Interview with Kirsty Roth, Chief Operations and Technology Officer at Thomson Reuters
By Mark Samuels – Published August 7, 2025
Kirsty Roth, chief operations and technology officer at Thomson Reuters, offers a compelling perspective on how technology leadership can drive significant business transformation. With a career rooted in IT engineering and extensive experience in financial services, Roth is leveraging her technical background to lead the business information services specialist into a new era of growth and innovation—anchored by digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
A Technologist’s Unique Approach to Business
“Technology people just look at problems differently,” says Roth. Unlike traditional management approaches, she explains, technologists focus on applying innovative technological solutions to address business challenges. This mindset is at the core of her mission to overhaul internal processes and enhance customer service delivery at Thomson Reuters.
Roth’s journey began in programming and IT engineering before progressing to over a decade of consulting. Her consulting work helped organizations understand how technology could facilitate operational effectiveness and strategic goals. This rich background made her a natural fit for Thomson Reuters when she joined the company in August 2020. ### Transition from Financial Services to Legal and Accounting Information
Before her current role, Roth held prominent positions in global financial institutions, including HSBC, Credit Suisse, and Deloitte. At HSBC, she was the global head of operations and spearheaded significant transformations in technology, process efficiency, and innovation capabilities.
Her decision to move to Thomson Reuters was motivated by a desire to apply her skills in a new industry—one dominated by legal and accounting experts, unlike her own background. “I’m not a lawyer or accountant,” she remarks. “Many people at Thomson Reuters are by background, so the challenge was whether I could help ensure the company was well positioned for future success.”
Driving Growth through Digital Transformation
Roth’s analytical approach led her to scrutinize Thomson Reuters’ product portfolio and market gaps, noting that the company had long experienced a modest growth rate around 2% annually over the preceding decade. Since joining, she has helped catalyze a sharper growth trajectory, with recent annual growth figures exceeding 7%.
Highlighting this success as a collective achievement, Roth emphasizes the collaborative nature of their strategy development. “I led our change programme in the early days,” she notes, “but it’s been a team effort on shaping growth strategies, making smarter investments, and integrating technology into our products to enable that growth.”
Looking forward, Roth highlights the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies within the legal and accounting sectors, signaling a fresh wave of innovation on the horizon for Thomson Reuters.
An Unconventional C-Suite Role with Broad Oversight
Roth reports directly to the CEO and serves on the executive board, holding a joint role that combines operations and technology—an unusual but increasingly relevant C-suite combination. She clarifies the scope of her responsibilities: while sales, marketing, and product roadmap decisions fall outside her remit (the latter managed by a chief product officer), Roth oversees everything operational that supports product development, launch, and maintenance.
“If you build products based on a roadmap, you also need to maintain them operationally and ensure customers receive excellent support and responsive services,” Roth explains. Beyond technology and IT systems, her remit extends to areas like procurement and real estate, underscoring the broad business impact of her role.
The Future of Hybrid Tech-Operations Leadership
Roth sees her position as a model for the future. Based on her experience at HSBC and now Thomson Reuters, she predicts more technology leaders will assume operational roles to accelerate business outcomes such as process efficiency and innovation deployment.
Reflecting on conversations with peers in other organizations, Roth notes a growing recognition that technology leaders bring a distinct advantage in running operations amid rapid market and technological evolution. “For Thomson Reuters, having tech and operations together has been crucial in driving the change we’ve achieved over the last five years,” she says.
Achievements and Cloud-Driven Modernization
Under Roth’s leadership, Thomson Reuters has nearly completed its shift to cloud-based systems, a transition that began prior to her arrival. The company now operates with an almost entirely cloud infrastructure, enabling more scalable, flexible, and rapid system development.
Roth has also overseen building out a modern engineering team focused on delivering systems and services efficiently and effectively—critical to supporting the company’s evolving product offerings and customer needs.
Embracing AI and Emerging Technologies
Looking ahead, Roth is enthusiastic about the opportunities AI and other emerging technologies present—not only to transform Thomson Reuters’ products but also to redefine how legal, accounting, and similar professions operate. Her hybrid expertise in technology and operations positions her and the company to capitalize on these developments strategically.
Kirsty Roth’s career exemplifies the value of technological acumen combined with broad operational insight in driving business transformation. Her leadership at Thomson Reuters highlights how digital innovation and a collaborative executive strategy can fuel growth and position legacy industries for a dynamic future.
