Annual Results 2001 Press Conference Rob Pieterse Chairman Executive Board March 19, 2002

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Annual Results 2001Press ConferenceRob
Pieterse Chairman Executive BoardMarch 19, 2002
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• Highlights 2001
• Cluster Achievements 2001
• New focus International Health Science
• Long term strategy of Wolters Kluwer
• Outlook 2002

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Highlights 2001 (I)

• Continued strong growth of electronic sales
  (incl. Internet)Electronic sales up 28 to EUR
  1,035 mln now 27 of total sales
• Implementing investment program to accelerate
  organic growthAdditional (Internet) product
  development investments impact EUR 105 mln on
  EBITA (2000 EUR 47 mln)
• Acquisition of growth companiesTotal 29 (mostly
  software and service) transactions completed for
• EUR 533 mln, adding EUR 204 mln annualized sales
• Benchmark 2001 profit forecast achievedOrdinary
  net income before amortization of intangibles
  increases 5 in constant currencies, to EUR 436
  mln
• Working capital strongly improvedAutonomous
  working capital generates EUR 23 mln cash (2000
  EUR 54 mln absorption)

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Highlights 2001 (II)

• Sharpened strategic focus potential for growth
  and achieving leadership position
• LTB Europe focus on six core customer groups
  legal, financial/fiscal, HR, public government,
  health, safety environment, and transport
• LTB North America extension into financial
  services information and compliance and
  discontinuation of Aspen healthcare
  administration business
• International Health Science completed
  important strategic acquisitions, and adopted a
  new market focus medical is core, science is
  non-core (divest)
• Education extension of traditional school book
  business into wide range of new product formats,
  serving the total learning community

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Highlights 2001 (III) Internet Sales Ahead of
Expectation
1.2 B
580
1.0 B
398
0.8 B
228
Internet Other Electronic
680
0.6 B
637
582
48
504
0.4 B
0.2 B
FY99
FY'01
FY00
FYE02
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LTB Europe Implementing Strategy
Margin 2000 2001
Sales 2000 2001
EBITA 2000 2001
mln
2
1,345
1,313
17.9
17.8
240
237
ElectronicSales

• Portfolio Review Now focus on six core customer
  segments Divestment process ten Hagen Stam and
  BSL started
• Restructuring Reorganizations Netherlands,
  Belgium progressing Spain completed
• Acquisitions Acquisitions to extend portfolio
  ABG (UK accounting), OSRA, Artel (Italian tax
  software)
• Software and Services in addition to Print
  Software and services added to mature print
  products. Electronic sales grow 25

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LTB North America Investing for Growth
Margin 2000 2001
Sales 2000 2001
EBITA 2000 2001
mln
1,225
1,093
30.4
343
28.0
333
ElectronicSales

• Electronic Growth Strong growth (19)
  electronic sales (including Internet) to EUR 495
  million (now 40 of sales)
• Investment Significant investment (EUR 44 mln)
  in online and software products causes margin
  decline
• Financial Services Important strategic steps
  towards building out financial services (banking,
  insurance securities) BSI Inc. now stand-alone
  
• Strengthened by Acquisitions LoisLaw (legal
  research), CBF Systems (banking compliance), and
  Uniform (insurance compliance)

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International Health Science Strong Online
Sales
Margin 2000 2001
Sales 2000 2001
EBITA 2000 2001
mln
851
752
23.8
21.5
183
179
ElectronicSales

• Electronic Growth Strong growth of Internet
  sales (85). Electronic sales channels now
  accounting for almost 25 of total sales
• Strategic Acquisitions Important steps in
  electronic products with acquisitions of
  SilverPlatter (online medical) and Medi-Span
  (drug databases)
• Ovid Online Platform Strong growth at Ovid and
  successful integration of SilverPlatter
• Strategic Review Portfolio Medical is core

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Education Fit for the Future
Margin 2000 2001
Sales 2000 2001
EBITA 2000 2001
mln
319
308
19.9
17.2
61
55
ElectronicSales

• Reorganizations Business improvement plans in
  Sweden, Netherlands, Germany and UK completed,
  with efficiency gains driving up margin
• Key Markets Excellent performance in Netherlands
  (curriculum cycle peaking) and Sweden (school
  book business regaining market share)
• New Markets Step-by-step move into corporate
  education and distance learning markets
• Promising Product Pipeline Promising new
  electronic products developed (e.g. Redaktion-D),
  and other services and tools to follow

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Intl. Health Science Vision - Medical is Core

• To become the global leader in information for
  medical and health-related science professionals
• Focus on Pharma, Medical Information,
  Practitioners Information, and Clinical Tools
• Primary customers will be English-reading
  professionals in both the US and International
  markets

Health-Related Science Customers
Medical Customers

• Pharmaceutical research
• Institutional science (focused on medical and
  health-related science)

• Physicians
• Nurses
• Medical students
• Nursing students
• Allied Health professionals (e.g. homeopaths,
  physical therapists, chiropractors)
• Pharmacists
• Medical Schools/Teaching hospitals
• Community hospitals
• Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing
• Payors

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Intl. Health Science Summary Strategic Review

• Today
• Science, technical, and medicine
• Organized by operating companies
• Print centric
• Ovid extension of publishing
• Pharma activities scattered
• Clinical Tools limited scale
• Stand alone
• Strategic objective participation in broader
  market

• Tomorrow
• Medicine and health
• New customer-facing organization
• Electronic centric
• Ovid strategic centerpiece
• Pharma activities concentrated
• Clinical Tools new business unit/critical mass
• Strategic partnerships
• Strategic objective leadership of defendable
  market segment

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Strategy Integration of Content, Software
Services
Value Added
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Strategy Situation YTD 2001
Value Added

LTB Europe LTB North America LTB Asia
Pacific Int. Health Science Education




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Strategy Target 2005
Value Added

LTB Europe LTB North America LTB Asia
Pacific Int. Health Science Education




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Longer Term Growth

• Growth in software and servicesConfident about
  longer term growth prospects investment in high
  growth software and service companies
• Drive top-lineCommitted to driving organic sales
  growth to 6 plus level
• Ongoing investmentsNeed to invest consistently
  and continuously in product development
• Stable marginEBITA margin to remain at current
  level

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Outlook 2002

• Investing for growth
• Completion of 3-year EUR 250 mln investment
  program
• Electronic sales objective 30 of total sales
• Stable margin
• EBITA margin to remain at current level
• AcquisitionsGrowth boosted by 2001/2002 software
  and infill acquisitions
• Benchmark profit growth 7-9 Ordinary net income
  before amortization of intangibles increases 7-9
  in constant currencies, before taking into
  account any divestments
• Divestments
• Divestment of ten Hagen Stam (sales EUR 100
  mln) and BSL (sales EUR 30 mln) in progress
• Recent decision to divest Kluwer Academic
  Publishers (sales
• EUR 170 mln)

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Annual Results 2001Press ConferenceRob
Pieterse Chairman Executive BoardMarch 19, 2002