HMH Taps Adobe Vet Jessica Naeve as CMO to Lead AI-Driven Growth

BOSTON, MA – May 07, 2026 – In a move signaling a significant acceleration of its digital strategy, K-12 learning company HMH announced today the appointment of Jessica Naeve as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Naeve, an accomplished technology and education executive, joins HMH from Adobe, where she managed a multi-billion-dollar business unit and was involved in launching new AI-powered products. Her appointment is a clear indicator of HMH's intent to deepen its foothold in the rapidly evolving, technology-fueled education market.

In her new role, Naeve is tasked with leading HMH's global marketing strategy across its extensive portfolio of curriculum, assessment, and professional learning solutions. The company has emphasized that her focus will be on building and scaling "data-informed, cohesive digital marketing efforts" to better connect educators with HMH's tools.

A Strategic Pivot to Digital and AI

Naeve's appointment comes at a critical juncture for the education industry, which is grappling with the integration of artificial intelligence and the persistent demand for more effective digital learning tools. The AI in education market alone is projected to skyrocket from approximately $7 billion in 2025 to over $136 billion by 2035, a trend that underscores the urgency for established players like HMH to innovate aggressively.

HMH CEO Jack Lynch lauded Naeve's credentials, positioning her as a key driver for the company's next phase of growth. "Jessica is a high-energy growth leader who deeply understands the intersection of technology, education and innovation," Lynch stated. "Her proven track record of scaling digital businesses, marrying data‑driven insight with creativity and leading teams through transformation makes her an exceptional addition to our leadership team as we continue to accelerate our mission of helping educators create growth for every student."

Naeve's most recent role as General Manager at Adobe saw her overseeing a $2 billion "Next Gen" business within the Creative Cloud and Document Cloud franchises. Her experience there—driving growth in both B2B and B2C markets and helping to launch AI-powered products—provides a direct line from mainstream tech innovation to the challenges and opportunities facing HMH. This background suggests a future where HMH's marketing and product strategies become more deeply intertwined with advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence, moving beyond traditional outreach to more personalized and effective engagement with school districts and individual educators.

The Naeve Playbook: A Career Forged in Tech and Education

Jessica Naeve is not a newcomer to the education vertical. Her career reflects a consistent focus on leveraging technology to serve educational markets. Before her tenure at Adobe, she was instrumental in launching and scaling the Education vertical within LinkedIn's Marketing Solutions business, building a dedicated team and delivering sustained growth. This experience demonstrates a long-term understanding of the unique needs and purchasing cycles within the education sector.

Her journey showcases a rare blend of entrepreneurial, financial, and corporate leadership. Early in her career, Naeve was a founder of Sessions.edu, the first accredited online school for creative design, which she helped guide to profitability. Following that, she transitioned into investment banking as a Partner at Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, where she advised media and technology clients on mergers and acquisitions. This diverse background, spanning from startup creation to major M&A transactions, equips her with a holistic view of business strategy that is uncommon for a marketing chief.

Naeve herself acknowledged the transformative period the industry is facing. "I'm excited to join HMH at such a pivotal moment in its journey," she said. "Educators are navigating profound shifts in how teaching and learning happen and HMH is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation, connecting high-quality instructional materials, actionable data and intentional technology use to improve learning outcomes and simplify teachers' lives."

An Intensifying EdTech Arms Race

HMH's strategic hire does not occur in a vacuum. It is a calculated move within an increasingly competitive K-12 EdTech market, which is projected to grow to nearly $97 billion by 2030. Major players are engaged in a technological "arms race" to capture market share by offering the most integrated, intelligent, and user-friendly platforms.

This trend is evident in the hiring patterns of HMH's rivals. Direct competitor Pearson recently appointed Ginny Cartwright Ziegler as its Chief Marketing Officer, explicitly tasking her with integrating AI into the company's customer journeys. By bringing in a leader with direct AI product experience from a tech giant like Adobe, HMH is not just keeping pace but aiming to set the agenda.

The new battlefield for these companies is defined by hyper-personalization, predictive analytics, and seamless digital experiences. The expectation is that Naeve will apply her expertise to refine HMH's marketing engine, using data to ensure that solutions like its flagship HMH Ed learning platform and supplemental tools like Amira and Waggle reach the educators who need them most. This involves moving beyond broad campaigns to highly targeted, data-driven outreach that speaks directly to the specific challenges of a school district or even an individual teacher.

Ultimately, this high-level corporate maneuvering is intended to have a direct impact on the classroom. For HMH, which serves over 50 million students and 4 million educators globally, a more effective marketing strategy translates into greater adoption of its tools. The promise embedded in Naeve's appointment is that by leveraging cutting-edge technology and data, HMH can more effectively fulfill its core mission: empowering educators and improving student outcomes. The industry will be watching closely as her playbook for digital transformation unfolds.