Kris Engskov — an official in the Bill Clinton White House, a long-time executive with Starbucks and most recently president of senior living provider Aegis Living — is set to lead a new company in the home health care space.
“COVID taught us how much can be done from home,” Engskov told Home Health Care News. “I think it’s going to be done through technology, better clinical know-how and deep investment in talent and training. I think there’s a big opportunity to reposition the whole role of the carer in home health.”
Since 2019, Engskov has been president of Aegis Living. Bellevue, Washington-based Aegis operates a portfolio of 33 assisted living and memory care communities across Washington, California and Nevada.
Engskov earlier worked as executive vice president of business integration for Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) and was assistant press secretary and personal aide to U.S. President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2000.
Engskov now is moving on to become CEO of a startup, currently in stealth mode, focused on creating the next generation of home health, he told HHCN. He is scheduled to start his new position later this fall.
The startup is funded by ARCH Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that backs “disruptive science.” Co-founder and Managing Director Robert Nelsen has played a role in supporting and financing more than 30 companies that have reached valuations in excess of $1 billion, according to ARCH’s website.
Talent development and other workforce initiatives were a key priority for Engskov during his time with Aegis. Other Starbucks alumni joined the company after he became president, and bigger-picture, he believes that the senior living industry as a whole can do a better job of reaching millennials and other young workers.
Companies in the sector need to “reposition” themselves with regard to recruitment strategies and labor-related operational approaches, he told HHCN in early 2020.
In leading a home health care startup, Engskov likely will be drawing on a skillset that he honed at Starbucks, which he said was a “small, entrepreneurial company” when he first joined. Engskov also has compared Aegis to Starbucks in the coffee company’s earlier days, saying that the senior living provider is a value-oriented business set to drive innovation in a sector poised for massive growth.
Engskov’s affiliation with ARCH began in March 2021, when he joined the board of a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by ARCH and General Catalyst. The SPAC — which priced a $500 million initial public offering and is called Revolution Healthcare Acquisition Corp. — is focused on making an acquisition in the digital health space.
And in August 2021, Engskov joined the board of Recuro Health, a Dallas-based personalized digital health provider. ARCH led a $15 million Series A round for Recuro.
Aegis CEO Dwayne Clark will be taking on the president title and taking a more active day-to-day role in the company, which provided the following statement to HHCN:
“Aegis Living is an employee-first company that takes exceptional pride in its culture and being a family-owned and operated business. Emerging from the pandemic more centered than ever on these core company values, Aegis Living Founder Dwayne Clark decided to step back into a day-to-day leadership role. Acting as Chairman, CEO and President, Dwayne is energized to nurture culture and operations as he once did when he founded Aegis nearly 25 years ago.”
The post Former Starbucks Exec, White House Official Engskov to Lead Home Health Care Startup appeared first on Home Health Care News.
