Michael Baker International Names Stefano Esposito CPO to Drive AI-Native GovTech Strategy

Michael Baker International, the Pittsburgh-headquartered engineering and consulting firm with more than 85 years of public-sector work behind it, has appointed Stefano Esposito as Chief Product Officer (CPO) for its GovTech vertical. The announcement, made on April 17, 2026, signals a sharper pivot toward productising government technology services around AI rather than selling them as bespoke engagements.

In the new role, Esposito will drive product strategy, mature the firm's development discipline, and advance what Michael Baker is calling an "AI-native approach" — where AI is embedded by design rather than layered on top of legacy tooling. He will work alongside the firm's Chief Technology Officer organisation to tie GovTech innovation into the broader enterprise strategy.

Why this hire matters

Government technology has historically been one of the slowest verticals to absorb AI. Procurement cycles are long, risk tolerance is low, and most agency-level deployments remain stuck between pilots and production. That gap is exactly what Michael Baker's GovTech team is built to close.

Joanna Robinson, President of GovTech at Michael Baker International, framed the brief plainly: the vertical exists to deliver smarter, faster, more accessible public services through seamless digital experiences that prioritise efficiency, security, and trust. Robinson described Esposito's combination of technical depth, entrepreneurial background, and product mindset as critical to accelerating the development of scalable, secure, AI-native solutions for government agencies.