Podcasts about vistatec

Send us a textIn this episode of the Life Science Success Podcast my guest is Karen Tkaczyk, a seasoned professional with a robust academic background in chemistry and a proven track record in translation and business development within the life sciences sector. With a PhD from the University of Cambridge and extensive experience leading translation and sales efforts, Karen currently serves as the Director of Sales – Life Sciences at Vistatec, where she helps global clients navigate complex localization challenges.00:00 Introduction to Life Science Success Podcast00:35 Meet Karen Tkaczyk: From Chemistry to Sales01:43 Karen's Early Passion for Science and Languages02:57 From Academia to Big Pharma04:22 Transition to the US and Formulation Chemistry07:38 Freelance Translation Career12:50 Joining Vistatec17:26 The Importance of Networking21:39 Vistatec's Unique Approach25:05 Common Scenarios in Clinical Trials25:52 Complexities of Global Clinical Trials26:03 Translation Challenges in Regulatory Affairs27:24 Localization in SaaS for Life Sciences29:10 The Role of AI in Translation35:17 Balancing Innovation with Regulation39:37 Favorite Meals and Cultural Insights41:55 Inspiration, Concerns, and Excitement47:06 Conclusion and Farewell

Jeannette presents her empowering appearance on the VistaTalks podcast hosted by Simon Hodgkins, in which she shares her journey from leading major organisations like Saga and TUI to establishing her own portfolio of businesses. Jeannette looks at the challenges and strategies for scaling businesses in today's complex environment, emphasising the importance of being brave, bold, and brilliant, and discussing the significance of understanding local markets during international expansion, the role of technology and AI in driving innovation, and the necessity of maintaining a balance between core offerings and new ventures KEY TAKEAWAYS Success in leadership involves three key elements: being brave (leading oneself and investing in personal development), being bold (having a clear strategy and investment case), and being brilliant (creating high-performing teams). When expanding internationally, businesses should think globally but act locally. Understanding cultural nuances, local market conditions, and customer preferences is crucial for success. Effective internal and external communication is vital for global organisations. This includes consistent messaging across different regions, utilising translators, and being aware of cultural norms to foster successful relationships. Businesses need to stay informed about technological advancements, particularly AI, and find a balance between leveraging technology for efficiency while maintaining a strong human element in customer interactions. Incremental improvements in core metrics can lead to significant overall success. BEST MOMENTS "I think when it comes to international expansion, it's really important to think global, but act local." "The biggest mistake that I see with large international corporates is thinking they can enter a market and apply the same way of doing business as they do in a Western developed world." "I always believe that there are three elements to success: brave, bold, and brilliant." This is the perfect time to get focused on what YOU want to really achieve in your business, career, and life. It’s never too late to be BRAVE and BOLD and unlock your inner BRILLIANT. Visit our new website https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/ - there you'll find a library of FREE resources and downloadable guides and e-books to help you along your journey. If you’d like to jump on a free mentoring session just DM Jeannette at info@brave-bold-brilliant.com. VALUABLE RESOURCES Brave Bold Brilliant - https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/ Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970 ABOUT THE GUEST Simon Hodgkins is the founder and host of VistaTalks. A leading podcast featuring interesting discussions with interesting people from around the world. He is the Chief Marketing Officer at Vistatec, a leading global content solutions provider, HQ in Europe with operations worldwide. Simon is also the Founder of the Think Global Forum and Editor in Chief for VTQ magazine. ABOUT THE HOST Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 30 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development. Jeannette is a down-to-earth leader, a passionate champion for diversity & inclusion, and a huge advocate of nurturing talent so every person can unleash their full potential and live their dreams. CONTACT THE HOST Jeannette’s linktree - https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/ YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/@braveboldbrilliant LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jeannette.linfoot/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brave.bold.brilliant Podcast Description Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences of being Brave, Bold & Brilliant, which have allowed them to unleash their full potential in business, their careers, and life in general. From the boardroom tables of ‘big’ international businesses to the dining room tables of entrepreneurial start-ups, how to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities and take risks, whilst staying ‘true’ to yourself is the order of the day.Travel, Bold, Brilliant, business, growth, scale, marketing, investment, investing, entrepreneurship, coach, consultant, mindset, six figures, seven figures, travel, industry, ROI, B2B, inspirational: https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot

Kristin Gutierrez is an author, speaker, and business strategist who helps companies improve their sales and sales leadership.  Kristin has held sales leadership roles in several organizations including the United Language Group, Vistatec, SDL, Lionbridge, and Translations.com.  Her books include Be a Better Sales Leader and, Say Yes and Figure It Out: The Perfect Framework for Taking Massive Imperfect Action.In this episode, Kristin shares her thoughts about sales and sales leadership.  She touches on topics that include transitioning from an individual producer role into a leadership position in sales, key traits of successful salespeople, how to lead change in a sales team, the importance of continual learning, and more.

In a thought-provoking episode of VistaTalks, Aneta Sapeta, a distinguished Machine Translation Specialist at Vistatec, shares her profound insights into the dynamic realm of machine translation (MT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and its integration within the localization industry.

Life Sciences expert Karen Tkaczyk joins VistaTalks host María Roa on this podcast episode. Karen is a distinguished figure in the translation and language services sector, particularly within the life sciences domain. Currently Director of Sales – Life Sciences at Vistatec, Karen possesses a rare blend of scientific expertise and linguistic prowess, making her contributions invaluable to companies aiming to globalize their operations. Karen's journey is a testament to her passion for chemistry and languages. With a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, her career began in the pharmaceutical industry, working with giants like Zeneca (now part of AstraZeneca) and SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline). However, her linguistic skills, honed through a minor in French and an Erasmus year in France, paved her way into the localization industry. This unique combination enabled her to transition seamlessly from translating chemical documents as a freelance linguist to playing a pivotal role in helping companies navigate the complexities of going global. Karen's expertise is in translating languages and understanding the nuanced requirements of the highly regulated life sciences sector. Her work involves helping organizations translate complex, regulated content, such as FDA submissions and patents, which demands linguistic skills and a deep understanding of the subject matter. Her current role involves assisting in growing the Life Sciences Division at Vistatec, securing new clients, nurturing strategic accounts, and leveraging her extensive industry experience to provide tailored localization solutions. During her conversation with host María Roa, Karen discussed several key topics, including the evolving landscape of clinical trials, the impact of regulations on the life sciences industry, and the potential applications of AI in this field. She highlighted the importance of understanding and adapting to new regulations, like the EU's Medical Device Regulation (MDR), and the shift towards decentralizing clinical trials post-pandemic. Karen also shared her insights on the critical role of diversity and inclusion in clinical trials, emphasizing how varying responses to treatments across different demographics necessitate a more inclusive research approach. Furthermore, she touched upon the significance of real-world evidence and data in complementing clinical trials, offering a more comprehensive view of a treatment's effectiveness across diverse populations. Beyond her professional achievements, Karen is also gearing up to host a series of podcasts and discussions for Vistatec's Life Sciences Division, focusing on the life sciences and healthcare sector. This initiative aims to share knowledge and insights from experts within the field, further solidifying her commitment to fostering understanding and innovation in the localization of life sciences. Karen Tkaczyk's story is a reminder of how the intersection of diverse interests and expertise can lead to groundbreaking contributions in specialized fields. Her dedication to bridging the gap between science and languages enhances the global reach of life sciences companies and ensures that advancements in healthcare are accessible to a worldwide audience. As we navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving industry, Karen's work serves as a standard of excellence and innovation in the localization sector. Catch the full episode of VistaTalks featuring Karen Tkaczyk to dive deeper into her fascinating journey and expert insights into the future of life sciences localization. https://www.vistatalks.com

