News Release

Michael J. Wiebe, Principal at Stage-Gate Inc., to Present at the Drug Information Association’s 43rd Annual Meeting in Atlanta , GA June 19, 2007

ANCASTER, ONTARIO, CANADA – May 11, 2007 - Stage-Gate Inc., a Member company of the Product Development Institute, today announced that Michael J. Wiebe, Principal at Stage-Gate Inc., will present on June 19, 2007 at the Drug Information Association’s 43rd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The title of Mike’s talk is “Advanced Portfolio Strategies to Drive Growth and Innovation.” The presentation will highlight four specific areas of product innovation performance – four areas Dr. Robert Cooper and Dr. Scott Edgett call The Innovation Diamond™. Mike will discuss how companies can use the diamond to drive consistent and repeatable new product success. With R&D investment recently exceeding $51 billion per year1, portfolio and innovation strategies are critical success factors for the pharmaceutical industry.

Michael J. Wiebe

Michael Wiebe is Principal Consultant at Stage-Gate Inc, and leads the custom consulting practice. He specializes in helping companies to solve unique challenges associated with the Innovation Diamond, including the design and implementation of particularly complex Stage-Gate® new product development processes, portfolio management processes, product and technology strategy creation, as well as the development of portfolio decision-support models and guidance of senior managers through portfolio decision-making.

Mike has extensive experience working with senior leaders and facilitating the buy-in and decision making required to make innovation changes successful. He has worked with clients in many industries across the globe. His client list includes: BEHR Process Corporation, CIBA Vision Corporation, First Data Corporation, Greene Tweed and Co., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Henkel KGaA, Kennametal Inc., Mannington Mills Inc., Mead Johnson & Company, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Owens Corning, Rich Products Corporation, Simplot Australia (Holdings) Pty Limited, and Timex Corporation.

He has over 15 years of solid general management and new product development experience in industry and has successfully led several engineering, operations, finance, business planning and product/market organizations. Before joining Stage-Gate Inc., Mike was responsible for the design and implementation of a company-wide portfolio management process for one of Canada’s largest international companies. His expertise in linking portfolio management to key business objectives, as well as his understanding of the pressures of corporate cultural change, has proved valuable for senior leaders looking to ensure successful implementation. Most recently, Mike was Vice-President of Consulting Services at Stage-Gate Inc.

Michael holds a Masters of International Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario Ivey School and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of Toronto. He is a licensed professional engineer and is certified by the Product Development and Management Association as a New Product Development Professional (NPDP).

Michael can be reached at: +1-905-304-8797 or mike.wiebe@stage-gate.com