Software development veteran Rashid Desai has been named sr. VP and chief technology officer of Avid. A key member of Avid’s executive leadership team, Desai will tap into more than 20 years of experience to further execute the company’s strategic vision, Avid Everywhere.
Reporting directly to Avid chairman, president and CEO Louis Hernandez, Jr., Desai will be responsible for leading all of Avid’s technology teams, including software and hardware engineering and information and technology. He will spearhead the development of innovative applications for the Avid MediaCentral Platform to help media organizations and creative professionals make content creation and distribution more efficient, powerful, and collaborative.
“With 20 years’ technology leadership experience, Rashid brings a strong track record for leading and transforming global technology teams,” said Hernandez. “Having worked with Rashid at Open Solutions, I’m confident that his experience developing platforms that scale to global levels will help us drive Avid Everywhere forward.”
Desai joins Avid from Barclaycard, where he held managing director, chief information officer and chief technology officer roles. He was responsible for the company’s U.S. technology strategy and capabilities, and successfully led a multi-year transformation of the business, with an emphasis on secure cloud-based technologies using agile development and lean operations.
Earlier in his career, Desai held technology leadership positions at Equifax, where he drove the development of an enterprise customer management platform, oversaw the innovation of a scalable global internet commerce platform, and strengthened and simplified the company’s infrastructure. He is also a board member at Zip Code Wilmington, Delaware’s first coding school, preparing the next generation of software development professionals.
“My key objective is to drive the development of innovative solutions that solve the media industry’s most critical challenges,” Desai said. “I am proud to be part of a global team that is so committed to innovation and customer success, and I look forward to playing a key role in fulfilling the Avid Everywhere vision.”
Desai completes Avid’s executive leadership team with the recent appointments of Warner Bros. alum and technology leader Kyle Kim-Hays as chief marketing officer, former Orad executive Ilan Sidi as the VP of human resources, and the promotion of Avid veteran Dana Ruzicka to chief product officer.