Karen Tkaczyk is the Director of Sales, Life Sciences, at Vistatec.  In this episode, Karen talks about her early interest in languages and her different career transitions after graduating from Cambridge with a Ph.D. in chemistry.  Initially working as a development chemist for GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb, Karen decided to build her own life sciences translation practice in 2005. She talks about the reasons for this decision and explains how she was able to grow her business.  Karen also explains her decision and her process for moving into a sales leadership role for an LSP in  2021 and also talks about some of the latest trends related to life sciences localization.

Explore the art and science of internationalization with Beat Stauber, where cultural nuances meet coding precision. Uncover how this intricate process shapes the global reach of software, blending innovation with the essential human touch. Welcome to this episode of The Localization Podcast where you'll learn about: How Beat transitioned from QA to internationalization What exactly is internationalization The relationship between localization and internationalization Why investing in internationalization is crucial When to start thinking about internationalization Internationalization in the agile model Why smaller LSPs need someone technical This is episode 57 of my social practice, also known as The Localization Podcast :) #localization and #translation insight delivered to you by the power of voice, this time with Beat Stauber from Vistatec / Nike. If you want to see our beautiful talking heads, head to Youtube: https://youtu.be/h65zm_gWm4s

In the intricate world of life sciences, the importance of localization extends far beyond mere translation. It's a critical component that ensures patient safety, regulatory compliance, and the successful global deployment of medical products and services. María Mateos, an expert in localization and life sciences, recently shed light on the nuances of this field and how companies like Vistatec are leading the charge in providing specialized services that meet the industry's stringent demands.

On this episode of Better Call Daddy, we dive into the fascinating world of electronics, computers, and artificial intelligence with our guest, Simon Hodgkins. Simon's interest in technology began at a young age when his uncle introduced him to building an oscilloscope. From there, he taught himself computer languages, wrote programs, and made and sold computer games. Throughout his career, Simon has been involved in the software and telecommunications industry, working with both startups and established global companies. He is listed as a Top 50 Most Influential CMO and Top 100 CMO by Business and Finance and included in the Top 1000 Inspiring Europe by the London Stock Exchange. Simon is President of Club CMO, previously (The CMO Club), an Ambassador of the CMO Alliance and a Founder of several organizations and entities, including, The Think Global Forum, Think Global Awards, VistaTalks, and VTQ Magazine. He is the CMO at global content solutions organization Vistatec, headquartered in Europe with locations worldwide. His passion for technology ensures his interest in the possibilities of AI. Simon shares the fascinating topic of being able to converse with historical figures and the complexity, legal and ethical areas involved in bringing back media and movie stars through video technology and artificial intelligence. While Simon acknowledges the challenges and potential legal battles that arise with AI replication of music stars and celebrities, he highlights the importance of technological developments in creating convincing AI videos and the risks and opportunities of what is real in the future. Being a Dad has made Simon reflect on his place in the world. He shares his experiences and emphasizes teamwork and support in parenting. He discusses the evolving challenges of raising children and the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Simon discussed some thoughts on education and work-life balance. He believes in the need for changes in the traditional education system and the importance of mental health and wellness. The pandemic has shifted perspectives on work, and Simon acknowledges the challenges that still need to be overcome in various areas. The impact of AI on various industries is also discussed, including the implications for artist rights and the role of AI in society. Simon advocates for using AI for good and emphasizes the need for global solutions to address inequities. Throughout the episode, we explore the current state of AI and its potential for incredible advancements and disruptive risks. Simon acknowledges the ongoing advances in computing and AI while recognizing the early stage of understanding its full capabilities. Simon's community-building journey, including his work with organizations for children with serious illnesses and his efforts to make a positive difference, also takes center stage. He highlights the importance of caring for others and leaving a meaningful legacy. Lastly, we dive into the ethical considerations of AI and the importance of using it responsibly. Join us on this thought-provoking episode of Better Call Daddy as we explore the intersections of technology, parenting, community-building, and the future of AI with our guest, Simon Hodgkins. Connect with Simon Hodgkins https://linktr.ee/simonhodgkins Simon Hodgkins Bio: Chief Marketing Officer at Vistatec, HQ in Europe with operations worldwide. Simon is the Founder of the Think Global Forum, the Think Global Awards and Editor in Chief for VTQ magazine. Prior to this, Simon held the position of Country Manager, Marketing Director and leadership of the global SaaS/cloud services with Sage Plc, (FTSE 100 global software organisation). Extensive experience in strategic leadership, including directorships across Europe, the US and the UAE. Simon is President of Club CMO (Previously The CMO Club.)  Current Positions: President - Club CMO Ambassador - CMO Alliance  Founder/Host - The Global Discussion Founder - Think Global Forum  Founder - Think Global Awards  Founder/Host/Producer - VistaTalks  Editor in Chief - VTQ Magazine CMO - Vistatec  International awards include:  Top 50 Most Influential CMO Top 100 CMO, Business and Finance Top 1000 Inspiring Europe, London Stock Exchange Other interests include:  AdAge advisory panel Speaker Investor The Global Interview The Global Discussion Directorships - Europe, US, and UAE Connect with Reena bettercalldaddy.com linkedin.com/in/reenafriedmanwatts twitter.com/reenareena instagram.com/reenafriedmanwatts instagram.com/bettercalldaddypodcast   Me and my dad would love to hear from you, drop us a review, reviews help more people find the show, and let us know what you like and what you'd like us to change, please share the show with one friend who you think would be helped by the show ratethispodcast.com/bettercalldaddy podchaser.com/bettercalldaddy Are you a popular podcaster or a rising influencer? 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In this episode, Host María Roa is joined by Sharon O'Brien. Effective translation and localization services are critical in a world where communication and understanding are paramount. Sharon O'Brien, the esteemed Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science at Dublin City University, is a leading expert in translation technology, crisis translation, and machine translation. In this engaging podcast episode, we had the pleasure of discussing O'Brien's groundbreaking work and exploring topics such as the role of translation in crisis response, the human factors in machine translation, and the potential for human-machine collaboration. About VistaTalks VistaTalks has an incredible lineup of guests from around the globe. We love to feature interesting discussions with interesting people from all around the world. Follow VistaTalks on Spotify for all the latest episodes, or subscribe to the show on Apple and Google podcasts. VistaTalks is available on many other podcast platforms. To learn more about VistaTalks, please visit https://www.vistatalks.com. About Vistatec We have been helping some of the world's most iconic brands to optimize their global commercial potential since 1997. Vistatec is one of the world's leading global content solutions providers. HQ in Dublin, Ireland, with offices in Mountain View, California, USA. To learn more about Vistatec, please visit https://www.vistatec.com

