1. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization

2. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
What makes a successful product and business
 Successful life science products and businesses are not based on unique
technologies alone. They are the product of an innovative technology, a “killer app”,
an effective research, development, launch plan and post launch support.
 Stephen understands the importance of getting it right the first time.
– Product concept definition and customer based validation of product features and benefits
– Translation of customer needs to product specification
– Execution of an effective research plan
– Developing and executing an effective pre and post marketing and launch plan
– Support of the customer during the critical initial evaluation period
– Post product adoption customer support

3. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
Steve’s Background
 Stephen Ilsley has over thirty years of experience in all aspects of successful product
commercialization. Steve started his career as an R&D scientist at Collaborative
Research and Becton Dickinson Discovery Labware Division. During his tenure at
BD, Steve was responsible for the development and launch of hundreds of highly
successful products. Because of his interest and the needs of the company, Steve
often assumed roles usually filled by Marketing.
 Steve was given the opportunity to take a Product Management position at Applied
Biosystem (now part of Life Technologies) in 2006. While at Life Technologies, Steve
simultaneously managed multiple challenging product lines including instruments,
reagents and consumables.
 During his career, Steve has developed a uniquely broad set of skills and expertise
enabling him to deliver extraordinary value.

4. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
What makes him different
 During his career, Steve has developed a uniquely broad set of skills and expertise
enabling him to deliver extraordinary value.
 He focuses on the result not the process. Process supports the endeavor but it is the
result that counts.
 He truly believes that the needs of the customer and market should guide the
business.
 He approaches every day as an opportunity to learn how to deliver increased value to
the business.

5. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
Expertise
Steve’s broad experience as both business and scientific leader uniquely positions him at
the intersection of business and science. He has a proven track record in developing,
commercializing and marketing instruments, reagents and consumables from concept to
launch and subsequent marketing and sales.
 Product Development
 Marketing and Sales
 Global product management
 Business development
 R&D leadership

6. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
Project: Market Development
 Background
– Market development function was not as effective as needed for new products
 Goal
– Improve Market Development effort in support of new products
 Analysis
– Marketing did not have band width to provide optimal support
– Lacking adequate staff within Marketing, another resource was required
– R&D was best suited to fill the gap
 Action
– Drove an R&D initiative providing increased customer contact and field sales support for
new products.
– Developed print collaterals (Product Briefs, White Papers, etc.), web content, catalog
content, Power Point presentations
– Personally presented numerous well received seminars, tutorials, and workshops at
international scientific meetings, pharmaceutical, biotech and biopharmaceutical companies
 Result
– Accelerated the adoption of new products
– Facilitated the sales process by arming the force with a more thorough understanding of the
technologies and products

7. Stephen Ilsley
Life science Product Development and Commercialization
Project: Capital Equipment
 Background
– Assumed management of an underperforming product line consisting of capital equipment
($230K) and associated reagents and consumables.
 Goals
– Identify drivers of underperformance
– Develop and execute turn around plan
 Analysis
– Product line was not being given adequate marketing or management support
– Print collaterals and website were very out of date
– Outdated software
– No recent application developed
 Action
– Developed new collaterals, website content, etc
– Drove major operating system and data analysis software revisions.
– Managed marketing aspect of introduction of new associated reagent line
 Result
– Successfully turned line around

8. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
Project: Under Performing Line
 Background
– Reagent product line sales were decreasing at approximately 12% per year
 Goals
– Stop declining revenue
– Restore product line growth and while maintaining margin
 Analysis
– Product line was stale with no new products
– No expansion into new markets
– Lack of marketing focus
 Action
– Drove new product introductions and expanded into new market space
– Refocused Marketing and Market Development
 Result
– Successfully turned line around 7-10% growth while maintaining high margins

9. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
Project: Product Management
 Background
– Highly successful new instrument was being adversely effected by poor quality from foreign
manufacturer
 Goals
– Reduce instrument rejection rate from >10% to <1%
 Analysis
– Manufacturer did not have quality systems in place to support level of manufacture
– Supply agreement lacked “teeth” to drive improvement
– Cost of poor quality was not recognized
 Action
– Took control of communicating directly with manufacturer and drove manufacturer to vastly
improve their quality system
– Compiled and analyzed the true cost of instrument failure
– Conveyed to the manufacturer the impact of their poor performance on future as well as
existing business
 Result
– In less than 6 months, reduced failure to 0.5%. Resulting savings in direct cost was in
excess of $500,000

10. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
Recommendations
Steve Ilsley worked closely with our R&D group managing the chemiluminescent assay product portfolio for the last 5 years. He
was an integral member of product development teams providing business analysis, marketing strategies and product launch
support ….Steve brings a broad knowledge of technologies, applications and product management in the life sciences, and
provides valuable insight in meeting customer needs.
Alison Sparks, R&D Director, Cell Biology, Life Technologies
Steve Ilsley is a highly effective Product Manager, managing diverse product offerings, including multiple instrumentation
platforms, fluorescence and chemiluminescence reagents and assay kits, for cell based and functional enzyme assay
applications. Steve combines a broad technical knowledge and R&D experience including cell based and diagnostic assay
development, infectious disease testing and instrument platform development with highly effective R&D collaboration and
sales and marketing expertise… Steve effectively manages off site reagent and instrument platform manufacturing, customer
support and strategic global product support and marketing. Steve was a valued colleague at Applied Biosystems/Life
Technologies, and I would welcome the opportunity to work with him again.
Corrine Miller, Senior Staff Scientist, Life Technologies
Steve was our product manager for a challenging set of products that we both inherited while at Applied Biosystems…. Steve’s
background in R&D was critical for success to insure we could deliver products on time and on budget… he is pragmatic, he
delivers on deadlines, he understands how to bridge the gap between R&D and marketing and he understands the
importance of making a product that can be reproducibly manufactured and supported.
David Dorris, Sen. Dir. and GM, Cell Biology and RNAi, Applied Biosystems
Steve is a dedicated professional who combines strong technical knowledge in cell biology with a solid understand of the life
science market environment.
JoAnn Pierson, Marketing Manager, BD Biosciences (Discovery Labware)

11. Stephen Ilsley
Life Science Product Development and Commercialization
Contact
Stephen Ilsley
7 Schirmer Road
West Roxbury, MA 02132
617-797-7484
steve.ilsley@comcast.net