My name is Maddy Woodburn, and I am the Global Innovation Leader at AVIRE. I studied Design Engineering MEng at Imperial College London, a programme that provided a broad range of design and engineering skills with a focus on creativity, CAD and mechatronics, optimisation, human factors, and design thinking methodologies. After graduating, I joined the Halma Catalyst Programme, spending the past two years working in four different Halma companies across the Safety, Medical, and Environmental sectors, undertaking diverse roles within each.

I joined the AVIRE team in November 2024. I was particularly excited to step into an innovation role as the product team is expanding rapidly, giving the business a prime opportunity to lead in innovation and better address customer needs. The calibre of the colleagues I met during the interview process also inspired me and convinced me this would be an excellent place to work and make an impact.

What excites me most about my role is the opportunity to scope and build AVIRE’s capabilities to develop future products and services that meet the evolving needs of our markets. I enjoy taking well-researched, theoretical new technologies and exploring how they can be practically applied to solve real-world problems. With AVIRE’s core technological strengths, there are plenty of opportunities to innovate, and I’m eager to get started!