Premier Inc. announced that Susan DeVore is retiring as the company’s chief executive officer effective May 1, 2021. Michael J. Alkire, president of Premier, will succeed DeVore and serve as CEO also effective May 1, 2021. To ensure a smooth transition, DeVore will remain with Premier through June 30, 2021, and will continue as an advisor to the company for two years after that. Alkire, who joined Premier in 2003, is a seasoned healthcare executive with nearly 30 years of operational, technology and business development leadership experience. He was named chief operating officer in 2013 and president in 2019. As president, he leads the continued advancement of Premier’s strategy to support members in providing higher quality healthcare at lower costs through the company’s clinical, financial, supply chain and operational performance improvement offerings. Prior to joining Premier, Alkire worked for 12 years at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young in leadership roles including North American responsibilities for its supply chain and high-tech manufacturing sector. In his role as president, Alkire also leads the evolution of Premier’s Performance Services business, which combines artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology, data and actionable insights with wraparound implementation services to improve health outcomes and reduce total costs. With his broad technology experience, he has led the implementation of machine learning and AI into Premier’s clinical decision support platform to streamline the prior authorization process for payors, improve health system performance, provide real-world evidence capabilities to life sciences companies, and support the alignment of health systems with employers.