Knowwn names interim CEO and new revenue chief

Knowwn, a healthcare retention platform, named James Aylward interim CEO and hired Kayla Pennington as chief revenue officer as it pushes deeper into enterprise sales and hospital partnerships. The moves come as the company targets workforce retention and culture challenges across healthcare organizations.

Why it matters: - Knowwn is trying to scale a healthcare retention platform at a time when hospitals and health systems are still dealing with burnout, turnover and workforce strain. - The leadership changes are aimed at expanding the enterprise pipeline, speeding strategic deals and building distribution partnerships across healthcare. - Knowwn's platform is positioned around employee recognition as a retention tool, which the company links to culture, engagement and workforce stability.

What happened: - Knowwn named James Aylward as interim chief executive officer and hired Kayla Pennington as chief revenue officer. - The company said the changes come as Knowwn enters its next phase of growth. - Aylward joined Knowwn earlier in 2026 as chief revenue officer after a new funding round led by Relevance Ventures. - Pennington joins from HealthStream, where she spent 15 years in healthcare SaaS.

The details: - Aylward brings more than three decades of healthcare technology leadership. - His background includes building, scaling and exiting enterprise SaaS businesses, including Sy.Med Development, MedCenterDisplay and Preferral. - Pennington's career has focused on healthcare organizations, healthcare leader pain points and bringing people-focused solutions to market. - Pennington also has experience building and operating her own company. - As chief revenue officer, Pennington will lead revenue strategy, customer growth, strategic partnerships and go-to-market efforts. - Knowwn's platform automates recognition for birthdays and work anniversaries. - The platform also supports organization-specific recognition moments, including onboarding, earned certifications, HCAHPS achievements, safety goals, departmental accomplishments and other contributions. - Knowwn says the platform helps organizations strengthen engagement, culture and retention from hire to retire. - Knowwn describes itself as a healthcare-focused "Retention Through Recognition" platform.

Between the lines: - The move suggests Knowwn wants an operator with deep healthcare SaaS experience at the top while keeping a revenue leader focused on market expansion. - The emphasis on recognition reflects a broader bet that employee experience can influence retention and care delivery, not just human resources metrics. - Pennington's background at HealthStream signals a focus on selling into healthcare systems through established industry relationships.

What's next: - Pennington will help expand Knowwn's footprint across healthcare organizations nationwide. - Knowwn is expected to use the new leadership structure to pursue more enterprise deals and partnerships. - The company points to more information on its website. - Relevance Ventures continues to support the company after its earlier funding round.

The bottom line: - Knowwn is betting that stronger recognition tools, paired with experienced healthcare sales leadership, can help it win more customers in a crowded workforce-tech market.