Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller joins DNA sequencing company Illumina’s board

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller is joining Illumina’s board of directors, a company that provides technologies related to DNA sequencing for healthcare research among other services.

“Phil’s track record and global experience in bringing world-class products to market will help guide us as we continue to develop innovative new solutions for our customers,” said Francis deSouza, Illumina President and Chief Executive Officer. “His vision, integrity and passion are fully aligned with Illumina’s core values.”

Illumina’s press release notes that Schiller is responsible for worldwide marketing at Apple and he also recently took over responsibilities of running the App Store. As marketing chief, Schiller is one of the more public facing executives at the company having regularly appeared on stage for press events, interviews and elsewhere.

Illumina offers various products for medical research, including DNA sequencing systems and related products and services. Illumina says its products allow researchers to “explore DNA at an entirely new scale, helping them create the first map of gene variations associated with health, disease, and drug response.”