Philip Stears Joins DriveWorks as CTO
2021 marks 20 years of continuous innovation and automation at DriveWorks.
Over the years, we’ve developed our software by listening to our community and anticipating and responding to changing market needs, whilst also taking advantage of new and emerging technologies.
In 2021 as well as celebrating our 20 year anniversary, we also received investment from BGF an established, independent investment company that has backed almost 400 businesses in the UK since 2011.
BGF’s funding is already supporting investment in our team and our technology, as we address the significant market demand for customized 3D product visualization, design automation, and digital selling in an increasingly virtual world.
In May, we welcomed experienced senior business leader, Sharon Baylay as Non-Executive Chair.
Now, as we continue to drive product development forward, we’re delighted to announce the appointment of Philip Stears as Chief Technology Officer.
Philip’s passion for technology and his willingness to train, develop and inspire teams, combined with his vast knowledge of DriveWorks, make him the ideal CTO for our business. His appointment is a win for our team, a win for the future of our software, and a win for all of our customers.
His career so far spans 20+ years in tech, development, and IT.
He first joined DriveWorks back in 2001 as one of our very first developers. He worked closely with DriveWorks CEO, Glen Smith, and Co-Founder Maria Sarkar, understanding the commercial opportunity and helping to define our design automation and underlying rules capability.
His role involved building, managing, and training the DriveWorks development team, as well as forging essential relationships with many in the SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD community.
More recently he honed his software, digital and technical expertise with another highly skilled team, delivering complex, high-performing, fault-tolerant media solutions, and has spent time living and working in Europe.
Philip lives and breathes innovation and automation, and as a key member of the DriveWorks Senior Leadership team, is well placed to inspire everyone in the business and support our growth.
Philip on Technology
“I have always loved technology, it’s such a massive enabler and force multiplier in our society – the barrier to entry can be almost unimaginably low, and the scope to bring meaningful change, whether just individually (I am writing some brewing automation software, for example), or at large (such as the amazing work done by DriveWorks to enable its customers to achieve results that often seem to stretch credulity to breaking point), is staggeringly immense.
It’s such a very exciting time in the world of technology right now, limitations are ebbing away, complexity is being reduced, and the sci-fi of yesteryear is the reality of our daily lives.
There are challenges too, of course, but there’s such great cause for optimism!”
In his new role as CTO of DriveWorks, Philip will be keeping an eye on the latest technologies, the industry and what our customers want, to identify new trends and ensure we not only address them but we continue to drive our software forward.
There has been a real buzz in the office since Philip joined us. His passion for innovation and technology will encourage our team to investigate and explore the “what’s possible” as we get further into Digital Transformation and cloud technologies.
Philip has been catching up with some old friends and meeting the many new faces who have joined us over the years, as well as presenting at DriveWorks Drivers to introduce himself to our customers and resellers too.
“DriveWorks is very close to my heart and I’m really pleased to be back ‘to my roots’. Having worked on the codebase at DriveWorks for a number of years, and on a number of versions, it makes me really proud to see how the software and the team have evolved as technologies and market needs have changed.
The future for DriveWorks is certainly bright, and I’m beyond excited to be a part of it.”
– Philip Stears, DriveWorks CTO
Career Opportunities
Our team is growing and we’re looking for talented people to join us.
Companies are embracing digital technologies and our software is key to helping manufacturers move forward. With increased demand from the industry, and funding from BGF, we’re growing rapidly, investing in our people and resources – it’s a great time to join us!
We are a forward-thinking, growing business. Our people are at the heart of everything we do and our offices are inspiring places to be. We’re committed to supporting our teams with the training, tools, and knowledge they need to build incredible solutions, driven by innovation and customer feedback.
If you’d like to be a part of our team, get in touch with us.