News Release

Stage-Gate Inc. Announces the Appointment of L. Michelle Jones to the Position of Vice President, Product Management.

ANCASTER, ONTARIO, CANADA - Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - Stage-Gate Inc. Dr. Scott J. Edgett, Chief Executive Officer, SGI, is very pleased to announce the appointment of L. Michelle Jones to the position of Vice President, Product Management. In her role, Michelle is responsible for leading the transformation of some of the world’s best practice research on new product development into state-of-the-art products and services for companies striving for innovation excellence.

Michelle brings significant product development and business leadership experience to this role. Formerly, Director of Consulting Services, Michelle has worked with an impressive portfolio of companies including; Clorox, Hewlett Packard, Hydro Quebec, Inco Ltd., ITT Industries, Kimberly-Clark, Owens Corning, Rich Products, Sabic, and US Filter and has experience across several industries including Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Consumer Packaged Goods, Defense, Electronics, Food, Financial, Industrial Products, and Medical.

Michelle’s specialty is utilizing best practice innovation tools such as PIT Strategy, Portfolio Management and the Stage-Gate^® Innovation Process to translate customer needs into products and services. She has successfully managed large scale, global client engagements involving significant organization transformation including projects such as; Joint Application Development, Product Innovation Process Design and Implementation, Product Innovation and Technology Strategy, and Portfolio Management.

Michelle holds a Masters of International Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario, a Bachelors of Business Administration from Hawthorne University, and a Specialist Certificate in Project Management from McGill University, Montreal. Michelle is a certified New Product Development Professional with the PDMA, and has 15 years of progressive management and consulting experience. Prior to joining Stage-Gate Inc., Michelle was Manager, Transformation Services at KPMG Consulting.