Discovery Garden appoints Lilly Binns as CEO
Discovery Garden has named Lilly Binns Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2026. Her appointment comes as Discovery Garden enters its next phase of growth, building on more than 15 years of work with libraries, archives, and museums.
Binns brings a career built at the intersection of product strategy and technology leadership, with a focus on connecting technical innovation to client and business needs. Most recently, she served as Director of Professional Services and Product Modernization at Maximus Canada, following several years in product leadership roles with the organization.
“Our strategic focus is firmly centered on growth through investment in R&D and new product offerings. Lilly is uniquely qualified to lead this charge. She brings a proven track record of successfully commercializing complex R&D initiatives into high-value, enterprise-grade software products. Her expertise directly aligns with our mission to accelerate product innovation,” said Wade MacLauchlan, Chair of the Discovery Garden Board of Directors.
“I've always been drawn to building products and seeing them all the way through. Not just understanding what a client needs, but the build, the delivery, the adoption, and the outcome. This role sits right at that intersection, which is exactly where I want to be,” said Binns.
Binns succeeds Gerry Lawless, who served as CEO since January 2024 and guided Discovery Garden through the merger of Discovery Garden and Born-Digital. Lawless will remain with the company in an advisory capacity during the leadership transition. We’re grateful for his leadership and contributions to Discovery Garden.
Binns’ appointment marks an important step for Discovery Garden as the company continues to invest in its products, its team, and the clients and communities it serves.
About Discovery Garden
Discovery Garden helps libraries, archives, and museums gain control of their digital collections by combining digital repository software with deep library expertise. For more than 15 years, our team has worked alongside librarians, archivists, metadata specialists, and collection managers to solve the challenges of managing digital collections. Today, we offer Aurora, our fully managed repository platform, alongside tailored enterprise solutions that help institutions organize and provide access to the materials that matter most.