How has Vistatec helped shape the localization industry over the past 25 years? In this episode, host Simon Hodgkins is joined by guests Thomas Murray, Vistatec CEO, Patrick Kelly, CCO, Siobhán Gantly, CHRO, Unn Villius, CSO, Phil Ritchie, CTO, Jerry Lane, IT Director, Adam Thompson, CFO, and Yvonne McNamara, COO. The Vistatec CEO and executive team share their thoughts on being 25 years in business, including changes they have seen from a company and customer perspective and how the industry landscape is changing.

En este episodio entrevistamos a Pablo Muñoz Sánchez, traductor español con más de diez años de experiencia en localización de videojuegos, aplicaciones móviles y software, fundador de Traduversia junto con Rafael López Sánchez y, actualmente, revisor de proyectos de localización para Google a través de la agencia Vistatec. El «Laboratorio audiovisual» de Damián nos habla de software para transcripción. En los «Minutos divulgativos», Blanca habla con Olaia Andaluz Pinedo sobre su tesis dedicada a la traducción teatral. Guillermo nos cuenta todos los detalles sobre la traducción de la serie «Moon Knight» en «Subtítulos con carácter».Consulta el episodio subtitulado y accede a la lista de enlaces en nuestro canal de Youtube.En sincronía by Damián Santilli, Blanca Arias Badia & Guillermo Parra is licensed under a Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional License: https://bit.ly/3jXTwjB

How will marketing change in the future? And how does that impact the work we do? guest Gregory Twohig joins host María Roa. Gregory is a driven and enthusiastic marketing professional with experience across B2B sales, brand management, and content creation. Gregory works as a Marketing Solutions Manager at Vistatec. He is also the Program Director for the Think Global Forum and Creative Director for VTQ Magazine.

Have new technological advances revolutionized the localization industry? In this episode, guest Michael J. Asquith, Global Solutions Executive at Vistatec, joins host Simon Hodgkins to discuss the localization industry, hosting X Cultural and being a Mentor for the Mentee Program at Women in Localization.

Fiachra Synnott is Project Management Operations Director at Vistatec since 2019 and is a trilingual software industry leader with a strong background in localization and video games. Fiachra has a passion for relationship building, partnerships, and ensuring that the services delivered often exceed expectations. Fiachra is a globetrotter and believes in leveraging the benefits of global work culture and remote teams.

Cormac Eklof is a Senior Program Manager at Vistatec. Cormac joined Vistatec in 2017 and is responsible for overseeing several large programs for major global corporations. In this episode, Cormac shares his thoughts on the importance of flexibility, communication, and effective listening in global program management.

Unn Villius is the Chief Sales Officer and responsible for Vistatec's Business Development. Her localization career started as a Swedish linguist at Microsoft Ireland in 1988, and she has since held a wide variety of positions in localization operations management. Joining Vistatec in 1997, she quickly moved into Business Development and successfully established Vistatec's first US office.

Sean Duffy is an international brand strategist and the Founder of Duffy Agency, a strategic marketing agency that specializes in international brand development. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, Duffy Agencyworks to fill the expertise gap that business typically experience as they set out to compete on an international stage. The agency has worked with clients from over 30 different countries and has collaborated with partner agencies in 50 other cities around the world. As CEO, Sean divides his time between Duffy Agency's main office in Sweden and its U.S. office in Boston, MA. Born and raised in the U.S., Sean has over 30 years of experience working in strategic marketing. He began his career in Boston as a copywriter with BBDO, the global advertising agency, and later worked as Creative Director for an ad agency in San Francisco. In 1991, he moved to Stockholm, to work as Creative Director at Sweden's largest ad agency, Lowe Brindfors, which is now part of the Mullen Lowe Group. After 10 years with Lowe working exclusively on international marketing, he decided to launch his own agency. In addition to his role at Duffy Agency, Sean is a Lecturer & Practitioner in Residence at the Lund University School of Economics & Management and a Mentor in their Masters Program in Entrepreneurship. He is also a frequent speaker on strategic international marketing and online brand management, and he draws on his experience working with dozens of global brands including IKEA, The United Nations, Saab, Volvo, Absolut, VF Corporation, Pfizer, and GSK.  Last but not least, Sean is the author of an excellent new book called International Brand Strategy: A Guide to Achieving Global Brand Growth.   Links: Duffy Agency website Duffy Agency on LinkedIn Duffy Agency on Facebook Duffy Agency on Instagram Duffy Agency on Twitter Sean's book: “International Brand Strategy: A Guide to Achieving Global Brand Growth” (If you purchase this book via the Kogan Page website, you'll receive a 20% discount by entering the special offer code INTBRAND20 during the checkout process.) Sean on LinkedIn Sean on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

