Pearson Elevates Marykay Wells, Chief Information Officer, to Executive Leadership Team

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Mar 16, 2022, 10:04 ET

HOBOKEN, N.J., March 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearson, the world's leading learning company, today announced the appointment of Marykay Wells, Chief Information Officer, to Pearson's executive leadership team. Reporting directly to CEO Andy Bird, Wells will work with the board and management team to build a technology strategy that supports a coordinated, cross functional approach to data, content delivery, and product development.

Marykay, an eight-year Pearson veteran, currently leads a team of global IT professionals, who are instrumental in driving the company's shift to high quality digital products and services. Across her 30-year career, she has an outstanding track record of executing large, global technology transformations. Prior to joining Pearson in 2014, Marykay served in highly successful CIO roles at Nortel, Tekelec and Extreme Networks.

"Marykay is a visionary leader, already focused on executing Pearson's strategy of delivering high quality digital products across a lifetime of learning," said Andy Bird, Pearson's Chief Executive Officer. "Marykay and her team are well positioned to support our businesses with innovative and enterprise technology, and they will play an essential role as we develop more digital applications, particularly with the expansion of Pearson+."

"As we move into a new era for the company, I'm thrilled to help lead Pearson's digital transformation," said Wells. "We've made much progress in streamlining and modernizing Pearson's enterprise technology and we can use that positive momentum to expand our capabilities, build our IT talent, and drive further growth in our products and services."

As part of her leadership efforts, Marykay is also active in tackling issues around diversity in the IT industry. She has established strong partnerships with many universities, sponsoring intern programs and practicum projects for graduate students. In 2018, Marykay launched a Women in Technology initiative at Pearson to attract, retain and develop talent worldwide across all the company's technology teams, achieving almost double-digit growth in women in technology at Pearson. Marykay holds a B.S. in Computer Information Science from Clarkson University and will be based in Durham, NC.

About Pearson
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That's why our c.20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world's leading learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. Visit us pearsonplc.com.

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Joe Wiggins, [email protected]

SOURCE Pearson