• WELL appoints recognized privacy and healthcare law expert Samara Starkman as Chief Privacy Officer and Vice President, Legal & Regulatory, to lead enterprise privacy, AI governance and healthcare regulatory strategy across the organization.
• Ms. Starkman previously led the privacy department at Cancer Care Ontario (now part of Ontario Health), co-founded INQ Consulting and was a Partner at INQ Law, advising major Ontario hospitals, pharmaceutical and health-tech companies.
• Ms. Starkman's appointment reflects WELL's focus on embedding privacy and responsible AI governance across the WELL group of companies, including WELL Health, WELLSTAR and HEALWELL AI.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 20, 2026) - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) (OTCQX: WHTCF) (the "Company" or "WELL"), a digital healthcare company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their patients globally, is pleased to announce the appointment of Samara Starkman as Chief Privacy Officer ("CPO") and Vice President, Legal & Regulatory, effective immediately. Ms. Starkman's appointment further strengthens WELL's privacy, AI governance and regulatory capabilities, supporting the Company's commitment to protecting the data entrusted to it across its ecosystem.

Ms. Starkman is a recognized privacy and healthcare law expert who has spent her career helping healthcare and technology organizations navigate complex regulatory environments while enabling responsible innovation. Prior to co-founding INQ Consulting and serving as a Partner at INQ Law, she led the privacy department at Cancer Care Ontario (now part of Ontario Health). In private practice, she advised a diverse range of organizations, including major Ontario hospitals, pharmaceutical and health-tech companies, on privacy, compliance, health law, data governance and technology matters.

Ms. Starkman holds a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Laws (LLM) and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada (CIPP/C), a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP). She has taught privacy law at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and the University of Toronto and is a frequent speaker and writer on privacy, health law and emerging issues at the intersection of technology and healthcare.

Hamed Shahbazi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of WELL, commented, "As WELL scales AI across our clinics, WELLSTAR and HEALWELL AI, privacy and governance must keep pace with innovation. Samara's appointment gives us a dedicated leader with deep healthcare privacy and regulatory expertise to build that foundation enterprise-wide. Her experience will strengthen the trust of the patients, providers and partners we serve, and position WELL to grow responsibly as governments and healthcare organizations increasingly seek partners they can rely on to protect health data."

Loreto Grimaldi, Chief Legal Officer of WELL, added, "Since I joined WELL, a key priority has been building a Law Department with the depth to support our full mandate (legal, compliance, governance, privacy, regulatory affairs and enterprise risk) across WELL Health, WELLSTAR and HEALWELL AI. Samara's appointment is an important step in that build-out. She combines regulatory depth with hands-on operating experience, having led privacy at a major Ontario health agency and advised hospitals and health-tech companies on precisely the issues we face every day. Privacy and AI governance now sit at the core of the legal function, and with Samara leading this work, we are well positioned to embed them into how our businesses operate and grow. I am delighted to welcome her to the team."

Ms. Starkman commented, "I am thrilled to join WELL and look forward to building an enterprise-wide privacy program that can scale alongside our growth. I am equally excited to lead the development of an AI governance framework designed to ensure WELL's AI systems are developed and deployed safely, ethically, transparently and responsibly, while helping our businesses anticipate and navigate Canada's evolving healthcare regulatory landscape."

As CPO and Vice President, Legal & Regulatory, Ms. Starkman joins WELL's Law Department and will lead a team of professionals driving enterprise privacy, AI governance and healthcare regulatory initiatives across WELL Health, WELLSTAR and HEALWELL AI. Her mandate includes building and maturing a scalable, enterprise-wide privacy program that supports the continued growth of the WELL ecosystem, leading AI governance, and providing healthcare regulatory leadership as WELL's businesses navigate an increasingly complex Canadian regulatory environment. Ms. Starkman will work closely with WELL's functional and business teams to embed privacy and regulatory considerations proactively into the Company's operations, technology, products and growth initiatives.

WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"
Hamed Shahbazi
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

About WELL Health Technologies Corp.
WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) (OTCQX: WHTCF) is Canada's largest outpatient healthcare company and a leading provider of technology-enabled healthcare solutions. WELL is building the infrastructure for a healthier Canada, where every patient gets better care, every provider is empowered by AI, and every piece of health data is protected. WELL owns and operates 275 clinics in Canada, supporting more than 5 million annual patient visits. Through its subsidiary WELLSTAR, WELL provides electronic medical records, AI-powered clinical tools, patient engagement platforms and IT management services. WELL provides cybersecurity services through its CYBERWELL subsidiary. WELL is publicly traded on the TSX under the symbol "WELL" and on the OTC Exchange under the symbol "WHTCF". To learn more, please visit: www.well.company.   

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.  

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/319929