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Illumina's New CIO Brings R&D Mindset As AI Transforms Genomics
Illumina this month named Mark Field as its next Chief Information Officer, adding a veteran technology and R&D executive to its leadership team as the DNA sequencing giant navigates the next wave of AI and innovation in genomics.
Field, who started earlier this month, is based in San Diego and reports to CEO Jacob Thaysen. He succeeds Carissa Rollins, who retired in April.
With a three-decade career in enterprise IT and life sciences, Field brings a blend of corporate technology and scientific R&D experience to the role.
Illumina CIO Mark Field
He began his career at Oracle in 1995, gaining early insight into the internet's disruptive potential. It's a shift he sees mirrored today with the rise of AI and breakthroughs in personalized medicine. 'For the genomic age, it feels just like 1995,' Field said in an interview.
Following his time at Oracle, Field led technology at Life Technologies, a life sciences company later acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific. He was CTO at Thermo Fisher before joining Insulet Corporation, which develops medical devices for people with diabetes and other conditions. Each role reinforced his interest in how digital tools and data can accelerate scientific discovery and directly improve health outcomes, he said.
Over the past few weeks, Field has been meeting teams and working to understand the ins and outs of Illumina's operations as he develops a roadmap for the future. 'My goal is to be the best partner and deliver value to the various businesses,' he said.
Field says his past experience leading R&D functions in addition to corporate IT makes him well equipped to be a strong partner with that organization at Illumina. R&D is "a completely different way to perceive the world, about getting out in front, having the best product,' he said. While it's a different mindset than the one usually held by IT, technology, data and software are key to progress across both functions.
Headquartered in San Diego, Illumina sells genetic sequencing products and services to medical researchers and other customers around the world. Its products are used in applications across life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, among other segments.
Illumina reported $4.3 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024. In its most recent earnings report, the company lowered its full-year guidance and announced a $100 million cost reduction program amid ongoing geopolitical and tariff-related impacts, including a ban on imports of Illumina's products in China.
Even as the company grapples with near-term headwinds, Field remains optimistic about its long-term trajectory as innovation in science and technology continues to accelerate.
'I'm more thrilled today than I was yesterday, and more thrilled yesterday than I was when I started,' he said. 'I knew it was a great company, but its potential is what's truly exciting me now.'