John Yunker is a well-known pioneer in the field of web and software globalization, and he has been featured on two previous episodes of this podcast: episodes #059 and #182. He is the Co-Founder & President of Byte Level Research, an agency based in Ashland, Oregon, that specializes in researching, promoting and advising on best practices in web globalization. For over two decades now, John has been helping companies improve their global content, their websites, and their software through specialized reports, consulting, speaking and training sessions. He has worked with many of the world's largest multinational corporations, providing them with web-globalization training and benchmark services. In addition to his client work, John writes a well-known blog called Global by Design, and he is the author ofseveral books, including “The Savvy Client's Guide to Translation Agencies, The Art of the Global Gateway”, “Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies”, and most recently, “Think Outside the Country: A Guide to Going Global and Succeeding in the Translation Economy”. But he is perhaps best known for his annual Web Globalization Report Cards, which provide an up-to-date evaluation of how major global companies are performing relative to each other and to current industry best practices. In this episode, John returns to the show to talk about his 2021 Web Globalization Report Card, which he published earlier this year. Tune in to learn about which global companies are leading the way when it comes to website globalization best practices, what they're doing to attract and retain more international visitors, and what some takeaways are for companies in the earlier stages of international growth.   Links: Byte Level Research website Byte Level Research on LinkedIn Byte Level Research on Twitter The 2021 Web Globalization Report Card Global By Design blog The Localization Institute class: “ReadySetGo: Global Navigation” John on LinkedIn John on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Ramsey Pryor is the Founding Partner at Port of Entry Partners, a consultancy that helps tech companies conquer international markets. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he works with his clients to define their expansion strategy, understand the local market conditions, localize their product offerings, hire world-class talent, build brand awareness, win top accounts, and evolve as a truly global organization. With a background in Economics, Hispanic Studies, and Marketing, Ramsey has over 20 years of experience working at technology companies large and small. Before launching his own consultancy in 2021, he spent five years leading International Expansion & Sales at Branch Metrics, the third Fastest-Growing Company in North America on Deloitte's 2020 Technology Fast 500 list. During his tenure at Branch, he grew the company's international footprint from zero to over 100 employees and opened 12 global offices across LATAM, EMEA, and APAC. In addition to his consulting work, Ramsey is a frequent speaker on international expansion, and he is a founding member of International Mastermind, a peer network of global operators from companies including Spotify, Shopify, Squarespace, Asana, HubSpot and other leading tech companies. He also recently launched The International Expansion Podcast, where he talks with industry colleagues about their experiences, learnings, and best practices around taking tech companies global. Tune in for Ramsey's valuable insights on how today's startups are going from zero to international faster than ever, and how they can manage the inherent challenges rapid global growth.   Links: Port of Entry Partners website Port of Entry Partners on LinkedIn International Mastermind website International Mastermind on LinkedIn The Internal Expansion Podcast Ramsey on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Giulia Greco is the Localization Programs Lead at Shopify, the leading global ecommerce company headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Founded in 2006, Shopify is the all-in-one commerce platform to start, run, and grow a business. Its mission is to make commerce better for everyone, everywhere. It now powers over 1.7 million businesses in more than 175 countries, and has over 5,000 employees across the globe. Shopify is trusted by brands such as Allbirds, Gymshark, PepsiCo, Staples, and many more. Originally from Milan, Italy, Giulia has a background in translation and interpreting. She moved to Canada in 2002, and settled down in Toronto. In 2016, she joined the Shopify team in the role of Content & Localization Manager for Italian, and eventually took on the role of Localization Program Manager. In her current role, she manages the localization operations in the Marketing & Growth team, including video localization, plus several in-country editors, linguists, translators, copywriters and a Language Service Provider. In this interview, Giulia talks about the role of internationalization and localization in Shopify's incredible growth; the challenge of working with globally distributed teams; the inherent tension between building the company's global brand identity and the need for hyper-localized content; what a minimum viable Localization team should look like; and how, in 2020, the “Shopify Effect” was responsible for $307 billion in global economic activity.   Links: Shopify website Shopify blog (English) Article: “The Shopify Effect: How Entrepreneurs Are Changing the World” Shopify podcasts (English) Shopify on LinkedIn Shopify on Facebook Shopify on Instagram Shopify on YouTube Shopify on Twitter Giulia on LinkedIn Giulia on Twitter   This epsiode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Paula Manzur is a Machine Translation Specialist at Vistatec. With over 11 years of experience as an EnglishSpanish Translator in the localization industry, she has acquired great experience in a number of customer service roles, ranging from localization, quality assurance, to project management & machine translation deployment in a multi-language environment. Paula is located in Rosario, Argentina, and is passionate about language, technology and astronomy.

Kathryn Read is an international sales & marketing consultant and a Partner at Uniconsult-Wick & Partner, which is a business management and export consultancy based in Austria. She has over two decades of experience developing niche products in emerging markets, and helping small and medium-size companies to break through international barriers, thereby creating successful entrepreneurs and a thriving global marketplace. Originally from the U.K., Kathryn has a background in French and German language studies, and she is extremely well travelled. She began her export career back in 1995, working at a British auto-parts manufacturer in Nottingham. In 2000, Kathryn relocated to Austria to take on a cross-border sales role at Trodat, which is a globally successful consumer goods company, and she has made her home in Austria ever since. In 2001, she joined HiPP, the European organic baby food company, and spent several years leading the brand's international sales efforts into Central and Eastern Europe as well as Asia, including China. Kathryn firmly believes that business is done between people, and therefore she focuses on building strong relationships that form a solid foundation for doing business. I've had the pleasure of getting to know her better over the past year or so, and I always appreciate her authenticity, her genuine curiosity about people and cultures, and the kind, thoughtful way she approaches everything she does.   Links: Kathryn's website Kathryn's blog Kathryn's e-book: How to Decide Which International Markets to Enter” Uniconsult-Wick & Partner website Uniconsult-Wick & Partner YouTube channel Kathryn on LinkedIn Kathryn on Instagram   This epsiode waws sponsored by Vistatec.

