Avid Bioservices Taps New CPO to Fuel Growth Amid Talent Crunch

TUSTIN, CA – May 18, 2026 – Avid Bioservices, a key player in the biologics contract manufacturing space, has appointed Maria Ebro Andreasen as its first Chief People Officer. The move signals a strategic deepening of the company's focus on human capital as it navigates a period of aggressive expansion amidst a notoriously tight labor market for skilled biopharmaceutical talent.

Andreasen's appointment comes as the Tustin-based company aims to meet surging customer demand, a goal underpinned by recent facility expansions and a newly private status following a major acquisition. Her mandate is clear: scale the workforce, cultivate the next generation of talent, and, critically, preserve the company culture that Avid's leadership credits for its success.

A Strategic Play in a Competitive Market

The biologics Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) sector is booming, with projections estimating the market could exceed $105 billion by 2035. This rapid growth, however, has created a significant challenge: a chronic shortage of skilled workers, particularly those with the specialized Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) experience required for producing complex medicines. CDMOs like Avid find themselves in a fierce contest for talent not only with each other but also with large pharmaceutical companies.

Avid's move to install a C-suite leader dedicated to people strategy is a direct response to this industry pressure. The company is on a steep growth trajectory, with analysts forecasting revenues to approach $200 million in fiscal 2026, more than triple the revenue from when its current leadership took over in 2020. This ambition is backed by a significant structural change; in February 2025, Avid was taken private in a $1.1 billion all-cash transaction by private equity firms GHO Capital Partners and Ampersand Capital Partners. This shift provides the capital and industry-specific expertise to fuel its next growth phase, making a robust talent strategy not just beneficial, but essential.

"People and purpose are at the center of everything we do," said Kenneth Bilenberg, Group President and CEO of Avid Bioservices, in a statement. "In our journey to help twice as many patients in the future... it's critical that we scale intentionally, bringing in exceptional talent while preserving the culture and expertise our customers rely on. Maria Ebro Andreasen brings the leadership to help us do exactly that."

Scaling Culture and Capability

To lead this charge, Avid has brought in a seasoned executive with a global background in transformation and culture. Maria Ebro Andreasen joins Avid from FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, a major competitor, where she served as VP of Strategy & Executive Office and previously as Head of People & Culture. Her experience spans over a decade leading complex strategic programs in life sciences and finance, including a significant tenure at Danske Bank.

With a master's degree in psychology and philosophy and a professional footprint across the US, Europe, and Asia, Andreasen's background suggests a focus on more than just recruitment. Her stated task is to oversee the entire talent lifecycle, from onboarding and development to retention, all while ensuring the company's core values are not diluted by rapid expansion. This is a common pitfall for companies in high-growth phases, where the pressure to fill seats can lead to a degradation of quality and cultural cohesion.

"What drew me to Avid is the clear connection between its people, its purpose, and the patients it serves," Andreasen stated. "The greatest investment we can make will always be in our people. When we create an environment and a culture where every individual can learn, grow, and thrive, we unlock not only their potential but the path to help even more patients."

Building the Future: A Homegrown Talent Pipeline

Beyond attracting existing talent, Avid is making a long-term bet on building its own. A cornerstone of Andreasen's strategy will be the expansion of partnerships with universities and training programs across Southern California. This initiative aims to create a sustainable pipeline of local talent, directly addressing the industry-wide shortage at its source.

The company is already running paid, 10-week full-time internship programs that offer substantive, project-based work. For example, Formulation Development interns at Avid's Costa Mesa facility work on establishing screening conditions to evaluate protein stability, applying sophisticated biophysical techniques. Meanwhile, CMC Project Management interns in Tustin support client-facing teams, gaining direct exposure to the planning and execution of the complex Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls lifecycle for new drugs.

This hands-on approach is designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the practical skills required on the manufacturing floor. By investing in students pursuing degrees in biochemistry, chemical engineering, and other life sciences, Avid is not only cultivating its future workforce but also strengthening its ties to the local biotech ecosystem.

Underpinning Growth with Expanded Capacity

Avid's focus on human capital is directly linked to its massive investment in physical infrastructure. The company's revenue-generating capacity has expanded from approximately $120 million in fiscal 2021 to a potential of over $400 million annually, thanks to a multi-year construction program.

This includes the completion of a $75 million, 53,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Costa Mesa dedicated to cell and gene therapy, a fast-growing and highly specialized segment of the market. More recently, in February 2026, Avid opened its new 78,000-square-foot Early Phase Center of Excellence, also in Costa Mesa. This facility is designed to streamline early development activities and create a seamless transition for clients' projects into full-scale commercial manufacturing.

With approximately 213,000 square feet of advanced facilities across two campuses, the company has the physical space to deliver on its growth promises. The appointment of a Chief People Officer ensures a parallel strategy is in place to populate these state-of-the-art facilities with a highly skilled and engaged workforce, ready to support the complex needs of its biopharmaceutical clients.