# Peter Schroer

> Peter Schroer founded Aras in 2000 and led it as CEO until October 2021. An electrical engineer with an MBA from Cornell University, he helped establish an enterprise open source business model in product lifecycle management, received the CAD Society’s 2016 Leadership Award, and remains an Aras board member. He also joined the Flexxbotics board in 2022 and invested in the robot-driven manufacturing software company in a round announced in January 2024.

- **Role:** Founder and Board Member at Aras Corporation
- **Organizations:** Aras Corporation, Flexxbotics, Eigner+Partner, Workgroup Technologies, Thermo Electron, Data General
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE), Cornell University, Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering (MEng EE), Cornell University, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Cornell University
- **Known for:** Founded Aras and led the company as CEO for approximately 21 years., Received the CAD Society’s 2016 Leadership Award for introducing an open source business format to enterprise PLM., Helped develop Aras from its founding into an international PLM company.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2000** — Held management roles at Data General, Workgroup Technologies and Thermo Electron; served as general manager of US operations and a board member at Eigner+Partner.
- **2000** — Started Aras with his wife Karen in January; incorporated the company in March.
- **2007** — Aras adopted an enterprise open source business model.
- **2016** — Received the CAD Society Leadership Award at COFES.
- **2021** — Roque Martin succeeded him as Aras CEO on October 20; Schroer remained a director.
- **2022** — Joined the Flexxbotics board.
- **2024** — Flexxbotics announced his investment in a round led by eCoast Angels.
- **2025** — Discussed Aras’s origins at ACE 2025 and its leadership transition in a September interview.

## Achievements

- Founded Aras and led the company as CEO for approximately 21 years.
- Received the CAD Society’s 2016 Leadership Award for introducing an open source business format to enterprise PLM.
- Helped develop Aras from its founding into an international PLM company.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Discussed Aras’s CEO change and continued board involvement in an interview with Michael Finocchiaro; incoming CEO Leon Lauritsen publicly described Schroer as a career mentor.
- **2025-03** — Reflected on Aras’s founding and the evolution of PLM at ACE 2025.
- **2024-01** — Flexxbotics announced Schroer’s investment and confirmed that he had joined its board in 2022.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterschroer

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/peter-schroer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26