Wolters Kluwer FRR Appoints Strategic Advisor for Australian Expansion

Wolters Kluwer’s award-winning Finance, Risk & Regulatory Reporting (FRR) business has appointed Donna-Maree Vinci as a strategic advisor for Australia. Wolters Kluwer FRR counts major Australian financial institutions, as well as international banking groups active in the country, among its clients. And, according to Paul Lyon, Wolters Kluwer’s London-based spokesman, the company is “now scaling up operations in the country helping banks to navigate the complexities of regulatory compliance obligations.”

“It’s an honor to join Wolters Kluwer FRR, a company famed for its regulatory compliance and technology prowess,” Vinci said. “I look forward to working with the talented experts here to raise knowledge of the importance of taking an integrated approach to managing ever changing and all-important regulatory obligations.”

Vinci’s 30-year financial experience includes senior positions at Tier One global and Australian banks. For 12 years she was CIO and Global Head of Technology Risk Management for Citigroup and between 2015 and the end of 2019 was Chief Operations, Digital & Information Officer for The Bank of Queensland. Other senior experience includes being Chief Information and Operations Officer for Westpac Institutional Bank. She holds a number of non-executive director position, including for New South Wales-based Greater Bank.

“This is a key advisory role that will help fuel the next phase of Wolters Kluwer’s growth in the country, as we continue to expand across the Asia Pacific region,” commented Rainer Fuchsluger, Managing Director of Wolters Kluwer FRR APAC. “Donna’s impressive senior experience means she is uniquely positioned to advise our growing client base on how best to avoid operating in siloes, instead taking an integrated approach to finance, risk and regulatory reporting. Her vast industry knowledge also enables her to talk at the most senior levels on how banks should be thinking strategically post COVID-19, building a solid Basel IV strategy.”

Wolters Kluwer FRR, which is part of Wolters Kluwer’s Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) division, describes itself as “a global market leader in the provision of integrated regulatory compliance and reporting solutions.” It supports regulated financial institutions in meeting their obligations to external regulators and their own board of directors.

Wolters Kluwer FRR receives frequent independent recognition of its excellence and innovation, celebrating a record year for award wins in 2020. Risk magazine recently awarded the company its coveted Regulatory Reporting System of The Year Award for the third year running and Wolters Kluwer FRR is the #1 provider in both Regulatory Reporting and Liquidity Risk according to the RiskTech100, as compiled by Chartis Research. Central Banking, meanwhile, named Wolters Kluwer FRR its 2020 Technology Partner For Regulatory Compliance.

At the end of February Wolters Kluwer reported its 2020 annual results, with revenues of €4,603 million, up 1% in constant currencies and up 2% organically. Notably, the financial services business lines within Wolters Kluwer GRC delivered “strong organic growth of 7% (FY 2019: 3%)”, according to the full year report. “Excluding revenues associated with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), organic growth for Wolters Kluwer’s GRC Financial Services was 1%, supported by product innovation”, the company said.

Notably, the FRR business recorded mid-single-digit organic growth, with “increases in recurring software maintenance revenues.” Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions, meanwhile, reported “rapid growth in its new motor vehicle title perfection service.”

The division’s Compliance Solutions unit, which provides mortgage and other loan origination solutions to banks, “delivered double-digit growth having been one of the first vendors to provide a solution for lenders to participate in the U.S. PPP.” As previously reported, in December 2020 Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions, led globally by Steven Meirink, acquired eOriginal, a provider of digital lending software for approximately €231 million in cash.