Revenue & Operations Leadership — Dental & Healthcare

Koert Takkunen, MBA

I turn complexity into focus, and focus into results — through people. Currently seeking a Chief Revenue Officer, Divisional President / General Manager, or SVP Sales & Operations role.

Koert Takkunen
30+
Years in Dental & Healthcare
$320M+
P&L Leadership
1 of 7
Original PDS Regional Partners
2
Successful Equity Transactions
Biography

A career built on the belief that people come first.

Koert Takkunen, MBA, is a results-driven, high-accountability sales and operations executive with over 30 years of experience across every layer of the dental and healthcare industries — beginning as an entry-level distribution sales representative at Patterson Dental Company. He drives performance — KPIs, P&L and balance sheet strength, and enterprise value — by building strong leadership teams who serve and support their people. That people-forward philosophy drives the results: invest in people, and they invest in patients — producing financial performance that exceeds expectations year over year while building a culture that attracts and retains top talent and creates the bench needed for expansion through internal promotion. That trajectory carried him to executive leadership at two of the industry's most recognized platforms — helping guide Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers to a successful acquisition by The Aspen Group, and completing a successful personal equity transaction as a partner at Pacific Dental Services.

"That people-forward philosophy drives the results: invest in people, and they invest in patients."

Koert's leadership philosophy

As Founder & Principal of Invicta Dental & Healthcare Consulting, Koert partners with DSOs, healthcare organizations, private equity sponsors, and practice owners to build the cultural and operational foundation that drives financial performance. His work is organized around his 4-Pillar Framework — Purpose, People, Process, and Performance — translating vision and values into the operating discipline that drives financial results and enterprise value, delivered through the same people-forward philosophy that anchors his leadership. His client roster includes prominent national and regional healthcare and dental organizations, and his services span individualized executive coaching as well as team development, coaching, and training for a focused group of critical leaders within an organization — work that extends beyond dental and healthcare. A multi-session leadership program for Wetzel's Pretzels' national franchise development team, credited with directly advancing individual leadership skills and goals, underscored a core belief: the leadership qualities that drive results, and how to develop them, transcend industry.

As Fractional Chief Revenue & Strategy Officer for KIME Sports Performance Physical Therapy, a regional multi-location rehabilitation and athletic performance platform, Koert facilitated a shared vision and strategic growth strategy that increased annual revenue by $3.6 million (26.5% CAGR), lifted profitability 68%, patient visits 66%, and revenue per patient 11%, and delivered executive coaching to the CEO, CFO, and emerging leaders that drove multiple promotions to senior leadership. KIME is now on a two-year path to surpass $10 million in annual revenue, driven by same-store growth and De Novo expansion across California and into new states.

In a deliberate, mission-driven pause from consulting — a conscious financial sacrifice — Koert partnered with the founder and CEO of The Academy at District Church to co-author and architect LaunchPad, the high school's leadership studio for upper-classmen. Grounded in the Academy's 10 Mindsets — including personal ownership, critical thinking, resilience, and work ethic — LaunchPad immersed students in real-world projects and experiences to apply their leadership toward specific outcomes, each required to meet rigorous criteria to earn "launch," the program's term for graduation. Koert guided a cohort of nine students in conceiving, building, and pitching CALA, an AI-bot customer-experience business for small and medium-sized service-based businesses, securing full-ride scholarship offers worth over $1 million to Austin Christian University for all nine — creating an immediate launch pathway for the six graduating seniors.

Prior to these ventures, Koert served as President of the West Division at Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers, leading a $320M+ division across a 78-center, 30-state platform. Each center served a broad regional patient base — driven by a national television campaign with a direct call to action — and was staffed by integrated teams of prosthodontists, oral surgeons, and on-site labs connected through a digital workflow, delivering unmatched quality and experience for patients and team members alike. Koert delivered record revenue ($277M to $320M) and EBITDA ($37M to $63M) growth, led the division through COVID-19 to a 92% revenue recovery (vs. a 50% industry average), and built a talent-development and succession-planning process for both business and clinical leaders — culminating in a successful acquisition by The Aspen Group (TAG).

Earlier, as one of Pacific Dental Services' original seven Regional Partners, Koert served as Regional Partner and President of the Pacific Northwest LLC — an equity ownership role in a partnership model new to the organization at the time. Over eight years, he grew the region from 16 to 77 offices (including 10 stand-alone pediatric and orthodontic centers), revenue from $19M to $150M, and EBITDA from $6M to $24M — leading doctor-owner candidate selection and a sequential leadership development program that advanced multiple doctor-owners into equity partners and regional leaders. He ultimately completed a successful personal equity transaction, consistent with his partnership agreement, on the strength of the enterprise value he built.

