (i.e.  5,170,641  shares 
as at May 23, 2017), this authorization being valid during a 
38-month period.

The Board meeting of May 23, 2017 used this authorization 
to  grant  801,700  “2017-A”  performance  shares  to  641 

beneficiaries,  and  300,000  “2017-B”  shares  to  Bernard 
Charlès,  Vice-Chairman  of  the  Board  and  Chief  Executive 
Officer (see paragraph 5.1.3.2 “Performance Shares and Share 
Subscription  Options”).  This  second  grant  is  compliant  with 
the  resolution  of  the  General  Meeting,  which  limited  the 
portion of shares that could be granted to Bernard Charlès to 
35% of the overall amount of shares as of the date of the grant 
(i.e. 1,809,724 shares as at May 23, 2017).

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HISTORY OF PERFORMANCE SHARES GRANTED
(Corresponding to Table 10 of the AMF Position-Recommendation No. 2009-16)

 For all the grants prior to July 17, 2014, the figures in this table reflect the two-for-one split of the Dassault Systèmes share 
effective on July 17, 2014 and the correlative multiplication of the number of shares.

Plan Number

General Meeting

2010-04 –
 France plan

2014-A

2015-A

2016-A

2017-A

Total

05/27/2010

05/30/2013

09/04/2015

09/04/2015

09/04/2015

Date of the Board meeting

09/07/2012

02/21/2014

09/04/2015

05/26/2016

05/23/2017

Total number of shares granted, 
including the number granted to:

 › to corporate officers 
(mandataires sociaux)

Bernard Charlès

Thibault de Tersant

Vesting date of shares

661,600(1)

1,059,880

734,600

782,950

801,700

4,040,730

62,000

40,000

40,000

40,000

40,000

222,000

28,000(2)

34,000

–

–

–

–

40,000

40,000

40,000

40,000

28,000 (2)

194,000

09/07/2015

02/21/2018

09/04/2017

05/26/2018 
(Tranche 1) and 
05/26/2019 
(Tranche 2)

N/A

Yes(6)

0

05/23/2020

N/A

Yes(7)

2,302,970

5

Date of end of holding period

09/07/2017

Yes(3)

N/A

Yes(4)

N/A

Yes(5)

622,000

959,920

721,050

Performance conditions

Number of shares vested 
as at 02/28/2018

Total number of shares canceled 
or lapsed as at 12/31/2017

Performance shares remaining 
at the end of fiscal year

39,600

97,860

13,550

9,500

2,850

163,360

0

962,020

0

773,450

798,850

2,534,320

(1)  In the event of international mobility, the beneficiaries of the France Plan may be transferred under certain conditions to the International Plan and vice versa during the vesting 

period. Therefore, the total number of vested shares under the France or International Plans may differ from the number of shares originally granted under these plans.

(2)  The shares granted to the Chief Executive Officer are subject to an additional performance condition in relation to his variable compensation actually paid with respect to three 

fiscal years set forth in the regulations of the plan in question, the amount of which is itself dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board of 
Directors of Dassault Systèmes SE.

(3)  The 2010-04 Shares have been definitively vested at the end of the vesting period applicable to the beneficiary, provided the beneficiary remains with the Company and satisfies 
a performance condition, which was measured according to the EPS actually realized compared to the high end of the range EPS as published for each of the 2012, 2013 and 
2014 fiscal years.

(4)  The 2014-A Shares will be fully vested at the end of the vesting period, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company and, each year for three years, fulfills at least one 
of the following performance conditions: growth in the EPS compared to 2014, and such growth must be at least equal to the percentage fixed at the Board meeting at which the 
shares were granted, or the Dassault Systèmes share must outperform the CAC 40 index by a minimum percentage fixed at the same Board meeting.

(5)  The 2015-A Shares have been definitively vested at the end of the vesting period, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company and fulfills at least one of the 

following performance conditions whose achievement was measured in 2017: growth in the EPS compared to 2014, and such growth must be at least equal to the percentage 
fixed at the Board meeting at which the shares were granted, or the Dassault Systèmes share must outperform the CAC 40 index by a minimum percentage fixed at the same 
Board meeting.

(6)  The 2016-A Shares will be fully vested at the end of the vesting period, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company and fulfills at least one of the following 

performance conditions (based on alternative or cumulative criteria depending on the tranche in question), the achievement of which will be measured in 2018 and 2019: growth 
in the EPS compared to 2015, and such growth must be at least equal to the percentage fixed at the Board meeting at which the shares were granted, and/or the Dassault 
Systèmes share must outperform the CAC 40 index by a minimum percentage fixed at the same Board meeting.

(7)  The 2017-A Shares will be fully vested at the end of the vesting period, provided that the beneficiary remains with the Company and fulfills at least one of the following 

performance conditions, the achievement of which will be measured in 2020: growth in the EPS compared to 2016, and such growth must be at least equal to the percentage 
fixed at the Board meeting at which the shares were granted.

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HISTORY OF THE SHARE GRANTS TO BERNARD CHARLÈS, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE 
OFFICER, IN RESPECT OF THE GRADUAL PROCESS OF ASSOCIATING BERNARD CHARLÈS WITH THE COMPANY’S 
SHARE CAPITAL.
(See also paragraph 5.1.3.2 “Performance Shares and Share Subscription Options”)

 For all the grants prior to July 17, 2014, the figures in this table reflect the two-for-one split of the Dassault Systèmes share 
effective on July 17, 2014 and the correlative multiplication of the number of shares.

Plan Details

General Meeting

Board of Directors

Total number of shares 
granted to Bernard Charlès

2009

2010

2010-03

2010-05

2014-B

2015-B

2016-B

2017-B

06/06/2007

05/27/2010

05/27/2010

05/27/2010

05/30/2013

09/04/2015

09/04/2015

09/04/2015

11/27/2009

05/27/2010

09/29/2011

09/07/2012

02/21/2014

09/04/2015

05/26/2016

05/23/2017

300,000

300,000

300,000

300,000

300,000

300,000

300,000

300,000

Vesting date of shares

11/27/2011

05/27/2012

09/29/2013

09/07/2014

02/21/2018

09/04/2017

05/23/2020

05/26/2018 
(Tranche 1) and 
05/26/2019 
(Tranche 2)

Date of end 
of holding period (1)

11/27/2013

05/27/2014

09/29/2015

09/07/2016

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Performance conditions

See note(2)

See note(3)

See note(4)

See note(5)

See note(6)

See note(7)

See note(8)

See note(9)

Number of shares vested 
as at 02/28/2017

300,000

300,000

300,000

300,000

–

300,000

–

(1)  Non applicable to the shares subject to the legal lock-up commitment set by the Board of Directors (see paragraph 5.1.3.2 “Performance Shares and Share Subscription Options”).
(2)  Performance condition related to variable compensation actually paid to the Chief Executive Officer with respect to the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years, the amount of which is itself 

dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board.

(3)  Performance condition related to variable compensation actually paid to the Chief Executive Officer with respect to the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years, the amount of which is itself 

dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board.

(4)  Performance condition related to variable compensation actually paid to the Chief Executive Officer with respect to the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years, the amount of which is itself 

dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board.

(5)  Performance condition related to variable compensation actually paid to the Chief Executive Officer with respect to the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years, the amount of which is itself 

dependent on achieving performance criteria previously established by the Board.

(6)  The same performance condition as that stipulated for the 2014-A performance shares granted by the Board on the same day to certain employees of the Group.
(7)  Performance condition (i) identical to the one stipulated for the 2015-A performance shares and (ii) an additional condition tied to the variable compensation actually paid to the 

Chief Executive Officer with respect to the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years, the amount of which is itself dependent on the achievement of performance criteria previously established 
by the Board.

(8)  Performance condition (i) identical to the one stipulated for the 2016-A performance shares and (ii) an additional condition tied to the variable compensation actually paid to the 
Chief Executive Officer with respect to the 2016, 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, the amount of which is itself dependent on the achievement of performance criteria previously 
established by the Board (see paragraph 5.1.3.2 “Performance Shares and Share Subscription Options”).

(9)  Performance condition identical to the one stipulated for the 2017-A performance shares see paragraph 5.1.3.2 “Performance Shares and Share Subscription Options”).

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5

5.1.5  Application of the AFEP-MEDEF Code

Dassault Systèmes refers to the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code (revised in November 2016) and reviews its corporate 
governance practices on a regular basis in order to achieve continual improvement in this area.

As permitted by such Code and the law, Dassault Systèmes SE has not adopted all of the Code’s recommendations, or has adopted 
certain provisions in modified form, in view of its particular situation or due to its compliance with other provisions of the Code. 
These are summarized in the table below, together with the reasons for their exclusion/modification.

Recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code Explanation

Proportion of performance shares in 
the compensation of executive officers 
(dirigeants mandataires sociaux)
(Article 24.3.3)

A significant portion of the shares granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board and 
Chief Executive Officer falls under the plan adopted several years ago to progressively make him a 
Company shareholder, with the goal of recognizing his entrepreneurial role during more than 30 years 
with the Group and to provide him an equity interest comparable to that of founders of companies 
in the same sector, and more generally, of his peers in technology companies around the world.

Appointment to the Compensation 
and Nomination Committee of the 
director representing employees
(Article 17.1)

Loss of independent director status 
on the 12th anniversary 
of the director’s mandate
(Article 8.5.6)

5

The Board of Directors did not wish to alter the composition of the Compensation and Nomination 
Committee and considers that its current composition – 100% independent directors – is the best 
guarantee of its effectiveness.

Messrs. De Meyer and Chahid-Nouraï are deemed independent by the Board despite the length 
of their mandates as Dassault Systèmes SE directors.
Their mandates were renewed on May 28, 2015 for a period of four years, while both had been 
company directors for ten years on the basis of the current AFEP-MEDEF Code then in force, which 
stipulates that a director loses independent status at the end of the mandate during which their term 
of office exceeds 12 years (Article 9.4, Note 10). Accordingly, Messrs. De Meyer and Chahid-Nouraï 
should lose their independent status at the end of their term of office following  the general meeting 
to approve the 2019 financial statements.
However, the November 2016 revision of the Code now stipulates that a director loses independent 
status on their 12th anniversary. Based on this version of the Code, Messrs. De Meyer and 
Chahid-Nouraï should have lost their independent status in 2018 .
The Board therefore considers it appropriate to apply the recommendation of the Code in force 
on the date of renewal of the two directors’ mandates, whereby the loss of independence occurs 
at the end of the mandate during which the term of office exceeds 12 years, i.e. 2020 .
Nevertheless, because it is committed to the best possible corporate governance standards, the Board 
has decided to evolve the composition of the Compensation and Nomination Committee as follows:
 › at the end of the Board meeting of December 8, 2017, appointment of Ms. Lescourret 

and Mr. Dutta as members of the Committee; and

 › at the end of the Board Meeting of March 15, 2018, withdrawal of Messrs. De Meyer and 
Chahid-Nouraï and appointment of Ms. Laurence Lescourret as the Committee Chairman.
In addition, the Board proposes to appoint Xavier Cauchois as a director, intended to join the Audit 
Committee (see paragraph 7 “General Meeting”).

Number of shares the executive officers 
are required to hold in registered form
(Article 22)

Due to Mr. Edelstenne’s role as founder, and his shareholding (more than 8% of the voting rights 
the Board considered that it was unnecessary to set a minimum quantity of shares to be held 
in registered form.

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5.1.6  Other information required by Articles L. 225-37 et seq. 

of the French Commercial Code

5.1.6.2 

Table summarizing the current 
delegations granted by the General 
Meeting in respect of capital increases

The  following  table  summarizes  the  delegations  and 
authorizations  granted  by  the  General  Meeting  to  the  Board 
of  Directors  and  with  effect  during  the  2017  fiscal  year  and 
as of the date of this Annual Report (Document de référence). 
It  includes  authorizations  to  increase  share  capital  and  to 
repurchase and cancel the Company’s own shares.

5.1.6.1 

Specific Conditions Related 
to Shareholders’ Participation 
in the General Meeting

Shareholders  participate  in  the  General  Meetings  of  the 
Company in accordance with applicable law and the Company’s 
by-laws (Articles 24 to 33). Thus, every shareholder has the 
right  to  participate  in  General  Meetings  and  deliberations 
either personally or via a proxy, regardless of the number of 
shares held, according to the conditions specified by Article 27 
of  the  by-laws  of  Dassault  Systèmes  (see  paragraph  6.1.2 
“Memorandum and Specific By-Laws Provisions”).

In the case of the separation of the ownership of the shares, 
the voting right belongs to the bare owner (nu-propriétaire), 
except for decisions relating to the allocation of profits, where 
it belongs to the beneficial owner (usufruitier).

Resolutions and General 
Meetings (“GM”)

Description of the delegation 
of authority granted to the Board of Directors

SHARES BUYBACK AND CANCELLATION OF SHARES

Utilization 
in the fiscal year

See paragraph 6.2.4 
“Stock repurchase 
programs”

See paragraph 6.2.4 
“Stock repurchase 
programs”

15th resolution
GM of 05/23/2017

16th resolution
GM of 05/23/2017

ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES

17th resolution
GM of 05/23/2017

18th resolution
GM of 05/23/2017

Authorization: purchase Dassault Systèmes shares.
Duration: approximately 12 months (expiring at the GM approving the financial 
statements for the fiscal year ended on 12/31/2017).
Cap: 25 million shares within the limit of €500 million and a maximum price 
per share not exceeding €100.

Authorization: cancel shares purchased under the buyback program.
Duration: approximately 12 months (expiring at the GM approving the financial 
statements for the fiscal year ended on 12/31/2017).
Cap: 10% of share capital in a 24-month period.

Authorization: increase the share capital by issuance of shares or securities giving 
right to shares of Dassault Systèmes SE and issue securities giving right to debt 
securities, with preemptive right of shareholders.
Duration: 26 months, i.e. until 07/23/2019.
Cap: For a maximum nominal amount of €12 million for shares or securities – 
For a maximum nominal amount of €750 million for debt securities.

Authorization: increase the share capital by issuance of shares or securities giving 
right to shares of Dassault Systèmes SE or giving right to receive debt securities 
and to issue securities giving right to equity securities to be issued, with waiver 
of preemptive right of shareholders, by public offering.
Duration: 26 months, i.e. until 07/23/2019.
Cap: For a maximum nominal amount of €12 million for shares or securities. 
For a maximum nominal amount of €750 million for debt securities 
(to be deducted from the caps set out in the 17th resolution).

None

None

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5

Resolutions and General 
Meetings (“GM”)

Description of the delegation 
of authority granted to the Board of Directors

19th resolution
GM of 05/23/2017

20th resolution
GM of 05/23/2017

21st resolution
GM of 05/23/2017

Authorization: increase the share capital and issue securities giving right to debt 
securities, without preemptive rights of shareholders, under the delegation referred 
to in the previous line, by a private placement, under section II of the Article L. 411-2 
of the French Monetary and Financial Code.
Duration: 26 months, i.e. until 07/23/2019.
Cap: For a maximum nominal amount of €12 million 
(to be deducted from the cap set out in the 17th resolution).

Authorization: increase the share capital by incorporation of reserves, 
profits or premiums.
Duration: 26 months, i.e. until 07/23/2019.
Cap: For a maximum nominal amount of €12 million 
(to be deducted from the cap set out in the 17th resolution).

Authorization: increase the share capital to remunerate contributions 
in kind of shares or equity-linked securities.
Duration: 26 months, i.e. until 07/23/2019.
Cap: 10% of share capital.

ISSUANCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF EMPLOYEES AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

1st resolution
 GM of 09/04/2015

Authorization: grant free shares, existing or to be issued, for the benefit 
of certain employees and/or corporate officers of the Company and its affiliated 
entities as defined in Article L. 225-197-2 of the French Commercial Code.
Duration: 38 months, i.e. until 11/04/2018.
Cap: 2% of share capital.

15th resolution
GM of 05/26/2016

22nd resolution
 GM of 05/23/2017

Authorization: grant stock options giving right to subscribe to new shares 
or purchase existing shares for the benefit of certain employees and/or 
corporate officers of Dassault Systèmes SE and its affiliated entities as defined 
in Article L. 225-180 of the French Commercial Code.
Duration: 38 months, i.e. until 07/26/2019.
Cap: 5% of share capital.

Authorization: increase the share capital for the benefit of members 
of a corporate savings plan of Dassault Systèmes SE and its affiliated entities.
Duration: 26 months, i.e. until 07/26/2018.
Cap: For a maximum nominal amount of €5 million (to be deducted from 
the cap set out in the 17th resolution of the General Meeting on 05/23/2017).

Utilization 
in the fiscal year

None

None

None

Described in 
paragraph 5.1.4.2 
“Interests of Executive 
Management and 
Employees in the Share 
Capital of Dassault 
Systèmes SE”

See paragraph 5.1.4.2 
“Interests of Executive 
Management and 
Employees in the Share 
Capital of Dassault 
Systèmes SE”

None

The  authorizations  to  purchase  Dassault  Systèmes  shares 
and  to  cancel  these  purchased  shares  expire  at  the  end 
of  the  General  Meeting  to  be  held  on  May  22,  2018.  It 
is  thus  proposed  to  this  General  Meeting  to  renew  these 
authorizations  (see  paragraph  6.2.4.2  “Description  of  the 
Share Repurchase Program Proposed to the General Meeting 
on  May  22,  2018”).  It  will  also  be  proposed  to  renew  the 
delegation  to  issue  Dassault  Systèmes  share  subscription 
options  (see  paragraph  7.1.  “Presentation  of  the  resolutions 
proposed by the Board of Directors to the General Meeting on 
May 22, 2018”).

5.1.6.3  Draft resolutions prepared by 

the Board pursuant to the General 
Meeting vote on the compensation 
policy

The draft resolutions in respect of the vote on the compensation 
policy are set out in paragraph 7.2 “Draft Resolutions Proposed 
by the Board of Directors to the General Meeting on May 22, 
2018”.

5

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Internal Control Procedures and Risk Management

5.1.6.4 

Possible Consequences in Case of a Public Tender Offer

The information required by Article L. 225-37-5 of the French 
Commercial Code is indicated in paragraphs 6.3 “Information 
about  the  Shareholders”  (concerning  control  of  GIMD), 
5.1.6.2  "Table  summarizing  the  current  delegations  granted 
by the General Meeting in respect of capital increases , 6.2.4  
“Stock  Repurchase  Programs”  (concerning  acquisition  by 
Dassault Systèmes SE of its treasury shares), 6.1.2.2 “General 
Meetings”  (concerning  the  conditions  for  exercising  voting 
rights)  and  5.1.3.3  “Indemnities  Due  in  the  Event  of  the 

Imposed Departure (départ contraint) of Mr. Bernard Charlès” 
in this 2017 Annual Report (Document de référence).

The  Annual  Report  (Document de référence)  is  available  on 
the AMF website (www.amf-france.org) and on the Dassault 
Systèmes website (www.3ds.com). A press release is issued to 
announce when the Annual Report (Document de référence) 
becomes available.

Charles Edelstenne

Chairman of the Board

5.2 

Internal Control Procedures and Risk Management

Because Dassault Systèmes was listed on the stock market in the United States until the end of 2008, Dassault Systèmes defined 
and  implemented  an  internal  control  procedure  based  mainly  on  the  COSO  (Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the 
Treadway Commission) framework, as well as on the AMF’s suggested reference framework regarding internal control updated 
on July 22, 2010.

This report on internal control procedures applies to Dassault Systèmes SE and its consolidated subsidiaries.

5.2.1  Definition and objectives of internal control

According  to  the  COSO  accounting  basis,  internal  control  is 
a  process  implemented  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  managers 
and  employees,  aimed  at  providing  a  reasonable  guarantee 
with regard to achieving the following objectives: performing 
and  optimizing  operations,  the  reliability  of  financial  and 
accounting  information,  and  compliance  with  the  laws  and 
regulations in force.

The internal control procedures within the Company, whether 
at  the  level  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  or  its  subsidiaries,  are 
designed to:

 › improve  the  performance  and  efficiency  of  operations 
through  optimized  use  of  available  resources  (an  objective 
inspired by the COSO framework);

 › ensure the reliability, quality and availability of financial data 
(an objective inspired by the COSO and AMF frameworks);

 › ensure that operations comply with legislation in effect and 
the Company’s internal procedures (an objective inspired by 
the COSO and AMF frameworks);

 › guarantee  the  security  of  assets,  particularly  intellectual 
property,  the  human  and  financial  resources  and  the 
image  of  the  Company  (an  objective  inspired  by  the  AMF 
framework);

 › prevent risks of error or fraud (an objective inspired by the 

COSO and AMF frameworks).

