Author: Alec Frias
Q: What made you say “yes” to Avid, and why now?
A: Avid is extremely well-situated for success right now. What stood out to me immediately was the combination of a strong track record of quality and delivery, a team that clearly knows how to execute, and a company with real growth ambitions, the desire to scale thoughtfully and take Avid to the next level.
The “why now” comes down to what’s happening in the broader environment. Today’s geopolitical landscape is creating real uncertainty for biopharma supply chains. Between evolving trade dynamics, potential tariffs, and policy developments like the BIOSECURE Act, many sponsors are rethinking global dependency and accelerating plans for onshoring. In that context, U.S.-based manufacturing isn’t just an option, it becomes the certainty and stability that programs need to future-proof their business.
Avid is in a strong position to provide that certainty: a reliable U.S. partner with a great track record of delivery that can help customers, ensure access to a critical market, especially as trade barriers and geopolitics evolve and supply chain resilience becomes a strategic priority.
Q: In your first 90 days, what will you focus on to create the biggest impact?
A: In the first 90 days, my focus is really on the fundamentals: making sure we’re set up to deliver and execute consistently for our customers. As Chief Business Officer, I care deeply about the bottom line, but not just as a financial concept. For a CDMO, the “bottom line” is our ability to perform: quality, timelines, responsiveness, and doing what we say we’ll do. If we continue to hit that mark, business success follows.
So my priority is being laser-focused on execution, understanding what’s working well, where we can remove friction, and how we can strengthen the systems and decision-making that support reliable delivery for every client program.
Q: Avid’s brand promise is to be the easiest CDMO to work with. What does that mean to you in practice?
A: To me, being the “easiest CDMO to work with” means we never treat clients like they’re lucky to have access to us. In this industry, there are a lot of big players who have a “take it or leave it” approach, and that can make it hard for sponsors, especially emerging biotech teams, to get the partnership experience they deserve.
Avid is different. We meet customers where they are, we invest the time to truly understand what they need and what their priorities are, and we stay focused on making their experience smooth and responsive. In practice that means agility, speed, clear communication, and a willingness to consider how we work to ensure clients feel supported, not boxed into a rigid process.
Q: What do you think pharma and biotech sponsors value most from a CDMO partner today and how will Avid win?
A: In this industry, delivery is king. Sponsors can have the best product in the world, but if they can’t manufacture reliably and on schedule, they can’t get product to patients. And that’s what this is all about.
Biotech teams already have an incredibly difficult job, they’re managing R&D, clinical timelines, fundraising, commercialization planning, and everything in between. A CDMO partner should reduce that burden, not add to it. If we can take manufacturing off their list of things to worry about, we’re creating real value.
That’s how Avid wins: by providing a consistently great client experience and delivering on our commitments, on time, with quality, and with transparency. There’s nothing more important than being the partner clients can count on.
Q: On a more personal note, what motivates you outside of work?
A: A big part of what motivates me outside of work is staying energized. I’m a big CrossFit person, and I’ve found that doing something really hard physically has a way of clearing your head. It helps me step back, refocus, and come back with more energy and perspective.
But really, the best time outside of work for me is simple: being with my wife and kids sitting around the table, playing board games and just being together. That’s the good stuff. It’s where I recharge and reset.
We’re thrilled to have Rich on the team and energized by the leadership, focus, and client-first mindset he brings to Avid.
Please join us in welcoming Rich as he helps drive our next chapter of growth.
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!
By Josh Abbott, Editor, BioProcess Insider
Bilenberg spoke to BPI about Avid’s role in biomanufacturing and the outlook for the biopharmaceutical industry.
Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Avid Bioservices recently announced the appointment of Kenneth Bilenberg as CEO, succeeding Nick Green, who stepped down due to health concerns. Bilenberg most recently served as COO for Fujifilm Biotechnologies and has also held senior leadership roles at Novo Nordisk during his 20 years of industry experience. BioProcess Insider spoke with Bilenberg about his career, the state of the industry, and the future of Avid.
