Faces of Natera

His passion for travel, design and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) took Regis Bectarte from France to the United States, Japan, Thailand and South America. He now lives in California, serving Natera as its director of UX design and research, user experience and product management. He shared with us his story of incredible adventure.

Regis Bectarte, director of UX design and research, user experience and product management, was raised in the south of France. One of his favorite television programs growing up centered around the joys of nature – animal species, climate, ecosystems, and the environment. It was called Ushuaia, named after the southernmost tip of the Americas, and Regis decided that he would go there someday. When Regis was in high school, his English teacher organized their school's first student exchange program. His parents saw it as a great opportunity and he participated in the program multiple times. He graduated and studied communications at a French university, while working as an intern in the U.S. when possible. He found that the ways humans were

communicating was shifting, especially with the technology boom, and began studying the ways people interacted with computers. This specialization became the focal point of his studies, eventually earning him degrees in Communication Sciences and Information Theory. When the time came to begin his career, Regis packed a backpack, landed in San Francisco, California, where he found a job with AltaVista and was responsible for learning how users navigated the internet and searched for information. But when a friend offered him the opportunity to travel abroad, Regis couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

After brief periods living in both Japan and Thailand, Regis returned to France. At the time, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) was in its infancy and the region where he lived was known for producing elite athletes in combat sports. Regis found himself excelling in MMA and for the next two and a half years, he fought semi-professionally throughout the country. As his career in MMA came to an end, Regis received a US green card and decided to plant roots in California. “I hooked my gloves on the wall, put my designer hat back on, and worked for the same design agency that I had worked at before leaving for Japan,” Regis shared. For years, Regis held various design positions and worked with many well known brands and companies, however his love of travel and his childhood dream of seeing Ushuaia was still alive and strong. He decided that it was time to make his dream a reality. “If I was going to Ushuaia, there was only one way to go. Motorcycle,” he said. In 2013, Regis embarked on a 20,000 mile, one-year motorcycle journey from San Francisco to Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina. He visited 14 countries and made many friends and memories along the way. One of his favorite memories was in a small town in Peru. A narrow trail at the base of a mountain made its way to the summit and eased down on the other side.He made his way to the top of the mountain, noting the varying terrain along the way. Coming back down, he took a deep breath and noticed a sweet, fruity smell. As he reached the end of the path, he realized that it led to a mango plantation. He described the trees as having to have been at least

100-years old and the fruit fully ripe. Ten months after starting his adventure, Regis finally reached Ushuaia. He rode until he came to the southernmost tip of the Americas and ran out of road. There, at the place he had dreamed of as a child, he found a sign that read, “Fin del mundo,” or end of the world. And his dream had come true.

Regis returned to California refreshed and found himself back in design, working in the healthcare industry. “With healthcare, I found it fascinating. I love the impact healthcare has on peoples lives. You can have big homes and money, but if your health goes sideways...,” said Regis. Regis had a few roles in healthcare before landing at Natera, where he has focused on projects like the oncology provider portal and the unified patient portal (UPP). The team is also making strides in enterprise applications to help manage vendors, accessioning and sample tracking. “It is critical for our applications to be efficient and accurate so that patients can get results as quickly as possible.” After all of his adventures and experiences, Regis remains extremely humble. “I don’t see myself as inspiring, but if my story motivates someone to try something new, then it’s a great success,” Regis said.