Shane Solomon, the inaugural head and driving force behind Telstra's healthcare division, has announced to staff that he will retire as managing director of the company early next year.

Mr Solomon, who helped establish Telstra Health in 2013 with a vision of joining up the disparate parts of the healthcare sector using established technologies, will officially retire in February, although Telstra spokesman Steve Carey said he would continue as an advisor to Telstra on the delivery of the National Cancer Screening Register, including as chair of the project control board.