Melissa Alvares

Melissa Alvares, SVP of Marketing at Unyte, has spent more than 20 years helping purpose-driven companies grow. Her path into mental health, though, began somewhere many people will recognize: at home, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like so many parents, Melissa was juggling a demanding career with two young children at home. As a naturally social person, she found the isolation and loss of everyday connection hard. That experience made the importance of mental health personal, and it led her to join MindBeacon, a pioneer in digital mental health, to lead its marketing.

By then, Melissa had already built a strong foundation in marketing. She began her career at Softchoice, joining the IT company when its marketing team was just 10 people, and learned how to build marketing from the ground up. She later moved into healthcare technology as VP of Marketing at Swift Medical, a leader in wound care technology. When CloudMD (now Kii Health) acquired MindBeacon, Melissa became SVP of Marketing & Growth for CloudMD. There she oversaw a broad portfolio spanning employee assistance programs, mental health and occupational health clinics, digital mental health, and assessment and health and safety services.
Melissa went on to become Chief Marketing Officer of Owl Practice Suite. The suite brought together Owl Practice, an electronic health record for mental health professionals; Reimbursify, an out-of-network reimbursement platform; and Zencare, a marketing platform for therapists. She later launched her own fractional CMO practice, supporting a range of startups and scaleups. When she came across Unyte, its team culture and mission struck a chord, and she decided to join full time.

Melissa is a sought-after speaker on brand, growth and health tech. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, biking around the city, and serving as chauffeur to her two boys, who both play competitive sports. She is also an avid traveler who has visited more than 50 countries and summited Mount Kilimanjaro.