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5

5.2.2 

Internal Control Participants and Organization

All  corporate  governance  bodies  participate 
implementation of the internal control processes.

in 

the 

The  Board  of  Directors,  concerned  with  the  issue  of  internal 
control,  created  in  1996  an  Audit  Committee,  with  the 
mission described above (see paragraph  5.1.1.3 “Composition, 
Practices and Activities of the Board Committees” .

In  parallel,  the  Company’s  management  has  established  the 
following bodies:

 › an Insider Committee responsible for setting and applying 
the rules aimed at preventing insider trading. In particular, 
this  Committee  informs  all  interested  parties  (employees, 
directors,  consultants,  etc.)  of  the  periods  in  which  they 
are  prohibited  from  buying  or  selling  Dassault  Systèmes 
securities.  These  blackout  periods  are  longer  than  those 
set forth by law. In addition, as they have regular access to 
privileged and insider information in relation to their roles, 
the  Group  managers  must  obtain  the  Insider  Committee’s 
prior approval for any transactions involving the Company’s 
securities (as defined in the Group’s Insider Trading Rules). 
The Company complies with laws and regulations regarding 
the prevention of insider trading on a general basis;

 › an  Internal  Audit  Department  reporting  to  the  General 
Secretary  and  to  the  Group  Financial  Officer  on  the  one 
hand  and  to  the  Audit  Committee  on  the  other  hand, 
one  of  its  main  missions  is  to  evaluate  the  relevance  of 
Dassault  Systèmes’  internal  control  processes,  to  alert  the 
management and the Audit Committee regarding possible 
deficiencies  or  risks,  and  to  propose  measures  that  will 
limit the risks and improve the efficiency of operations. The 
Internal Audit department also has the responsibility for the 
annual  assessment,  on  behalf  of  the  management,  of  the 
internal control mechanisms related to financial reporting;

 › an Ethics & Compliance Department reporting to the General 
Secretary  and  to  the  Chief  Executive  Officer,  responsible 
for  ensuring  the  implementation  and  respect  of  the  Code 
of  Business  Conduct,  as  well  as  the  Company’s  specific 
policies, recommendations and procedures regarding ethics 
and compliance. This department is supported by an Ethics 
Committee  which  meets  every  month  and  investigates 
any alleged non-conformities brought to its knowledge, in 
particular through the whistleblowing procedure.

The  internal  control  is  also  based  on  the  principle  of  giving 
responsibility  to  each  of  the  departments  and  subsidiaries 
of  the  Company  in  its  respective  area  of  expertise,  and  on 
delegations  of  powers  to  certain  members  of  the  Executive 
Committee of the Company, such delegations having specific 
fields of application.

Moreover, the subsidiaries’ local chief executive and financial 
officers are responsible for preparing the subsidiaries’ financial 
statements which are included in the Company’s consolidated 
financial statements, and the annual financial statements and 
management reports for each of their respective subsidiaries, 
whether  the  accounts  are  prepared  by  their  own  financial 
teams or by shared internal financial and accounting services 
centers  located  particularly  in  Malaysia,  Japan,  the  United 
States and France.

The Company’s Financial Planning and Analysis department 
is  responsible  for  directing  the  financial  objectives  of  the 
Company  in  accordance  with  budget  monitoring  procedures 
and,  in  this  respect,  performs  specific  controls  and  analyzes 
of the quarterly accounts. It is also responsible for identifying, 
analyzing  and  warning  of  any  differences  from  the  previous 
year,  the  previous  quarter  and  the  Company’s  budget 
objectives, which are subject to a quarterly update.

5.2.3 

Internal Control and Risk Management Procedures

The internal control mechanisms developed by the Company 
promote internal control in the following areas:

 › control report: The professional ethics of the Company are 
set forth in the Code of Business Conduct, which describes 
the manner in which Dassault Systèmes expects its business 
to  be  conducted  and  which  may  serve  as  a  reference  tool 
for  all  Group  employees  to  help  guide  their  behavior  and 
their  interactions  in  their  professional  work.  The  Code 
of  Business  Conduct,  which  applies  to  all  employees 
of  Dassault  Systèmes  and  is  available  on  the  Group’s 
internet site and online community platform, addresses, in 
particular (i) compliance with regulations applicable to the 

Company’s  business,  (ii)  individual  interactions  within  the 
Company  and  with  its  ecosystem,  and  (iii)  protecting  the 
Company’s assets (in particular, the Company’s intellectual 
property and that of its clients and partners). The Code also 
includes specific policies on the fight against corruption and 
influence-peddling, conflicts of interest and insider trading . 
The distribution of these policies  is accompanied by training, 
which  is  specifically  provided  to  any  new  employee  and 
to  employees  joining  the  Group  as  part  of  the  integration 
process for such acquisitions;

 › risk  analysis:  The  main  risks  which  may  impact  the 
performance  of  the  Company  are  identified,  assessed  and 

5

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

215

5 Corporate governance

Internal Control Procedures and Risk Management

regularly  reviewed  by  the  management  of  the  Company. 
These risks are described in paragraph 1.7.6.1 “Risks Related 
to  the  Company’s  Business”.   This  paragraph  specifies  the 
measures taken by the Group to manage or limit these risks 
whenever possible.

Operational  risks  are  essentially  managed  by  subsidiaries. 
Risks  in  the  area  of  IP  protection,  ethics  and  financial  risks 
are specifically monitored by Dassault Systèmes SE as well as 
locally monitored;

 › protection and monitoring activities:

1)  protecting  its  intellectual  property  is  an  on-going 
concern  for  the  Group.  This  protection  is  ensured  by 
implementing  and  monitoring  corporate  processes 
designed  to  verify  the  Company’s  rights  before  it 
markets  its  software  products.  The  Company  also 
protects  its  inventions  through  a  reasonable  and 
well-considered  approach  to  filing  patents  in  several 
jurisdictions.  The  Company’s  principal  brands  are  also 
registered in a large number of countries. The Group is 
continuing to actively develop its program designed to 
fight against infringement concerning its products,

2)  information  systems  security,  which  is  critical  to 
ensuring  the  protection  of  the  source  codes  for  the 
Company’s  applications, 
is  continually  evaluated, 
tested and strengthened in the areas of network access 
or performance, anti-virus protection, and the physical 
security  of  servers  and  other  information  system 
facilities,

3)  the internal control policies related to the main processes 
within the Company (information technology security, 
sales  administration,  human  resources,  protection 
of  intellectual  property,  closing  and  publication  of 
financial  statements,  treasury  management,  client 
credit  risk  management)  are  formalized  and  updated 

at the level of both Dassault Systèmes SE and its main 
subsidiaries or the related shared services centers,

4)  key  control  points  making  it  possible  to  prevent  or 
detect risks impacting the financial information in the 
significant entities of the Company are documented,

5)  tests  are  performed  annually  on  these  key  control 

points to evaluate their effectiveness,

6)  the  operational  entities  implement  action  plans  with 

the goal of continuous improvement;

 › monitoring:  The  Company  has  deployed  processes 
to  monitor,  review  and  analyze  on  a  regular  basis  its 
performance  at  the  level  of  its  main  entities,  brands, 
distribution  channels  and  geographical  areas  (governance, 
budget  reviews,  activity  reviews).  In  addition,  quarterly 
communication  meetings  are  also  held  to  ensure  a  better 
dissemination of the Group’s strategy to all its employees 
 and discussions facilitating its implementation;

 › audit  missions:  In  2017,  the  Internal  Audit  department 
carried  out  different  missions  within  the  Company’s 
subsidiaries to verify compliance of the local internal control 
procedures  with  the  Company  objectives.  These  missions, 
authorized by the Audit Committee, result in the issuance of 
recommendations to the local management teams and the 
implementation  of  action  plans  when  deemed  necessary 
to  reinforce  the  audited  processes  and  organizations. 
The  Internal  Audit  department  carries  out  a  review  of  the 
implementation of these plans.

In addition, the Company has put in place internal preven tive 
measures  to  continue  operations  and  limit  the  impact  of  a 
major damage. As a result, several secured computer systems 
protect  source  codes  and  all  electronic  data  stored  on  the 
servers,  work  stations  and  laptop  computers  used  in  the 
different  entities  of  the  Company.  The  computer  protection 
systems are maintained in different sites.

5.2.4 

Internal Control Procedures Relating to the Preparation 
and Treatment of Financial and Accounting Information

With  respect  to  the  internal  control  processes  related  to  the 
preparation  of  financial  and  accounting  information,  the 
Company’s focus has been to:

 › implement  a  quarterly  control  system  to  update  budget 
objectives and identify and analyze any variation from the 
objectives set by the Financial department of the Company 
and from the previous quarter and fiscal year.

Thus,  each  of  the  subsidiaries  prepares  a  detailed  and 
documented  presentation  of  its  sales  activity  for  the  past 
quarter and the year, and performs a comparative analysis 
of  its  financial  results  (revenues  and  costs)  in  comparison 

with the budget targets of the current year and compared 
to the same quarter for the previous year.

Budget  projections  are  reviewed,  analyzed  and  updated 
each  quarter  by  the  teams  of  the  Financial  department 
to  take  into  account  all  changes  in  the  market  and  the 
economic  environment,  particularly  as  regards  exchange 
rates, and to present realistic objectives to shareholders and 
financial markets;

 › improve  the  reliability  of 

its  consolidation  tools  and 
processes 
in  order  to  establish  and  publish  required 
financial information every quarter as soon as possible. The 

216 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Corporate governance
Internal Control Procedures and Risk Management

5

consolidation  procedure  as  defined  by  Dassault  Systèmes 
SE is based on:

1)  giving responsibility to the chief financial officers in the 
subsidiaries,  who  are  required  to  certify  the  quarterly 
statements transmitted to Dassault Systèmes SE and to 
provide detailed business reviews and analyses before 
the accounts are consolidated,

5)  a  detailed  review  by  the  Group’s  financial  division  of 
the quarterly accounts of Dassault Systèmes SE and its 
subsidiaries,

6)  the  detailed  analysis  by  the  Company’s  accounting 
department of all the material software license and/or 
services  transactions  in  order  to  validate  their  correct 
accounting recording;

2)  the  use  of  consolidation  tools  that  make  data 
transmission  and  processing  secure  and  allow  the 
elimination of intra-group transactions,

 › systematize  the  processes  by  which  the  Audit  Committee 
and the Board of Directors review financial information prior 
to publication;

3)  standardization of processes and information systems, 
particularly  with  respect  to  centralizing  and  recording 
most of the transactions at shared services centers,

4)  the implementation of an annual process to monitor off-
balance sheet commitments, related-party agreements 
(conventions réglementées),

 › structure 

its 

financial 

communications 

to  ensure 
simultaneous  and  equivalent  publication  of  information 
on  its  principal  markets  of  financial  results  or  any  other 
information  that  could  have  an  impact  on  the  price  of  its 
shares.

5.2.5  Evaluation of Internal Control

5

Since its voluntary delisting from the NASDAQ in October 2008, 
Dassault Systèmes SE is  no longer subject to the requirements 
of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act with regard to the assessment 
of  its  internal  control  procedures.  The  Company  therefore 
evaluates  the  internal  control  procedures  applicable  to  its 
principal  processes  and  subsidiaries 
in  accordance  with 
European Regulations.

As the Company management aims to maintain a high level 
of internal control within the Company, detailed assessment 
work was again performed in 2017, as part of the process of 

achieving  continuous  improvement  and  for  the  purpose  of 
preparing  targeted  action  plans  and  audits.  In  this  respect, 
the  scope  of  Group  entities  subjected  to  internal  control 
evaluations, in the form of self-evaluation questionnaires and 
internal control reviews conducted in the months immediately 
following acquisition continues to expand to entities that had 
previously been considered immaterial and to newly acquired 
companies. The results of the evaluation of the internal control 
are  presented  to  the  Audit  Committee.  In  addition,  Internal 
Control’s efficiency is assessed by the Statutory Auditors.

5.2.6  Limitations on Internal Control

The  internal  control  system  cannot  provide  an  absolute 
guarantee that the Company’s objectives in this area will be 
achieved.  Inherent  limitations  apply  to  all  internal  control 

systems,  related  in  particular  to  the  exercise  of  individual 
judgments,  or  dysfunctions  which  may  occur  as  a  result  of 
human failure or simple error or in the external environment.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

217

5 Corporate governance

Transactions in Dassault Systèmes shares by the Management of the Company

5.3  Transactions in Dassault Systèmes shares 
by the Management of the Company

Pursuant to Article 223-26 of the AMF General Regulations, the table below shows transactions involving securities issued by 
Dassault  Systèmes  carried  out  in  2017  by  directors  or  members  of  the  Group  Executive  Committee,  or  by  persons  related  to 
them (according to Article L. 621-18-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code) on the basis of the declarations made by the 
relevant parties to the AMF, available on www.amf-france.org.

Date
Place

02/07/2017
Euronext Paris

02/07/2017
Euronext Paris

02/08/2017
Euronext Paris

02/08/2017
Euronext Paris

05/09/2017
Euronext Paris

05/29/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

06/26/2017
Euronext Paris

08/01/2017
Euronext Paris

08/01/2017
Euronext Paris

08/02/2017
Euronext Paris

08/17/2017
Euronext Paris

Directors and Executive Officers

Nature of the transaction

Unit price
(in euros)

Volume

Monica Menghini

Sale of shares

76.0949

28,000

Thibault de Tersant

Sale of shares

76.0949

15,000

Philippe Forestier

Sale of shares

76.2939

24,000

Philippe Forestier

Exercise of purchase option

21.8333

24,000

Thibault de Tersant

Sale of shares

83.4289

15,000

Pascal Daloz

Individual related 
to Charles Edelstenne

Legal person related 
to Edelstenne

Exercise of purchase option

23.5000

60,000

Reinvestment of dividends in shares

82.2600

37,830

Reinvestment of dividends in shares

82.2600

Catherine Dassault

Payment of dividends in the form of shares

0.5300

11

10

Charles Edelstenne

Reinvestment of dividends in shares

82.2600

20,706

Charles Edelstenne

Reinvestment of dividends in shares

Jean-Pierre Chahid-Nouraï

Share subscription

82.2600

82.2600

2

8

Laurence Baucher

Legal person related 
to Edelstenne

Share subscription

82.2600

123

Reinvestment of dividends in shares

82.2600

11

Pascal Daloz

Share subscription

Thibault de Tersant

Individual related 
to Philippe Forestier

Individual related 
to Philippe Forestier

Share subscription

Sale of shares

82.2600

82.2600

294

383

83.4785

8,000

Exercise of purchase option

19.5000

8,000

Thibault de Tersant

Sale of shares

84.42724

10,000

Sylvain Laurent

Sale of shares

83.5799

3,615

218 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Corporate governance
Transactions in Dassault Systèmes shares by the Management of the Company

5

Date
Place

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Over the counter 
market

09/04/2017 
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/04/2017
Euronext Paris

09/07/2017
Euronext Paris

09/08/2017
Euronext Paris

10/30/2017
Euronext Paris

10/30/2017
Euronext Paris

10/30/2017
Euronext Paris

10/30/2017 
Euronext Paris

10/30/2017 
Euronext Paris

10/31/2017 
Euronext Paris

11/20/2017 
Euronext Paris

12/06/2017 
Euronext Paris

12/07/2017
Over the counter 
market

Directors and Executive Officers

Nature of the transaction

Bernard Charlès

Acquisition of shares

Bruno Latchague

Exercisability of stock options

Dominique Florack

Acquisition of shares

Laurence Baucher

Acquisition of shares

Laurent Blanchard

Acquisition of shares

Monica Menghini

Individual related 
to Philippe Forestier

Acquisition of shares

Acquisition of shares

Pascal Daloz

Acquisition of shares

Philippe Forestier

Acquisition of shares

Sylvain Laurent

Acquisition of shares

Thibault de Tersant

Acquisition of shares

Unit price
(in euros)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Volume

300,000

46,667

65,000

15,000

30,000

20,000

1,500

36,000

8,000

26,000

40,000

5

Laurence Baucher

Sale of shares

84.2800

2,700

Laurence Baucher

Individual related 
to Philippe Forestier

Individual related 
to Philippe Forestier

Sale of shares

Sale of shares

84.7757

6,100

89.5875

4,800

Exercise of purchase option

23.5000

4,800

Philippe Forestier

Sale of shares

89.4937

10,000

Philippe Forestier

Exercise of purchase option

23.5000

10,000

Thibault de Tersant

Sale of shares

89.5875

10,000

Bernard Charlès

Exercise of purchase option

19.5000

100,000

Dominique Florack

Exercise of purchase option

19.5000

290,000

Sylvain Laurent

Sale of shares

89.1300

6,447

Sylvain Laurent

Sale of shares

89.3700

43,938

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

219

5 Corporate governance

Statutory Auditors

TRANSACTIONS MADE BY GIMD, A LEGAL ENTITY RELATED TO CHARLES EDELSTENNE, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, 
AND MARIE-HÉLÈNE HABERT-DASSAULT, DIRECTOR

Date
Place

04/28/2017
Over the counter market

05/02/2017
Over the counter market

06 /26 /2017
Euronext Paris 

08/21/2017
Over the counter market

08/30/2017
Over the counter market

Nature of the transaction

Sale of other types of financial instruments

Sale of other types of financial instruments

Unit price
(in euros)

Volume

1.4728

25,000

1.4982

25,000

Reinvestment of dividends in shares  

82.2600 

682,683 

Sale of other types of financial instruments

Sale of other types of financial instruments

0.8219

25,000

1.5492

25,000

5.4  Statutory Auditors

Principal Statutory Auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers  Audit,  member  of  the  Compagnie 
Régionale  des  Commissaires  aux  Comptes  de  Versailles,  63, 
rue  de  Villiers  –  92200   Neuilly-sur-Seine,  represented  by 
Pierre  Marty,  whose  first  mandate  began  on  June  8,  2005 
and was renewed on May 23, 2017 for a period of six fiscal 
years  expiring  at  the  General  Meeting  of  Shareholders 
approving the financial statements for the fiscal year ending 
on December 31, 2022.

Ernst & Young et Autres, member of the Compagnie Régionale 
des  Commissaires  aux  Comptes  de  Versailles,  1/2,  place  des 
Saisons – 92400 Courbevoie – Paris La Défense 1, represented 
by  Nour-Eddine  Zanouda,  whose  first  mandate  began  on 
May 27, 2010 was renewed on May 26, 2016 for a period of 

six fiscal years expiring at the General Meeting of Shareholders 
approving the financial statements for the fiscal year ending 
on December 31, 2021.

Deputy Statutory Auditors
The company Auditex, whose registered office is at 1/2, place 
des Saisons – 92400 Courbevoie – Paris La -Défense 1, whose 
mandate  was  renewed  on  May  26,  2016  and  will  expire  at 
the General Meeting of Shareholders approving the financial 
statements for the fiscal year ending on December 31, 2021.

Principal Auditors’ fees and services
See Note 27 to the consolidated financial statements .

220 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Corporate governance
Declarations regarding the administrative Bodies and Senior Management

5

5.5  Declarations regarding the administrative Bodies 

and Senior Management

To Dassault Systèmes SE’s knowledge:

 › there  is  no  family  relationship  between  the  directors, 
or  between  a  director  and  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  (see  paragraph  5.1.2  above  for  the  list  of 
members)  with the exception of Ms. Marie-Hélène Habert-
Dassault and her sister-in-law Ms. Catherine Dassault;

 › in the past five years, none of the directors or members of 
the  Group’s  Executive  Committee  has  been  convicted  of 
fraud, been declared bankrupt or their property impounded 
or  liquidated,  been  subject  to  an  official  accusation  and/
or  penalty  delivered  by  legal  or  regulatory  authorities,  or 
been  prohibited  by  a  court  from  becoming  a  member  of 
an  administrative,  management  or  supervisory  body  of  a 

company,  or  from  being  involved  in  the  management  or 
direction of the affairs of a company;

 › there  are  no  potential  conflicts  of  interest  between  the 
duties  to  the  Company  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors and their private interests and/or other duties, and 
no director or member of the Group’s Executive Committee 
has  been  named  to  the  Board  or  to  an  administrative, 
management  or  supervisory  body  as  a  result  of  an 
agreement  between  the  Company’s  main  shareholders, 
customers, suppliers or any other persons;

 › no director or member of the Group’s Executive Committee 
is  party  to  a  service  contract  with  Dassault  Systèmes  SE, 
or one of its subsidiaries, which provides him or her with a 
personal benefit.

