Mark Emkjer and Ben Kaplan Named as Senior Advisors to Providence Strategic Growth
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (BUSINESS WIRE) – Providence Strategic Growth Capital Partners L.L.C. (“PSG”), an affiliate of Providence Equity Partners L.L.C., a premier global asset management firm with approximately $60 billion in assets under management, today announced that Mark J. Emkjer and Ben Kaplan have been named as Senior Advisors to PSG. Mr. Emkjer and Mr. Kaplan will work closely with the PSG team to identify and pursue new investment opportunities and support certain of the firm’s existing investments.
“Mark and Ben are two seasoned executives with strong track records of developing and executing growth strategies in their respective sectors,” said Mark Hastings, Chief Executive Officer of PSG. “We look forward to leveraging their tremendous operational expertise and deep experience in the healthcare technology and financial technology industries as we continue to grow the PSG platform and strive to build profitable and high-growth software businesses.”
Peter Wilde, Chairman of PSG, added, “We are pleased to welcome Mark and Ben to the PSG team. Their breadth of experience, extensive network of relationships and proven ability to drive growth through both organic and inorganic strategies are an ideal fit for PSG’s platform. I am confident they will provide valuable strategic and insightful perspective and look forward to their contributions in the years ahead.”
About Mark J. Emkjer
Mr. Emkjer has 35 years of experience in the healthcare technology industry, and has served as the Chief Executive Officer of five public and private companies in the provider, health plan and life sciences sectors. Most recently, Mr. Emkjer served as CEO of WebMD Health Services, where he led a turnaround of the business that included a rewrite of strategy, assembly of an executive team and the execution of various operating tactics that led to significant growth and numerous high profile sales. Prior to WebMD, Mr. Emkjer served as CEO and a member of the board of Accelrys, a scientific informatics software and services company for life sciences, chemical and materials research and development, where he led the company’s spinoff from Pharmacopeia. Prior to Accelrys, he was the President and COO of Sunquest, a leading provider of clinical data management, where he helped significantly bolster the company’s profit and shareholder equity over the course of three years, culminating in the sale of the company to MISYS PLC for $404 million. Previously, Mr. Emkjer served as the CEO of Pace Health Management Systems, a clinical decision support provider that was sold to 3M Corporation under his leadership, and HCC, a leading international provider of financial solutions to the healthcare industry.
Mr. Emkjer currently serves on the board of directors at Care Payment, The Rancho Santa Fe Foundation and Anju Software Inc. – a PSG portfolio company. He was recently on the board of inContact, where he served on the committee that negotiated the sale of the company for over $1 billion, as well as the board of Hooper Holmes, which has now merged with Provant Health. He has also been a lecturer at the University of California’s Rady School of Management addressing MBA candidates on various topics including turnarounds, leadership and the healthcare industry. Mr. Emkjer received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Florida Atlantic University.
About Ben Kaplan
Mr. Kaplan has more than two decades of experience building high-growth SaaS and fintech companies, driving both innovation and operational excellence. Most recently, Mr. Kaplan was President and CEO of CashStar, a leading provider of mobile prepaid and digital gift card solutions. Over the course of his leadership, he drove revenue growth by over 400% and significantly increased profitability, culminating in its sale to Blackhawk Network in 2017. Prior to CashStar, Mr. Kaplan served as Chief Operating Officer at Cartera Commerce, a leading provider of card-linked marketing and affiliate advertising solutions. Previously, he held leadership positions at KNOVA Software, which was acquired by Consona Corporation, North Systems, Broadbase Software and Commerce One. Mr. Kaplan received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College.
About Providence Strategic Growth Capital Partners L.L.C.
Providence Strategic Growth (“PSG”) is an affiliate of Providence Equity Partners and is investing out of its third fund, with $1.3 billion of total capital. Established in 2014, PSG focuses on growth equity investments in lower middle market software and technology-enabled service companies, primarily in North America. Providence Equity Partners is a premier global asset management firm with approximately $60 billion in capital under management across complementary private equity and credit businesses. Providence pioneered a sector-focused approach to private equity investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the firm's inception in 1989, Providence has invested in more than 160 companies and is a leading equity investment firm focused on the media, communications, education and information industries. Providence is headquartered in Providence, RI, and also has offices in New York and London. For more information on PSG, please visit www.psgequity.com, and for more information on Providence Equity, please visit www.provequity.com.