Interbrand Breakthrough Brands: Q&A With Helix CEO Robin Thurston
To celebrate the launch of Interbrand’s Breakthrough Brands report, InterbrandHealth spoke with a number of health and wellness brands that have changed up the market in an effort to disrupt the traditional healthcare ecosystem. Helix was just recognized in the 2017 report as a breakthrough brand.
Imagine being able to house your personal DNA data in one place where, as innovations in technology and health continue, you can return and continuously gather insights to inform every aspect of your life. You could learn about potential health risks, what to eat to best complement your body chemistry—even what varietals of wine you’re most likely to enjoy.
At first glance, DNA-sequencing brand Helix feels like something we’ve seen before—but it’s changing the marketplace of self-understanding by helping consumers create a DNA “app store” where they can access a lifetime of discovery. The brand’s partners already include National Geographic, Mount Sinai, and the Mayo Clinic—and don’t rule out consumer brands.
By using exome sequencing, the insights from Helix could be limitless, spanning far beyond health to include lifestyle and even an understanding of your biological sleep baseline. We talked with CEO Robin Thurston, formerly the EVP and chief digital officer of Under Armour, to learn more about the brand.
How would you describe the Helix brand in three words?
Every day DNA.
What’s your brand mission, briefly?
Empower every person with DNA.
How would you categorize the business you are in?
We’re a platform for consumer genetics products. We sequence and securely store DNA, and offer consumers a variety of partner products for nutrition, fitness, ancestry, family planning, health and more.
What’s a disrupter brand to you, in ten words or less?
Brands that make what’s out of reach possible for everyone.
What in healthcare needs disrupting?
Accessibility to your whole-health picture.
What’s the feeling or experience you hope a customer has when interacting with your brand?
We hope our customers feel a real sense of possibility as a result of accessing their DNA information for a wide range of products and services.
What do you see as your biggest opportunity and/or challenge to future growth?
Education. Consumer genetics is still in the early days. The more we can broaden understanding of what it is and how it can be beneficial every day, the better.
What’s the most important trait for a leader to have?
Accessibility: To teams, to customers, to everyone they’re accountable to.
How many hours do you sleep a night?
These days: six. Even if I could manage on less sleep I wouldn’t skip the six for anything… except maybe a flight.
On any given workday, your predominant state of mind is…?
Focused.
More from the Interbrand Breakthrough Brands 2017 report.
This interview originally appeared on brandchannel.