OptimizeRx Taps Microsoft AI Leader for Board to Supercharge Growth

WALTHAM, Mass. – April 08, 2026 – OptimizeRx Corp. (Nasdaq: OPRX) has appointed a high-profile Microsoft executive to its Board of Directors, a strategic move signaling a significant acceleration of its push into AI-driven healthcare solutions. Mary Varghese Presti, the Corporate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft’s Health & Life Sciences organization, will join the board as an independent director.

The appointment comes as OptimizeRx, a company specializing in connecting life sciences brands with healthcare providers and patients, is actively evolving its business model. The firm aims to transition into a more integrated, product-led platform heavily reliant on recurring and subscription-based revenue, a strategy that aligns perfectly with Presti’s extensive experience in scaling technology platforms and commercializing innovation.

A Strategic Infusion of AI and Big Tech Expertise

Mary Varghese Presti brings more than two decades of experience from the highest echelons of technology and healthcare. In her current role at Microsoft, she is at the operational heart of the tech giant’s ambitious healthcare strategy, a division undergoing rapid transformation driven by generative AI. She has been instrumental in operationalizing next-generation, AI-powered capabilities, including advanced clinical and agentic technologies that are fundamentally reshaping care delivery and workflow management.

Her work involves enabling healthcare organizations to increase clinical capacity and improve decision-making through more connected, data-driven care—a mission that mirrors OptimizeRx's own goals. At Microsoft, this has translated into deploying sophisticated tools like healthcare-specific Copilots and emerging AI agents designed to automate administrative tasks and surface critical insights from complex data sets. This deep, practical experience in moving AI from concept to large-scale adoption is precisely what OptimizeRx sought.

“Mary’s experience from deal strategy through post transaction integration, scaling platforms, commercializing innovation, and driving operational rigor at some of the world’s leading healthcare and technology companies aligns directly with our strategy,” said Steve Silvestro, Chief Executive Officer of OptimizeRx. He emphasized her perspective will be "critical" as the company works to accelerate growth and expand its product portfolio.

This move is seen by industry observers as a clear indicator of OptimizeRx's intent to embed more sophisticated AI into its core offerings, such as its Dynamic Audience Activation Platform (DAAP). By bringing in a leader who has overseen the operational rollout of AI at a global scale, OptimizeRx is positioning itself to enhance its platform's intelligence and efficiency.

From M&A Integration to Product-Led Growth

Beyond her AI credentials, Presti’s career is marked by a deep understanding of corporate strategy, particularly in mergers, acquisitions, and post-deal integration. She was closely involved in integrating the speech recognition giant Nuance following its acquisition by Microsoft, a complex effort to align product, operational, and commercial capabilities. Previously, at IBM Watson Health, she managed a life sciences portfolio constructed from multiple acquisitions and was a key figure in the diligence process for the division's eventual divestiture.

This M&A acumen is highly valuable to OptimizeRx as it navigates a competitive landscape and pursues its growth strategy. The company has demonstrated strong performance, reporting full-year 2025 revenue of $109.4 million and an adjusted EBITDA of $24.3 million. Its stated goal of increasing recurring revenue is already taking shape, with its DAAP subscription revenue run-rate approaching 10% at the end of 2025. For 2026, the company projects revenue between $109 million and $114 million, indicating a focus on sustainable, platform-driven growth.

Presti’s appointment, part of an ongoing board refreshment process, provides the leadership team with a seasoned advisor capable of guiding both organic product development and potential strategic transactions. Her experience in building scalable, subscription-based business models is expected to directly support OptimizeRx's transition away from transactional revenue streams and toward a more predictable, platform-centric model.

Bridging Technology and Patient Care

What makes Presti’s profile particularly compelling is the foundation upon which her technology and business expertise is built: clinical, hands-on patient care. She began her career as a pediatric nurse at Johns Hopkins, an experience she credits with grounding her approach to innovation in the realities of care delivery. This unique "bedside-to-boardroom" trajectory provides a cross-sector perspective that spans care delivery, health policy, life sciences, and enterprise technology, with leadership roles at influential organizations like Pfizer and athenahealth.

This background ensures that the drive for technological advancement remains tethered to its ultimate purpose: improving the human experience in healthcare. It aligns seamlessly with OptimizeRx’s mission to use its technology to create more meaningful and effective interactions between life science companies, doctors, and patients, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.

“I’m excited to join OptimizeRx at a time when both healthcare and technology are evolving so quickly,” said Varghese Presti in the company's announcement. “There is real opportunity to rethink how data, engagement, and intelligences come together to better support clinicians and patients.”

As OptimizeRx continues to enhance its AI-powered tools for hyper-local and dynamic audience engagement, Presti’s dual perspective as both a technologist and a former clinician will be invaluable. Her appointment strengthens the board's ability to oversee a strategy that is not only technologically advanced and commercially successful but also clinically relevant and patient-centric. This strategic addition underscores the company's commitment to building a leadership team capable of navigating the complex, converging worlds of healthcare and artificial intelligence.