Anastasia Leng is the Founder & CEO at CreativeX, a technology company whose mission is to advance creative expression through the clarity of data. Launched in 2015, CreativeX uses analytics tools to help Fortune 500 brands like Unilever, Mondelez, Heineken, ABI, Google, L'Oréal, and Pepsi to measure the efficiency, the consistency, and the impact of their visual marketing content across the globe. Fluent in three languages, Anastasia has been a nomad all her life. She has lived in Bahrain, Vietnam, Hungary, Russia, France, England, and currently makes her home in New York City. With a background in psychology and sociology, she began her career in marketing in 2005. She joined Google in 2007 as a Product Marketing Manager, and eventually took on the role of New Business Development Manager, EMEA, where she led entrepreneurship efforts in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and was responsible for early-stage partnerships for Google Voice, Chrome, and Wallet. In 2012, Anastasia launched herself into entrepreneurship when she co-founded Hatch.co, an e-commerce company that was selected as one of Time Magazine's "Top 10 Startups to Watch in New York", one of TimeOut NY's "Best New Shopping Sites of 2013", as well as one of the four most innovative retail companies by the National Retail Federation. In this interview, Anastasia talks about why it's so important for global brands to ensure quality and consistency across their creative marketing assets, how CreativeX helps Fortune 500 brands solve specific pain points around their visual content, and how she is successfully managing the international growth of her own company. Catch Anastasia's valuable insights!   Links: CreativeX website CreativeX Blog CreativeX on LinkedIn CreativeX on Twitter Anastasia on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Vistatec CEO Thomas Murray joins the pod to discuss the company's international presence, the tech and business environment, and managing growing content volumes.Thomas shares his insights on how geographic spread and the follow-the-sun model are important in serving clients. He explains why the language service provider (LSP) prefers organic growth over M&A, owing to the quality and longevity of customer relationships.He also discusses how globalization has changed the way the LSP tackles “content explosion”; and how agility and speed of execution are crucial to scalability. The CEO also weighs in on ISO certification and how using it in the right way can lead to operational excellence.Finally, Thomas reflects on the past year as Vistatec moved its operations online and kept staff safe through Covid.First up, Florian and Esther share key takeaways from SlatorCon Remote, which drew in nearly 300 attendees and facilitated 200-300 individual networking sessions. This year's SlatorCon Remote highlighted the message of growth with Iyuno-SDI CEO David Lee pointing out how 2020 was a peak year for OTT. In the UK Esther touches on two healthcare translation and interpreting framework contracts that are valued at over USD 500m. Meanwhile, Florian goes over the top paying states and job prospects in the United States as presented in US BLS' annual Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Rachel Carruthers is the Head of Internationalisation and Localisation at Canva, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company that makes graphic design simple for everyone. Since launching in 2013, Canva has grown to become one of the top 20 unicorn companies in the world, with a current valuation of $15 billion dollars USD. Canva now has over 50 million monthly active users across 190 countries and 100 different languages. More than 1,400 team members work together across continents to achieve the company's mission, which is to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. Originally from California, Rachel spent several years working on the vendor side of the Localization industry, servicing high-profile tech enterprise clients in Silicon Valley. In 2015, she moved to Sydney, Australia, to pursue a Master's degree at the University of Sydney, and she never left. After a brief stint at a digital marketing agency, Rachel joined Canva in 2017. In her current role, she is responsible for ensuring that every Canva user has a truly localized experience, be it on the Web App, iOS or Android platform. She and her team also ensure that the company's marketing efforts are localized, that there is a variety of region-specific content for Canva's design community, and that designs are relevant and fitting for each market around the world. In this interview, Rachel talks about the major global-growth milestones that Canva has achieved since its founding, the role of internationalization and localization in facilitating that growth, and the importance of international, non-English-speaking user for the company's bottom line today. She also talks about how Canva's investment in localization directly reflects its commitment to accessibility, diverse representation and inclusion – core values that are inherent to the company's mission. On a variety of levels, Canva represents an incredibly valuable case study for SaaS companies everywhere.   Links: Canva main website Canva Learn (Courses, Tutorials & Blog) Canva Design School Canva on LinkedIn Canva on Facebook Canva on Instagram Canva on YouTube Canva on Pinterest Canva on Twitter Nataly Kelly article: "100 Languages and Counting: International Growth at Canva" CBInsights: "The Complete List of Unicorn Companies" (May 2021 status) Rachel on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Mulumba Lwatula is an entrepreneur, a business consultant, and a technologist based in Lusaka, Zambia. He is the Acting Deputy Head of Investments (Mining, Manufacturing & Agribusiness) at IDC (Industrial Development Corporation), a state-owned enterprise whose mandate is to spearhead the Zambian Government's commercial investments agenda aimed at strengthening the country's industrial base and job creation. With an MBA and a background in Systems Analysis and Design, Mulumba has built a deep expertise in the development and delivery of technology-driven solutions in emerging markets on the African continent. Since beginning his career over 20 years ago, he has gone from as a Developer, to a Webmaster, to an IT company co-founder, to an Independent Consultant for the United Nations, he has founded a number of companies. Aside from his role at IDC, where he focuses on Mining, Manufacturing, and Agribusiness, Mulumba co-hosts Scale Up Africa, a podcast on building resilient African entrepreneurs and businesses, and he is a co-founder at Soqo, a data analytics and payments startup. In this interview, Mulumba talks about his work at IDC, how he sees Africa's burgeoning startup ecosystem, what foreign brands need to know about Zambia's rapidly changing marketplace, and how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is creating new opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Catch his valuable insights!   Links: IDC website IDC on Facebook IDC on Twitter IDC on LinkedIn Scale Up Africa Podcast website Scale Up Africa Podcast on LinkedIn Scale Up Africa Podcast on Instagram Scale Up Africa Podcast on Twitter Soqo website Soqo on Twitter Mulumba's personal website Mulumba on LinkedIn Mulumba on Instagram Mulumba on Twitter   This epsiode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Tobias Reiter is the Co-Founder and CEO at VIEBEG Technologies, a Silicon-Valley based Health Tech company that expands people's access to affordable health care through the power of data. Launched in 2018, the company mainly operates in Central and East Africa, and offers high-quality medical and dental supplies as well as equipment through its comprehensive online marketplace and procurement software. Originally from Austria, Tobias first entered the world of AI back in college when, together with some colleagues, he built an AI-powered trading algorithm that was later sold to investors. He soon discovered that instead of just making money, he wanted to create an impact and solve real-world problems. Since launching VIEBEG Technologies, Tobias has been living and working in Kigali, Rwanda, and he is now on a mission to help achieve sustainable development in Africa by investing and participating in the African Tech-business environment. Besides his role at VIEBEG, he is also the Co-Founder of Tech Enfold Ltd., which is a Kigali-based social enterprise that focuses on empowering female software engineers in Africa. In this interview, Tobias talks about the many learnings he gained from launching VIEBEG's operations in Rwanda, some important (and at times surprising) socio-cultural aspects of doing business in the region, and some key takeaways for other foreign entrepreneurs thinking of investing in Central and East Africa. Tune into the conversation!   Links: VIEBEG website VIEBEG on LinkedIn VIEBEG on Facebook VIEBEG on Twitter Tech Enfold website Tech Enfold on LinkedIn Tobias on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Simon Kemp is the Founder & CEO at Kepios, a strategy consultancy that helps organizations all over the world to make sense of people's evolving digital behaviours. He is also the Chief Analyst at DataReportal, an online library of up-to-date reports that explore people's digital behaviours around the world. These free reports, which he produces in collaboration with Hootsuite and We Are Social, provide current, country-by-country information on everything from Internet penetration rates to online activities such as mobile usage, social-media habits and e-commerce adoption. Besides running his own consultancy, Simon is an Advisor on a couple of different Boards, he is a GWI Ambassador, and he is a contributing writer at The Next Web. Originally from Scotland, he has been based in Singapore since 2007, and he has become a perennial guest on this podcast. He has been featured on seven previous episodes, most recently on episode #179. In this interview, Simon talks about the latest series of Global Digital reports: the 2021 Global Overview Report and the 2021 Local Country Reports. In particular, he focuses on some surprising new trends emerging from those reports, including the massive popularity of image recognition tools, the general shift towards social search (instead of traditional search engines), and the clear preference for educational, instructional content (versus purely promotional content).   Links: DataReportal website DataReportal on LinkedIn DataReportal on Facebook DataReportal on Twitter Digital 2021: Global Overview Report Digital 2021: Local Country Headlines Hootsuite website We Are Social website GWI website Simon's articles on The Next Web Kepios website Kepios on LinkedIn Kepios on Twitter Simon on LinkedIn Simon on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Jason Mander was first featured on this podcast on episode #16. He is the Chief Research Officer at GWI (formerly known as GlobalWebIndex), which is the leading consumer research company for the global marketing industry. Headquartered in London, GWI has been delivering game-changing insights to just about every major agency, media organization and global brand since 2009. In his role as CRO, Jason leads the Research & Insight departments at GWI, and oversees the company's flagship study on the digital lives and lifestyles of consumers across more than 45 countries. He also directs the GWI's thought leadership program on the topics that matter to today's marketers, planners and researchers. Jason is the author of numerous research reports, including recent ones published in collaboration with LinkedIn, Reddit and Slack. He has also developed new data sets, including GWI Work, which offers a deep dive into B2B professionals, and GWI USA, which examines contemporary attitudes, behaviours and sentiment among American consumers. As a public speaker, Jason regularly presents at industry conferences and has been a frequent contributor to articles and analyses across titles like WARC, Think with Google, BBC News, Huffington Post, eMarketer, Bloomberg and CNN.   Links: GWI website GWI blog GWI's 2021 “Connecting the Dots” report GWI on LinkedIn GWI on Facebook GWI on Instagram GWI on YouTube GWI on Twitter Jason on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Anna Golubeva has more than 15 years of experience working in various international communication and localization roles IKEA. A graduate of Moscow Pedagogical University, she began her career as a translator, consultant and English teacher almost two decades ago. In 2003, Anna joined IKEA Russia as a translator and copywriter. A few years later, she relocated to the Netherlands, where the Inter IKEA Group is headquartered, and she has living and working there ever since. In her current role, Anna leads the digital translation capabilities program at Inter IKEA Systems, which is the worldwide IKEA franchisor. She enjoys the opportunities and challenges of working with languages for IKEA's globally successful life-at-home brand. With her previous experience in retail, marketing and production management, Anna is currently focusing on multi-language initiatives to connect language topics with Inter IKEA Systems' business agenda, and to enable the reach of the IKEA brand for more people in the world. I first met Anna at a workshop called "Bigger, Better, Faster: Navigating the Globalization Road from Startup to Enterprise". The workshop is a recurring one that is offered as part of the extended program for the LocWorld conference series. As a result of meeting there in July 2020, Anna and I are now part of a small group that meets once a month to discuss issues around localization strategy.   Links: “About IKEA” website Inter IKEA Group website IKEA on LinkedIn IKEA on Instagram IKEA on YouTube IKEA on Twitter LocWorld website Anna on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Finn Murphy is the Principal at Frontline Ventures, a VC firm based in Europe. Founded in 2012, with offices in Dublin and London, Frontline has positioned itself as the venture firm for globally ambitious B2B companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Its focus is on B2B SaaS companies with international growth goals, either early-stage startups with sights on the U.S., or at later-stage companies looking to expand into Europe. It has two main programs: Frontline Seed, which speeds up ideas at inception across Europe, and Frontline X, which is a growth-stage fund, for fast and frictionless US-Europe expansion. An entrepreneur at heart, Finn developed a passion for the tech startup and VC world while still while pursuing degrees in Math and Engineering at Dublin's Trinity College. He built his first successful software business – an application to digitize ID cards for students at Trinity – and launched it in 2016. The first product was a success, and the company was spun out as an independent business. He secured funding, won a prime spot at a local accelerator, and built out the company's core engineering team. After 18 months in operation iDly was snapped up by a larger Irish FinTech company. Finn then shifted his attention to developing the B2C growth marketing strategy at Plynk. He built out a specialized team, driving installs to a peak of 1000 per day. This company later flopped but the lessons on the way down were just as valuable as the ones from the way up. In 2018, Finn joined the Frontline Ventures team, where he is now looking to find and help grow the best new business ideas in Europe and the U.S. In addition to his responsibilities as Principal at Frontline, he also serves as a Board Member, Board Observer and Investor at several different tech startups. In this interview, Finn talks about why Frontline Ventures chooses to invest in globally ambitious tech founders, what his criteria are for evaluating a startup's global growth potential, and what Frontline's recently published 2020 Global Ambition Report reveals about the keys to successful international expansion for B2B software companies.   Links: Frontline Ventures website Frontline's 2020 Global Ambition Report Frontline Ventures on LinkedIn Finn on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

