Dental Care Alliance has appointed Doug Simpson as Chief Financial Officer and Mike Murphy as Chief Marketing Officer, strengthening its executive leadership team as the organization enters its next phase of growth.
Headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., Dental Care Alliance supports more than 400 affiliated dental practices and more than 900 dentists across 24 states. In their new roles, Simpson and Murphy will help guide the financial and marketing strategies supporting the organization’s continued expansion.
Simpson brings three decades of healthcare finance and operating leadership across public, private and private equity-backed organizations. He most recently served as President of Panoramic Health, a physician-led kidney care platform with more than 600 providers across over 250 locations in 15 states. He initially joined the organization as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Previously, Simpson was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, a $13.6 billion health insurer serving 3.7 million members. He also held senior finance leadership roles at Elevance Health, formerly Anthem, including serving as CFO of its $56 billion Government Business Division.
Earlier in his career, Simpson led equity research teams covering managed care and healthcare providers at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bucknell University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“The CFO seat is where strategy, operations and capital allocation come together,” said Dr. Larry Benz, Chief Executive Officer of Dental Care Alliance. “Doug has served in every critical role — operator, CFO and investor — at some of the largest and most complex healthcare organizations in the country. He is a proven developer of talent and a true enterprise thinker, and I could not be more excited to partner with him.”
Murphy brings more than 15 years of experience scaling private equity-backed, multi-location healthcare and service businesses. He most recently advised the CEO of Blackstone-backed DECA Dental Group, which operates more than 160 Ideal Dental offices across 10 states, on acquisition strategy and marketing leadership transition.
Previously, Murphy served as Executive Vice President of Marketing at PetVet Care Centers, a KKR portfolio company with more than 430 animal hospitals across 39 states.
As DECA Dental Group’s first marketing leader and, ultimately, its Chief Marketing Officer, Murphy built the marketing engine that supported the organization’s expansion from 76 to more than 150 offices. During his tenure, he reduced customer acquisition costs by 65% and increased marketing return on investment by 174%.
Earlier, Murphy led digital marketing and new-client acquisition for VCA Animal Hospitals, a division of Mars Petcare with more than 800 hospitals. In that role, he grew new clients by 82% and generated $106 million in new-client revenue at a 10-to-1 return on investment.
“Sustainable growth happens when central strategy and local execution move in lockstep, and that is exactly the model Mike has built across some of the most demanding multi-location platforms in healthcare,” said James Nick, Chief Operating Officer of Dental Care Alliance. “His discipline around omnichannel marketing, combined with his track record of partnering with operations and field leadership, makes him the ideal leader for our continued growth.”
“These appointments reflect our commitment to building a leadership team aligned with the scale of our ambitions,” Benz added. “Doug and Mike bring disciplined, data-driven leadership and a deep respect for the people delivering AmaZing care in our communities every day.”