Koert's foundation in sales began as a Territory Sales Representative at Patterson Dental Company and continued at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he pursued his MBA at UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business. Upon graduating, he joined Conexant Systems as a Strategic Sourcing Manager, a semiconductor company at the forefront of early Bluetooth technology, where he managed capital equipment and consumables procurement for customers including Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung. He then joined Nobel Biocare as an implant sales representative and advanced quickly through Territory Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, and US Central Area Sales Manager, coaching multiple direct reports into national top-10 rankings along the way. He earned the President's Award for #1 sales representative nationwide, then as Regional Sales Manager engineered his region's turnaround from worst-performing to runner-up within two years and #1 Region of the Year in his final year. He was also selected by Nobel Biocare's North America President to represent the organization in a 12-month Bain Consulting customer-segmentation initiative in New York City that helped accelerate company-wide growth.

Koert holds an MBA in Marketing & Finance from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, a BS in Business & Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Graduate Certificate from the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership.

Koert's career has been marked by consistent recognition at every stage — including the President's Award and Region of the Year honors at Nobel Biocare, President's Circle and a Region of the Year runner-up distinction at Pacific Dental Services, the CEO's First Award and Conexant Award for Performance at Conexant Systems, a top-5% national sales ranking at Bristol Myers Squibb, and Rookie of the Year honors at Patterson Dental Company.

Beyond his executive roles, Koert served as Board Director for Carecru (an AI-driven SaaS platform for dental patient engagement), Dentistry for Children, and Folsom's Hope — nonprofits providing dental care to underserved children and mentoring at-risk youth. He also enjoys coaching youth sports, with an emphasis on football, and in 2019 founded Athletes in Devotion, a faith-based youth group that grew from a handful of student athletes to sixteen, meeting weekly to explore what it means to lead effectively both on and off the field; many of those young men still lean on Koert for mentorship and encouragement today.

Outside of work, Koert's greatest joy is time with his family — his wife, Renee, their three children, daughter-in-law, and the family dog. An avid boater, water-sports enthusiast, and winter skier, he's also a loyal Wisconsin Badgers fan supporting his alma mater, along with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota Twins. His faith is central to how he leads and lives. Whether on the water, on the mountain, on the sideline, or around the family dinner table, Koert brings the same energy and care to his personal life that he brings to his career.

"We have known each other for over 20 years. From sales to sales leadership in the dental industry, and as an executive in the DSO space with two industry-leading organizations — PDS and Clear Choice — Koert has a unique ability to quickly discern what is most important in a highly complex environment, create focus, and drive sustained results."

Marty Dymek
CEO, Navigate Surgical Technologies Inc.

"Koert Takkunen is a proven sales leader and one of the most sincere, dedicated, and passionate individuals I have ever had the pleasure to work with. If you are looking for someone who combines those traits with a keen and strategic intellect, particularly under challenging circumstances, you will find what you are looking for in Koert."

Kevin Mosher
CEO, Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers
Career Arc

A rare, full-spectrum path through the industry.

1993 – 2001
Early Career Foundations: Patterson Dental, Bristol Myers Squibb & Conexant Systems
Began his career in dental distribution sales at Patterson Dental Company, then broadened his business foundation in pharmaceutical sales at Bristol Myers Squibb and capital equipment sourcing at Conexant Systems — a semiconductor company at the forefront of early Bluetooth technology — experience he later brought back to dental and healthcare.
2002 – 2004
Territory Sales Manager, Nobel Biocare
Began as a territory sales representative in Orange & San Diego Counties, growing a bottom-ranked territory 20–43% annually and earning the President's Award for #1 Sales Representative nationwide.
2004 – 2010
Regional Sales Manager, Nobel Biocare
Promoted to rebuild a bottom-performing Chicago region into #1 in North America over five years ($8M to $18.5M), then selected to represent the organization in a Bain Consulting strategic initiative.
2010 – 2011
US Central Area Sales Manager, Nobel Biocare
Promoted again to oversee the Central and Mountain U.S., growing the market 26% to $15.1M and ranking #1 in North America — before being recruited to Pacific Dental Services.
2011 – 2018
Regional Partner & President, Pacific Northwest LLC, Pacific Dental Services
One of PDS's original seven Regional Partners. Grew the Pacific Northwest region from 16 to 77 offices and revenue from $19M to $150M, completing a successful personal equity transaction.
2020 – 2021
President, West Division, Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers
Led a $320M+ division through record growth and a COVID-19 recovery well above industry average, culminating in a successful acquisition by The Aspen Group.
2021 – Present
Founder & Principal, Invicta Dental & Healthcare Consulting
Advises DSOs, healthcare organizations, and practice owners on strategy, organizational alignment, and leadership. Engagements include a fractional Chief Revenue & Strategy Officer role with KIME Sports Performance Physical Therapy — driving $3.6M in annual revenue growth (26.5% CAGR) and positioning KIME on a two-year path to surpass $10M.
2025 – 2026
Leadership & Learning Coach, The Academy at District Church
Scaled back Invicta's consulting engagements to focus solely on KIME, dedicating the majority of his time to co-authoring LaunchPad — an upperclassmen high school leadership program developing core leadership skills, critical thinking, and real-world experience in emerging young leaders, highlighted by leading a cohort of 9 students in the building of CALA, an AI-bot customer-experience business for small and medium-sized service-based businesses.
Now
Seeking: Chief Revenue Officer | Divisional President / General Manager | SVP Sales & Operations
Intentionally targeting a role leading sales leaders and their teams directly — bringing three decades of full-spectrum industry experience to a new organization's next chapter of growth.
Endorsements

