A commitment to stability, innovation, and library partnership
At IUG 2026, library leaders from across the community gathered for the conference session: The Executive Leadership Panel.
The session served as an open forum. It gave libraries the opportunity to engage directly with Clarivate leadership, ask questions, and gain clarity on strategy, direction, and long-term commitment.
From the outset, one message was clear. This is a partnership built on trust, transparency, and shared progress.
A strong opening: community at the center
Lester Owencroft, VP of Product Marketing, opened by highlighting the IUG community’s strong culture of engagement and collaboration. He set an interactive tone, encouraging open, candid questions across strategic, operational, and technical topics.
Leadership presence and cross-functional expertise
The panel brought together leaders across product, engineering, services, and customer care, reflecting the breadth of expertise supporting libraries today.
Participants included:
Yoel Goldenberg – SVP and GM, Software Group
Yariv Kursh – SVP, Global Sales
Lester Owencroft – VP, Product Marketing
Ashley Barey – VP, Product Management
Melissa Hilbert – VP, Service Implementation
Yaniv Shmuel – VP, Software Engineering
Matt Baker – Senior Director, Customer Care
Caroline Mason – Senior Director, Service Implementation
Caitlin Spears – Director, Customer Care.
Supporting libraries requires alignment across the entire organization, from strategy to execution, with an aim to provide stability and transparency.
Continued investment in Sierra and Polaris
A central theme of the session, and a key concern for many libraries, was the future of Sierra and Polaris.
Yoel Goldenberg – SVP and GM, Software Group, addressed this directly. Both platforms continue to receive active investment. New features, enhancements, and releases are ongoing. Engineering resources remain committed across both systems, and integrations and innovations are being developed with parity in mind.
This balanced approach reflects a broader strategy. The focus is on meeting libraries where they are today, while enabling where they want to go next.
Building a unified, future-ready ecosystem
From an engineering and product perspective, the focus is on creating a connected ecosystem rather than fragmented solutions.
Yaniv Shmuel – VP of Software Engineering, highlighted the long-term vision of delivering seamless experiences built on a shared foundation, while continuing to innovate with new capabilities such as AI-driven tools, enhanced reporting, and new solutions like Vega Mobile Worklists.
Ashley Barey – VP of Product Management, reinforced that investments are not only in technology, but also in people and engineering capacity, ensuring consistency, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
Listening to libraries and acting on feedback
A consistent message from leadership was that feedback is only valuable if it leads to visible change. They acknowledged gaps in communication and pointed to more structured touchpoints, like expanded webinars and direct user group engagement – as steps toward closing them.
Ashley Barey – VP of Product Management, reinforced that input from libraries directly shapes product and service decisions, urging customers to be specific and candid so issues can be prioritized and addressed faster.
The focus is shifting from collecting feedback to demonstrating how it drives measurable improvements.
Elevating customer support and service experience
Customer care leaders Caitlin Spears and Matt Baker highlighted investments in support, including better prioritization, expanded resources, and closer alignment with engineering to speed up resolution times.
The focus is on delivering a more consistent experience where every case is addressed, and communication keeps customers informed and supported throughout.
Introducing the Unified Knowledge Portal
Melissa Hilbert – VP of Service Implementation, introduced one of the most important new developments: the Unified Knowledge Portal.
This new platform represents a modern approach to accessing product information and resources. It brings together documentation, release notes, and product updates into a single, accessible environment.
Customers now have one centralized place to find everything they need to use, support, and optimize their products – from documentation and training to real-time system status, known issues, and direct feedback channels
One of its most notable features is an AI-powered chat assistant, allowing users to ask questions directly and receive answers based on official documentation. The portal also includes mechanisms for collecting feedback and encourages community contributions, creating a shared space for knowledge and best practices.
A long-term vision rooted in trust
Looking ahead, leadership outlined a strategy focused on expansion, innovation, and continuous improvement.
This includes growth beyond current markets, deeper support for both public and academic libraries, and responsible adoption of technologies such as AI. At the same time, the organization remains committed to strengthening its core platforms and delivering consistent value to existing customers.
Yariv Kursh, SVP of Global Sales, emphasized that regardless of how technology evolves, the company’s role remains the same. The goal is to provide stability, innovation, and the tools libraries need to serve their communities better.
Navigating industry challenges together
The panel also addressed broader challenges facing libraries and technology providers alike. These include budget pressures, increasing expectations to demonstrate value, and the rapid pace of technological change.
Rather than viewing these as obstacles, leadership framed them as shared challenges. Addressing them requires collaboration, adaptability, and a continued focus on delivering meaningful outcomes for libraries and their users.
A partnership that endures
The session closed with an open invitation for continued feedback and engagement, welcoming input not only on products, but on the broader library experience.
The discussion highlighted that beyond the roadmap and technology, the real foundation is the relationship itself, built on stability, ongoing investment, transparency, and trust.
As libraries continue to evolve in a rapidly changing world, one message from the panel came through clearly: they are not navigating that future alone.