Kara Connect, the mental health and wellbeing platform transforming workplace support, has appointed Tobin Coles as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Coles has deep experience in the employee wellbeing market and is based in the UK. He has led startups and held leadership positions within enterprise firms. With Kara Connect aiming to consolidate its position in the UK, Coles has been tasked to expand its footprint.
The opportunity is large with the Kara Connect platform aiming to displace the often outdated Employee Assistance Programmes with its innovative Wellbeing platform. Kara Connect provides access to over 3,000 hand-picked experts across 60 specialities with over 37 languages supported.
Kara Connect believes the benefits delivered for employee engagement convert into tangible business benefits with an ROI of 300%. And an engagement increase of up to 600% amongst customers.
In comparison with traditional EAP solutions, Kara Connect has seen an average of 23% employee engagement (compared to 1.8%). The platform is steadily redefining how HR and wellbeing leaders manage their initiatives.
Tobba Vigfusdottir, Founder and CEO of Kara Connect, commented, “Tobin brings an incredible combination of commercial acumen and frontline experience in employee mental health. His track record in transforming resilience and wellbeing services will be instrumental as we expand and focus on the UK market – where employers are crying out for high-impact solutions.”
Coles joins at a time when Kara Connect is aiming to accelerate growth within the UK market. It is planning to aim at both larger businesses and SMEs. Customers include Reykjavik Energy, Talent Hub Zartis, and FuturEnergy Ireland.
Caroline Haughey, Future Energy Ireland, commented, “Over 97% of our team used Kara Connect during a four-week pilot. And it’s continued to be a huge hit since we rolled out this benefit with the varied professionals solving a range of concerns from nutrition to physio.”
Who is Tobin Coles
Coles joins from Perkbox Vivup, where he was the Group’s Indirect Sales Partnerships Director. Before that, he was CEO of The Employee Resilience Company. The Employee Resilience Company (TERC) was a provider of specialist psychological therapy and counselling services to various sectors. These included the NHS, police, and higher education institutions. TERC was acquired by Perkbox Vipup in 2024.
Coles was also CEO at Amba. He has also helped found at least two businesses during his career, Earthmiles and Trans_form(8) and CovalentHR Technology. Earlier in his career he spent nearly eight years at Aon Employee Benefits in Sales leadership roles. He was also head of flexible benefits at the Jelf Group Plc.
Coles has an MSC in Attachment Theory from the Univeristy of Roehampton and a BSC in Environmental Science from Kingston University.
Coles commented, “I’m honoured to join Kara Connect at such a critical and exciting time. The company’s mission to make meaningful mental health support accessible for every employee is both urgent and deeply aligned with my own values. This sector has long needed a reimagining to ensure the needs of today’s workforce are truly met – fast, easy access, a tech-first experience; and a broad spectrum of clinical specialities.
“That’s exactly what Kara Connect delivers. And I’m excited to scale our impact across the UK and deliver long-term value for our customers and their teams.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Coles appears to be the ideal candidate for CRO at Kara Connect. He has a pedigree of working in both startups and larger enterprises. However, his experience within the employee wellbeing sector clearly makes this the ideal fit. Kara Connect will hope to leverage his existing network for its solutions and it will be interesting to see how quickly he can sign on new customers in the UK and beyond.
Coles has hit the ground running and is looking to partner with EBCs, Insurance Brokers, Insurers and Wellbeing providers as Kara Connect looks to help clients deploy wellbeing benefits.