Bilenberg said that the first time he had an opportunity to work with a CDMO, he refused. “In those days, I was not immensely happy with CDMOs.” He cited experiences partnering with companies that didn’t deliver on their promises, degrading his trust in the sector. Now, having felt the pains of bad CDMO relationships, he sees an opportunity to change those negative perceptions, both based on Avid’s history of success and through gaining experience working for biopharmaceutical companies like Novo Nordisk.
The future of biopharma
Bilenberg discussed the reshoring effort in the US and the drive to keep up with world leaders like China in areas such as capacity and development. He said that US biopharmaceutical firms aren’t too far behind their Asian counterparts, but that bridging the gap will require a concentration of effort. Fortunately, he sees recent US partnerships and ongoing reshoring efforts as paths toward accelerating innovation. And the more that happens, the more positive outcomes will snowball. “There’s a possibility of bridging the gap, but we have to get out of bed early and work hard to get going, because that’s how competition works.”
Bilenberg identified several ways that US companies build upon their momentum. Capacity, for example, is key. With new large molecule approvals gaining momentum when compared with small molecules, and with demand projected to continue growing, capacity shortages have become a point of concern in biomanufacturing. “More capacity needs to be placed even with all the investments right now,” Bilenberg said. He added that the industry should look to increase from an estimated 7 million liters of capacity to about 12–13 million liters within the next decade.
But other strategies can also help. Companies can invest in innovation by committing to continuous manufacturing and emerging AI technologies. Bilenberg said that AI has amazing potential in assisting with drug discovery. And in manufacturing, AI can perform functions such as reviewing documentation and identifying deviations. Over time, he predicts that AI will help improve purity and drive down manufacturing costs. Investigations that are time consuming and difficult for human operators stand to move much more quickly with AI assistance.
Although cell and gene therapies (CGTs) are outside the scope of Avid’s work, Bilenberg hopes such drugs can overcome their current funding difficulties for both the good of the industry and for patients who would benefit from their success. As it stands, CGT companies are facing an uphill climb in today’s funding environment with many such firms losing money while betting on the future. “When a cell therapy treatment that seems to be extremely effective is costing several hundred thousand dollars just to manufacture, it’s hard to get that to market,” he said.
And even when cell therapies do reach the market, patient access remains a challenge that stakeholders are working to address. Companies are moving toward bringing off-the-shelf allogeneic therapies to market, and although that could be a game changer for the future of CGT success, allogeneic treatments carry their own challenges.
In the meantime, Bilenberg is looking to the success of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and combination therapies that are currently undergoing tests. For example, stakeholders are exploring antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) cancer treatments that benefit from the specificity of mAbs for preventing off-target effects.
In assessing the future of the industry, Bilenberg also cited the proliferation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs, which continue to see rapid improvements as developers such as Lilly (maker of bimagrumab) and Regeneron study solutions using mAb combinations that can preserve muscle mass during weight loss. Such innovations would benefit all GLP-1 users, but especially people who are elderly and experience weakness after undergoing such treatments.
With so many exciting developments happening in all corners of the industry, Bilenberg is excited to stake his claim alongside Avid in manufacturing exciting medicines for patients. “I really want to be a part of changing an industry,” he said. “I want to get to a point where we are trusted, because what we are doing is absolutely amazing.” Bilenberg said he was attracted to Avid because of its track record of delivery. “I saw Avid when I visited for the first time as a place with a good culture and some very experienced people.” He added, “I think Avid is a hidden gem, I would love to work with this organization to hit the market in a much stronger and more relevant way.”
As Bilenberg steps into the role of CEO, it’s clear his vision for Avid is rooted in purpose, keeping people and patients at the center of everything the company does. That means building relationships founded on trust, working with agility as the market evolves, and ensuring Avid is known globally for delivering with reliability and impact. It’s a vision that builds on the company’s strong reputation today, while setting the stage for greater reach and influence in the years ahead.
We’re thrilled to have Rich on the team and energized by the leadership, focus, and client-first mindset he brings to Avid....
Dave’s appointment reflects Avid’s continued investment in the people and systems that drive excellence for our clients. Please join us...