5

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

221

5 Corporate governance

222 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

6

INFORMATION ABOUT 
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES SE, 
THE SHARE CAPITAL AND 
THE OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE

CONTENTS

6.1  Information about 

Dassault Systèmes SE 

6.1.1  General Information 

6.1.2  Memorandum and Specific By-Laws Provisions 

6.2  Information about 

the Share Capital 

6.2.1  Share Capital at February 28, 2018 

6.2.2  Potential Share Capital 

6.2.3  Changes in Dassault Systèmes SE Share Capital 

over the Past Three Years 

6.2.4  Stock Buyback Programs 

224

224

225

228

228

228

229

230

6.3  Information about 

the Shareholders 

6.3.1  Shareholder Base and Double Voting Rights 

6.3.2  Controlling Shareholder 

6.3.3  Shareholder Agreements 

6.4  Stock Market Information 

231

231

233

234

236

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

223

6 Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure

Information about Dassault Systèmes SE

6.1 

Information about Dassault Systèmes SE

6.1.1  General Information

6.1.1.1 

Commercial Name and Registered 
Office

Dassault Systèmes

10, rue Marcel Dassault – 78140 Vélizy-Villacoublay, France

Telephone: +33 (0)1 61 62 61 62

6.1.1.2 

Legal form – Applicable Law – 
Place of Registration and Registration 
Number – APE code

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  is  a  European  company  (Societas 
Europaea)  incorporated  and  registered  under  French  law, 
governed  by  the  provisions  of  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
no.  2157/2001  as  well  as  by  French  provisions  in  force  at 
any time (hereinafter the “Law”). The Company is registered 
with  the  Versailles  trade  and  companies  registry  under 
number 322 306 440. The Company’s APE code is 5829 C.

Dassault Systèmes SE is governed by a Board of Directors.

6.1.1.3  Date of Incorporation and Term

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  was  incorporated  as  a  limited  liability 
company (société à responsabilité limitée) on June 9, 1981 for 
a  99-year  term  starting  on  the  date  of  its  registration  (until 
August 4, 2080). The Company was transformed into a public 
limited liability company (société anonyme) on April 8, 1993 
and  then  into  a  European  company  (Societas Europaea)  on 
June 15, 2015.

 › the supply and providing of services to users notably in the 
area of training, demonstration, methodology, display and 
utilization; and

 › the  supply  and  sale  of  computer  resources,  together  or 
separate  from  the  supply  or  sale  of  software  or  services, 
notably  in  the  areas  of  3D  design,  solutions,  modeling, 
simulation,  manufacturing, 
planning, 
collaboration, lifecycle management, business intelligence, 
marketing  or  3D  for  public  at  large  in  the  domains  of 
products, nature and life.

operations 

The purpose of the Company shall also be:

 › the  creation,  acquisition, 

rental  and  management-
lease  of  any  on-going  business,  signing  leases,  and  the 
establishment and operation of any facilities;

 › the  acquisition,  operation  or  sale  of  any  industrial  or 
intellectual property rights as well as any knowhow in the 
field of computers; and

 › more  generally,  taking  an  interest  in  any  business  or 
company  created  or  to  be  created  as  well  as  in  any  legal, 
economic, financial, industrial, civil commercial, personal or 
real property enterprise connected directly or indirectly, in 
whole or in part, with the purposes above or any similar or 
related purposes.

6.1.1.5 

Fiscal Year

The 12-month fiscal year covers the period from January 1  to 
December 31  of each year.

6.1.1.4 

Corporate Purpose

6.1.1.6 

Branches

to  Article  2  of 

Pursuant 
the  Company’s  by-laws, 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s  corporate  purpose,  in  France  and 
abroad, is:

 › the design, development, production, marketing, purchase, 
sale,  brokerage,  rental,  maintenance  and  the  provision 
of  after-sale  services  of  software,  digital  content  and/or 
computer hardware;

 › the  supply  and  providing  of  services  of  data  centers, 
including  the  supply  of  online  software  services  as  a 
service and the operation and supply of the corresponding 
infrastructures;

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  has  11  branches  as  of  February  28, 
2018, located at the following addresses:

 › ZAC  du  Bois  de  Côtes  –  304  Route  National  6  –  69760 

Limonest

 › 5 rue de l’Halbrane, Technocampus Océan, ZAC Croix Rouge 

– 44340 Bouguenais

 › 15 rue Claude Chappe, bâtiment B – Zac des Champs blancs 

– 35510 Cesson-Sevigné

 › Rue Evariste Galois, ZAC St-Philippe II, lot 24, Quartier des 

Lucioles – 06410 Biot

 › 10 Place de la Madeleine – 75008 Paris

224 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure
Information about Dassault Systèmes SE

6

 › 20  Boulevard  Eugène  Deruelle,  bâtiment  A,  Immeuble  Le 

Britannia – 69003 Lyon

 › 35  rue  Haroun  Tazieff,  Immeuble  Ecoparc  Océnais  1  B  – 

54320 Maxeville

 › 53 avenue de l’Europe – 13090 Aix-en-Provence

 › 1-3 rue Jeanne Braconnier, Immeuble Terre Europa – 92360 

Meudon

 › 120 rue René Descartes – 29280 Plouzané

 › 37  Chemin  des  Ramassiers,  ZAC  des  Ramassiers  –  31770 

Colomiers

 › 1 Allée Lavoisier – 59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq

6.1.1.7  Documents on Display

Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s  by-laws,  minutes  of  the  General 
Meetings  and  Board  of  Directors’  reports  to  the  General 
Meetings,  reports  of  the  Statutory  Auditors,  financial 
statements  for  the  last  three  years  and,  more  generally, 
all  documents  provided  or  made  available  to  shareholders 
pursuant to the Law may be viewed at Dassault Systèmes SE’s 
registered office.

Some  of  these  documents  are  also  available  on  the  Group’s 
website (www.3ds.com/investors/regulated-information).

6.1.2  Memorandum and Specific By-Laws Provisions

An  amendment  of  Dassault  Systèmes’  By-Laws  is  proposed 
at  the  General  Meeting  dated  May  22,  2018,  see  Chapter  7 
“General  Meeting”  so  that  such  By-Laws  are  in  complia nce  
with (i) Article L. 823-1 para. 2 of the French commercial code, 
as  amended  by  law  2016-1691  dated  December  9,  2016, 
relating to the possibility to avoid the appointment of a deputy 
auditor where the statutory auditor is neither a natural person 
nor  a  single-member  company  and  (ii)  Article  L.225-36  of 
the  French  Commercial  Code,  as  amended  by  the  same  law , 
authorizing  the  Board  of  Directors  to  transfer  the  registered 
office  within  French  territory,  subject  to  ratification  of  this 
decision by the next Ordinary General Meeting.

6.1.2.1  Allocation of Profits 

(Article 36 of the Company’s 
By-Laws)

The  profits  for  each  year,  less  any  losses  from  prior  periods, 
where appropriate, are first allocated to the reserves as required 
by Law. An amount of 5% is deducted to form the legal reserve 
fund. This deduction ceases to be compulsory when said fund 
reaches  one-tenth  of  share  capital;  it  becomes  compulsory 
once again when the legal reserve falls below this amount.

The  distributable  profit  is  composed  of  the  profit  from  the 
year less any losses from prior periods as well as the amounts 
allocated to reserves as required by Law or the Company’s by-
laws, and increased by retained profits.

The  General  Meeting  then  deducts  from  this  distributable 
profit  the  amounts  deemed  appropriate  to  allocate  to  any 
optional,  ordinary  or  special  reserves  or  to  the  retained 
earnings account.

As  appropriate,  any  remaining  balance  is  distributed  to  all 
shares proportionately to the unredeemed paid-up value.

However, except in the event of a share capital reduction, no 
distribution  can  be  made  to  shareholders  if  the  equity  is,  or 
would be as a result of the distribution, less than the amount 
of the share capital plus the reserves that cannot be distributed 
under the law or the by-laws.

The General Meeting may decide to distribute amounts taken 
from  available  reserves,  either  to  pay  or  increase  a  dividend, 
or  distribute  a  special  dividend.  In  this  case,  the  resolution 
explicitly  identifies  from  which  reserves  these  amounts  are 
to be withdrawn. Nevertheless, the dividends are distributed 
in  order  of  priority  starting  with  the  distributable  profit  of 
the year.

After the approval of the financial statements by the General 
Meeting,  any  losses  are  recorded  in  a  special  account  and 
carried forward against the profits of future years, until they 
have been eliminated.

In case of stripping of the ownership of the shares, Article 11 
of  the  by-laws  reserves  for  beneficial  owners  the  right  to 
vote  on  decisions  relating  to  the  allocation  of  profits  (see 
paragraph 6.1.2.3 “Shares and Voting Rights”).

6.1.2.2  General Meetings

Notice and agenda of meeting (Articles 25 and 26 
of the Company’s by-laws)
General Meetings are convened by the Board of Directors or, 
if the Board of Directors fails to convene a General Meeting, 
by  the  Statutory  Auditor(s).  One  or  more  shareholders  who 
together hold at least 10% of the subscribed capital may also 
request  the  Board  of  Directors  to  call  and  set  the  agenda  of 
such General Meetings. The request to convene the meeting 
shall set out the items to be put on the agenda.

Notice  of  the  meeting  is  made  through  an  announcement 
placed  in  a  journal  of  legal  notices  in  the  department  of  the 
registered office, and in the French Bulletin of required legal 
notices (Bulletin des Annonces Légales Obligatoires – BALO). 
Shareholders holding registered shares for at least one month 
from  the  date  of  the  announcement  are  also  notified  of  all 
General Meetings by letter sent by standard mail or, at their 
request and expense, by registered letter. The General Meeting 
cannot be held less than 15 days after the announcement is 
published or the letter is sent to registered holders.

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One or more shareholders, representing at least the required 
percentage  of  capital,  also  have  the  possibility  of  requesting 
that items and proposed resolutions be added to the agenda in 
accordance with the Law.

Conditions for admission 
(Article 27 of the Company’s by-laws)
Every  shareholder  has  the  right  to  participate  in  General 
Meetings either in person or by proxy, provided his/her shares 
are fully paid-up and:

 › for  holders  of  registered  shares,  that  they  are  held  in 
a  registered  account  (directly  or  through  a  financial 
intermediary)  at  0:00  a.m.  (Paris  time)  on  the  second 
business day preceding the meeting;

 › for holders of shares in bearer form, that they are recorded 
in a bearer securities account maintained by the accredited 
intermediary  at  0:00  a.m.  (Paris  time)  on  the  second 
business day preceding the meeting.

The  registration  of  shares  in  a  bearer  securities  account 
maintained by the accredited intermediary shall be validated 
by  a  shareholding  certificate  (attestation  de  participation) 
issued  by  the  accredited  intermediary  to  the  holder  of  the 
shares.  This  certificate  must  be  attached  to  the  voting  or 
proxy form or to the request for an admission card issued in 
the  shareholder’s  name.  A  certificate  can  also  be  issued  to 
a  shareholder  who  wishes  to  attend  in  person  the  General 
Meeting and who has not received an admission card by the 
second business day preceding the meeting.

Shareholders may vote by mail using a form that will be sent to 
them under the conditions indicated by the notice of meeting. 
The form, duly completed and accompanied, as the case may 
be, by a shareholding certificate (attestation de participation), 
must be received by Dassault Systèmes SE at least three days 
before the date of the General Meeting, or it will not be taken 
into consideration.

A shareholder may be represented by his/her spouse or by any 
other natural or legal person who has been appointed as proxy, 
under the conditions provided by Law. The shareholders who 
are legal entities are represented by the natural persons duly 
authorized to represent them with respect to third parties or by 
any person to whom the power of proxy has been transferred.

A  shareholder,  who  is  a  non-French  resident  as  defined  in 
Article  102  of  the  French  Civil  Code,  may  be  represented  at 
General  Meetings  by  an  accredited  intermediary  registered 
according  to  the  provisions  of  the  Law.  Such  shareholder 
will be considered present in calculating the quorum and the 
results of voting.

If  the  Board  of  Directors  so  decides  when  convening  the 
General  Meeting,  any  shareholder  may  also  participate  and 
vote  at  the  meeting  by  video-conference  or  by  any  other 
means  of  telecommunications  permitting  him/her  to  be 
identified  and  to  participate  effectively.  Such  participation 
must comply with the conditions and means provided for by 
Law. Such shareholder will be accounted for in calculating the 
quorum and the results of voting.

Actions required to amend shareholders’ rights 
(Articles 13, 31 and 32 of the Company’s by-laws)
Only an Extraordinary General Meeting can amend shareholders’ 
rights in compliance with the provisions of the Law.

Except as may be otherwise provided for under the provisions 
of the Law and with the exception of reverse share splits carried 
out in accordance with the Law, no majority may impose on 
shareholders an increase in their commitments. If new classes 
of shares are created, only an Extraordinary General Meeting 
and  a  Special  Meeting  of  Shareholders  of  the  specific  class 
of shares may approve an amendment to the rights of these 
classes of shares.

6.1.2.3 

Shares and Voting Rights

Rights, privileges and restrictions 
attached to each class of shares 
(Articles 13 and 39 of the Company’s by-laws)
All  the  shares  are  of  the  same  class  and  carry,  under  the 
Company’s  by-laws,  the  same  rights  to  the  allocation  of 
profits and any amounts distributed in the event of liquidation 
(see  also  paragraph  6.1.2.1  “Allocation  of  Profits  (Article  36 
of the Company’s By-Laws)”). However, a double voting right 
is awarded to any fully paid-up share held in registered form 
for  at  least  two  consecutive  years  in  the  name  of  the  same 
holder (see paragraph “Double voting rights (Article 29 of the 
Company’s by-laws)” below).

Conditions for exercising voting rights 
(Articles 11 and 29 of the Company’s by-laws)
The right to vote attached to shares or dividend-right shares is 
proportional to the portion of capital they represent.

Voting  is  carried  out  by  show  of  hands,  by  roll  call  or  secret 
ballot,  as  decided  by  the  secretariat  of  the  meeting  or  the 
shareholders. Shareholders may also vote by mail, by video-
conference  or  by  any  other  means  of  communication,  as 
indicated  in  the  preceding  paragraph.  For  the  calculation  of 
the majority, the votes cast shall not include votes attaching 
to  shares  in  respect  of  which  the  shareholder  has  not  taken 
part in the vote or has returned a blank or spoilt ballot paper.

In case of stripping of the ownership of the shares, the voting 
right  attached  to  the  share  belongs  to  the  bare  owner  (nu-
propriétaire), except for the decisions relating to the allocation of 
profits for which it belongs to the beneficial owner (usufruitier).

Double voting rights 
(Article 29 of the Company’s by-laws)
Each  share  gives  the  right  to  one  vote.  Nevertheless,  since 
2002,  a  double  vote  has  been  awarded  to  all  fully  paid-up 
shares held in registered form for at least two consecutive years 
in the name of the same holder. In the case of a capital increase 
by incorporation of reserves, profits or premiums, this double 
voting right will be attached on the date of their issuance to free 
registered new shares allotted to a shareholder in consideration 
for his or her old shares giving rise to such right.

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Under  the  Law,  any  share  converted  into  a  bearer  share  or 
changing hands shall lose the right to the double voting right 
except  in  the  case  of  a  transfer  from  a  registered  account  to 
another registered account at inheritance or a gift inter vivos to 
a spouse or a relative entitled to succeed to the donor’s estate. 
The double voting right may also be cancelled by a resolution 
of  the  shareholders  at  an  Extraordinary  General  Meeting, 
provided the approval of the Special Meeting of Shareholders 
having a double voting right.

Limitations on voting rights
The  by-laws  contain  no  restrictions  on  the  exercise  of 
voting  rights  attached  to  Dassault  Systèmes  shares  except 
in the event of stripping of the ownership of the shares (see 
paragraph “Conditions for exercising voting rights (Articles 11 
and 29 of the Company’s by-laws)” above).

6.1.2.4  Declarations Concerning Crossing 

of the Ownership Thresholds 
(Article 13 of the Company’s By-Laws)

In addition to the legal obligation to inform Dassault Systèmes SE 
and  the  Financial  Markets  Authority  (AMF)  in  the  event 
a  shareholder’s  interest  passes  the  thresholds  set  out  in 
Article L. 233-7 of the French Commercial Code, any natural 
or  legal  person,  acting  alone  or  in  concert  with  others,  who 
acquires directly or indirectly shares representing at least 2.5% 
of Dassault Systèmes SE’s share capital or voting rights, or a 
multiple thereof, must inform Dassault Systèmes SE of the total 
number  of  shares  or  voting  rights  it  holds.  This  information 
must be sent to Dassault Systèmes SE by registered letter with 
return  receipt  requested,  within  four  trading  days  following 
the date of acquisition or disposal.

This  declaration  must  be  made  each  time  the  number  of 
shares held exceeds or falls below this threshold of 2.5% (or 
one of its multiples), up to 50% (inclusive) of the total number 
of Dassault Systèmes shares or voting rights. The shareholder 
must certify in each declaration that it includes all shares or 
voting rights held or owned, in accordance with Article L. 233-
7 et seq. of the French Commercial Code. The declaration must 
also  indicate  the  date  or  dates  on  which  the  acquisitions  or 
divestitures occurred.

In  the  event  of  non-compliance  with  this  requirement,  the 
shares  exceeding  the  fraction  of  2.5%  which  should  have 
been  declared  will  lose  their  voting  rights,  upon  the  request 
recorded in the minutes of the General Meeting of one or more 
shareholders holding a portion of Dassault Systèmes SE share 
capital  or  voting  rights  equal  to  at  least  2.5%  of  the  capital 
or voting rights. The voting rights will be lost for all General 
Meetings held until the expiration of two years following the 
date on which the required declaration is made.

6.1.2.5 

Terms in the By-Laws, a Charter 
or Regulation of Dassault Systèmes 
SE Which Could Delay, Postpone 
or Prevent a Change in Control

Other  than  the  aforementioned  double  voting  right  (see 
paragraph  6.1.2.3  “Shares  and  Voting  Rights”)  and  the 
reporting  obligation  when  holdings  exceed  2.5% 
(see 
paragraph  6.1.2.4  “Declarations  Concerning  Crossing  of  the 
Ownership Thresholds (Article 13 of the By-Laws)”), Article 10 
of  the  by-laws  provides  that  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  may,  at 
any  time  and  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Law, 
request that a central depositary maintaining the Company’s 
share register, provide it with the name (or corporate name for 
legal  entities),  the  nationality,  the  year  of  birth  or  the  year 
of incorporation and the postal and, where applicable, e-mail 
address of holders of Dassault Systèmes shares in bearer form 
which  grant,  immediately  or  over  time,  the  right  to  vote  at 
General  Meetings,  as  well  as  the  number  of  shares  held  by 
each  of  these  shareholders  and,  where  appropriate,  any 
restrictions applicable to such shares.

6.1.2.6 

Terms in the Company’s By-Laws 
Concerning Modifications in Share 
Capital Which Are More Restrictive 
than the Law

The  by-laws  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  do  not  contain  any 
provisions governing changes in share capital which are more 
restrictive than those provided by Law.

6.1.2.7 

Terms in the Company’s By-Laws 
Concerning the Directors and 
Members of the Executive Committee 
(Article 14, 15 and 19 of the 
Company’s by-laws)

The Company shall be administrated by a Board of Directors 
established  in  accordance  with  the  Law.  Directors  shall  be 
appointed for 4 years, renewed or revoked by shareholders at 
an  Ordinary  General  Meeting.  The  number  of  directors  aged 
70  or  over  cannot  exceed  half  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors at any time. The Board of Directors also includes a 
director representing employees, appointed by the trade union 
organization that has obtained the highest number of votes in 
the first round of the Works Council Members in the Company 
and its direct or indirect subsidiaries whose registered office is 
located on French territory.

