Chicago, May 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kooth Digital Health announced the appointment of Fred Bendaña as Chief Commercial Officer, a role that will accelerate the growth of Soluna, Kooth's digital mental health platform purpose-built for young people in the U.S., and advance the company's commercial strategy across the United States and the United Kingdom.

Bendaña brings nearly a decade of executive leadership experience from The Cigna Group, where he held senior roles within Evernorth Health Services and Express Scripts pharmacy benefits. He has led sales, business development, and growth teams across complex healthcare markets, serving government, health plan, and employer clients with solutions spanning behavioral health, virtual care, pharmacy, medical, and care delivery.

'Fred joins us at a genuinely significant moment,' said Kate Newhouse, Chief Executive Officer of Kooth. 'For 25 years, Kooth has existed to solve a problem that traditional mental health systems have struggled to address: how to reach people who need support but cannot access it. Today, we serve over 20 million people across the US and UK, embedded in state and national infrastructure, and backed by independent evidence of impact that I believe is unmatched in our sector. That scale brings both opportunity and responsibility. Our commercial model — whether working with state governments in the US, commissioners and health systems in the UK, or expanding relationships with counties, universities, managed care organizations, and payers — demands patient, systems-literate leadership that can navigate complexity while building the long-term partnerships on which durable growth depends. Fred brings precisely that. His appointment reflects our confidence that the next phase of Kooth's growth, on both sides of the Atlantic, will be built on the same foundations that have defined the last 25 years — trust, evidence, and a genuine commitment to the people we serve.'

Bendaña's appointment comes as Kooth continues to expand Soluna's reach across the US and UK, deepening partnerships with state governments, national health systems, payers, schools, and community organisations. Soluna is already one of the largest and most clinically validated youth mental health platforms in the world, serving millions of young people and operating at a scale few organisations in this space have achieved — with independent evaluation demonstrating measurable, population-level impact. The company sees significant runway ahead as demand for early, accessible mental health support continues to outpace supply on both sides of the Atlantic.

'Kooth has built something genuinely rare; a platform that young people trust, that commissioners and government partners rely on, and that has the clinical evidence to back it up,” said Bendaña. “That combination doesn't come along often. The opportunity to expand access and the urgency to do so has never been greater. Young people who get the right support earlier stay in school, enter the workforce, contribute to their communities, and ultimately help build stronger economies. The individual and downstream impact is what drives us.'

'Fred's appointment reflects the board's conviction that Kooth is entering a new phase of commercial maturity,' said Peter Whiting, Chair of the Board of Kooth Digital Health. 'He brings the depth of experience and strategic clarity needed to accelerate our growth across both the US and UK. We are delighted to welcome him to the team.'

About Kooth Digital Health: Kooth is a global leader in digital mental and behavioral health, providing safe, effective care to over 20 million people. For 25 years, Kooth has pioneered scalable solutions that deliver immediate, direct, universal access to mental health support. Kooth holds URAC accreditation in the US and is the longest standing digital mental health provider to hold UK-wide accreditation from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), validating a commitment to quality, safety, and accountability across both markets. Learn more at connect.kooth.com. 

Madison Hamilton Kooth mhamilton@kooth.com