Charleston Based Benefitfocus Appoints Proven Industry Leader Matthew Levin as New CEO to Further Advance Growth Strategy

CHARLESTON, S.C., May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Benefitfocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNFT), an industry-leading benefits technology platform that simplifies benefits administration for employers, health plans and brokers, announces that Matthew Levin has been appointed president and chief executive officer and to the Benefitfocus board of directors, effective May 10, 2021.

Levin succeeds Stephen Swad, who served as the company’s CFO and was appointed CEO in 2020. In order to ensure a seamless handoff of leadership responsibilities, Swad will serve as an advisor to the CEO until September 2021. Thereafter, Swad will continue to serve as a Benefitfocus board director.Levin has more than fifteen years of experience in the benefits administration, health insurance and health care technology industries, and a distinguished track record leading growth strategies and building companies into industry leaders. His expertise spans corporate development, strategic planning and developing successful strategies for expansion into growth adjacencies. Levin most recently served as the chief strategy officer of ADP (NASDAQ: ADP), a leading payroll company.“On behalf of the board and everyone at Benefitfocus, I am delighted to welcome Matt as the company’s next CEO,” said Doug Dennerline, an independent director on the Benefitfocus board who will become chairman at the 2021 Annual Meeting. “Matt is a seasoned leader who has demonstrated his ability to execute innovative growth strategies. He will be an outstanding leader for Benefitfocus, with the skillset and experience to continue advancing the company’s strategy and take its performance to the next level.” 

Dennerline added, “We also thank Steve for his willingness to step in and provide leadership to the company during a particularly dynamic and challenging period. Thanks to Steve’s leadership, the company has strengthened its foundation and is now ready for its next chapter. The board and management team are committed to ensuring a smooth transition, and we are all grateful that Benefitfocus will continue to benefit from Steve’s experience and perspective.”

“I am humbled by this opportunity and excited to join the company at a pivotal moment in its history,” said Levin. “I look forward to working with the team to drive innovative growth strategies and build on the company’s strong foundation to unlock even greater value. Thanks to the initiatives Steve and the team have been implementing over the past several quarters, I believe Benefitfocus is poised to create customer value-enhancing opportunities. I am particularly excited to help realize the company’s tremendous upside potential as a partner to employers, health plans and brokers, ensuring employees and members are maximizing the value of their investments in health care.”“I echo Doug’s enthusiasm in welcoming Matt as Benefitfocus’ next CEO,” said Swad. “The board and I agree he is the right leader to build on our progress and strategy. I’m also pleased to share we are coming off a solid quarter and are reiterating our full year guidance. We have great confidence in the company’s future and look forward to providing more details on our previously scheduled earnings call later today.”The company will also file a Form 8-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) with additional details regarding the leadership succession.

About Matthew Levin

Matthew Levin joins Benefitfocus from ADP, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer since 2018, and was responsible for strategy, corporate development, ADP Ventures and the ADP Research Institute. Before joining ADP, Levin was a managing partner at Psilos Group Managers, a growth equity firm, where he specialized in technology-enabled health care services investments. Prior to Psilos, Levin was executive vice president and head of global strategy for Aon plc, a leading global professional services firm that provides a broad range of insurance and human capital solutions. Earlier in his career, Levin served as senior vice president of corporate development and strategy for Hewitt Associates, a leader in health, retirement and human capital consulting, and outsourcing services. Levin was a core member of the team that led the $4.9 billion merger between Aon Consulting and Hewitt Associates, creating an industry-leading benefits and human resources solutions firm.

Levin began his career in the First Scholar Program at First Chicago NBD, now JP Morgan Chase. Levin holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. He was also named to Crain’s Chicago Business 2011 “40 Under 40” and the World Economic Forum’s “2013 Young Global Leaders” program.

About Benefitfocus

Benefitfocus (NASDAQ: BNFT) unifies the entire benefits industry through innovative technology solutions that bring efficiency, cost savings and simplicity to employee benefits administration. Our powerful cloud-based software, data-driven insights and thoughtfully designed services help employers, insurance brokers, health plans and suppliers address the complexity of benefits enrollment and engagement, while bringing easier access to health, wealth and lifestyle products through a world-class benefits experience. Our mission is simple: to improve lives with benefits. 

Learn more at www.benefitfocus.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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