Hilary Normanha was first featured on episode #121 of this podcast. Since then, she has taken on the role of Localization Program Manager at ASICS Digital, which is a leading creator of mobile running apps. Originally founded as Runkeeper in 2008, it was one of the first apps available when the app store launched that year. It now has over 50 million users across 180 countries, and is available in 12 different languages. It was acquired by ASICS in 2016 as part of the group's plan to drive global expansion and improve the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) experience. With a background in psychology, Hilary began her career over a decade ago as a professional translator and language instructor. In 2015, she became the International Program Manager at DTM Distributors, an international supply chain company in food distribution. A couple of years later, she joined a small tech company called Eezy as Product Localization Manager, and built the company's localization program from the ground up. In 2019, Hilary joined ASICS Digital, where she now manages the localization program for the company's fitness apps. These include Runkeeper, a running and tracking app; ASICS Studio, a workout app; and Race Roster, a recently-acquired online registration platform for race organizers. Hilary works closely with a variety of teams within ASICS to ensure a fully localized product lifecycle for all of ASICS fitness apps. Catch Hilary's valuable insights, as she talks about why a global retail brand like ASICS got into the business of developing and supporting fitness apps, and how ASICS Digital makes those apps relevant and engaging for millions of users around the world.   Links: ASICS Digital website ASICS Digital on LinkedIn ASICS Digital on Instagram Hilary on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

