Anton Woodward OBE CEng MInstMC FRSA
Anton is a highly experienced engineer and industry leader specialising in stage and entertainment automation. With a career spanning more than four decades, Anton combines deep technical expertise with practical, real-world delivery across complex motion control and safety-critical systems.
After completing an avionics apprenticeship with the Royal Air Force and serving as a technician on Phantom F4 aircraft missile control systems, Anton moved into the entertainment industry, becoming Engineering Manager at Stage Drives & Controls Ltd before founding AVW Controls Ltd in 1996. As Managing Director, he has led the design, manufacture, installation, and commissioning of innovative stage automation systems for theatres, venues, and productions across the UK and internationally.
Anton is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, with specialist expertise in electrical, electronic, software, and mechanical engineering, as well as functional safety to SIL3 and compliance with UK and EU machinery regulations. He was awarded an OBE for services to stage automation.
Beyond commercial work, Anton is a published author, educator, standards contributor, and long-standing advocate for skills development within the industry, working closely with professional bodies, training institutions, and emerging engineers.