From  among  its  individual  members,  the  Board  of  Directors 
shall elect a Chairman who may not be more than eighty-five 
years  of  age,  and  set  his  term  of  office.  The  Chairman  shall 
organize  and  supervise  the  work  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
and reports on the same at the shareholders general meeting, 
and  shall  watch  over  the  running  of  the  corporate  bodies  of 

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the  Company.  The  Board  of  Directors  may  also  elect  a  Vice-
Chairman who will serve as Chairman on an interim basis, in 
the case of (i) a temporary incapacity or death of the Chairman 
or (ii) an absence or unavailability of the Chairman to preside 
over a meeting of the Board of Directors.

Depending  on  the  decision  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the 
general  management  of  the  Company  shall  be  undertaken 
either by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, or by another 
individual appointed by the Board of Directors and who shall 
take  the  title  of  Directeur  général.  The  Directeur  général 

shall  be  vested  with  the  broadest  powers  to  act  under  any 
circumstance on behalf of the Company. He shall exercise these 
powers within the limits of the corporate purpose and subject 
to  the  powers  expressly  attributed  by  Law  to  shareholders 
meetings  and  the  Board  of  Directors.  The  Directeur général 
represents the Company in its relations with third parties. The 
Directeur général may be dismissed at any time by the Board 
of Directors. If dismissal is without cause, costs for damages 
and related interest may arise, unless the Directeur général is 
also Chairman of the Board of Directors.

6.2 

Information about the Share Capital

6.2.1  Share Capital at February 28, 2018

As of February 28, 2018, the Company’s share capital was comprised of 261,229,643 fully paid-up shares with a par value of 
€0.50 each. As of December 31, 2017, the Company’s share capital was €130,466,265.50, divided into 260,932,531 shares.

6.2.2  Potential Share Capital

As  of  February  28,  2018,  outstanding  share  subscription 
options  (whether  or  not  exercisable)  would,  if  all  were 
exercised,  result  in  the  issuance  of  5,229,864  new  shares, 
representing  1.96%  of  the  Company’s  share  capital  at  that 
date (on a diluted basis).

On the same date, based on the closing price of the Company’s 
shares on February 28, 2018 (€106.25 per share), the exercise 
of all exercisable issued options, whose exercise price was less 
than that closing price, would have resulted in the issuance of 
1,636,324 new shares, representing 0.63% of the Company’s 
share capital at that date (on a diluted basis). The dilutive effect 
per share at December 31, 2017 is also set forth in Note 11 to 
the consolidated financial statements .

In  connection  with  the  acquisition  of  SolidWorks  in  1997, 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  issued  shares  to  the  holders  of  share 
subscription  options  and  warrants  issued  by  SolidWorks 
prior  to  this  acquisition.  These  Dassault  Systèmes  shares 
have  historically  been  held  by  the  Group’s  wholly-owned 
U.S. subsidiary, SW Securities LLC. No other SolidWorks share 
subscription  options  or  warrants  remain  outstanding  at  this 
time. As of December 31, 2017, and as of February 28, 2018, 

SW  Securities  LLC  held  503,614  shares,  or  approximately 
0.19% on these dates, of the Company’s share capital. Similar 
to treasury stock, the shares held by SW Securities LLC do not 
carry voting rights and are not eligible for dividends.

in 
Other  than  the  share  subscription  options  granted 
connection  with  stock  option  plans  and  performance  share 
grants as described in paragraph 5.3.1 “Compensation of the 
Company’s corporate officers” and paragraph 5.3.2 “Interests 
of Executive Management and Employees in the Share Capital 
of Dassault Systèmes SE”, there are no other securities giving 
a  right  to  subscribe  shares  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE,  and 
there is no agreement which could result in a capital increase. 
Dassault Systèmes SE has not issued any securities which do 
not represent an interest in its share capital.

Pledges of shares

To  the  Company’s  knowledge,  there  was  no  pledge  of 
Dassault Systèmes shares in registered form and representing 
a  significant  portion  of  its  share  capital  as  of  February  28, 
2018.

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6.2.3  Changes in Dassault Systèmes SE Share Capital 

over the Past Three Years

Date

Operation

February 28, 2015

Capital increase resulting from the exercise 
of share subscription options

March 20, 2015

Share capital reduction through cancellation 
of treasury stock

June 22, 2015

Capital increase by a dividend payment 
in shares

February 29, 2016

Capital increase resulting from the exercise 
of share subscription options

June 22, 2016

Capital increase by a dividend payment 
in shares

February 28, 2017

Capital increase resulting from the exercise 
of share subscription options

June 26, 2017

Capital increase by a dividend payment 
in shares

February 28, 2018

Capital increase resulting from the exercise 
of share subscription options

March 15, 2018

Share capital reduction through cancellation 
of treasury stock

Nominal amount of 
changes in share capital
(in euros)

Amount in 
share capital
(in euros)

Number of shares 
created or 
canceled

Total number 
of shares

555,900

128,417,649

1,111,800

256,835,298

(802,310)

127,615,339

(1,604,620)

255,230,678

92,854.50 127,708,193.50

185,709

255,416,387

716,980.50

128,425,174

1,433,961

256,850,348

140,367

128,565,541

280,734

257,131,082

522,937.50 129,088,478.50

1,045,875

258,176,957

505,545 129,594,023. 50

1,011,090

259,188,047

1,020,798 130,614,821.50

2,041,596

261,229,643

(361, 528. 50)

130,253,293

(723,057)

260,506,586

The changes in equity resulting from the operations through December 31, 2017 set forth above are included in the “Consolidated 
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity” in the consolidated financial statements.

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6.2.4  Stock Buyback Programs

6.2.4.1 

Transactions carried out 
by Dassault Systèmes SE in 2017 
and early 2018

Transactions carried out by Dassault Systèmes SE 
in 2017
During 2017 financial year, Dassault Systèmes SE purchased, 
under the authorizations granted to the Board of Directors by 
the  General  Meetings  of  May  26,  2016,  and  May  23,  2017 
1,493,258 of its own shares (excluding shares acquired through 
the liquidity agreement a report of which is presented below).

These shares were purchased at an average price of €85.46 per 
share, giving a total cost of €127,611,655.16 (excluding taxes), 
The transaction costs paid by the Company in connection with 
these  shares  repurchased  amounted  to  €44,571.61  all  taxes 
included (plus the tax on financial transactions for an amount 
of €382,834.97).

These  1,493,258  shares  were  allocated  to  the  following 
purposes:

 › coverage of the Company’s obligations: 1,050,935 shares;

 › cancellation: 442,323 shares.

The  shares  repurchased  before  2017  are  allocated  to  the 
following purposes:

 › cover the Company’s obligations resulting from performance 

share grants decided prior to 2017: 3,514,645 shares;

 › cancellation: 280,734 shares.

The Company directly held, on December 31, 2017, 4,398,613 
(including 131,026 shares through the liquidity agreement) of 
its own shares of a nominal value of €0.50 each, which had 
been repurchased at an average price of €71.09, representing 
approximately  1.67%  of  share  capital  at  that  date.  Out  of 
these 4,398,613 shares, 4,267,587 shares are at the disposal 
of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  and  are  allocated  to  cover  the 
Company’s  obligations  resulting  from  performance  shares 
grants (for 3,544,530 shares) and to the cancellation objective 
(for 723,057 shares).

Pursuant to the authorization granted in 2014, on January 5, 
2015, Dassault Systèmes SE entered into a liquidity agreement 
in  accordance  with  the  Code  of  Ethics  of  the  AFEI  (French 
association  of  investment  firms)  recognized  by  the  Financial 
Markets Authority (AMF), with Oddo BHF SCA implemented 
from  January  7,  2015  for  an  initial  period  ending  on 
December 31, 2015, automatically renewable for subsequent 
12-month  terms.  This  agreement  has  been  amended  on 
October 26, 2017, in order to, inter alia, increase the amount of 
the fees to €70,000 per year and to increase by €5,000,000, 
the resources assigned to the liquidity agreement.

During  2017,  1,653,573  shares  have  been  purchased  and 
1,580,071 shares have been sold within the framework of this 

liquidity agreement. As at December 31, 2017, the following 
resources appeared on the liquidity account:

 › 131,026 Dassault Systèmes shares; and

 › €6,233,485.50 in cash.

Transactions carried out by Dassault Systèmes SE 
between early 2018 and February 28, 2018
Since  the  beginning  of  2018  and  until  February  28,  2018, 
Dassault Systèmes SE has acquired 257,261 and sold 336,630 
of  its  own  shares.  All  of  these  acquisitions  and  disposals 
have  been  completed  within  the  framework  of  the  liquidity 
agreement

During  fiscal  year  2017  and  since  the  start  of  2018,  the 
Company  has  not  performed  any  transactions  on  derivative 
securities linked to its shares nor has it purchased or sold any 
of  its  shares  by  exercising  them  or  through  the  maturity  of 
such derivative securities.

6.2.4.2  Description of the Stock Buyback 
Program Proposed to the General 
Meeting on May 22, 2018

Pursuant  to  Article  241-2  et seq.  of  the  Financial  Markets 
Authority  (AMF)  General  Regulation  and  Article  L.  451-3  of 
the  French  Monetary  and  Financial  Code,  and  in  accordance 
with  European  Regulations,  this  description  relates  to  the 
terms and objectives of the Company’s stock buyback program 
that will be submitted for approval at the General Meeting of 
May 22, 2018.

Breakdown of treasury stock by purpose as of the date 
of this document
As  of  February  28,  2018,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  held 
3,059,324  of its own shares directly and 503,614 indirectly. 
These  3,059,324   shares  were  allocated  to  the  following 
objectives:

 › coverage of the Company’s obligations resulting from share 

grants decided in 2016 and 2017: 2,284,610  shares;

 › cancellation: 723,057  shares;

 › liquidity  agreement  signed  with  Oddo  BHF  SCA 

 on 
January 5, 2015 and renewed for the financial year 2018: 
51,657 shares.

Purposes of the new repurchase program
1)  Cancel shares in order to increase the return on equity and 

earnings per share.

2)  Meet  obligations  related  to  stock  option  grants  or  other 
allocations of shares to employees or corporate officers of 
Dassault Systèmes SE or of an affiliated company.

230 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure
Information about the Shareholders

6

3)  Provide shares upon exercise of rights attached to equities 

giving right to shares of Dassault Systèmes SE.

4)  Stimulate the market or provide liquidity for the Company’s 
shares through the intermediary of an investment services 
provider by means of a liquidity contract complying with a 
Code of Ethics accepted by the Financial Markets Authority 
(AMF).

5)  Carry out any market practice which may be authorized by 

the law or by the Financial Markets Authority (AMF).

The purposes 1 to 3 above comply with the terms of paragraph 2, 
Article  5  of  the  European  Regulation  no.  596/2014  dated 
April 16, 2014, and the purpose 4 complies with the market 
practice  accepted  by  the  Financial  Markets  Authority  (AMF) 
no. 2011-07.

The  General  Meeting  of  May  22,  2018  will  also  be  asked 
to  authorize  the  Board  of  Directors  to  cancel,  as  the  case 
may be, all or part of the shares which it may repurchase in 
connection with the share buyback program and to carry out 
the corresponding reduction in share capital.

Maximum proportion of share capital, maximum 
number, characteristics of the securities that 
the Company proposes to acquire, and maximum 
purchase price
The  Board  of  Directors  may  repurchase  Dassault  Systèmes 
shares  representing  up  to  10 ,000,000  shares.  The  purchase 
price  of  the  shares  would  be  capped  at  €150  per  share  and 
subject to the limits stipulated by the applicable regulations. 
The  maximum  amount  of  the  funds  used  for  the  purpose  of 
buying back shares would be €500 million.

Duration of the stock buyback program
The  program  would  last  about  12  months,  starting  on 
the  General  Meeting  of  May  22,  2018.  This  authorization 
should be valid until the Ordinary General Meeting approving 
the  financial  statements  for  the  financial  year  ending 
December 31, 2018.

6.3 

Information about the Shareholders

6

6.3.1  Shareholder Base and Double Voting Rights

The  table  below  sets  forth  certain  information  concerning 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s  shareholder  base  over  the  last  three 
fiscal  years.  Pursuant  to  the  Financial  Markets  Authority 
(AMF) recommendation no. 2009-16, it specifies:

 › the theoretical or “gross” voting rights, taking into account 
the  voting  rights  attached  to  the  shares  without  voting 
rights,  in  accordance  with  Article  223-11  of  the  General 
Regulations of the Financial Markets Authority (AMF) and 
used  as  a  denominator  by  shareholders  to  calculate  their 
percentage of shares held and voting rights for the purposes 
of  regulatory  declarations  (in  particular  the  declarations 
with regards to exceeding the threshold); and

 › the  voting  rights  that  can  be  exercised  at  the  General 
Meeting or “nets”, not taking into account shares without 
voting rights.

Double voting rights are attributed to all fully paid-up shares 
held  in  registered  form  for  at  least  two  consecutive  years  in 
the name of the same holder.

The major shareholders of Dassault Systèmes SE do not hold 
voting  rights  which  are  different  from  voting  rights  of  other 
shareholders (such as double voting rights).

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

231

6 Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure

Information about the Shareholders

Shareholders

AS OF 31 DECEMBER 2017

Shares

% of  capital

Theoretical 
voting rights

% of theoretical 
voting rights

Voting rights 
exercisable in the 
General Meeting

% of voting rights 
exercisable in the 
General Meeting

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

106,640,329

40.87 %

212,356,975

54.61%

212,356,975

55.30%

Charles Edelstenne (1)
and beneficiaries (2)

Bernard Charlès

Treasury stock (3)

Indirect treasury stock (4)

15,739,094

6.03%

31,357,600

8.06%

31,357,600

3,290,441

1.26% (6)

4,398,613 (3)

503,614

1.69%

0.19%

0.52%

6,180,882

4,398,613

503,614

2,004,115

1.59% (6)

6,180,882

1.13%

0.13%

0.52%

–

–

2,004,115

Directors and senior management (5)

1,350,188

Public

TOTAL

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2016

129,010,252

49.44%

132,089,585

33.97%

132,089,585

260,932,531

100%

388,891,384

100%

383,987,157

8.17%

1.61% (6)

–

–

0.52%

34.40%

100%

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

105,957,646

41.07%

211,344,292

54.95%

211,344,292

55.58%

Charles Edelstenne (1)
and beneficiaries (2)

Bernard Charlès

Treasury stock (3)

Indirect treasury stock (4)

Directors and senior management (5)

Public

TOTAL

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2015

15,680,534

6.08%

31,243,478

8.12%

31,243,478

2,890,441

1.12% (6)

3,852,903 (3)

503,614

942,166

1.49%

0.20%

0.37%

5,642,265

3,852,903

503,614

1,214,470

1.47% (6)

5,642,265

1.00%

0.13%

0.32%

–

–

1,214,470

128,169,299

49.67%

130,838,680

34.01%

130,838,680

257,996,603

100%

384,639,702

100%

380,283,185

8.21%

1.48% (6)

–

–

0.32%

34.41%

100%

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

105,716,646

41.18%

210,104,554

55.12%

210,104,554

55.53%

Charles Edelstenne (1)
and beneficiaries (2)

Bernard Charlès

Treasury stock (3)

Indirect treasury stock (4)

Directors and senior management (5)

Public

TOTAL

15,618,506

6.08%

31,033,732

8.14%

31,033,732

2,890,441

1.13% (6)

2,359,891 (3)

503,614

867,821

0.92%

0.20%

0.34%

5,239,723

2,359,891

503,614

914,765

1.37% (6)

5,239,723

0.62%

0.13%

0.24%

–

–

914,765

128,757,267

50.15%

131,042,738

34.38%

131,042,738

256,714,186

100%

381,199,017

100%

378,335,512

8.20%

1.38% (6)

–

–

0.24%

34.65%

100%

(1)  Including shares held in trust for the benefit of his family and managed by Mr. Edelstenne.
(2)  At December 31, 2017, Mr. Edelstenne held 4,208,530 shares with all ownership rights and 3,364 shares through two family companies which he manages, representing a total 
of  1.61%  of  the  capital  and  2.14%  of  the  exercisable  voting  rights,  as  well  as  11,527,200  shares  with  “usage”  rights  (usufruit).  For  the  usage  rights  with  respect  to  these 
11,527,200 shares, representing 6% of the exercisable voting rights, Mr. Edelstenne can only exercise the right to vote on decisions of the General Meeting concerning the allocation 
of profits; the holders of the bare property rights (nue-propriété) exercise the right to vote for other resolutions in compliance with Article 11 of the by-laws.
For details related to Mr. Edelstenne’s shareholding as of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2016, see paragraph 6.3.1. of Annual Reports for 2015 and 2016 respectively.

(3)  Including 131,026 shares through the liquidity agreement as of December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2016, such number was 57,524 shares.
(4)  Shares held by SW Securities LLC. This company is a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes SE, Dassault Systèmes’ shares held by it do not have voting rights.
(5)  Excluding Mr. Edelstenne and Mr. Charlès, “management” includes the officers listed in paragraph 5.1.2 “The Executive Committee”.
(6)  For further information, see Table 5 of paragraph 5.3.1 “Compensation of the Company’s Corporate Officers (mandataires sociaux)”.

The overall number of voting rights amounted to 388,891,384 
as  at  December  31,  2017  (the  number  of  exercisable  voting 
rights  was  383,987,157)  and,  as  at  February  28,  2018, 
389,123,980  (with  the  number  of  exercisable  voting  rights 
amounting  to  386,064,656).  The  difference  between  the 
number of theoretical and exercisable voting rights is explained 
by the treasury stock and shares controlled by the Company.

232 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Investment 

MFS 
notified 
management 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  that  as  of  September  17,  2015  the 
funds  managed  by  companies  within  its  group  (i)  held  more 
than 2.5% of the share capital of Dassault Systèmes SE and 
(ii) crossed downward the 2.5% threshold of the voting rights 
of Dassault Systèmes SE.

(MFS) 

 
Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure
Information about the Shareholders

6

Based on shareholders’ obligations to declare if they exceed the 
threshold, there are no other shareholders (except as indicated 
above) who held 2.5% (threshold set forth in the Company’s 
by-laws),  directly  or  indirectly,  alone  or  in  agreement  with 
other shareholders or more than 5% of the Company’s share 
capital or voting rights at December 31, 2017.

Although Dassault Systèmes SE voluntarily delisted its shares 
from  NASDAQ  in  October  2008,  it  continues  to  maintain  its 
ADR  (“American  Depositary  Receipts”)  program,  which  are 
still  traded  on  the  over-the-counter  market  (see  paragraph 
6.4  “Stock  Market  Information”).   On  February  28,  2018, 
there  were  7,292,027  American  Depositary  Shares  (“ADS”) 
outstanding and the number of recorded ADS holders, holding 
them either for themselves or for third parties amounted to 48.

In  January  2018,  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  commissioned  a 
survey on the Company’s shares from an external specialized 
services  provider.  According  to  this  survey,  institutional 
investors holding more than 2,000 shares each numbered 466 
and held 43.1% of the Dassault Systèmes SE share capital as 
at December 31, 2017.

As at February 28, 2018, Dassault Systèmes SE held 51,657 
shares  within  the  framework  of  the  liquidity  agreement 
entered into with Oddo et Cie, and 3,007 ,667    treasury shares. 
Out  of  these  3,007,667    treasury  shares,  2,093,925   shares 
have  been  bought  during  the  buyback  program  adopted  by 
the General Meeting of May 23, 2017 and the remaining, i.e. 
913,74 2 shares within the framework of a program of earlier 
buybacks,  which  represents  approximately  1.15 %  of  the 
share capital as at February 28, 2018, with no voting rights or 
dividend rights being attached to these shares.

At  December  31,  2017,  135,788,933  Dassault  Systèmes 
shares  (i.e.  approximately  52.04%  of  the  capital)  are  held  in 
registered  form;  they  provide  entitlement  to  258,976,595 
exercisable  voting  rights  (i.e.  approximately  66.59%  of  the 
gross voting rights).

In  accordance  with  Article  L.  225-102  of  the  French 
Commercial  Code,  the  number  of  Dassault  Systèmes  shares 
held  by  employees  through  the  corporate  savings  plan (plan 
d’épargne entreprise)  was  935,673  shares  at  December  31, 
2017, or approximately 0.36% of the total number of shares 
at that date.

6.3.2  Controlling Shareholder

6

GIMD  (Groupe  Industriel  Marcel  Dassault)  is  the  principal 
shareholder of Dassault Systèmes SE with, as of December 31, 
2017, 40 .87   % of the share capital and 55.30% of the exercisable 
voting  rights  (i.e.  54.61%  of  theoretical  voting  rights).  With 
more than 50% of the voting rights of Dassault Systèmes SE, 
GIMD controls Dassault Systèmes. GIMD is wholly-owned by 
the members of the Dassault family.

