Wolters Kluwer Taps AI Strategist to Lead Booming ESG Division

ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN, The Netherlands – January 09, 2026 – Global information services leader Wolters Kluwer has appointed Maria Montenegro as the new Chief Executive Officer of its Corporate Performance & ESG (CP & ESG) division, a strategic move that underscores the company's focus on artificial intelligence and high-growth sustainability markets. Montenegro succeeds Karen Abramson, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests.

The appointment places a seasoned strategist with deep expertise in technology transformation and M&A at the head of a division critical to Wolters Kluwer's future. Since joining the company in 2022 as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Montenegro has been instrumental in shaping its forward-looking vision, particularly in accelerating product innovation and forging key AI-centric partnerships and acquisitions.

A Strategic Bet on AI-Driven Growth

Montenegro's promotion is a clear signal of Wolters Kluwer's intent to dominate the rapidly expanding market for corporate performance and ESG solutions by leveraging advanced technology. Her background, which includes nearly a decade at McKinsey & Company advising global firms on technology transformation and portfolio strategy, makes her uniquely suited to lead a division built on AI-enabled, cloud-based software.

During her tenure as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Montenegro played a pivotal role in the very formation of the CP & ESG division in March 2023. This unit was created to meet soaring demand from corporations for integrated solutions that manage financial, operational, and sustainability performance. The division consolidates several of Wolters Kluwer's award-winning software businesses, including CCH Tagetik for corporate performance management and Enablon for ESG, risk, and operational excellence.

These platforms are already recognized leaders. The CCH® Tagetik Intelligent Platform recently won a Gold Globee Award for Business Performance Management Software, while its specialized ESG & Sustainability solution also secured Gold. Similarly, Enablon ESG Excellence was named the 2024 Sustainability Service of the Year by the Business Intelligence Group. Montenegro's leadership is expected to accelerate the integration of AI across these platforms, enhancing their ability to automate data collection, provide predictive insights, and ensure auditable accuracy for clients navigating complex reporting demands.

Navigating a Complex ESG and Compliance Landscape

The timing of this leadership change is critical. Corporations worldwide are grappling with a tidal wave of new regulations, including the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and new standards from the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). These frameworks demand a level of data granularity, transparency, and verifiability that legacy systems and spreadsheets cannot provide.

This regulatory pressure has ignited a highly competitive market for ESG and enterprise software, with companies like Workiva, Diligent, and Oracle all vying for market share. Wolters Kluwer has positioned itself aggressively in this space. A recent Verdantix Green Quadrant report recognized the CP & ESG division as having the strongest market momentum among all global providers of ESG software.

The division’s strategy is to offer expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with powerful technology. By providing integrated tools, Wolters Kluwer helps companies break down data silos, connecting financial reporting with non-financial sustainability metrics. This holistic approach is crucial for performing complex tasks like “double materiality” assessments, which evaluate both how sustainability issues impact a company’s bottom line and how the company’s operations impact the wider world.

Leadership Continuity Amidst Broader Transition

Montenegro’s appointment also provides a crucial element of stability and strategic continuity during a period of broader leadership change at Wolters Kluwer. The company is preparing for the planned retirement of its long-serving CEO, Nancy McKinstry, who will be succeeded by Executive Board member Stacey Caywood on February 28, 2026.

The transition appears carefully orchestrated to reinforce the company's current strategic direction. Both the outgoing and incoming CEOs have publicly endorsed Montenegro, highlighting a unified vision for the CP & ESG division’s future.

“Maria Montenegro is a dynamic leader with a strong strategic vision and a proven ability to drive growth and transformation,” commented Nancy McKinstry, CEO and Chair of the Executive Board. “Stacey Caywood, my successor as Wolters Kluwer’s CEO, and I are confident she will lead the CP & ESG division to new heights.”

Stacey Caywood echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the division's strategic importance. “The market served by the CP & ESG division is a key part of our strategy... The division is well-positioned to pursue global growth opportunities in cloud-based AI-enabled enterprise software. Maria will bring great vision and leadership to CP & ESG,” she added.

This coordinated support signals that Montenegro’s promotion is not a course correction but an acceleration of a well-defined plan, ensuring that momentum in this key growth area is maintained and amplified under the new corporate leadership structure.

The Future of Integrated Corporate Performance

With Montenegro at the helm, the CP & ESG division is poised to capitalize on the fundamental shift toward integrated business management. The market is moving beyond siloed functions, demanding platforms that can provide a single, unified view of an organization's financial health, operational risks, and sustainability impact. This is where the convergence of corporate performance management (CPM) and ESG becomes a powerful competitive advantage.

AI is the catalyst for this transformation. It moves the needle from historical reporting to predictive analytics, enabling companies to model future scenarios, identify risks before they escalate, and uncover opportunities for sustainable growth. By automating routine data management, AI-powered platforms free up human experts to focus on strategic analysis and decision-making—a hybrid approach that combines machine precision with human judgment.

Wolters Kluwer's bet is that by placing a leader with a proven track record in strategy, AI, and transformation in charge of its most dynamic division, it can not only meet the market's current needs but also define the future of corporate responsibility and performance management. The company confirmed it expects the division to deliver on its 2025 organic growth guidance, reflecting confidence that its strategic direction and new leadership are perfectly aligned to capture the opportunities ahead.