However, the supervisory board gave executive board member John Lynch a 26-percent hike in base pay for 2010, which it said was a reflection of the expanded role of Technology and Global Shared Services and the importance of the Springboard program to the company's long-term objectives as well as alignment with market benchmarks. Lynch's pay rose to just under $1.4 million last year, up 33 percent from 2008. His base for 2009 was about $499,000.

The company describes Springboard as a  "Wolters Kluwer-wide initiative aimed at streamlining and simplifying processes as well as technology across the organization." The program was launched in 2008.