Adam Asnes is the CEO of Lingoport, a recognized leader in internationalization and localization. Through its consulting services and software, Lingoport helps software companies globalize their products so that they work well in every target language and locale. Lingoport's suite of software supports continuous internationalization, localization, and QA in every sprint and release, allowing companies to release globalized software on time, on budget, and with repeatable quality. Lingoport's clients include well-established global leaders such as Cisco, Dell, Intuit, CA and more, as well as companies that are new to software globalization. As the Founder of Lingoport, Adam has been with the company since its launch in 2001. In his role, he oversees the company's marketing, sales, product development, consultant recruiting, and operations. He is based at Lingoport's headquarters, in Boulder, Colorado. You won't want to miss this deep dive into how today's software companies can successfully handle the continuous internationalization (i18n), localization and QA of their products for global distribution. Adam talks about some important i18n best practices, shares some wonderfully honest opinions, and offers some helpful advice for software startups. Tune into the conversation!   Links: Lingoport website Lingoport resource library Lingoport blog Lingoport on LinkedIn Lingoport on Facebook Lingoport on Twitter Adam on LinkedIn Adam on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

Nicole Barile is the Founder of NB Intercultural, a company dedicated to intercultural communication training. With over 15 years of experience helping clients to work effectively across cultures, she helps create globally minded leaders and organizations around the world. Before launching her own business, Nicole spent 10 years working as the Executive Director of an intercultural consulting company in New York City. In 2014, she relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, to head up the intercultural training division at Dwellworks, a global relocation services firm. In 2018, she launched NB Intercultural, where her focus is now on training expatriates who are relocating to other countries, businesspeople navigating cross-cultural situations, and organizations dealing with issues around multicultural team dynamics. Originally from the U.S., Nicole has traveled to over 40 countries, she has lived in Mexico and Argentina, and she speaks conversational Spanish and Portuguese. She holds a BA in Global Economics and an MA in Intercultural Relations from the University of the Pacific in California. Besides running her own business, she is a Visiting Lecturer and Workshop Facilitator at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She is also a regular presenter, speaker, and writer on the topics of global leadership, cultural competence, doing business across borders, and working on multicultural teams. In this interview, we discuss the importance of intercultural competence for today's global business leaders, the pitfalls of virtual-only communications in these pandemic times, and the benefits of intercultural communication training for global teams. Catch Nicole's valuable insights!   Links: Nicole's #futureofglobalwork website Nicole's Blog Nicole's ‘Culture Bytes' NB Intercultural on LinkedIn Nicole on LinkedIn Nicole on Instagram Nicole on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

For this episode, guest host Neil Sheth turns the tables on Kathrin Bussmann and puts her in the interview “hot seat”. Neil is the Founder of London-based digital marketing & SEO agency Bubbl, and was featured on episode #198 of this podcast. As an international marketing strategist, Kathrin Bussmann helps digital-first companies become successful global brands. She leverages up-to-date market research, cultural intelligence and localization expertise to creates global content strategies that attract, engage and retain more international customers. Her mission is to empower today's global-minded companies to build their brand value across languages, cultures and borders. Born in Quebec of German immigrant parents, Kathrin grew up fluently trilingual and multicultural. She holds degrees in Communications Studies and Linguistics from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Humboldt Universität in Berlin. Now based in Toronto, Kathrin launched her global marketing consultancy, Verbaccino, in 2014, and has been producing her award-winning show, The Worldly Marketer Podcast, since 2016. She is a member of the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) and of The Global Chamber, as well as being a Co-Founder of Women in Localization Eastern Canada (WLEC) chapter. Catch this very special episode, in which Kathrin talks about why she loves to work at the intersection of global business, content marketing and localization strategy, and why she thinks of them as pillars for today's successful brands. Plus, Neil has a big announcement! Tune in and find out who is taking a new role as Head of Content Localization at Bubbl to help clients build their brands on a global scale.   Links: Bubbl website Bubbl on LinkedIn TWM episode w/ Neil Sheth Kathrin on LinkedIn Kathrin on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Sharon Cohen is the Vice President, Fairmont Brand at Accor, one of the largest hospitality companies in the world. Originally founded in 1967 and headquartered in the Greater Paris Region, Accor has grown into a holistic ecosystem of more than 30 brands, 80 partnerships, and more than 5,000 hotels in 110 countries. Originally from Canada, Sharon has more than 20 years of experience in hospitality brand management, loyalty programs, and customer relations. She began her career as a Manager at Fairmont's national sales office in New York, back in 2000, and she's been with Fairmont ever since – with the exception of a brief hiatus while the brand was being acquired by Accor in 2016. She rejoined the company in 2017 to take on her current role, and she is now based in Paris. As the leader of the Fairmont brand within Accor, Sharon is responsible for Fairmont's global brand strategy, product development, positioning and brand standards. She works closely with other teams in AccorHotels' Luxury Brands organization to enhance and differentiate Fairmont's competitive position in the luxury hotel segment. In this interview, Sharon talks about how Fairmont Hotels & Resorts evolved to become the iconic global brand we know today. “Unforgettable since 1907”, Fairmont has stayed true to its core positioning across decades, cultures, geographies, and mergers. Find out how this venerable hospitality brand has been able to adapt to changing consumer trends, keep its branding relevant, and respond proactively to current global challenges.   Links: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts website Fairmont on LinkedIn Fairmont on Facebook Fairmont on Instagram Fairmont on YouTube Fairmont on Twitter Accor website Accor on LinkedIn Accor on Twitter Sharon on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

