The Future is Closer Than You Think. Francis deSouza has a far-reaching vision for the future of human health, powered by genomics. We helped him rally a room of global leaders to help usher in a new era – one where genomics isn’t just another tool for the rich, or the lucky.
Francis deSouza has always placed big bets. As CEO of Illumina, he bet on the power of the genome to unlock the future of human health. Today, scientists and researchers around the world use Illumina’s DNA sequencing technology to answer life’s biggest questions: Can we find a cure for every type of cancer? Can disease stop being an inheritance? How can everyone live not just longer – but healthier?
When Francis’ team reached out to us, they were gearing up to launch their flagship Illumina Genomics Forum, convening 1,000+ of the world’s whos’ who in the field. In attendance would be scientists, philanthropists, investors, stockholders, and government officials (plus Bill Gates and Barack Obama). Francis was to deliver the opening keynote, laying out a vision for the future of genomics and precision health. This was one of the most impactful keynotes of his career – and he needed to knock it out of the park.
Our Work
We had worked with Francis extensively when he was a top executive at Symantec. We knew he’s wired to think big. His mandate: This was not to be another run-of-the-mill corporate keynote. It needed to be consistently fresh and inspiring, a rallying cry to an audience that has “seen it all.”
In the months leading up to the conference, we collaborated closely with Francis and his communications staff. Ours was an ideal meld of superpowers: The in-house team’s narrative chops and technical knowledge, combined with our storytelling and visual design expertise. With us “holding the keys,” the in-house team could toggle between our work together and other high-impact company projects. And Francis could keep his focus where it belonged: Leading the company and setting the vision.
We capitalized on Francis’ considerable intellect and stage presence, capturing his unique POV and pulling out emotional stories from his own life that guided him along his current path. At every point, we made sure to tell the human story underneath the data. As for visuals, Francis stressed: “Every slide needs to work for me.” Minimal on-slide copy punched key stats and phrases, setting up and reinforcing his message. Each slide featured real people directly involved in genomic innovation, or editorial imagery of real-life events. Visuals were emotional and evocative – reaching the audience on an intuitive level as they listened to what he said.
Game Day: Home Run
Day one of the conference in San Diego, CA, the room was packed and buzzing. We had the thrill of sitting in the arena with our fellow in-house collaborators.
Francis stepped onstage confident and prepared. The audience sat in rapt attention as he unfolded the story. There was laughter and spontaneous applause, and murmurs of agreement. There was a buzz in the hall after, as attendees repeated key memorable phrases. As Francis noted to us afterwards, he felt great delivering it. Partly because we had collectively prepped so well, he felt he could stand behind every word.
The keynote not only set up the company for a revolutionary new product launch the next day. It was also a direct call to action: Genomics should not just be a tool for the rich, or the lucky. Everyone in that room must work to make these innovations the norm and not the exception.
Client: Francis deSouza, illumina
Project: Executive Keynote
Services: Story development, speechwriting, presentation design
“Last year, we were unveiling a revolutionary new product at our inaugural customer event, and we wanted the audience to leave inspired by our CEO’s keynote. The “who’s who” of genomics was going to be in attendance, and the audience ranged from PhD scientists to ex-US Presidents (Barack Obama!). How does one tell a story that engages such a broad audience, so they each feel an emotional connection and leave wanting to take action and make a difference?
Enter Alimat! Alison and Matt are the creative dream team. They somehow take stream-of-conscious thoughts, complex data sets, and stories and bring them all to life. I was really impressed with their intake process. During several sessions with our CEO, they asked both probing and open-ended questions and really listened to his responses. Their methodology for picking out the key emotional nuggets and weaving the storyline together was incredibly effective. Alison’s storytelling skills combined with Matt’s gorgeous visuals really connected with our audience.
We heard from customers that our CEO’s keynote and company product launch were a huge success and could not have gone better. Since then, we have engaged Alimat for other events, and I have recommended them to friends and colleagues. They are a true pleasure to work with. I look forward to our next engagement!”
Pratima Rao
Chief of Staff, VP of Operations, Illumina
 |
Jim Stengel |
 |
Creating Habitats for Innovation Chip Conley |
 |
Designing the 360-Degree Experience Brian King |
