Biolyst Leadership Team

Chief Executive Officer

Jay Hexamer joined Biolyst Scientific as Chief Executive Officer in March 2025. With over 30 years of experience in the scientific, healthcare, and life sciences industries, Jay brings a wealth of knowledge in strategic leadership and operational excellence. Prior to joining Biolyst, he served as President, CEO, and Senior Advisor at Caron Scientific, where he led global operations across the U.S. and U.K., strengthening sales and marketing initiatives, driving product innovation, and expanding global distribution networks.

His tenure at Avantor (VWR International) further solidified his reputation as an industry leader, overseeing businesses and implementing aggressive sales and marketing initiatives that significantly expanded market share. Jay holds an MBA from Butler University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Chief Technology Officer

Reza Ardekani is Chief Technology Officer of Biolyst Scientific. As Chief Technological Officer, he spearheads the creation of new products, shapes the company’s technology roadmap, and ensures that Biolyst Scientific remains at the cutting edge of solving customer needs. Reza assumed the role upon the successful sale of Azer Scientific, a company he built into a prominent laboratory consumables player as the Founder and CEO.

Reza brings extensive experience in leading national business development strategies, developing intellectual property, managing multi-channel commercial teams, and overseeing operations and distribution.  He has been instrumental in founding, financing, and developing numerous businesses, guiding them from initial concepts to successful enterprises. Reza holds a bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology and Cytotechnology from Thomas Jefferson University.

“I am committed to driving unparalleled customer value by championing innovation through the power of collaboration and an unwavering focus on customer feedback.”

Chief Operating Officer

John joined Biolyst Scientific as Chief Operating Officer in March 2024.  In this capacity, John leads the Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality functions and is responsible for instilling a culture of operational excellence to reliably and efficiently meet customer needs.

John brings over 25 years of experience in Operations, with leadership roles spanning Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Logistics and Distribution, and Engineering. Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer for G&H Photonics, where he gained extensive experience in business integration post-acquisition. Prior to his tenure at G&H Photonics, John held key operational leadership positions at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Corning, and Novanta. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and has earned several Six Sigma and Lean certifications.

“My dedication to operational excellence is relentless, fostering a culture where quality comes first. I am driven to implement sustainable practices that ensure flawless execution, delivering the highest standards for our customers.”

Chief Financial Officer

Bill Sommers was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Biolyst Scientific in April 2024. As CFO, he leads the Finance & IT functions in support of the execution of the company’s strategy through financial control, reporting, analysis, and business systems.

Bill has over 30 years of finance and accounting leadership experience. Recently, he served as CFO for several Private Equity-backed companies, managing financial aspects of high-return transactions, including acquisitions, recapitalizations, and integrations. Earlier in his career, Bill held key roles at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC), ICI Plc, Danaher, and Ametek. Bill holds a bachelor’s in Accounting from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, an MBA from the University of Delaware, and is a CPA (inactive) in Pennsylvania.

“I am steadfast in maintaining our robust financial foundation, crucial for supporting our customer-centric strategy and delivering on our value creation promise to investors, ensuring long-term growth and stability.”

Chief Commercial Officer

Shelly Peariso has had an extensive career in life science and clinical sales, spanning over 23 years. Her dedication and experience have led her to achieve significant success in the field. Starting as an individual contributor selling life science reagents and instrumentation, she has ascended to various leadership roles across renowned companies such as Bio-Rad, Applied Biosystems, Life Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Element Biosciences.

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, Shelly led the sales teams for the Americas within the Clinical Next Generation Sequencing Division, where she was instrumental in shaping the sales strategy and execution for the Ion Torrent NGS portfolio, catering to clinical, applied, and research laboratories. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Sales at Element Biosciences, where she established the commercial team and developed processes to foster growth within the company.

Academically, Shelly holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lake Superior State University, where she was also a volleyball scholarship athlete, and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Chemistry from Thomas Jefferson University.

Director of Quality & Regulatory Affairs

Mariana brings over 25 years of experience in Quality, Supply Chain, and EHS Management across multiple industries, including automotive, oil & gas, mining, construction, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. She has led strategic initiatives in ERP implementation, multi-site quality system integrations, and regulatory compliance, working with standards such as ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, and 21 CFR 210/211 and 820.

A certified Green Belt in Six Sigma, Mariana holds an MBA in Safety Engineering and a degree in Industrial Engineering from CEFET-MG. Before joining Biolyst Scientific, she held leadership roles at FIAT Group (now Stellantis), Sandvik, Bosch, and Troxler.

Originally from Brazil, Mariana moved to the U.S. in 2012 and joined Azer Scientific in 2022. She became Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs in 2023 and has since been focused on strengthening the quality team, ensuring regulatory compliance, and integrating Biolyst’s quality processes to enhance customer satisfaction and drive growth.

“I don’t build quality systems for myself—they are built to drive excellence, foster a strong quality mindset, and help companies achieve differentiation through robust processes.”