Health is wealth: Q&A with Jesse Gu

UNSW Biomedical Engineering alumni, Jesse Gu, has always believed in the connection between healthcare and technology.

Now, as Head of the Australia BYHEALTH International team, she says her passion in healthcare is stronger than ever.

Why did you choose to study biomedical engineering?

I am interested in the healthcare & technology field, and I strongly believe healthcare & technology combined will be the future.

What fascinates you about the biomedical engineering industry?

I believe the future belongs to people who are ambitious about contributing to the society and the world. I think utilising technology to identify and solve problems in medicine and biology is truly fascinating.

What’s your current role? What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities?

I now head up the BYHEALTH International team focus on marketing based in Melbourne, Australia. Branding & Marketing are now the high priority of BYHEALTH this year. BYHEALTH is a leading vitamin and dietary supplement brand with a passion for science-based nutrition. This has shaped us to be leaders in the vitamin and supplement industry and we’re continually developing new technologies in this space. For example, we launched the new BYHEALTH Nutrition Pro + range of products and its HERO Milk thistle is selling number one on international platforms like JD. And we built the first fully automatic dried blood spot analysis centre in China.

Starting from 2019, my day-to-day responsibilities include establishing the BYHEALTH international range branding, setting up To-B Daigou selling models, cross-border e-commerce distributions, business expansion to Southeast Asia countries like Hong Kong, Singapore etc. Starting from this year, as the business model is maturing, I’m shifting our focusing on BYHEALTH’s branding and marketing strategy in Australia and China.

What’s your fondest memory of UNSW?

I was with a group of engineers designing Low Power Fall Detector. It was an incredible experience collaborating with researchers who are so passionate, talented, and professional.

What’s the best advice you’ve gotten that’s helped you in your career?

The best advice I’ve received is:

• Have self-discipline but be persistent in chasing your goals
• Never stop learning
• Set a clear vision of your career goal and find ways to achieve it.

What’s one thing you would tell your first-year self?

I would tell my first-year self to study hard and smart, make good friends, exercise regularly, find the career that you want to be in after graduate….and start internship ASAP!