Health Catalyst CEO Ben Albert Steps Down From Board as Leadership Handover Takes Effect

Health Catalyst CEO Ben Albert is stepping down from the company’s board and relinquishing the chief executive and president roles effective Sept. 13, setting up a leadership change that becomes fully effective the following day. Simeon Kohl will take over as CEO and president and will join the board on Sept. 14, while Albert remains with the healthcare data and analytics company as chief business officer.

The handover closes a relatively short run for Albert at the top of Health Catalyst. He became CEO and a director on Feb. 12 after previously serving as president and chief operating officer. His move to chief business officer keeps him inside the senior leadership team rather than marking a departure from the company.

Health Catalyst announced the leadership change on Sept. 8, saying Albert had concluded that this was the right time to transition the CEO role as the company moves into its next phase. The company also said his resignation was not tied to a disagreement over its operations, policies or practices.

Kohl takes over the CEO, president and board roles

Kohl, 59, brings more than two decades of healthcare experience and most recently served as chief client officer of Machinify from October 2025 until July 2026. Before that, he was CEO and a director of Nasdaq-listed Performant Healthcare from May 2023 until Performant was acquired by Machinify in October 2025. He had previously held other leadership positions at Performant, including president beginning in March 2022.

Health Catalyst’s board said Kohl’s public-company and healthcare technology experience fit the company’s current needs. In its announcement, the company highlighted the period in which he led Performant through strategic and operating changes before its approximately $670 million sale to Machinify. Kohl will also fill the Class III board seat vacated by Albert.

The compensation package gives the incoming CEO a $600,000 annual base salary and a target annual bonus equal to 100% of base salary. According to Health Catalyst’s Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the board also plans to grant Kohl 2,747,385 restricted stock units. Of those, 915,975 are scheduled to vest on Sept. 4, 2027, with the remainder vesting in eight approximately equal quarterly installments.

The company adopted a 2026 Employment Inducement Incentive Plan on Sept. 4 and reserved the same number of shares, 2,747,385, for awards under that plan. Health Catalyst said the plan was adopted without shareholder approval under a Nasdaq rule that permits certain equity awards used as a material inducement for new employment.

Albert stays with Health Catalyst in a commercial leadership role

Albert’s new position gives him a continuing role in the company’s strategy and commercial work after his board exit. His annual base salary as chief business officer will be $415,000. Beginning in 2027, he will be eligible for an annual bonus targeted at 60% of base salary, and he will continue to participate in Health Catalyst’s executive severance plan as a Tier 2 executive.

His path to the CEO job was closely tied to Health Catalyst’s acquisition of Upfront Healthcare Services. Albert co-founded Upfront in 2016 and served as its CEO until Health Catalyst acquired the patient engagement business in January 2025. He later became Health Catalyst’s president and chief operating officer in September 2025, then succeeded Dan Burton as CEO in February 2026 as the board accelerated a previously announced succession plan.

During Albert’s months as CEO, Health Catalyst narrowed its strategic focus and completed the sale of Vitalware, its mid-revenue-cycle business, to Med-Metrix. The company had announced a $147 million cash price for the business in June and closed the sale on July 31. It used the net proceeds and cash on hand to repay and terminate its credit facility, which the September leadership announcement described as approximately $160 million.

That balance-sheet reset is part of the backdrop for Albert’s change in responsibilities. The company has been directing more attention toward its core healthcare intelligence technology and AI-related products, while retaining Albert to work with Kohl and the rest of the leadership team on strategic priorities. Health Catalyst has not said that Albert is leaving the company or that the CEO change reflects a dispute with the board.

The handover comes during a broader business reset

Health Catalyst entered the leadership transition after reporting lower year-over-year revenue but improved adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter. Revenue for the three months ended June 30 was $70.5 million, down 13% from $80.7 million a year earlier. The company reported a net loss of $40.5 million, compared with a $41.0 million loss in the prior-year period, while adjusted EBITDA rose 6% to $9.9 million.

Those results still included Vitalware before the business was sold at the end of July. Following the divestiture, Health Catalyst projected third-quarter revenue of $55 million to $56 million and adjusted EBITDA of $0 to $0.5 million. Its full-year 2026 outlook called for revenue of $246 million to $249 million and adjusted EBITDA of $18 million to $18.5 million.

The new leadership structure therefore takes effect after several months of changes involving management, the board, the company’s portfolio and its balance sheet. Albert’s CEO tenure was part of that period, including the Vitalware sale and debt repayment, but Health Catalyst is now assigning the next stage of execution to Kohl while keeping Albert focused on the business side of the organization.

The immediate timetable is clear. Albert’s resignation as CEO, president and director is effective Sept. 13, and his appointment as chief business officer begins Sept. 14. Kohl’s appointments as CEO, president and Class III director also become effective Sept. 14, giving Health Catalyst a new chief executive while preserving continuity through Albert’s continued role.