By Dave Stewart, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer
As Avid Bioservices continues to grow and strengthen its foundation for the future, we’re excited to welcome Dave Stewart as our first Chief Technology and Transformation Officer. In this newly created role, Dave will lead initiatives that align technology, systems, and processes to empower our teams and enhance the client experience.
We sat down with Dave to talk about what this role means for Avid, his approach to transformation, and what inspires his work.
Q: What drew you to Avid, and what excites you most about joining at this moment?
A: What drew me to Avid is the people. This is a team deeply committed to quality, safety, and doing what’s right for our partners and the patients they serve. You can feel that sense of purpose in every interaction. I’m excited to join at a moment when Avid is scaling its capabilities while staying true to its core values; maintaining the care, discipline and dedication that have earned its reputation for excellence.
My executive experience with Fujifilm, where I helped lead one of the industry’s fastest growth journeys, gave me critical insight into how to scale organizations effectively. That means building processes and systems while retaining a strong culture and high performance – all with a focus on people, clients, and patients.
Q: How do you define “transformation” in the context of Avid?
A: For me, transformation is about setting the organization up for what’s next – building the systems, tools, and habits that enable sustainable growth. At Avid, we’re operating from a strong foundation of Right First Time (RFT), and that gives us an incredible platform to build upon. We have an amazing opportunity to intentionally move toward even higher levels of performance through systematic digitization, right-sized automation, and embedding a culture of continuous, data-driven improvement. Transformation, in this sense, is about ensuring our people and our partners have what they need to thrive as Avid continues to scale.
Q: What will be your focus in the first few months?
A: My initial focus will be on learning and listening – understanding how we operate today and hearing directly from colleagues and customers about where they see opportunities. Those insights are essential to shaping the right priorities. From there it’s about aligning those observations across the team to create a sustainable transformation agenda – one that reflects our collective input and moves us toward thoughtful execution. The goal is to build momentum together, ensuring that the changes we make truly support the people and processes that define Avid’s success.
Q: How do you see technology supporting Avid’s mission and our clients?
A: Technology is most valuable when it helps create clarity and accelerate progress. The goal is to create value by improving visibility into project milestones, results, and outcomes. By doing so, we can reduce the time it takes to develop, scale up, manufacture, and release products. Ultimately, the right technology allows our teams to focus on what matters most – the science – the process development and the manufacturing of life-saving biologics for the patients who need them.
Q: On a more personal note, what inspires you outside of work?
A: The people in my life inspire me every day. My wife gives selflessly and is always looking for ways to make the world a better place. My three daughters inspire me through the way they balance pursuing meaningful contributions to society while living full, joyful lives. I’m also deeply inspired by my friends and my colleagues – people who have chosen careers centered on helping others. Working in an industry that exists to improve health and bring life-changing medicines to patients is a constant reminder of why this work matters so much.
Dave’s appointment reflects Avid’s continued investment in the people and systems that drive excellence for our clients. Please join us in welcoming him to the Avid team!
Welcome, Dave!