DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, today announced that Scott Booker has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Booker succeeds Roger Holstein, who will assume the role of Vice Chairman of the Healthgrades Board and return to Vestar Capital Partners, the private equity firm that is the majority stakeholder of Healthgrades, to focus his efforts as a Managing Director there.
Mr. Holstein will work closely with Mr. Booker to ensure a smooth transition of leadership and continued momentum with consumers and healthcare partners, building on the company’s success to date. An experienced product, marketing and technology executive, Mr. Booker has held leadership roles at e-commerce and consumer websites, including travel site Hotels.com, an Expedia Inc. company, and social entrepreneurial retailer Stella & Dot.
“Healthgrades’ mission – to bring information and transparency to consumers to help them find the right care – is one that I share, and I look forward to advancing it in partnership with our talented employees and our healthcare partners,” said Mr. Booker. “As Healthgrades continues to evolve its industry-leading marketplace platform and redefines how consumers find the right doctor, hospital and care, no company is better positioned to help our country’s leading health systems capitalize on the significant opportunities ahead. We will continue to develop our healthcare partners’ digital brands and distribution strategies to connect with consumers on their digital properties, with the 30 million consumers who visit Healthgrades every month, and through Healthgrades proprietary distribution network.”
Norm Alpert, Chairman of the Healthgrades Board of Directors and Co-founder and President of Vestar Capital Partners, said: “I am confident that Scott’s experience and leadership will continue to accelerate Healthgrades’ growth by deepening relationships with our healthcare partners and enhancing our engagement platform, using our insights on consumers and providers.” Mr. Alpert continued, “I thank Roger for his leadership at Healthgrades and for his dedication to the company. During his tenure, the company tripled our online audience and dramatically expanded our client base, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in his role on the Board of Directors of Healthgrades and at Vestar.”
During his tenure at Expedia, Inc. (2004 to 2013), Mr. Booker served in a number of roles across retail operations, customer marketing and global e-commerce, most recently as President of Hotels.com Worldwide. He has held roles at Stella & Dot, Accenture and Citigroup and has experience running both multi-billion dollar and start-up businesses. Mr. Booker has a strong track record of working with partners to drive customer engagement, which will be one of his key priorities at Healthgrades.
“With a track record of success in the digital marketplace and a unique and valuable perspective on customer relationship management from his time in the travel and retail sectors, Scott will lead the execution of our growth strategy,” said Mr. Holstein. “I am proud of the tremendous progress we have achieved at Healthgrades over the past four years and now is the right time to pass on the torch of leadership. Now more than ever, Healthgrades has significant growth opportunities ahead and Scott’s extensive experience will continue to drive our business forward by identifying new ways to partner with providers and connect with consumers.”
About Healthgrades
Healthgrades, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Today, more than one million people a day use the Healthgrades websites to search, compare and connect with hospitals and physicians based on the most important measures when selecting a healthcare provider: experience, hospital quality and patient satisfaction. For more information about Healthgrades, visit http://www.healthgrades.com or download the Healthgrades iPhone app.
