Patterson Companies has appointed Gregg Kunes as its new Chief Digital Officer, the company announced today. Kunes will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Robert Rajalingam and will be responsible for leading Patterson's enterprise-wide digital strategy.
The hire signals a continued investment in modernization at Patterson, which was taken private by healthcare-focused investment firm Patient Square Capital in April 2025 and has since moved quickly to build out its executive bench. In January, the company announced the appointment of Patrik Eriksson as President of Patterson Dental North America — and Kunes now joins that leadership team as the company's first CDO.
Kunes brings more than two decades of experience in digital transformation across complex, large-scale distribution and manufacturing organizations. Most recently, he served as Head of Global Digital Commerce at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he oversaw digital channel development and optimization across 12 business units. He is credited there with executing what the company has described as the largest global software transformation in the life sciences distribution industry.
Prior to Thermo Fisher, Kunes held a division leadership role at Amazon, where he built a digital games and software portfolio from the ground up.
"Patterson is investing in our ongoing digital transformation, and with Gregg now leading that effort, we feel optimistic and excited for this next chapter in the company," said CEO Robert Rajalingam in a statement.
For Kunes, the appeal of Patterson appears to be as much cultural as it is strategic. "I'm immensely grateful to join a company like Patterson that is rooted in strong values and committed to the success of their customers," he said. "My focus will be on finding ways we can move faster and work smarter to deliver world-class customer experiences in our markets."
Kunes earned an MBA from The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business and a dual undergraduate degree in business and chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he serves on the board of the local chapter of Autism Speaks and has developed AI-based tools to assist children and families navigating autism.
What This Means for Dental Practices
For the dental professionals and practices that rely on Patterson for supplies, technology, and practice management support, the CDO appointment is worth watching. Patterson's digital experience — including its Fuse practice management platform and e-commerce capabilities — has long been a competitive differentiator against rivals like Henry Schein and Benco. Under private equity ownership, expectations for accelerated investment in digital infrastructure are high.
Kunes's background skews heavily toward large-scale distribution and digital commerce, which tracks with where Patterson likely sees the most room to grow: streamlining online ordering, deepening integration with practice software, and improving the overall technology experience for dental offices.
Whether that translates to tangible improvements at the practice level will depend on execution — but the pedigree of the hire suggests Patterson is serious about closing whatever digital gaps may exist with its competition.