The  Board  of  Directors  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  is  made  up 
of  55%  of  independent  directors   i.e.  a  proportion  exceeding 
the  requirement  stipulated  in  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code  for 
controlled  companies,  and  that  all  of  the  committees  under 
the Board (Audit Committee, Compensation and Nomination 
Committee,  Scientific  Committee)  are  only  made  up  of 

independent directors, as a guarantee of a balanced exercise of 
control by GIMD as prescribed by the AMF General Regulation.

As  GIMD  possesses  more  than  one  third  but  less  than  half 
of  the  shares  and  more  than  half  of  the  voting  rights  in  the 
Company, GIMD may not increase its stake by more than 1% 
of the total number of shares of the Company in a period of 
12  consecutive  months,  unless  it  launches  a  public  tender 
offer on all the equity securities issued by Dassault Systèmes, 
except for an exemption from the obligation to make an offer 
based on Article 234-9 (6°) of the Financial Markets Authority 
(AMF)  General  Regulation,  which  the  latter  can  grant  at  its 
discretion.

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

233

6 Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure

Information about the Shareholders

6.3.3  Shareholder Agreements

In 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017, Dassault Systèmes was informed about collective undertakings concluded concerning the 
holding of shares whose characteristics are summarized in the tables hereafter in accordance with Financial Markets Authority 
(AMF) recommendation no. 2009-16.

Collective undertakings concluded in 2017

System

Date of signing

Duration of collective undertakings

Contractual duration of the agreement

Conditions for renewal

Capital and voting rights % concerned by the agreement 
(at the date of its execution)

Names of the signatories having the capacity of executives (1)

Article 787 B of the French Tax Code

March 22, 2017

At least two years

Undetermined with cases of termination

No specific conditions stipulated

24.52% of the share capital and 32.91% of the voting rights

Mr. Charles Edelstenne
Mr. Bernard Charlès

Name(s) of the signatorie(s) having close links with executives

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Names of the signatories holding at least 5% of the capital 
and/or voting rights of Dassault Systèmes SE

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault
Mr. Charles Edelstenne and beneficiaries (2)

(1)  Pursuant to Article 885 O bis of the French Tax Code.
(2)  See Note 2 under the table of paragraph 6.3.1 “Shareholder Base and Double Voting Rights”.

Collective undertakings concluded in 2015

System

Date of signing

Duration of collective undertakings

At least two years

December 17, 2015

Article 787 B of the French Tax Code

Article 787 B of the French Tax Code

December 17, 2015

At least two years

Contractual duration of the agreement

Undetermined with cases of termination

Undetermined with cases of termination

Conditions for renewal

No specific conditions stipulated

No specific conditions stipulated

Capital and voting rights % concerned by 
the agreement (at the date of its execution)

24.85% of the share capital and 33.33% 
of the voting rights

24.66% of the share capital and 33.20% 
of the voting rights

Names of the signatories having 
the capacity of executives (1)

Mr. Charles Edelstenne
Mr. Bernard Charlès

Mr. Charles Edelstenne
Mr. Bernard Charlès

Name(s) of the signatorie(s) having close 
links with executives

Names of the signatories holding at least 5% 
of the capital and/or voting rights 
of Dassault Systèmes SE

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault
Mr. Charles Edelstenne and beneficiaries (2)

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault
Mr. Charles Edelstenne and beneficiaries (2)

(1)  Pursuant to Article 885 O bis of the French Tax Code.
(2)  See Note 2 under the table of paragraph 6.3.1 “Shareholder Base and Double Voting Rights”.

234 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure
Information about the Shareholders

6

Collective undertakings concluded in 2014

System

Date of signing

Duration of collective undertakings

At least two years

February 27, 2014

Article 787 B of the French Tax Code

Article 787 B of the FrenchTax Code

December 16 and 17, 2014

At least two years

Contractual duration of the agreement

Undetermined with cases of termination

Undetermined with cases of termination

Conditions for renewal

No specific conditions stipulated

No specific conditions stipulated

Capital and voting rights % concerned by 
the agreement (at the date of its execution)

25.0% of the share capital and 33.8% 
of the voting rights

24.7% of the share capital and 33.4% 
of the voting rights

Names of the signatories having 
the capacity of executives (1)

Mr. Charles Edelstenne
Mr. Bernard Charlès

Mr. Charles Edelstenne
Mr. Bernard Charlès

Name(s) of the signatorie(s) having close 
links with executives

Names of the signatories holding at least 5% 
of the capital and/or voting rights 
of Dassault Systèmes SE

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault
Mr. Charles Edelstenne and beneficiaries (2)

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault
Mr. Charles Edelstenne and beneficiaries (2)

(1)  Pursuant to Article 885 O bis of the French Tax Code.
(2)  See Note 2 under the table of paragraph 6.3.1 “Shareholder Base and Double Voting Rights”.

System

Date of signing

Duration of collective undertakings

At least two years

July 11, 2011

October 29, 2013

At least two years

Collective undertakings concluded in 2011 
still in force

Collective undertaking concluded in 2013

Article 787 B of the French Tax Code

Article 787 B of the French Tax Code

Contractual duration of the agreement

Undetermined with cases of termination

Undetermined with cases of termination

Conditions for renewal

No specific conditions stipulated

No specific conditions stipulated

Capital and voting rights % concerned 
by the agreement (at its date of execution)

29.6% of the share capital and 41.8% 
of the voting rights

28.2% of the share capital and 41.7% 
of the voting rights

Names of the signatories having 
the capacity of executives (1)

Mr. Charles Edelstenne
Mr. Bernard Charlès

Mr. Charles Edelstenne
Mr. Bernard Charlès

Name(s) of the signatorie(s) having close 
links with executives

Names of the signatories holding at least 5% 
of the capital and/or voting rights 
of Dassault Systèmes SE

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault
Mr. Charles Edelstenne and beneficiaries (2)

Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault
Mr. Charles Edelstenne and beneficiaries (2)

(1)  Pursuant to Article 885 O bis of the French Tax Code.
(2)  See Note 2 under the table of paragraph 6.3.1 “Shareholder Base and Double Voting Rights”.

The same shares can be subject to several joint lock-up agreements.

6

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

235

6 Information about Dassault Systèmes SE, the share capital and the ownership structure

Stock Market Information

6.4  Stock Market Information

Stock Exchange
Shares  of  Dassault  Systèmes  have  been 
listed  on 
Compart ment A of Euronext Paris (ISIN code FR0000130650) 
since June 28, 1996. Its shares were also listed on the NASDAQ 
in  the  form  of  ADS  (American  Depositary  Shares)  under  the 
symbol  DASTY  until  October  16,  2008.  The  ADS  are  still 
traded under this symbol on the U.S. over-the-counter market. 

One ADS represents one ordinary share (see paragraph 6.3.1 
“Shareholding and Double Voting Rights”).

For  dividend  policy,  see  the  paragraph  7.1  “Presentation  of 
the  Resolutions  Proposed  by  the  Board  of  Directors  to  the 
General Meeting on May 22, 2018”.

Share price history and trading volumes of Dassault Systèmes shares from January 1, 2017

(in euros except for Volume of shares traded)

Volume of 
shares traded

Share price on last 
day of the month

Highest share price 
during the month

Lowest share price 
during the month

January 2017

February 2017

March 2017

April 2017

May 2017

June 2017

July 2017

August 2017

September 2017

October 2017

November 2017

December 2017

January 2018

February 2018

4,886,391

6,066,326

5,277,170

5,410,513

6,011,890

6,370,266

7,088,253

5,332,284

4,926,539

7,419,916

6,611,096

5,152,838

6,006,684

8,703,879

€71.68

€76.23

€81.14

€81.93

€82.14

€78.49

€82.89

€82.75

€85.59

€91.17

€90.31

€88.59

€92.88

€73.96

€78.02

€81.14

€84.65

€83.87

€83.72

€83.06

€84.20

€85.87

€91.17

€91.98

€90.45

€94.50

€106.25

€106.25

€70.80

€71.67

€76.27

€79.70

€81.64

€78.06

€77.20

€81.25

€83.20

€86.58

€88.50

€88.59

€88.30

€95.00

Person Responsible for Financial Communications
François-José Bordonado

Vice-President, Investor Relations

To  obtain  all  financial  information  and  documents  published 
by the Company, please contact:

Indicative Timetable for the Publication 
of Financial Information for 2018
 › First quarter of 2018: April 25, 2018

 › Second quarter of 2018: July 25, 2018

 › Third quarter of 2018: October 24, 2018

 › Fourth quarter of 2018: February 6, 2019

Investor Relations Service
10, rue Marcel Dassault – CS 40501

78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex – France

Telephone: +33 (0)1 61 62 69 24

e-mail: investors@3ds.com

236 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

7

GENERAL MEETING

CONTENTS

7.1  Presentation of the resolutions 
proposed by the Board of 
Directors to the General Meeting 
on May 22, 2018 

7.1.1  Annual financial statements and allocation 

of the results 

7.1.2  Option to receive payment of dividends in the 

form of shares 

7.1.3  Consolidated financial statements 

7.1.4  Related-party agreements 

(conventions réglementées)  

7.1.5  Compensation elements due or granted with 

respect to 2017 to Mr. Charles Edelstenne, 
Chairman of the Board, and to Mr. Bernard 
Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board 
and Chief Executive Officer 

238

238

239

239

240

241

7.1.6  Policies and criteria used to determine, distribute 

and allocate the fixed, variable and exceptional 
components of the total compensation and 
benefits of all kinds granted to the Chairman 
of the Board and to the Vice-Chairman 
and Chief Executive Officer 

7.1.7  Re-appointment of three directors 

7.1.8  Appointment of a new director 

7.1.9  Authorization to repurchase shares 

of the Company 

7.1.10  Financial authorizations for issuances reserved 

to employees and corporate officers 

7.1.11  Amendments of the by-laws 

243

243

244

244

245

245

7.2  Draft resolutions proposed by the 
Board of Directors to the General 
Meeting on May 22, 2018 

246

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

237

7 General Meeting

Presentation of the resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors to the General Meeting on May 22, 2018

7.1  Presentation of the resolutions proposed 

by the Board of Directors to the General Meeting 
on May 22, 2018

7.1.1  Annual financial statements and allocation of the results

We  invite  you  to  approve  the  annual  financial  statements  of 
Dassault  Systèmes  SE  (or  the  “Company”  for  the  purposes 
of  the  present  Chapter  7  “General  Meeting”)  for  the  year 
ended  December  31,  2017,  prepared  on  the  basis  of  French 
accounting  principles,  as  they  have  been  presented 
in 
paragraph 4.2 “Parent company financial statements”.

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  has  paid  dividends  every  year  since 
1986. The decision to distribute dividends and their amount 
depends on the profits and the financial position of Dassault 
Systèmes SE as well as other factors. Dividends, which have 
been distributed but are not collected by a shareholder, revert 
to the French State at the end of the five-year period following 
the date of their payment.

Based on the financial statements and the management report of the Board of Directors included in this Annual Report (Document 
de référence), a profit of €(1) 257,812,286.60 has been realized for the year ended December 31, 2017, which we propose that 
you allocate as follows:

 › to the legal reserve

 › to a Special Reserve Account(2)

 › for distribution to the 261,229,643 shares forming the capital as of 02/28/2018 of a dividend of 

(€0.58 x 261,229,643 shares)(3)

 › to retained earnings

which, increased by the retained earnings from previous years of €2 100 086 860,52, 
brings the amount of retained earnings to

€161,652

€34,000

€151,513,192.94

€106,103,441.66

€2,206,190,302.18

(1)  After allocation to the legal reserve, this profit increased by the retained earnings from previous years of €2,100,086,860.52 results in a distributable profit of €2,357,737,495.12.
(2)  In compliance with Article 238 bis AB, paragraph 5, of the French Tax Code.
(3)  The aggregate amount of the dividend will be increased, based on the number of new shares created between March 1, 2018 and the date of the General Meeting of May 22, 

2018, consecutively to the exercise of share subscription options, it being specified that the maximum number of shares which could be issued upon the exercise of subscription 
options is 5,229,864, i.e. a maximum amount of a supplementary dividend of €3,033,321.12.

Further  new  shares  created  by  exercise  of  options  until  the 
date of the Annual General Meeting deciding on the allocation 
of profit related to the preceding year will receive the dividend 
distributed with respect to that year (see paragraphs 5.1.4.2 
“Interests  of  Executive  Management  and  Employees  in  the 
Share Capital of Dassault Systèmes SE ” and 6.4 “Stock Market 
Information”).

Therefore, we propose to the General Meeting of May 22, 2018 
to approve for the year 2017 the distribution of (i) a dividend 
of €0.58 per share comprising the capital as of the date of this 
General  Meeting,  resulting  –  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of 
shares comprising the share capital as of February 28, 2018 
– in an aggregate amount of €151,513,192.94 and (ii) where 
applicable,  an  additional  aggregate  maximum  amount  of 
€3,033,321.12, which corresponds to the maximum number 
of new shares which could be issued between March 1, 2018 
and the date of the General Meeting (i.e. 5,229,864 shares).

Shares  will  be  traded  ex-dividend  as  of  May  29,  2018,  and 
dividends made payable as from June 19, 2018.

On  the  date  of  payment,  the  amount  of  the  dividend 
corresponding to (i) the treasury shares of Dassault Systèmes 
SE and (ii) Dassault Systèmes SE shares held by SW Securities 
LLC, a company which is controlled by the Dassault Systèmes 
Group, will be allocated to “retained earnings”, in accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  Article  L.  225-210  of  the  French 
Commercial  Code  and  the  contractual  provisions  in  force 
between SW Securities LLC and Dassault Systèmes SE.

In addition, prior to distribution of the dividend, the Board of 
Directors,  or  if  so  delegated,  the  Chief  Executive  Officer,  will 
determine the number of additional shares issued as a result 
of the exercise of share subscription options between March 
1 and the date of the General Meeting on May 22, 2018. The 

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amount  required  for  payment  of  dividends  for  shares  issued 
during this period will be taken from “retained earnings”.

The amount thus distributed to shareholders will, upon exercise 
of an individual option of the shareholders, either be subject to 
the flat tax of 12.8%, or be taken into account for determining 
shareholders’  total  revenue  subject  to  the  progressive  rate  of 

income  tax  for  the  year  during  which  it  was  received  (article 
200A of the French Tax Code) after application of an uncapped 
deduction of 40% (as provided by Article 158-3-2 of the French 
Tax Code). The dividend may be subject to a non-discharging 
income  tax  withholding  at  a  rate  of  12.8%  (as  provided  by 
Article 117 quater of the French Tax Code). 

Pursuant to Article 243 bis of the French Tax Code, it is noted that dividends per share paid over the last three years have been 
as follows:

Dividend (in euros)

Number of shares eligible for dividends 

2016

0.53

2015

0.47

2014

0.43

258,532,488

257,154,032

255,644,058

7.1.2  Option to receive payment of dividends in the form of shares 

 It is proposed that each shareholder be granted the option to 
choose, in whole or in part, to receive payment of the dividend 
noted  above,  in  cash  or  in  the  form  of  new  shares  of  the 
Company. If the option to receive payment in the form of new 
shares is chosen, the new shares will be issued at a price equal 
to the average of the closing prices quoted on Euronext Paris 
during  the  20  stock  exchange  sessions  preceding  the  date 
of the General Meeting less the amount of the dividend and 
rounded up to the next one hundredth of a euro.

The  option   may  be  exercised  by  the  shareholders  between 
May 29, 2018 and June 8, 2018, inclusive, by sending their 
request to the financial intermediaries that are authorized to pay 
the dividend or, for shareholders listed in the direct registered 
share  accounts  held  by  the  Company,  to  its  authorized 

representative 
(Société  Générale,  Securities  department, 
32  rue du Champ-de-Tir, CS 30812, 44308 Nantes Cedex 3). 
T he shareholders who have not chosen to receive payment of 
dividend in shares before the end of this period or who have 
chosen only partial payment, will receive the dividend in cash 
for the portion for which payment in shares was not chosen as 
from June 19, 2018. For shareholders who have exercised the 
option,  the new shares will be delivered as of the same day.

If the option selected does not correspond to a whole number 
of  shares,  the  shareholder  may  choose  between  receiving  a 
number of shares rounded up to the next whole number, by 
paying the difference in cash on the day the option is selected, 
or  receiving  a  number  of  shares  rounded  down  to  the  next 
whole number, and the balance in cash.

7

7.1.3   Consolidated financial statements

In  addition  to  the  2017  parent  company  annual  financial 
statements,  it  is  also  proposed  to  approve  the  Dassault 
Systèmes  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year 

ended December 31, 2017, prepared in accordance with IFRS 
standards  as  described  in   paragraph  4.1.1  “Consolidated 
Financial Statements”    of this Annual Report.

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7.1.4   Related-party agreements (conventions réglementées) 

The following agreements, which were approved in accordance 
with Articles L. 225-38 et seq. of the French Commercial Code, 
were in effect during the year ended December 31, 2017:

 › the  following  undertakings  made  by  the  Company  in 
connection with its “Directors & Officers” liability insurance 
policy entered into with Allianz (ACS):

 › to  reimburse  the  cost  of  legal  defense  of  directors  in 
the  event  of  their  personal  liability  being  sought,  and 
indemnify  the  directors  for  the  financial  implications  of 
such  liability  payment  of  the  costs  in  relation  with  legal 
defense related thereto, to the extent they would not be 
covered by that insurance policy (approved by the Board 
of Directors’ meeting held on July 24, 1996),

 › to  assume,  under  certain  conditions,  the  cost  of  legal 
defense  of  directors  of  Dassault  Systèmes  SE  should 
they have to prepare their personal defense before a civil, 
criminal  or  administrative  court  in  the  United  States  in 
connection  with  an  inquiry  or  investigation  conducted 
against  Dassault  Systèmes  (approved  by  the  Board  of 
Directors’ meeting held on September 23, 2003);

 › the  agreement 

regarding  Dassault  Systèmes  SE’s 
undertakings to the benefit of Bernard Charlès, relating to 
indemnities  which  would  be  due  upon  the  termination  of 
his  functions  as  Chief  Executive  Officer  (approved  by  the 
Board  of  Directors’  meeting  held  on  May  27,  2010).  It  is 
contemplated,  in  case  of  renewal  of  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès 
as  a  director,  to  renew  him  as  Chief  Executive  Officer 
of  the  Company.  The  Board  of  Directors,  at  its  meeting 
on  March  15,  2018,  authorized,  in  accordance  with  the 

proposal of the Compensation and Nomination Committee 
and  pursuant  to  Article  L.  225-42-1  of  the  French 
Commercial Code, the renewal of the agreement regarding 
the  Company’s  undertakings  to  Bernard  Charlès,  relating 
to  indemnities  which  would  be  due  upon  the  termination 
of  his  functions  as  Chief  Executive  Officer,  under  the 
terms adopted by the Board of Directors at its meeting on 
May  27,  2010.  The  amount  of  the  indemnity  due  would 
be equivalent to a maximum of two years of compensation 
as Chief Executive Officer and would depend on satisfying 
the  performance  conditions  established  for  calculating  his 
variable compensation.

In  accordance  with  Article  L.  225-42-1  of  the  French 
Commercial Code, this agreement is subject to the approval of 
the  General  Meeting  of  Shareholders  (see  paragraph  5.1.3.3 
“Indemnities  Due  in  the  Event  of  the  Forced  Departure 
of  Bernard  Charlès”  and  Table  11  of  paragraph  5.1.4.1 
“Compensation  of  the  Company’s  Directors”  –  Mandataires 
sociaux).

These agreements were reviewed by the Board of Directors at its 
meeting on March 15, 2018, in accordance with the provisions 
of Article L. 225-40-1 of the French Commercial Code.

The  Statutory  Auditors  have  prepared  a  special  report 
pursuant  to  Articles  L.  225-40  and  L.  225-40-1  of  the 
French  Commercial  Code,  as  set  forth  in   paragraph  4.2.4 
“Special  Report  of  the  Statutory  Auditors  on  Related-party 
Agreements  and  Commitments” .    The  General  Meeting  has 
been requested to acknowledge this report which refers to no 
new agreements.

