Lou Major has lived up to the Ansys value of “Be courageous” by moving his life to a different continent to open the company’s first African office in Rwanda.
My Career Journey
I’m a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, where I received my degree in marine engineering. I earned a U.S. Coast Guard license as a third assistant engineer of steam and diesel engines, unlimited horsepower. I’m also a U.S. Navy Reserve veteran.
I joined Ansys eight years ago after 15 years of selling in the medical device space and participating in surgeries to implant pacemakers and defibrillators. I’ve been involved in more than 6,000 surgeries in my career. Prior to that, I was in the industrial water treatment and process additives business, working primarily with nuclear, fossil fuel, and natural gas power plants, as well as chemical plants and refineries.
My first Ansys position was as a strategic account manager for healthcare well before the healthcare vertical was established. I quickly moved to the enterprise sales team managing Koch Industries Inc. and all its affiliates. Following that assignment, which ended in their first multiyear enterprise lease agreement, I accepted a role on the Cummins Inc. sales team.
To fulfill a personal desire to contribute to Ansys outside of the United States, I’ve had the honor of opening Ansys Rwanda, our first office on the continent of Africa.
How I’d Explain My Job to a Kindergartener
I help our teams get our toys to as many people as possible who want to play with them. I also tell many people about our toys so they will want to play as well. And I work with a team of very smart people who fix the toys when they are broken and who help people find out what other games can be played using the toys we make.
What I Actually Do
I’m a senior business development executive for all sub-Saharan Africa. I work with our channel partner Qfinsoft to help it craft new and larger deals by bringing additional resources from Ansys. My understanding of our go-to-market strategy, enterprise account experience, and knowledge of Ansys' internal processes help our partner continue to exceed its sales goals. In addition, I’m driving academic adoption of our software across the continent by directly engaging with academic institutions and governmental technology and education ministries as a sponsor of simulation in the academic space.
Part of the Ansys Rwanda team
Why I Choose Ansys
When I changed careers from chemical sales, my two final choices for employment were in medical and software. Once I was finished in medical, I decided to pursue a career in software. When I came upon an Ansys job posting, I began to research the company and saw all the cool, life-changing ways that Ansys software was being used by its customers. At that point, I decided that Ansys would be my third career.
Powering the People
Ansys has allowed me to do things to keep me energized and eager to work every day. How often do you hear about a company allowing an employee to expand personally and professionally by starting business on a different continent? As a career sales professional, I’ve been able to grow by engaging in activities that I never had been privy to, such as helping to negotiate a corporate banking relationship, working with our facilities management team to set up the best possible physical working conditions for employees, and helping to determine human resources strategies that help us recruit and retain the best local talent. I’ve been able to impact how Ansys is viewed as an employer in Rwanda by helping to implement “not out of the box” solutions to local challenges that never would be understood unless you live them.
Our “ONE Ansys” Culture
I like the open-door policy whereby everyone, for the most part, is willing to engage. Our culture is very loose in that we have fun at work. It’s not uncommon to hear people laughing, and we all seem passionate about our roles on the team. For me, it is unique that I get to share this great culture with my son Louis Major, who is also an Ansys employee.
Sense of Belonging
I feel a sense of belonging because of the people. When I felt I didn’t belong, I was encouraged to “do more” and set aside some past bad experiences that stifled my desire to help people navigate their careers. Being a leader of the Black Employee Network has helped with my sense of belonging and being a change agent.
The true definition of the "ONE Ansys" family: Louis Major III and his son Louis A. Major, who is also an Ansys employee.
I also believe that my extensive travels to over 60 countries have allowed me to connect with many people across a broad spectrum of cultures that has culminated in my present experience here in Rwanda. A big part of my sense of belonging at Ansys is that I get to share the Ansys culture and my Ansys experience on a new-to-us continent, in a new country with our new colleagues, who could not get this same experience via remote access.
My Best Advice
Leave negative experiences behind when you come here. The people are good and will help with your success. Maintain an open mind, and speak up for yourself. If there is something that you wish to do in your career and it doesn’t seem to align with your current position, let your manager know and figure out steps together to get to your desired destination. Leave your comfort zone, and stretch yourself.
What You Might Not Know
I trained at Joe Frazier’s boxing gym in Philadelphia. I’ve sparred with Tyrone Frazier, who fought for the middleweight championship; Michael Spinks, a gold medal Olympic boxer; and Smokin’ Bert Cooper, the first professional fighter to put Evander Holyfield on the canvas.
Lou and Janice Casagrande, Ansys area vice president of sales
For years, Lou loved watching his sons play football, and now they enjoy watching together.
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“Leave your comfort zone, and stretch yourself.”
— Lou Major
