Electronics For Imaging, Inc. has named Dr. Douglas Edwards as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Edwards replaces longtime technology leader Ghilad Dziesietnik, who recently retired after nearly 25 years with EFI – the last 14 as CTO. Edwards, who assumes his new duties today, has had an extensive career as a senior print executive and R&D technologist. Immediately prior to this appointment, Edwards was CEO of Cambridge, England-based Xaar plc, a leading developer of inkjet print head technologies for industrial printing, and Chairman of Xaar 3D Ltd – the company’s 3D printing joint venture with Stratasys Ltd.
Before joining Xaar in 2015 Edwards was President of Kodak’s Digital Printing and Enterprise Business with responsibility for flexo packaging, functional printing, electrophotographic solutions, commercial and consumer inkjet solutions with combined revenues of around $800 million. Prior to this, Edwards ran Kodak’s largest graphics business, Prepress Solutions, with revenues of $1.5 billion.
Edwards joined Kodak from Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG), a 50/50 joint venture between Eastman Kodak and Sun Chemical Corporation, where he was vice president of R&D. He has also held senior R&D leadership roles with International Paper, Zeneca Specialities, and Ilford Photographic Ltd. in the U.K.
“Doug possesses one of the best technological backgrounds in our industry, and combines technology with demonstrated business accomplishments,” said EFI Chairman and CEO Jeff Jacobson. “EFI has a history of providing its customers with a competitive advantage by keeping them at the forefront of technology. I had the pleasure of working closely with Doug – when I was the CEO of KPG, as well as when I was the COO of Kodak’s Graphic Communications business – and I cannot think of a better person in our industry to lead EFI’s strategic and technology developments.”
Edwards, who is based in EFI’s Manchester, N.H. facility, has a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a Ph.D. in conducting organic materials – both from London University. He has several patents, scientific papers, and books to his credit in topics such as solid-state conductivity and photographic materials. He has also published research in textile dyeing, including work on the aqueous solution behavior of anionic azo dyes for textile fibers.
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