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7.1.5   Compensation elements due or granted with respect to 
2017 to Mr. Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of the Board, 
and to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board 
and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the provisions of Article L. 225-100 of the French 
Commercial  Code,  it  is  proposed  to  the  General  Meeting  to 
approve the compensation due or granted with respect to 2017 
to Mr. Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of the Board of Directors, 
and  Mr.  Bernard  Charlès,  Vice-Chairman  and  Chief  Executive 
Officer,  whose  compensation  elements  are  summarized  in 
the tables below (See also paragraph 5.1 of the “Chairman’s 

Report on Corporate Governance”). The payment of the Chief 
Executive  Officer’s  variable  compensation  is  subject  to  the 
General  Meeting’s  approval  of  his  compensation  elements. 
Since the Chairman of the Board does not receive any variable 
or extraordinary compensation, this condition does not apply 
to him.

7.1.5 .1 

Compensation elements due or granted with respect to 2017 to Mr. Charles Edelstenne, 
Chairman of the Board

Compensation elements

Fixed compensation(1)

Amount (in 

euros) Observations

982,000 Gross fixed compensation for 2017 set by the Board of Directors on March 16, 2017, 

upon the proposal of the Compensation and Nomination Committee.

Annual variable compensation

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne receives no annual variable compensation.

Deferred annual variable 
compensation

Multi-year variable 
compensation

Directors’ fees(2)

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne receives no deferred annual variable compensation.

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne receives no multi-year variable compensation.

45,100 Gross amount of directors’ fees due for 2017.

Extraordinary compensation

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne receives no extraordinary variable compensation.

Granting of share subscription 
options and/or performance 
shares

Indemnity upon start 
or termination of function

Non-compete  indemnity

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne does not hold any share subscription options 

and was not granted any performance shares.

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne receives no indemnity upon start or termination of function.

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne receives no non-compete indemnity.

Additional retirement plan

N/A No additional retirement plan was implemented by Dassault Systèmes SE.

Benefits in kind(3)

N/A Mr. Charles Edelstenne receives no benefits in kind.

(1)  See also paragraph 5.1.3.1 “Fixed, variable and exceptional compensation and in-kind benefits”. In 2017, GIMD paid Mr. Charles Edelstenne, as GIMD’s Chief Executive Officer, 

gross fixed compensation of €804,828.

(2)  In 2017, GIMD paid Mr. Charles Edelstenne €28,137 in directors’ fees for his mandate as a member of the Supervisory Board of GIMD. See also paragraph 5.1.3.4 “Directors’ Fees” 

on the conditions for distributing the directors’ fees at Dassault Systèmes SE.

(3)  In 2017, GIMD granted benefits in kind related to the use of a car in an amount of €10,411 to Mr. Charles Edelstenne.

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7.1.5 .2 

Compensation elements due or granted with respect to 2017 to Mr. Bernard Charlès, 
Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Compensation elements

Fixed Compensation

Amount 

(in euros) Observations

1,325,000 Fixed gross compensation with respect to 2017 set by the Board of Directors 

on March 16, 2017(1).

Annual variable compensation

1,417,750  Variable gross compensation with respect to 2017 actually earned 

Deferred annual variable 
compensation

Multi-year variable 
compensation

Directors’ fees(2)

and decided by the Board of Directors on March 15, 2018(1).

N/A Mr. Bernard Charlès receives no deferred annual variable compensation.

N/A Mr. Bernard Charlès receives no multi-year annual variable compensation.

28,600 Gross amount of directors’ fees due for 2017.

Extraordinary compensation

N/A Mr. Bernard Charlès receives no extraordinary compensation.

Granting of share subscription 
options and/or performance 
shares

Indemnity upon start 
or termination of function

13,004,841 (3) Mr. Bernard Charlès was granted 300,000 2017-B shares 

by the Board of Directors on May 23, 2017(4)(5).

N/A Mr. Bernard Charlès receives under certain conditions an indemnity upon the termination 
of his functions, the amount of which would not exceed two years of the Chief Executive 
Officer’s compensation and would depend on the satisfaction of the performance 
conditions for the payment of his variable compensation.
In accordance with Articles L. 225-40-1 and L. 225-42-1 of the French Commercial Code, 
this commitment on the part of Dassault Systèmes SE was authorized by the Board 
of Directors on May 26, 2014 and approved by the General Meeting on May 28, 2015 
(6th resolution). The Board of Directors reviewed this commitment on March 15, 2018 
as it remained in effect during 2017(6).

Non-compete  indemnity

Additional retirement plan

N/A Mr. Bernard Charlès receives no non-compete indemnity.

N/A No additional retirement plan was implemented.

Benefits in kind

11,934 These benefits in kind are linked to the use of a vehicle made available 

to Bernard Charlès by Dassault Systèmes SE.

(1)  See also paragraphs 5.1.3.1 “Fixed, variable and exceptional compensation and in-kind benefits”, and 5.1.4.1 Table 2 “Summary of the compensation of each Executive Officer”.
(2)  See also paragraph 5.1.3.4 “Directors’ Fees” on the conditions for distributing the directors’ fees at Dassault Systèmes SE.
(3)  Value based on the method chosen for the consolidated financial statements before the spreading of the expense and taking into account the performance criteria.
(4)  Such shares are granted to Mr. Bernard Charlès as part of the gradual process of associating him with the Company’s capital that began several years ago, with the aim 

of recognizing his entrepreneurial role during more than thirty years with the Group and providing him with an equity interest comparable to that of founders of companies 
in the same sector, and more generally, of his peers in technology companies around the world.

(5)  See also paragraph 5.1.3.2 “Performance Shares and Share Subscription Options”.
(6)  See also paragraph 5.1.3.3 “Indemnities Due in the Event of the Imposed Departure (départ contraint) of Mr. Bernard Charlès”.

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7.1.6   Policies and criteria used to determine, distribute 

and allocate the fixed, variable and exceptional components 
of the total compensation and benefits of all kinds granted 
to the Chairman of the Board and to the Vice-Chairman 
and Chief Executive Officer

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Article  L.  225-
37-2  of  the  French  Commercial  Code,   paragraph  5.1.3 
“Principles  established  by  the  Board  of  Directors  pertaining 
to  compensation  of  the  Executive  Officers  and  directors”  
describes the policies and criteria used to determine, distribute 
and  allocate  the  fixed,  variable  and  exceptional  components 

of the total compensation and benefits of all kinds granted to 
the  Chairman  and  to  the  Vice-Chairman  and  Chief  Executive 
Officer.  These  policies  and  criteria  are  submitted  for  your 
approval with separate resolutions for the Chairman and Vice-
Chairman.

7.1.7   Re-appointment of three directors

The terms of office as director of Messrs. Charles Edelstenne, 
Bernard  Charlès  and  Thibault  de  Tersant  end  at  the  General 
Meeting  of  May  22,  2018.  You  are  invited  to  re-appoint 
them for a term of four years, i.e. until the General Meeting 
called to approve the financial statements for the year ending 
December 31, 2021 (for a presentation of these directors, see 
paragraph  5.1.1.1  “Composition  of  the  Board  of  Directors”). 
If  the  mandates  of  Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne  and  Mr.  Bernard 

Charlès are renewed, the Board of Directors of March 15, 2018 
has already resolved, in accordance with the recommendation 
of  the  Compensation  and  Nomination  Committee,  to  renew 
their  mandates  as  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors  for 
Mr.  Charles  Edelstenne  and  Vice-Chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Directors and CEO for Mr. Bernard Charlès, during its meeting 
which shall be held following the General Meeting.  

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7.1.8   Appointment of a new director

On the basis of the recommendation of the Compensation and Nomination Committee, it is proposed to appoint one new director, 
Mr Xavier Cauchois.

In compliance with Article R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code, information regarding the director proposed for appointment 
by the General Meeting of Shareholders is set forth below.

XAVIER CAUCHOIS – DIRECTOR CANDIDATE

Biography: Xavier Cauchois has more than 30 years of experience 
in the audit, as  a partner of PwC France in the Paris office.  

Age: 60 

Nationality: French

He had several management positions within PwC France and at 
the European level.

He notably accompanied its clients in the technology, telecoms, 
medias sectors, as well as in the health sector and more generally 
in the industry. 

He was head of PwC Europe and France in the Technology sector 
until 2009 and member of the Global Strategic Committee for the 
Audit from 2005 to 2008.

He was member of the Executive Committee France “Partners & 
Strategy” from 2013 to 2016.

Since 2016, he was also in charge of the animation of the directors 
relations for PwC.

Term  expires:  General  Meeting  called  to  approve  the  financial 
statements for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Dassault Systèmes shares owned at December 31, 2017: 0

* at the date of the General Meting

Upon recommendation of the Compensation and Nomination 
Committee  of  March  15,  2018,  the  Board  has  concluded 
that Mr Xavier Cauchois is independent.  Mr. Xavier Cauchois, 
despite  being  a  former  partner  of  PwC,  statutory  auditor  of 
the  Company,  does  not  sign  the  financial  statements  of  the 
Company since those relating to the 2010  financial year. 

Professional address: Dassault Systèmes - 10, rue Marcel Dassault, 
78140 Velizy-Villacoublay  - France

Main position: Director 

Other current positions and directorships*: Former partner 

Other positions held during the past five years: Manager of PwC 
Business  Services,  director  of  the  GIE  PricewaterhouseCoopers 
Services 

If this proposal and the proposals mentioned in paragraph 7.1.7  
are  approved,  the  proportions  of  women  and  independent 
directors  will  comply  with  law  and  the  AFEP-MEDEF  Code 
respectively(1).

7.1.9   Authorization to repurchase shares of the Company

The  authorization  to  repurchase  shares  of  the  Company 
granted to the Board of Directors at the General Meeting on 
May 23, 2017 will expire at the General Meeting of May 22, 
2018.  Within  the  framework  of  this  authorization,  share 
buybacks were carried out in 2017 and in early 2018 (these 
operations  are  described  in  paragraph  6.2.4  “Share  buyback 
programs”)  in  order  to  cover  the  Company’s  obligations 
resulting  from  share  grants  and  to  animate  the  market  and 
provide liquidity of the Dassault Systèmes share through the 
intermediary of an investment services provider by means of a 
liquidity agreement complying with a Code of Ethics accepted 
by  the  French  Financial  Markets  Authority  (AMF)  and 

concluded between Dassault Systèmes SE and Oddo BHF SCA. 
This agreement has been automatically renewed for 2018.

Additional  share  buybacks  may  be  made  until  the  date  of  the 
General  Meeting,  and  will  be  described  in  the  Annual  Report 
(Document de référence) for the year ending December 31, 2018.

You  are  invited  to  reauthorize  the  Board  of  Directors  to 
repurchase  Dassault  Systèmes  shares,  in  accordance  with 
Articles  L.  225-209   et  seq.  of  the  French  Commercial  Code, 
within a limit of 10 million shares, i.e. approximately 3.8% of 
the  share  capital,  at  a  maximum  purchase  price  of  €150  per 
share and within the limits set by the applicable regulations. 

(1)  It is noted that the director representing the employees is not included in the calculation of the number of female and independent members of the 

Board, in accordance with the provisions of Article 8.3 of the AFEP-MEDEF Code and Article L. 225-27-1 of the French Commercial Code respectively.

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The  maximum  amount  of  funds  dedicated  to  repurchase 
shares of Dassault Systèmes may not exceed €500 million.

Should  you  approve  this  proposal,  the  authorization  will  be 
valid until the Annual General Meeting approving the financial 
statements for the year ending December 31, 2018.

This  authorization  to  buyback  shares  may  be  used  for  the 
following purposes:

1)  cancel shares for the purpose of increasing the profitability 
of  shareholders’  equity  and  earnings  per  share,  subject 
to adoption by the Extraordinary General Meeting of the 
resolution permitting shares to be canceled;

2)  meet  obligations  related  to  stock  option  grants  or  other 
allocations of shares to employees or corporate officers of 
Dassault Systèmes SE or of an affiliated company;

3)  provide  shares  upon  exercise  of  rights  attached  to 
securities giving right to shares of Dassault Systèmes SE;

4)  stimulate  the  market  or  provide 

liquidity  for  the 
Dassault  Systèmes  shares  through  the  intermediary  of 
an  investment  services  provider  by  means  of  a  liquidity 
contract complying with a Code of Ethics accepted by the 
Financial Markets Authority (AMF);

5) 

implement  any  stock-exchange  market  practice  which 
may  be  authorized  by  law  or  by  the  Financial  Markets 
Authority (AMF).

The  share  buyback  program  is  described  in  paragraph  6.2.4 
“Share repurchase programs” of this Annual Report (Document 
de référence), where all relevant information is presented.

In light of the possible cancellation of the repurchased shares, 
we  propose  that  you  also  authorize  the  Board  of  Directors 
to  cancel,  as  the  case  may  be,  for  the  same  period,  all  or  a 
portion of the shares which it has repurchased and to reduce 
in a corresponding amount the share capital, within a limit of 
10% of its amount.

7.1.10  Financial authorizations for issuances reserved to employees 

and corporate officers

It  is  proposed  to  renew   the  authorization  granted  to  the 
Board  of  Directors  by  the  Extraordinary  General  Meeting 
on  September  4,  2015  to  grant  free  shares  to  the  Group’s 
employees or executive officers.

This  authorization  would  become  effective  at   the  expiration 
date of the authorization of the General Meeting of September 
4, 2015, i.e. on November 4, 2018. 

Due to Corporate Officers” and 5.1 “Report of the Chairman 
on Corporate Governance” of the Annual Report.   

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Article  L.  225-129-6, 
paragraph 1, of the French Commercial Code, you are invited 
to authorize the Board of Directors to carry out share capital 
increases  reserved  for  employees  of  the  Company  and/or 
affiliated companies and members of Company savings plans.

7

The  shares  granted  under  this  authorization  cannot  entitle 
beneficiaries to a total number of shares greater than 2% of 
the Company’s capital on the date of the General Meeting of 
May 22, 2018.

Information  relating  to  the  Board’s  use  of  the  authorization 
granted  by  the  General  Meeting  in  2017  is  included  in 
paragraph 5.3 “Summary of the Compensation and Benefits 

The  maximum  nominal  amount  of  the  capital  increases 
that  may  be  carried  out  through  the  issue  of  new  shares  or 
securities giving access to capital would be €5 million.

In the event that this resolution is adopted, this new delegation 
would cancel and replace that granted by the General Meeting 
on May 23, 2017 in its 22nd resolution.

7.1.11  Amendments of the by-laws

It is proposed that the General Meeting bring the by-laws into 
compliance with the provisions of:

 › Article  L.  823-1,  paragraph  2,  of  the  French  Commercial 
Code, as amended by Law no. 2016-1691 of December 9, 
2016,  relating  to  the  lack  of  appointment  of  a  Deputy 
Statutory  Auditor  when  the  Principal  Statutory  Auditor  is 
a legal person; and

 › Article  L.  225-36  of  the  French  Commercial  Code,  as 
amended  by  Law  no.  2016-1691  of  December  9,  2016, 
authorizing the Board of Directors to transfer the registered 
office within French territory, subject to the ratification of 
this decision by the next Ordinary General Meeting.

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Draft resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors to the General Meeting on May 22, 2018

7.2  Draft resolutions proposed by the Board 
of Directors to the General Meeting 
on May 22, 2018

Ordinary General Meeting

 ❘ First resolution

 ❘ Second resolution

Approval of the parent company annual financial statements

Approval of the consolidated financial statements

The  General  Meeting,  after  the  reading  of  the  management 
report of the Board of Directors and the report of the Statutory 
Auditors, in addition to the explanations made orally, hereby 
approves  the  report  of  the  Board  and  the  parent  company 
annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 
2017, as they have been presented.

The General Meeting consequently approves any transactions 
disclosed  in  these  financial  statements  or  summarized  in 
these reports. 

The  General  Meeting,  after  the  reading  of  the  report  of  the 
Board of Directors with respect to management of the Group 
included in the management report and the report related to the 
consolidated  financial  statements  of  the  Statutory  Auditors, 
in addition to the explanations made orally, hereby approves 
in  all  respects  the  report  of  the  Board  and  the  consolidated 
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017, 
as they have been presented.

The General Meeting consequently approves any transactions 
disclosed  by  such  consolidated  financial  statements  or 
summarized in such reports.

 ❘ Third resolution

Allocation of the results

The General Meeting, upon the proposal of the Board of Directors, hereby resolves to allocate the profit of the year amounting to 
€257,812,286.60 (1) as follows:

 › to the legal reserve

 › to a Special Reserve Account(2)

 › for distribution to the 261,229,643 shares forming the capital as of 02/28/2018 of a dividend 

of (€0.58 x 261,229,643 shares)(3)

 › to retained earnings

which, increased by the retained earnings from previous years of of €2,100,086,860.52,  
brings the amount of retained earnings to

€161,652 

€34,000

€151,513,192.94

€106,103,441.66 

€2,206,190,302.18   

(1)  After allocation to the legal reserve, this profit increased by the retained earnings from previous years of €2,100,086,860.52   results in a distributable profit of 

€2,357,737,495.12. 

(2)  In compliance with Article 238 bis AB, paragraph 5, of the French General Tax Code.
(3)  The aggregate amount of the dividend will be increased, based on the number of new shares created between March 1, 2018 and the date of the General Meeting 

of May 22, 2018, consecutively to the exercise of share subscription options, it being specified that the maximum number of shares which could be issued upon the exercise 
of subscription options is 5,229,864, i.e. a maximum amount of a supplementary dividend of €3,033,321.12.

Shares  will  be  traded  ex-dividend  as  of  May  29,  2018,  and 
dividends made payable as from June 19, 2018.

On  the  date  of  payment,  the  amount  of  the  dividend 
corresponding to (i) the treasury shares of Dassault Systèmes 
SE and (ii) the Dassault Systèmes shares held by SW Securities 

LLC, a company which is controlled by the Dassault Systèmes 
Group, will be allocated to “retained earnings”, in accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  Article  L.  225-210  of  the  French 
Commercial  Code  and  the  contractual  provisions  in  force 
between SW Securities LLC and Dassault Systèmes SE.

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In addition, prior to distribution of the dividend, the Board of 
Directors,  or  if  so  delegated,  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  will 
determine the number of additional shares issued as a result of 
the exercise of share subscription options between March 1, 
2018  and  the  date  of  this  General  Meeting;  the  amount 
required for payment of dividends for shares issued during this 
period will be taken from “retained earnings”.

The  amount  thus  distributed  to  shareholders  will,  upon 
exercise  of  an  individual  option  of  the  shareholders,  either 
be subject to the flat tax of 12.8%, or be taken into account 
for  determining  shareholders’  total  revenue  subject  to  the 
progressive rate of income tax for the year during which it was 
received  (article  200A  of  the  French  General  Tax  Code)  after 
application of an uncapped deduction of 40% (as provided by 
Article 158-3-2 of the French General Tax Code). The dividend 
may be subject to a non-discharging income tax withholding 
at a rate of 12.8% (as provided by Article 117 quater of the 
French Tax Code) 

Pursuant to Article 243 bis of the French Tax Code, it is noted that dividends per share paid over the last three years have been 
as follows:

Dividend (in euros)

Number of shares eligible for dividends 

 ❘ Fourth resolution

Option to receive payment of dividends in the form of shares

The  General  Meeting,  after  the  reading  of  the  Board  of 
Directors’  report,  and  finding  that  the  capital  is  fully  paid 
up,  has  decided  to  offer  each  shareholder  the  possibility 
of  choosing,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  receive  payment  of  the 
dividend  decided  in  the  third  resolution,  and  to  which  he  is 
entitled, in the form of new shares in Dassault Systèmes.

Each shareholder may choose, in whole or in part, to receive 
payment of the dividend in cash or in shares.

If the shareholder chooses to receive payment of the dividend 
in the form of shares, the new shares will be issued without 
a discount at a price equal to the average of the closing prices 
quoted on the regulated market of Euronext Paris during the 
20 stock exchange sessions preceding the date of the General 
Meeting  less  the  net  amount  of  the  dividend  decided  in  the 
third  resolution  rounded  up  to  the  next  one  hundredth  of  a 
euro.  Such  new  shares  will  be  eligible  for  dividends  as  from 
January 1, 2018, and will have all the rights and privileges as 
the other shares issued by Dassault Systèmes SE.

