Following strongest year in revenue growth to-date, Collective Health adds to leadership team to support expanding client base and accelerate growth
Jan. 3rd—San Francisco, California—Collective Health is announcing the addition of two new executives to bolster its leadership team as the company’s platform continues to transform the healthcare experience for employers and their people. This includes the introduction of a Chief Commercial Officer, a new role that will be filled by Kevin Francis. The company has also brought on Michael Nikunen as Vice President of Strategic Accounts, who will help expand and diversify the company’s client base, which currently includes self-funded companies across a wide array of industries.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome both Kevin and Michael,” said Ali Diab, Co-founder and CEO of Collective Health. “Each brings a unique skill set to the company at an important time in our growth. Kevin is no stranger to driving rapid adoption of software solutions in large enterprises, and his experience helping scale sales and alliances at world class technology organizations like Workday and Oracle will be invaluable to our team. In parallel, Michael’s track record creating and driving innovative employee healthcare strategies for Fortune 100 companies speaks for itself, and his contributions will help us expand our client base and increase our influence across the industry.”
Kevin Francis brings more than 25 years of extensive sales experience, and most recently led commercial teams at Oracle, Workday, and Skuid. At Workday, Francis was part of a critical chapter of growth, helping the company scale from roughly 350 employees to more than 9,000 employees. As Chief Commercial Officer at Collective Health, Francis will be responsible for accelerating customer and revenue growth, while overseeing the entire commercial function including Sales, Customer Success, and Business Development.
“Collective Health has done something incredibly challenging in getting employers to break from the healthcare status quo,” said Kevin Francis. “Not only does Collective Health already have traction in a large market, but it’s showing tangible results in its ability to demonstrate cost savings while improving the consumer experience. Healthcare impacts all of us, and Collective Health’s mission to meaningfully change how we understand, navigate, and pay for it is important for everyone. I’m excited to play my part in helping the company continue to grow.”
Michael Nikunen brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare consulting and benefits strategy. Most recently, Nikunen spent eight years at Mercer as a partner and leader of the Pacific Northwest region. Previously, he spent more than 15 years at Towers Watson managing high performing teams of consultants to serve the human resource needs of large enterprises. At Collective Health, Nikunen will be responsible for helping the company continue to grow its client base with some of the largest, most innovative enterprises in the country.
“Our country’s self-funded employers—who provide health coverage for over 100 million Americans—are desperate for transformation,” said Michael Nikunen. “Increasingly, they’re looking for solutions to the challenges around rising costs and declining consumer trust that persist in today’s healthcare status quo. I believe Collective Health represents the next generation of employee healthcare, and has proven it can deliver technology solutions that arm employers with the data they need to bend the cost curve, and the products and services their people need to bolster trust.”
Francis and Nikunen both joined Collective Health in December and bring their unique backgrounds to an executive and leadership team that already includes talent from top tech brands like Apple, Google, and SAP as well as leading healthcare and consulting organizations like Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, and Willis Towers Watson.
About Collective Health
Collective Health is powering the Employer-Driven Healthcare Economy with the first Workforce Health Management System—giving employers a platform to simultaneously manage their healthcare investment and take better care of their people. With more than 200,000 members and 45 enterprise clients, Collective Health is reinventing the healthcare experience for self-funded employers and their employees across the U.S. Founded in October 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, Collective Health is backed by NEA, Founders Fund, GV, Sun Life, and other leading investors. For more information, visit https://www.collectivehealth.com.