What colleagues, boards, and clients say.

39 endorsements from 38 leaders across dental and healthcare — spanning every stage of a 30-year career.

As a practicing Dental Hygienist at the time, Koert personally interviewed, hired, and developed me to serve as a Specialty Regional Manager supporting his entire region. Koert's secret sauce is no doubt his out-of-box thinking and investment into the development of people. My career today is simply a direct reflection of just one of Koert's most masterfully curated byproducts of his investment.
Summer LaMoureaux, RDH
Director of PDS Health Institute & Hygiene Operations, PDS Health
Koert was one of those partners that simply stood out. On my very first inquiry, Koert was immediately humble, accessible, and relatable — underrated but critical characteristics for a leader. His innate understanding of his role as culture warrior is apparent in the fierce allies he creates, the results of which are loyalty and performance.
Kathleen Titus
Director of Business Development, Strategic Accounts, Henry Schein
Koert brings a deep understanding of the market structure in dental and substantive operational guidance on how DSOs operate. His experience as President at ClearChoice, and before that as President at Pacific Dental Services, gives him unique insight into how to create alignment and accountability within an organization.
Jane Levy
CEO, Plan Forward · President, Wits Fund · Board of Directors, CareCru
Koert is a principled and talented executive with great people skills. I enjoyed his willingness to tackle new adventures and his interest in learning the correct way to scale his line of business. He does not shy away from the conversations that need to happen, but leaves participants with a sense that he considered their interests in his decision making.
Kenneth Davis
VP of Dentist Development, Pacific Dental Services
Over the years, I have had the privilege of collaborating with Koert Takkunen in various roles. Koert is a brilliant entrepreneur who possesses a remarkable talent for identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to enhance business performance. I find his coaching and leadership approach to be both systematic and inspiring.
Jan LeBeau
Vice President, Hygiene Support, Aspen Dental (formerly Director of Dental Hygiene/Chair of Dental Hygiene PDS Institute, Pacific Dental Services)
I observed Koert grow into an extremely capable sales leader who led his Chicago-area sales team to consistently top spots year after year. He made critical personnel decisions when required to strengthen his team, developed his people to elevate their abilities, and always prioritized the issues that needed attention. A true performer.
John Cox
Chief Growth Officer, SprintRay, Inc. (formerly SVP Sales & General Manager, Nobel Biocare)
Koert has a very strong sense of what direction to lead his team that maximizes shareholder value while building strong relationships with his customer base.
Thomas von Sydow
CEO, Cornerstone Group (formerly VP of Strategy & Platform Development, Pacific Dental Services)
Koert is a true professional who is detail-oriented, always manages the bottom line, and never loses sight of the strategic direction of the company. He is a positive asset to any organization.
Michael Vandenkolk
VP of Sales, Keystone Dental, Inc.
Leadership Philosophy

This Is How I Choose to Lead

Purposed leadership means suspending self-interest to create value for others. That value starts with trust — built by the leader, extended to the team, carried forward to everyone the team serves. Trust compounds: into culture, into experience, into results that accelerate, not fluctuate. This model is my answer to why I lead, where I draw my strength, and what I value most.

Koert Takkunen's personal leadership model, an animated flywheel diagram

Let's talk about your next chapter of growth.

Resume, biography, and professional endorsements available for download.