The  option  may  be  exercised   between  May  29,  2018  and 
June 8, 2018, inclusive, by sending their request to the financial 
intermediaries that are authorized to pay the dividend or, for 
shareholders listed in the direct registered share accounts held 
by  the  Company,  to  its  authorized  representative  (Société 
Générale,  Securities  department,  32  rue  du  Champ-de-Tir, 
CS  30812,  44308  Nantes  Cedex  3).  Failing  exercise  of  such 
option as at June 8, 2018 at the latest, the dividend will only 
be paid out in cash.

2016

0.53

2015

0.47

2014

0.43

258,532,488

257,154,032

255,644,058

Shareholders  who  have  not  chosen  payment  of  dividends 
in  shares  before  the  end  of  this  period  or  who  have  chosen 
only partial payment, will receive the dividend in cash for the 
portion for which payment in shares was not chosen as from 
June 19, 2018. For shareholders having exercised the option,   
the new shares will be delivered as of the same day.

If  the  amount  of  dividend  for  which  payment  in  the  form 
of  shares  has  been  chosen  does  not  correspond  to  a  whole 
number  of  shares,  the  number  of  shares  to  be  received  by 
the shareholder will be rounded up to the next whole number 
with  the  shareholder  paying  the  difference  in  cash  on  the 
day  he/she  chose  to  receive  payment  in  the  form  of  shares, 
or  alternatively  the  number  of  shares  to  be  received  by  the 
shareholder  will  be  rounded  down  to  the  previous  whole 
number and the shareholder will receive the balance in cash.

The  General  Meeting  gives  full  powers  to  the  Board  of 
Directors, with the right of sub delegation to the Chairman of 
the Board under the conditions provided by law, to carry out 
the payment of dividends in new shares, to stipulate the terms 
of  application  and  implementation,  to  record  the  number 
of  new  shares  issued  under  this  resolution,  to  make  any 
necessary changes in the Company’s by-laws relating to the 
share capital and the number of shares it contains, and, more 
generally, to do whatever may be appropriate or necessary.

 ❘ Fifth resolution

Related-party agreements (conventions réglementées)

The  General  Meeting,  having  reviewed  the  special  report 
of  the  Statutory  Auditors  on  the  agreements  governed  by 
Articles  L.  225-38  et  seq.  of  the  French  Commercial  Code, 
acknowledges  the  report,  which  does  not  include  any  new 
agreements.

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 ❘ Sixth resolution

 ❘ Ninth resolution

Related-party agreement (convention réglementée) 
between the Company and Bernard Charlès

Compensation elements due or granted with respect to 2017 
to Mr. Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of the Board

The  General  Meeting  of  Shareholders,  having  reviewed  the 
special  report  of  the  Statutory  Auditors  on  the  agreements 
governed  by  Articles  L.  225-38  et  seq.  of  the  French 
Commercial  Code  and  in  accordance  with  Article  L.  225-42-
1  of  the  French  Commercial  Code,  approves  the  renewal  of 
the  agreement  referred  to  in  the  said  report  relating  to  the 
commitments  made  by  the  Company  to  Bernard  Charlès  on 
the indemnities due upon the termination of his functions as 
Chief Executive Officer, according to the terms adopted by the 
Board of Directors at its meeting on May 26, 2014.

 ❘ Seventh resolution

Policies and criteria used to determine, distribute and 
allocate the fixed, variable and exceptional components 
of the total compensation and benefits of all kinds granted 
to the Chairman of the Board

The  General  Meeting  approves  the  policies  and  criteria  used 
to  determine,  distribute  and  allocate  the  fixed,  variable  and 
exceptional  components  of  the  total  compensation  and 
benefits  of  all  kinds  granted  to  the  Chairman,  as  indicated 
in  the  2017  Annual  Report,  under  Chapter  5  “Corporate 
Governance”,  paragraph  5.1.3  “Principles  established  by  the 
Board of Directors pertaining to compensation of the Executive 
Officers and directors”.

 ❘ Eighth resolution

Policies and criteria used to determine, distribute and allocate 
the fixed, variable and exceptional components of the total 
compensation and benefits of all kinds granted to the Vice 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The  General  Meeting  approves  the  policies  and  criteria  used 
to  determine,  distribute  and  allocate  the  fixed,  variable  and 
exceptional  components  of  the  total  compensation  and 
benefits  of  all  kinds  granted  to  the  Vice-Chairman  and  Chief 
Executive  Officer,  as  indicated  in  the  2017  Annual  Report, 
under  Chapter  5  “Corporate  Governance”,  paragraph  5.1.3 
“Principles established by the Board of Directors pertaining to 
compensation of the Executive Officers and directors”.

The  General  Meeting  approves  the  compensation  elements 
due or granted with respect to 2017 to Mr. Charles Edelstenne, 
Chairman  of  the  Board,  as  indicated  in  the  2017  Annual 
Report (Document de référence), under Chapter 5 “Corporate 
Governance”,  paragraph  5.1.4.1  “Compensation  of  the 
Company’s Corporate Officers (mandataires sociaux)”.

 ❘ Tenth resolution

Compensation elements due or granted with respect to 2017 
to Mr. Bernard Charlès, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief 
Executive Officer

The  General  Meeting  approves  the  compensation  elements 
due or granted with respect to 2017 to Mr. Bernard Charlès, 
Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, as indicated in the 
2017 Annual Report (Document de référence), under Chapter 5 
“Corporate Governance”, paragraph 5.1.4.1 “Compensation of 
the Company’s Corporate Officers (mandataires sociaux)”.

 ❘ Eleventh resolution

Re-appointment of Mr. Charles Edelstenne

The General Meeting notes that Mr. Charles Edelstenne’s term 
as  director  expires  at  this  General  Meeting  and  re-appoints 
him for a four-year period. This term of office will expire at the 
General  Meeting  approving  the  financial  statements  for  the 
year ending December 31, 2021.

 ❘ Twelfth resolution

Re-appointment of Mr. Bernard Charlès

The General Meeting notes that Mr. Bernard Charlès’ term as 
director expires at this General Meeting and re-appoints him 
for  a  four-year  period.  This  term  of  office  will  expire  at  the 
General  Meeting  approving  the  financial  statements  for  the 
year ending December 31, 2021.

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 ❘ Thirteenth resolution

Re-appointment of Mr. Thibault de Tersant

The General Meeting notes that Mr. Thibault de Tersant’s term 
as  director  expires  at  this  General  Meeting  and  re-appoints 
him for a four-year period. This term of office will expire at the 
General  Meeting  approving  the  financial  statements  for  the 
year ending December 31, 2021.

 ❘ Fourteenth resolution

Appointment of a new director

The  General  Meeting  decides  to  appoint  Mr.  Xavier  Cauchois 
as  director  of  the  Company  for  a  four-year  term.  This  term 
of  office  will  expire  at  the  General  Meeting  approving  the 
financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2021.

 ❘ Fifteenth resolution

Authorization to repurchase Dassault Systèmes’s shares

The General Meeting, having reviewed the report of the Board 
of  Directors,  authorizes  the  Board  of  Directors  to  purchase 
a  maximum  of  10,000,000  Dassault  Systèmes  shares,  in 
accordance  with  the  terms  and  conditions  stipulated  in 
Articles L. 225-209 et seq. of the French Commercial Code.

This authorization may be used by the Board of Directors for 
the following purposes:

1.  cancel shares for the purpose of increasing the profitability 
of  shareholders’  equity  and  earnings  per  share,  subject 
to adoption by the Extraordinary General Meeting of the 
resolution permitting shares to be canceled;

2.  meet  obligations  related  to  stock  option  grants  or  other 
allocations of shares to employees or corporate officers of 
Dassault Systèmes SE or of an affiliated company;

3.  provide  shares  upon  exercise  of  rights  attached  to 
securities giving right to shares of Dassault Systèmes SE;

4.  stimulate  the  market  or  provide  liquidity  for  Dassault 
Systèmes  shares  through  the 
intermediary  of  an 
investment  services  provider  by  means  of  a  liquidity 
contract complying with a Code of Ethics accepted by the 
Financial Markets Authority (AMF);

5. 

implement  any  stock-exchange  market  practice  which 
may  be  authorized  by  law  or  by  the  Financial  Markets 
Authority (AMF).

The acquisition, sale, transfer or exchange of such shares may 
be  effected  by  any  means  allowed  on  the  market  (whether 
or  not  the  market  is  regulated),  multilateral  trade  facilities 
(MTF) or through a systematic internalizer or over the counter, 
in  particular  acquisition  of  blocks,  and  at  the  times  deemed 
appropriate  by  the  Board  of  Directors  or  any  person  acting 
pursuant to a sub delegation and according to the law.

The  maximum  amount  of  funds  dedicated  to  repurchase  of 
Company shares may not exceed €500 million, this condition 
being  cumulative  with  the  cap  of  10,000,000  Dassault 
Systèmes shares.

Dassault  Systèmes  SE  may  not  purchase  shares  at  a  price 
per  share  which  exceeds  €150  (excluding  acquisition  costs), 
and  in  any  case  the  price  per  share  may  not  exceed  the 
maximum price provided by the applicable legal rules, subject 
to  adjustments  in  connection  with  transactions  on  its  share 
capital,  in  particular  by  capitalization  of  reserves  and  free 
allocation of shares and/or regrouping or split of shares.

This authorization can be used by the Board of Directors for all 
the treasury shares held by Dassault Systèmes.

This authorization will be valid commencing on the date of this 
General  Meeting  until  the  annual  Ordinary  General  Meeting 
approving  the  financial  statements  for  the  year  ending 
December  31,  2018.  The  General  Meeting  hereby  grants 
any  and  all  powers  to  the  Board  of  Directors  with  option  of 
delegation when legally authorized, to place any stock orders 
or  orders  outside  the  market,  enter  into  any  agreements, 
prepare  any  documents  including  information  documents, 
determine terms and conditions of Company transactions on 
the market, as well as terms and conditions for purchase and 
sale of shares, file any declarations, including those required 
by  the  Financial  Markets  Authority  (AMF),  accomplish  any 
formalities,  and  more  generally,  carry  out  any  necessary 
measures to complete such transactions.

The  General  Meeting  also  grants  any  and  all  powers  to  the 
Board  of  Directors,  in  case  that  the  law  or  the  Financial 
Markets  Authority  (AMF)  appear  to  extend  or  to  complete 
the  authorized  objectives  concerning  the  share  repurchase 
program, in order to inform the public, pursuant to applicable 
regulations  and  laws,  about  the  potential  changes  of  the 
program concerning the modified objectives.

In accordance with the provisions of Articles L. 225-211 and 
R.  225-160  of  the  French  Commercial  Code,  the  Company 
or the intermediary in charge of securities administration for 
the Company shall keep registers which record purchases and 
sales of shares pursuant to this program.

This authorization replaces and supersedes the previous share 
repurchase  program  authorized  by  the  Combined  General 
Shareholders’ Meeting of May 23, 2017, in its 15th resolution.

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Extraordinary General Meeting

 ❘ Sixteenth resolution

Authorization granted to the Board of Directors to reduce 
the share capital by cancellation of previously repurchased 
shares in the framework of the share repurchase program

The  General  Meeting,  after  the  reading  of  the  report  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  and  the  special  report  of  the  Statutory 
Auditors, hereby authorizes the Board of Directors, pursuant to 
the provisions of Article L. 225-209 of the French Commercial 
Code, to:

 › reduce  the  share  capital  by  cancellation,  in  one  or  several 
transactions, of all or part of the shares repurchased by the 
Company pursuant to its share repurchase program, up to a 
limit of 10% of the share capital over periods of 24 months;

 › deduct  the  difference  between  the  repurchase  value  of 
the canceled shares and their nominal value from available 
premiums and reserves.

The  General  Meeting  hereby  gives,  more  generally,  any 
and  all  powers  to  the  Board  of  Directors  to  set  the  terms 
and  conditions  of  such  share  capital  reduction(s),  record  the 
completion  of  the  share  capital  reduction(s)  made  pursuant 
to the cancellation transactions authorized by this resolution, 
amend the by-laws of the Company as may be necessary, file 
any  declaration  with  the  Financial  Markets  Authority  (AMF) 
or  other  institutions,  accomplish  any  formalities  and  more 
generally  take  any  necessary  measures  for  the  purposes  of 
completing this transaction.

This  authorization  is  granted  to  the  Board  of  Directors  for 
a  period  ending  at  the  end  of  the  General  Meeting  called 
to  approve  the  financial  statements  for  the  year  ending 
December 31, 2018.

 ❘ Seventeenth resolution

Authorization given to the Board of Directors to grant 
Company shares to corporate officers and employees of 
the Company and its affiliated companies, including an 
express waiver by the shareholders to their pre-emptive right.

The General Meeting, after review of the report of the Board 
of Directors and the special report of the Statutory Auditors:

1.  authorizes  the  Board  of  Directors,  in  accordance  with 
the  provisions  of  Articles  L.  225-197-1  et  seq.  of  the 
French Commercial Code, to carry out, on one or several 
occasions,  free  allocations  of  existing  shares  or  shares 
to  be  issued  by  the  Company,  to  employees  or  certain 
categories  of  employees  to  be  chosen  from  eligible 
employees  or  corporate  officers  of  the  Company  or  its 
affiliated companies pursuant to Article L. 225-197-2 of 
the French Commercial Code;

250 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

2.  decides  that  the  Board  of  Directors  will  decide  on  the 
identity  of  the  beneficiaries  of  the  allocations  as  well 
as  the  conditions  and,  where  applicable,  the  criteria  for 
allocating the shares;

3.  decides  that  the  total  number  of  free  shares  granted 
cannot exceed 2% of the Company’s capital on the date of 
the allocation decision by the Board of Directors, it being 
specified that this amount does not take into account any 
possible adjustments which may be made in accordance 
with  the  applicable  laws  and  regulations  and,  where 
applicable, to the contractual provisions stipulating other 
adjustment cases, to protect the rights of the holders of 
securities or other rights giving access to the share capital. 
For this purpose, the General Meeting authorizes, where 
necessary,  the  Board  of  Directors  to  increase  the  share 
capital by incorporating reserves accordingly;

4.  decides  (a)  that  the  allocation  of  shares  to  their 
beneficiaries  shall  become  definitive  at  the  end  of  a 
vesting  period  which  shall  be  fixed  by  the  Board  of 
Directors,  but  which  cannot  be  less  than  one  year  and 
(b) that the beneficiaries must, if the Board of Directors 
deems it useful or necessary, retain said shares for a term 
freely  fixed  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  it  being  specified 
that the total duration of the vesting periods and where 
applicable  the  conservation  period  cannot  be  less  than 
two years;

5.  decides  that  the  maximum  number  of  shares  that  can 
be  granted  to  executive  officers  pursuant  to  the  AFEP-
MEDEF’s corporate governance code for listed companies 
cannot  represent  more  than  35%  of  the  overall  amount 
authorized by the present Meeting;

6.  also  decides  that,  in  the  event  of  the  invalidity  of  the 
beneficiary  falling  into  the  second  or  third  categories 
provided in Article L. 341-4 of the French Social Security 
Code,  the  shares  will  be  definitively  allocated  before 
the  end  of  the  vesting  period.  The  shares  will  be  freely 
transferable upon delivery;

7.  notes  that  the  present  authorization  automatically 
entails  that  shareholders  waive,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
beneficiaries  of  the  free  shares,  their  pre-emptive  right 
to  the  shares  which  may  be  issued  under  the  present 
resolution;

8.  delegates  all  powers  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  with 
the  option  of  delegation,  pursuant  to  the  applicable 
regulations  and 
the  present 
to 
authorization,  under  the  conditions  set  out  above  and 
within the limits authorized by the applicable legislation 
and  in  particular,  to  fix  the  terms  and  conditions  and 
criteria  for  the  share  allocations  performed  under  the 

implement 

laws, 

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7

present  authorization,  to  set  the  dates  from  which  the 
new shares will have dividend rights, to take all measures, 
where  deemed  appropriate,  to  protect  the  rights  of  the 
beneficiaries  of  the  free  shares  by  making  any  possible 
adjustments, to note the completion of capital increases, 
to  amend  the  by-laws  accordingly,  and  more  generally, 
to take all useful and necessary steps for the issue, listing 
and financial servicing of the securities issued under the 
present resolution and take all useful and necessary steps 
under the legislation and regulations in force;

9.  decides  that  the  present  authorization  shall  become 
effective  as from the  expiration date of the authorization 
of  the  General  Meeting  dated  September   4,  2015  in  its 
first  resolution,  i.e.  on  November  4,  2018  and  shall  be 
valid for a period of 38 months as from the date of this 
General Meeting. 

 ❘

 Eighteenth resolution

Authorization of the Board of Directors to increase the share 
capital for the benefit of members of a corporate savings plan, 
without pre-emptive rights

The General Meeting, having reviewed the report of the Board 
of  Directors  and  the  special  report  of  the  Statutory  Auditors, 
pursuant to the provisions of Articles L. 3332-1 et seq. of the 
French Labor Code and Articles L. 225-138-1 and L. 225-129-6, 
first and second paragraphs, of the French Commercial Code:

1.  delegates  to  the  Board  of  Directors  its  authority  to 
increase  the  share  capital  of  the  Company,  in  one  or 
several transactions, at its sole discretion, by a maximum 
nominal amount of €5 million through the issue of new 
shares or other securities giving access to the Company’s 
share  capital  under  the  conditions  prescribed  by  law, 
reserved  for  members  of  corporate  savings  plans  of  the 
Company and/or its affiliated entities within the meaning 
of Article L. 225-180 of the French Commercial Code and 
Article L. 3344-1 of the French Labor Code;

2.  decides 

to  eliminate 

the  pre-emptive 

rights  of 
shareholders  to  subscribe  for  the  new  shares  to  be 
issued  or  other  securities  giving  access  to  share  capital 
and securities to which these securities give entitlement 
under  this  resolution  for  the  benefit  of  the  members  of 
the plans referred to in the previous paragraph and waives 
the rights to the shares or other securities that would be 
allocated through the application of this resolution;

3.  decides  that  the  maximum  nominal  amount  that  may 
be issued under this authorization will be included in the 
maximum nominal amount for share capital increases of 
€12 million set under the 17th resolution of the General 
Meeting of May 23, 2017;

4.  decides  that  the  subscription  price  for  the  new  shares 
will  be  at  least  80%  of  the  average  listed  price  of  the 
Company’s  shares  on  Euronext  Paris  in  the  20  trading 
days  preceding  the  day  on  which  subscriptions  open, 
where the lock-up period set by the savings plan pursuant 
to Article L. 3332-25 of the French  Labor Code is shorter 
than ten years, and 70% of this average where the lock-
up  period  is  ten  years  or  more.  However,  the  General 
Meeting  of  Shareholders  expressly  authorizes  the  Board 
of Directors, if it deems it appropriate, to reduce or cancel 
the  above-mentioned  discounts,  within  the  legal  and 
regulatory limits, in order to take account of, inter alia, the 
legal, accounting, tax and social security rules applicable 
locally;

5.  decides  that  the  Board  of  Directors  may  also  replace  all 
or part of the discount with the free allocation of shares 
or other securities giving access to the Company’s share 
capital, whether existing or to be issued, it being specified 
that  the  total  benefit  resulting  from  this  allocation  and, 
if applicable, from the discount mentioned above, cannot 
exceed the total benefit that members of the savings plan 
would  have  received  if  this  difference  had  been  20%  or 
30%, depending on whether the lock-up period set by the 
plan is greater than or equal to ten years;

6.  decides  that  the  Board  of  Directors  may  provide  for, 
pursuant to Article L. 3332-21 of the French Labor Code, 
the  free  allocation  of  shares  or  other  securities  giving 
access  to  the  Company’s  share  capital  to  be  issued  or 
already  issued  under  a  bonus  scheme,  provided  that 
the  inclusion  of  their  monetary  value,  valued  at  the 
subscription price, does not result in the legal or regulatory 
limits being exceeded;

7.  decides  that  the  characteristics  of  the  other  securities 
giving  access  to  the  Company’s  share  capital  will  be 
determined  by  the  Board  of  Directors  according  to  the 
conditions laid down by the regulations;

8.  decides  that  the  Board  of  Directors  will  have  all  the 
necessary powers, with the option for delegation or sub-
delegation,  in  accordance  with  the  legal  and  regulatory 
provisions,  within  the  limits  and  under  the  conditions 
specified above, to determine all the terms and conditions 
of transactions and, in particular, to decide on the amount 
to be issued, the issue price and the terms of each issue, 
and to define the terms for the free allocation of shares 
or  other  securities  giving  access  to  the  share  capital, 
under  the  authorization  given  above,  to  determine  the 
opening and closing dates for subscriptions, to set, within 
the maximum limit of three years, the period granted to 
subscribers to pay for their shares, to determine the date, 
which may be retroactive, from which the new shares will 
be  eligible  for  dividends,  to  apply  for  their  admission  to 

7

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

251

7 General Meeting

Draft resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors to the General Meeting on May 22, 2018

listing on the stock market wherever they are advised to 
do so, to record the share capital increase in the amount 
of shares effectively subscribed for, to make all necessary 
arrangements  to  carry  out  the  share  capital  increases, 
carry  out  all  formalities  arising  therefrom  and  amend 
the  by-laws  accordingly,  and  at  its  sole  discretion,  and 
if  it  deems  it  appropriate,  to  deduct  the  fees  involved 
in  carrying  out  the  share  capital  increases  from  the 
premiums relating to these increases as well as the sums 
necessary to increase the legal reserve to one-tenth of the 
new share capital after each increase;

9.  decides  that  this  authorization  supersedes  all  previous 
authorizations relating to share capital increases reserved 
for members of corporate savings plans, and in particular, 
that  granted  by  the  General  Shareholders’  Meeting  of 
May 23, 2017 in the 22nd resolution.

