Cohere Health, a recognized leader in clinical intelligence and prior authorization automation, has appointed Robert (Bob) Shepardson as Chief Financial Officer. Shepardson will steer financial strategy and operational scaling amid a period of substantial revenue growth and strategic activity facilitated by Cohere’s recent capital infusion.
Shepardson brings over 35 years of expertise in high-growth healthcare and technology sectors, with a proven track record of leading businesses through both organic and inorganic growth strategies across private equity, venture capital, and publicly traded environments. His extensive industry knowledge, combined with a seasoned approach to financial leadership and a strong strategic vision, uniquely positions him to lead Cohere’s finance, partnerships, and inorganic initiatives as the company scales its innovative solutions for health plan clients and beyond.
“With his extensive background in healthcare finance and a proven track record of guiding high-growth companies through pivotal milestones, including IPOs and strategic M&A, Bob will be integral to Cohere Health as it scales its operations and continues to build market share,” said Siva Namasivayam, CEO, Cohere Health. “Bob’s expertise will be instrumental as we enter the next phase of growth, driving our mission to go beyond utilization management by transforming and improving the process for patients, providers, and health plans with the latest technology and AI capabilities.”
Previously, Shepardson served as the Chief Financial Officer of Amwell and oversaw all the financial, accounting, and M&A aspects of the company. He joined Amwell in November 2021 from Morgan Stanley, where he spent over 30 years, and held various leadership roles in Global Capital Markets and Media and Communications Investment Banking. At Morgan Stanley, Shepardson spearheaded Amwell’s IPO and secondary offering as lead underwriter and managed financings for many high-growth healthcare companies, including One Medical, Accolade, Oak Street Health, Certara, Alignment Healthcare, and Lifestance Health.
“Cohere is a high-caliber technology and AI company that has demonstrated impressive growth in such a short amount of time,” said Shepardson. “I look forward to building on Cohere’s strong market momentum and contributing to its next phase of growth and expansion.”
This announcement follows the company’s recent equity raise of $50 million. Additionally, Cohere has sustained a rapid growth trajectory during the last year through its partnerships with Medical Mutual and Rhyme, expanded collaboration with Humana, integration with Epic’s Payer Platform, and its recently announced partnership with MCG.
Currently, Shepardson serves as Treasurer on the board of The Alliance for Positive Change, an organization focused on transforming the lives of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Princeton University and earned his Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
About Cohere Health
Cohere Health is a clinical intelligence company that provides intelligent prior authorization as a springboard to better quality outcomes by aligning physicians and health plans on evidence-based care paths for the patient’s entire care journey. Currently processing nine million intelligent prior authorization requests annually, Cohere positively impacts more than 15 million health plan members and 492,000 healthcare providers nationwide. The company is a Top 5 LinkedIn™ Startup, winner of the TripleTree iAward, three-time recipient of KLAS Research’s Points of Light, and has been named to Fierce Healthcare’s Fierce 15 and CB Insights’ Digital Health 150 lists. Cohere’s investors include Deerfield Management, Define Ventures, Flare Capital Partners, Longitude Capital, and Polaris Partners.
