- Home
- Sobre nós
- Internal Personnel Profiles
- Ashley Sage
Ashley Sage, Ph.D.
If you want to meet the driving force behind marketing one of the world’s most important behind-the-scenes technologies for scientific discovery, look no further! Ashley has witnessed the mass spec revolution over the last two decades, and now helps scientists understand the incredible potential of innovation from SCIEX.
"I tell [my friends and family] that I do really cool marketing campaigns about the most widely used analytical science technology that NO ONE knows about."
Overview
Ashley Sage is the Senior Manager for Global Portfolio & Technology in the Strategic Marketing group at SCIEX. He is responsible for looking after the strategic marketing campaigns for the product and technology portfolio. Most recently, Ashley was involved in the Generation Quant videos and campaign. Outside of work, Ashley can be found on the golf course and spending time with his family.
What do you do during a normal day?
"I generally wear two hats, but sometimes even more of them depending on what the boss asks me to do. More seriously though, I look after the strategic marketing campaigns for the product & technology portfolio, as well as manage a team of 4 extremely talented marketeers who look after software, customer experience and technology campaigns. It generally involves juggling the things I need to do (write content, blogs, technology articles etc.) with being there for the team when they need help or advice. This isn’t always easy with having my team members across the globe and in different time zones, but the work always gets done."
How do you describe what you do at SCIEX to your family and friends?
"I usually tell them that "I'm a mass spectrometrist" and they generally look at me with bemusement. I then tell them that I do really cool marketing campaigns about the most widely used analytical science technology that NO ONE knows about. This usually ends up in conversations about life science research, testing food and water and even discussions about mass specs in space. I generally finish by saying that I work in an industry of cool technology that helps lives and the planet and is used for scientists to understand more about the way we live. One thing is certain - I have had fun for the last 25 years in my job, met some great people and made some great friends."
What are some recent applications, publications, or collaborations you have worked on?
"In my previous role, one of the rewarding things I used to do was manage key important collaborations with customers. And as someone who has been involved with the advancement of high-resolution, accurate-mass instruments since around 1998, I was involved with recent application development on X500 systems with key collaborators to show how SCIEX instrumentation, with SWATH® Acquisition, can be used for key small molecule analysis related to food safety and environmental pollution detection and control. On the use of LC-MS/MS, I’ve written and co-written several peer reviewed papers, many articles in LCGC, as well as presented both numerous posters and orals at many conferences over the years, which has always been an enjoyable part of my job to show to other scientists the work we do."
What are some of the biggest game changers you see in the advancement of your job?
"In my current role within strategic marketing, I see different ways to reach our current customers and potentially new customers as the market for mass spectrometry technology expands. Obviously, the big one in this current digital age is the use of social media to position SCIEX as a thought leader and innovator. Our website drives a significant amount of interest as it is a portal into our products and services, so its key to keep the content relevant. Other channels for communication include social media platforms such as LinkedIn where we can showcase our products and application trends on this site. Events and conferences will still remain a large part of the outreach to customers as they still like to deal with people."
What excites you about your role here at SCIEX?
"I think it’s down to the fact that as a child, I was always interested in technology and science, and that curiosity is still with me. It’s also about being part of the industry for the last 25 years after my PhD, where I have been able to shape and evolve parts of the technology along the way. It’s also about the people I work with – having the same vision and passion to keep moving the industry forward – whilst being part of new innovations and showing customers what these new innovations can do to help their science and research. Every day is different, with different opportunities and challenges within an industry that is constantly changing, and that makes every day special."
How do you see mass spec technology advancing in the future?
"From when I was studying for my PhD in the early 90s, mass spectrometry was generally regarded as a very specialized technology, which has now become, probably in combination with LC, the most widely used analytical technology across a huge amount of applications. As time has shown, instruments have been developed with specific applications in mind, but its only once customers start using them that we find newer and better ways to do applications that may have been carried out by other techniques. I think that is the secret for the future – we will open more ways to do things faster and with more sensitivity and selectivity. And software will be vastly important to understand what that data is telling us. As for the job role, people today learn about new technologies in different ways and I also think clever marketing campaigns will help show how SCIEX is a thought leader and innovator within the industry. Watch this space for the next set of developments!"
What are some hobbies or activities you enjoy when you are away from the office?
"I have many hobbies and generally not enough time to do them! Having two children, it usually means running them to all the clubs and activities they do so you could call "dad's taxi" a pastime. My real passion, however, is golf which I have played since the age of around 14. It’s a sport that is not everyone’s cup of tea but for me it’s a game that once you are hooked, it keeps you hooked. I am currently a scratch handicap golfer, have played almost 100 games for my home countryside of Cheshire in England and even played in the 2011 Open as an Amateur golfer. Golf is a sport that teaches you a lot about yourself - how to manage the course you are playing, your opponents, the weather conditions, and how to get a small white ball around 18 holes of almost 7000 yards with the least amount of shots which takes a great deal of concentration and focus. And then visit the 19th hole with your friends to talk about the previous 4 hours and to arrange the next game! Even my children are starting to enjoy the game of golf, so it looks like it will be a family activity in the future. As for other hobbies – I’m working on those."
More From SCIEX Pioneers
Antonio Serna-Sanz, Ph.D.
Software and Application Support Specialist for Proteomics, EMEA SCIEX
Ashley Sage, Ph.D.
Senior Manager for Global Portfolio & Technology Strategic Marketing, SCIEX