The  authorization  thus  granted  to  the  Board  of  Directors  is 
valid for 26 months from the date of this General Meeting.

 ❘ Nineteenth resolution

Amendments of the by-laws

The  General  Meeting  decides  to  delete  paragraph  3  of 
Article  23,  and  the  last  three  paragraphs  of  Article  4  of  the 
Company’s by-laws.

Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meeting

 ❘ Twentieth resolution

Powers for formalities

The General Meeting hereby grants any and all powers to the bearer of an original, a copy or an excerpt of the minutes of these 
deliberations for the purpose of carrying out any legal formalities for publication.

252 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Cross-reference tablesT

Annual fi nancial report

CROSS-REFERENCE TABLES

Annual financial report

The  cross-reference  table  below  allows  to  identify  the  information  included  in  the  annual  financial  report  provided  by  the 
Article L. 451-1-2 of the Monetary and Financial French Code and by the Article 222-3 of the General Regulation of the Autorité 
des marchés financiers.

Annual financial report

1.  Parent Company Financial Statements

2.  Consolidated Financial Statements of the Group

3.  Management Report

4.  Certification of the Person Responsible for the Reference Document

5.  Statutory Auditors Report on the Parent Company Financial Statements

6.  Statutory Auditors Report on the Consolidated Financial Statements

7.  Principal Accountants Fees and Services

Reference Document

Paragraphs

4.2

4.1

Pages

1 53 

108 

See Annual management report 
cross-reference table below

–

4.2.3

4.1.2

4.1.1 – Note 27

3

175 

148 

146 

T

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

253

T

Cross-reference tables

Annual management report

Annual management report

The cross-reference table below identifies in the Reference Document the information included in the annual management report 
to be provided by the Company’s Board of Directors, as required by Articles L. 225-100 et seq. of the French Commercial Code.

Annual management report

1.  Business Trends Analysis

2.  Analysis of Results

3.  Financial Operations Analysis

4.  Description of Main Risks and Uncertainties

5.  Financial Instruments Use

6.  Risk Factors such as Pricing, Credit, Liquidity in Cash and Treasury

7. 

Information Required by the Article L. 225-211 of the French Commercial Code, 
Relating to the Shares Repurchases

8.  Situation during the Fiscal year 2017

9.  Foreseeable Trend of the Situation

10.  Substantial Events Occurred since the End of 2017

11.  Research and Development Activities

12.  Existing branches

13.  Business and Results of Operations of the Parent Company Dassault Systèmes SE

14.  Business and Results of the Parent Company’s Subsidiaries during the Fiscal Year 2017

15.  Financial and non-financial key performance indicators

16.  2017 Business Outlook

17.  Selected Financial Information of Dassault Systèmes SE over the Last Five Fiscal Years

18.  Employees’ Involvement in the Capital of the Issuer the Last Day of the Fiscal Year

19.  Social and Environmental Information

Reference Document

Paragraphs

Pages

3.1

3.1

3.1

1.7 

90 

90 

90 

4 0

4.1.1 – Notes 2, 21

114 , 137 

1.7 .2

6.2.4 

4 7

230 

3.1, 4.1, 4.2

90 , 108 , 153 

3.1.1.1, 3.2

90 , 104 

4.2.1 – Note 23

1.6 

6.1.1.6

173 

3 9

224 

1.4 , 1.5 , 4.2

19 , 20 , 153 

1.4 .2, 1.5 

19 , 20 

3.1.1.1, 3.2

90 , 104 

4.2.2

6.3.1

2

174 

231 

49 

20.  Equity Holdings or Controlled Companies, Subsidiaries with a French Head-Office

4.2.1 – Notes 1, 24

15 8, 173 

21.  Table of Transactions in the Company’s Shares by the Management of the Company

22.  Information on the Payment Cycles for Suppliers

23.  Report on Corporate Governance

24.  Dividends Paid over the Last Three Fiscal Years

25.  Evolution and repartition of the shareholding (including treasury shares)

26.  Financial risks linked to climate change and measures taken 

to reduce them through the implementation of a low-carbon strategy

27.  Main characteristics of internal control procedures and risk management procedures

28.  Vigilance plan

5.3 

4.2.1 – Note 19

5.1

7.1

6.3.1

2.2.7 

5.2 

2.3 

218 

171 

184 

238 

231 

83

214 

83 

254 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Cross-reference table including the European Directive no. 809/2004 – Annex 1 items

Cross-reference tables

T

Cross-reference table including the European Directive no. 809/2004 – Annex 1 items

The cross-reference table below identifies the information included in the Reference Document, and reflects the transposition of 
the European Directive no. 809/2004 in its Annex 1, adopted by the European Commission of April 29, 2004.

European directive – Annex 1 items

Reference Document

Paragraphs

Pages

1. 

2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

PERSONS RESPONSIBLE
1.1  Name and function of the persons responsible

1.2  Declaration of the persons responsible

STATUTORY AUDITORS
SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
RISK FACTORS
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISSUER
5.1  History and development of the Company

5.2 

Investments

BUSINESS OVERVIEW
6.1  Principal activities

6.2  Principal markets

6.3 

6.4 

Exceptional factors

Extent to which the issuer is dependent on patents or licenses, industrial, 
commercial or financial contracts or new manufacturing processes

3

3

220 

12 

40 

14 

17 

20 

24 

4 0

5.4 

1.2 

1.7 

1.3 .1

1.3 .2

1.5 .1

1.5 .2

None

1.7 

6.5  Basis for any statements made by the issuer regarding its competitive position

1.5 .1, 1.5 .2.6 

20 ,36 

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
7.1  Brief description of the Group

7.2 

List of the significant subsidiaries

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
8.1 

Existing or planned material tangible fixed assets

1.4 .1

1.4 .2

19 

19 

2.2.2.3, 4.1.1 
– Notes 14, 25

7 2, 131 , 144 

8.2  Any environmental issues that may affect the issuer’s utilization of the tangible fixed assets

2.2.2.3

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW

9. 
10.  CAPITAL RESOURCES
11.  RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, PATENTS AND LICENSES
12.  TREND INFORMATION
13.  PROFIT FORECASTS OR ESTIMATES
14.  ADMINISTRATIVE, MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISORY BODIES 

AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT
14.1 

Information relating the Board of Directors and Senior Management

14.2  Administrative, Management and Supervisory Bodies and Senior Management 

Conflicts of Interests

15.  REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

3.1

3.1.4

1.6 

1.7 .1.1

3.2

7 2

9 0

103 

3 9

4 0

104 

T

5.1.1, 5.1.2

5.5 

184 , 19 

221 

15.1  Amount of remuneration paid and benefits in kind

5.1.4 

15.2  Amount set aside or accrued to provide pension, retirement or similar benefits

5.1 .4  – Table 11

201 

205 

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

255

T

Cross-reference tables

Cross-reference table including the European Directive no. 809/2004 – Annex 1 items

European directive – Annex 1 items

16.  BOARD PRACTICES

16.1  Date of expiration of the current term of office

16.2  Service contracts with the issuer

16.3 

Information about the committees

Reference Document

Paragraphs

5.1

5.1.1.1

5.1.3

5.1.1.3

Pages

184 

184  

221 

194 

16.4  Statement of compliance with the regime of corporate governance

5.1, 5.1.5

184 , 211 

17.  EMPLOYEES

17.1  Number of employees

17.2  Shareholdings and stock options

17.3  Arrangement involving the employees in the issuer’s capital

18.  MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS

18.1  Shareholders having more than 5% of interest in the issuer’s capital or of voting rights

18.2  Existence of different voting rights

18.3  Control of the issuer

18.4  Arrangement, known to the issuer, the operation of which may 

at a subsequent date result in a change in control of the issuer

19.  RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

20.  FINANCIAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ISSUER’S ASSETS 

AND LIABILITIES, FINANCIAL POSITION AND PROFITS AND LOSSES
20.1  Historical Financial Information

20.2  Pro forma Financial Information

20.3  Financial Statements

20.4  Auditing of Historical Annual Financial Information

20.5  Date of the latest financial statements

20.6 

Interim and Other Financial Information

20.7  Dividend Policy

20.8  Legal and Arbitration Proceedings

20.9  Significant Change in the Issuer’s Financial or Trading Position

21.  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

21.1  Share Capital

21.2  Memorandum and By-laws

22.  MATERIAL CONTRACTS
23.  THIRD-PARTY INFORMATION, EXPERTS’ STATEMENTS 

AND DECLARATION OF ANY INTEREST

24.  DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC
25. 

INFORMATION ON HOLDINGS

2.1.1

5 1

5.1.1, 5.1.4 .2

184 , 206 

None

6.3

6.3.1

6.1.2.3

6.3.2

6.3.3

231 

231 

226 

233 

234 

4.1.1 – Note 26, 
4.2.4, 7.1.4 

145 , 180 , 240 

4.1

108 

Not applicable

4.1, 4.2

108 ,15 3

4.1.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4

148 , 175 , 180 

December 31, 
2017 

3.3

7.1

4.3

4.1.1 

6.2, 6.3

6.1.2

1.4.3

Not applicable

105 

238 

182 

108 

228 , 231 

225 

3 8

6.1.1.7

225 

1.4 .2, 4.1.1 – 
Note 28, 4.2.1 
– Note 24

19 , 147 , 173 

256 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

Cross-reference tables

NRE correspondence table

T

Reference Document

Paragraphs

2.1.1, 2.1.7

2.1.2, 2.1.7

Pages

5 1,6 8

5 4,6 8

NRE correspondence table

Article R. 225-105-1 of the French Commercial Code items

EMPLOYMENT

Total employees and distribution by gender, age and geographic location

New hires and departures

Compensation

ORGANIZATION OF WORKING TIME

Organization of working time

Absenteeism

LABOR RELATIONS

Organization of employee relations and employee communications, 
consultation and negotiation procedures

Summary of collective agreements

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Health and safety conditions

Summary of agreements reached with labor unions or employee representatives 
regarding health and safety

Work accidents

TRAINING

Training policies

Total training time

EQUAL TREATMENT

Measures for the equal treatment of women and men

Measures for the employment of disabled persons

Anti-discrimination policy

PROMOTION OF AND RESPECT FOR THE PROVISIONS OF THE BASIC CONVENTIONS 
OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION ON

Respect for the freedom of association and the right to collective negotiation

Eliminating discrimination at work

Eliminating forced labor

Eliminating child labor

INFORMATION ON SOCIETAL COMMITMENTS AND COMMITMENTS 
TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Regional, economic and social impact of the business of the Company 
in terms of employment and regional development, on nearby or local populations

Relations with individuals and organizations interested by the Company’s business (job placement 
associations, educational establishments, environmental protection associations, etc.), process 
relating to the dialogue with those persons or organizations and partnership and sponsorship actions.

Sub-contractors and suppliers: social responsibility. Taking social and environmental issues 
into account in the purchasing policy. Importance of sub-contracting. Taking suppliers’ and 
sub-contractors’ social and environmental responsibility into account in relations with them

Good citizen practices (actions to prevent corruption and measures to protect the health 
and safety of consumers) and other measures to support human rights

2.1.4

2.1.1

2.1.1

2.1.5

2.1.5

2.1.5

2.1.5

2.1.5

2.1.2

2.1.2

2.1.2

2.1.2

2.1.2

2.1.5

2.1.2

2.1.5

2.1.5

2.1.2

2.1.2

2.1.1

2.1.5

GENERAL POLICY ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Organizing the Company to take into account environmental issues. 
If need be, environmental assessment or certification processes

Employee training and information actions regarding environmental protection

Resources devoted to the prevention of environmental risks and pollution

2.2.1 and 2.2.2.3

2.2.3

2.2.6

6 2

5 1

5 1

6 4

6 4

6 4

6 4

6 4

5 4

5 4

5 4

5 4

5 4

6 4

5 4

6 4

6 4

5 4

5 4

5 1

6 4

70 

79 

82 

T

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017

257

T

Cross-reference tables

NRE correspondence table

Article R. 225-105-1 of the French Commercial Code items

POLLUTION

Measures for preventing, reducing or curing releases to the air, water and soil 
which would harm the environment

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Prevention and waste management:

Reference Document

Paragraphs

Pages

2.2.2.5 and 2.2.6

74 , 82 

 › measures for prevention, recycling, reutilisation, any other form 

2.2.2.5 and 2.2.4

7 4, 7 9

of waste recovery and disposal

 › actions against food waste

Sustainable use of resources:

 › water consumption

 › raw materials consumption

 › measures taken to improve the efficiency of the use of raw materials

 › energy consumption

 › measures taken to improve energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy

CLIMATE CHANGE

Significant items of issuance of greenhouse gaz due to the Company’s activity, 
notably by reason of the usage of its production of goods and services

2.2.4

2.2.2.5

7 9

7 4

2.2.2.5 and 2.2.4

7 4, 7 9

2.2.2.5

2.2.2.5

2.2.2.5

2.2.2.5

74 

7 4

7 4

7 4

Explanation

Given the nature of Dassault Systèmes’ activity, the number of work accidents 
is low and consists of only a few cases per year. This indicator is not calculated.

Given Dassault Systèmes’ activity, these topics are not covered. 
The Group is not aware of any noise pollution that could negatively impact 
the environment, nor is it aware of any impact on biodiversity.
With regards to land use, the Group is only a commercial user, and the Group is not 
aware of any local constraints with regards to water supply. The Group does 
not believe that it is at risk with regards to climate change in the near-or mid-term.

Information not published due to lack of relevancy

Frequency/severity rate of work accidents.
Professional illnesses.

Consideration of noise pollution
Land use
Water supply in accordance with local constraints
Adaptation to the consequences of climate change
Biodiversity protection

258 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES  ANNUAL REPORT 2017 259
259

260 ANNUAL REPORT 2017  DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

CONTENTS

Person responsible 

3

5

6

7

Corporate governance 

183

5.3  Transactions in Dassault Systèmes shares 

 srotiduA yrotutatS 4.5

022

5.5  Declarations regarding the administrative Bodies 

Information about 

6.2 

Information about the Share Capital 

6.3 

Information about the Shareholders 

 noitamrofnI tekraM kcotS 4.6

General Meeting 

7.1  Presentation of the resolutions proposed 

228

231

632

237

7.2  Draft resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors 

Cross-reference tables 

253

1

2

3

4

1.1  Profi le of Dassault Systèmes, 

3D

 yrotsiH 3.1

 noitazinagrO puorG 4.1

 seitivitcA ssenisuB 5.1

 tnempoleveD dna hcraeseR 6.1

 srotcaf ksiR 7.1

 ytilibisnopseR

2.1  Social and Societal Responsibility 

 ytilibisnopseR latnemnorivnE 2.2

 nalP ecnaligiV 3.2

Environmental and Societal Information Presented 

2.5  Statutory Auditors’ Attestation on the information 

 pihsrosnops rof diap

3.1  Operating and Financial Review 

 sevitcejbO laicnaniF 2.3

3.3 

Interim and Other Financial Information 

Financial Statements 

4.1  Consolidated Financial Statements 

4.2  Parent Company Financial Statements 

4.3  Legal and Arbitration Proceedings 

41

91

02

93

04

94

50

07

38

78

90

401

105

107

108

153

182

Additional 
information

HEADQUARTERS
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES
10, rue Marcel-Dassault - CS 40501,
78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France.
Tel : + 33 (0)1 61 62 61 62

SOUTHERN EUROPE
Innovazione 3
Via dell’ Innovazione, 3
20126 Milano Bicocca
MI, Italia.
Tél. : +39 (0) 2334 3061

KOREA
ASEM Tower 9F,  
517 Yeongdong-daero
Gangnam-gu, 135798 Seoul, 
South Korea.
Tél. : +82 232707800

GEO HEADQUARTERS
NORTH AMERICA
175 Wyman Street, Waltham,  
MA 02451, United States.  
Tel : +1 781 810 3000

LATIN AMERICA
85 Avenue Jornalista Roberto Marinho 
13th floor – suite 131 
04576-010 São Paulo, Brazil.
Tel : +55 (11) 2348-9900

CENTRAL EUROPE
Meitnerstrasse 8,  
D-70563 Stuttgart, Germany.  
Tel : +49 711 27300 0

NORTHERN EUROPE
Riley Court, Suite 9, Milburn Hill Road,
CV4 7HP Coventry, United Kingdom.
Tel : +44 (0) 247 685 7400

RUSSIA
Kuntsevo Plaza, Yartsevskaya Street, 19
1121552 Moscou, Russia.
Tel : +7 495 935 89 28

WESTERN EUROPE
10, rue Marcel-Dassault - CS 40501,
78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France.
Tel : + 33 (0)1 61 62 61 62

JAPAN
ThinkPark Tower, 2-1-1 Osaki, 
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-6020, Japan. 
Tel : 81-3-4321-3500

INDIA
CB - 32, Stylus Serviced Offices
R-Tech Park, Nirlon Complex
Goregaon (E)
400063 Mumbai, MH, India
Tél. : +91 2244764567  

SOUTHERN ASIA, PACIFIC
9 Tampines Grande, #06-13,
528735 Singapore.
Tel : +65 6511 7988

CHINA
China Central Place Tower 2, 
Room 707-709 No.79, 
Jianguo Road 100025
Chaoyang District (Beijing), China.
Tel : +86 10 6536 2288

For more information,  
visit www.3ds.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS
Tel : +33 (0)1 61 62 69 24
Fax : +33 (0)1 70 73 43 59
E-mail: investors@3ds.com

Use your smartphone 
to learn more about  
Dassault Systèmes

Thanks to Thierry Alexandre, Alison Becnel, Sophie Bernard, Stéphanie Blavier, François-José Bordonado, Delphine Boudou, Laurence Brochet, John Collemallay, 
Camille Costes, Delphine Da Maia Levy, Barbara Delva, Elise Devaux, Aliou Dia, Alassane Diouf, Christelle Dran, Isabelle Fuzellier, Marion Garyga, Etienne Grobon, 
Martin Huynh, Marc Jany, Michele Katz, Zakaria Kharoubi, Emmanuel Lahouste, Lionel Lavarec, Emilie Lepareur, Benjamin Lesné, Frédéric Médard, Catherine Mellini, 
Cécile Merrer Chakir, Delphine Meurgey, Cédric Meyer, Ornella Mulard, Jordan Paci, Rodolphe Pantanacce, Océane Pinto, Kevin Plaire, Benoît Ponthieux, Arnaud de 
Rosnay, Floriane Rossi, Wesley Schokaert, Samia Sellam, Pascale Thibaut, Thuy Khanh Ha Tran, Zijin Wang.

Cover photo by Ross Fraser McLean.
Photographs courtesy of Dassault Systèmes

Design and production: 

©2018 Dassault Systèmes. 3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, BIOVIA,
NETVIBES, and 3DEXCITE are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. 
All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. Use of any Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval.

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2017  3DEXPERIENCE®
A N N U A L  R E P O R T
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES FINANCIAL REPORT

GROUP PRESENTATION

FINANCIAL REVIEW & STATEMENTS

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE & CSR 

GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

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