James Ellis is a recognized expert in Employer Branding. He is currently the Employer Branding Manager at Roku Inc., a Silicon Valley based company that pioneered streaming to TV. Before joining Roku, he was the Director of Employer Brand at Universum, a global employer branding consulting firm headquartered in Sweden. His previous roles also include Employer Brand Consultant at BEXConsultants and Global Director of Employment Brand at Groupon. With a degree in Political Science and an MBA, James spent the first decade of his career working as a developer and web designer. After relocating to Chicago in 2010, he took on a series of senior leadership roles focused on digital strategy, eventually specialized in Employer Branding. His achievements include reinventing the employer brand of a public Fortune 1000 company, and being the first person to prove content positively impacts applications. He has also turned a failing brand-activation department into a multi-million-dollar growth engine, started a media-buying department from scratch, and expanded content and social offerings globally. James is the inventor of the Recruiting Content Framework, the Employer Brand Manifesto and the first comprehensive Employer Brand Architecture. In addition to his current role at Roku Inc., he is a highly respected author and keynote speaker on the topic of Employer Branding, and he hosts a podcast called The Talent Cast. His two new books are entitled The Employer Brand Handbook and Talent Chooses You: Hire Better with Employer Branding. In this interview, James explains the basic concept of Employer Brand, how it's directly connected to brand building overall, why companies need to get clear on their Employer Value Proposition, and why that EVP needs to be part of their global branding and marketing strategy.   Links: James' website Article: “The CMO's Guide to Employer Brand” James' books on Amazon Website: “Talent Chooses You” Podcast: “The Talent Cast” James on LinkedIn James on Facebook James on YouTube James on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Julio Leal is the Head of Localization at Ciena, a global leader in telecommunication networking systems, services and software. Originally founded in 1992 and headquartered in Maryland, U.S.A., Ciena now has over 65 offices around the globe, and about 6500 employees in more than 35 different countries. It has been described as the “world's biggest player in optical connectivity”, and its customers include the likes of AT&T, Comcast, Rogers, Bell, Telus, Verizon, Telmex, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Korea Telecom, Rakuten, Sprint Corporation, and many more. With a degree in Translation & Interpreting from the University of Granada, Julio started out his career in 1999 on the vendor side of the language industry. After working for a number of different translation companies, he moved to the client side in 2007, when he became an in-house Production and Localization Manager at SAP. In 2010, he took on his current role at Ciena, and has been leading the company's localization efforts from his remote office in Málaga ever since. In parallel with his work at Ciena, Julio has gone on to obtain a degree in Web Globalization Management from Saint Louis University, a degree in Global Marketing from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and, most recently, an MBA. He also contributes to industry publications and speaks at industry events. I had a chance to catch his excellent presentation on the topic of B2B video localization at the June 2020 virtual edition of the Brand2Global Conference. In this interview, Julio talks about how Ciena went from being a U.S.-centric company to the global enterprise it is today; how localization has contributed to the Ciena's growth; how the localization team is integrated into the content production process; why video content is so important to the company's global marketing strategy; and how to decide on the best processes and tools for the job, including a Content Management System (CMS) and Translation Management System (TMS). You won't want to miss the many valuable insights contained in this milestone episode!   Links: Ciena website Ciena on LinkedIn Ciena on Facebook Ciena on YouTube Ciena on Instagram Ciena on Twitter Julio on LinkedIn Julio on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Kristy Sakai is the CEO at Supertext USA, which is a creative translation and copywriting agency. Originally founded in 2005, Supertext has offices in Zurich, Berlin and Los Angeles, and works with global brands, multinationals, and marketing agencies to creatively adapt their campaigns for international markets. Kristy grew up in the U.S., Japan, the U.K., and graduated from the London School of Economics before beginning her career in the language services industry. After a couple years as a freelancer, she joined an international marketing agency based in Berlin, where she handled international marketing and project management. In 2012, she took on the role of Language Manager at the Zurich office of Supertext, and a few years later she spearheaded the company's expansion to the U.S. Now based in California, Kristy is the head of Supertext's U.S. business operations. Together with her team and a network of more than 1500 selected copywriters, translators and editors, she helps companies expand their international reach by creating copy that is a pleasure to read in over 100 different languages. Besides her role at Supertext USA, Kristy is a co-Founder and the Membership Manager at the Los Angeles Chapter of Women in Localization, which was launched in the spring of 2019. In this interview, Kristy explains how important it is to truly understand your target customer in a new market, what's involved in adapting your marketing copy for that customer's language and culture, and why it's sometimes more effective to create content from scratch by using a marketing brief rather than translating an existing source text.   Links: Supertext website Supertext USA on LinkedIn Supertext USA on Facebook Supertext on YouTube Supertext on Instagram Supertext on Twitter Women in Localization website Kristy on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Suraya Yahaya is the Founder & CEO at Khazana, Inc., a management consulting firm that helps companies grow, scale internationally, and simplify their operations. Originally from Malaysia, she has lived and worked internationally, and has been based in Denver, Colorado, since 2006. She brings over 20 years of expertise in strategic alignment and process simplification to help clients successfully go from vision to execution. With a background in law, international business, marketing and business administration, Suraya launched her consultancy in 2019 to help companies identify areas of risk and remove roadblocks for growth. As the Head of Khazana, she now partners with Founders, CEOs and Visionaries to streamline organizational performance and achieve revenue and growth goals. She engages with her clients on a project basis or as an outsourced COO, and she is skilled at partnering with senior executive teams across a variety of industries. She has worked with companies of all sizes, but small- and medium-sized businesses are her passion. Besides her work at Khazana, Suraya is committed to giving back to the community and to mentoring and coaching the next generation of leaders. She is an active speaker on the topic of women leadership, diversity and inclusion in the talent pipeline, and serves on non-profit leadership teams. She is also active in several entrepreneur and start-up communities, and provides advice to companies who are mission-driven to change the world. In this interview, Suraya talks about how SMEs can scale their business internationally by building strong relationships, investing in local communities, and developing their digital strategy.   Links: Khazana Inc. website Khazana Inc. on LinkedIn The Global Chamber website Suraya on LinkedIn Suraya's articles on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec and GALA.

Marie Betts-Johnson is the Founder & President of the International Protocol Institute of California (IPIC), which was established in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego. Since its inception, the IPIC has developed and delivered hundreds of customized training programs for multinational corporations and entities, including the United Nations, NATO, IBM, Gucci Timepieces, Johnson & Johnson, Deloitte & Touche, and many more. It now has offices in Dubai and partners with the Levenbert Academy to deliver international protocol and cross-cultural programs for corporate and government officials, diplomats, and business professionals in the Gulf region and North Africa. Originally from Ireland, Marie's international journey began in 1980, when she had an opportunity to work as part of the staff of the late King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan. In that role, she interacted with royalty and dignitaries from all over the world, including Prince Charles and the Late Princess Diana of Wales. More recently, Marie served as Director of the International Relations Office at the World Trade Center San Diego, where she established outreach systems to attract delegations from all over the world to promote business and investment in the San Diego region. In this interview, Marie explains why the success of international business negotiations often depends on cross-cultural understanding and an awareness of proper protocols. She also talks about how, in the era of COVID-19, we need to develop new international protocols and best practices for the realities of our increasingly virtual business interactions.   Links: Marie's website IPIC on LinkedIn Marie on LinkedIn Marie on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec and GALA.

James Banville has over 25 years of experience in international business development, marketing and sales with small and large Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies in the U.S. and international markets. Based in Orange County, California, he is currently leading international operations atThe Honest Company, a consumer goods company founded by American actress and businesswoman, Jessica Alba, in 2012.   James speaks three different languages, and holds degree in Spanish Literature as well as an MBA from theThunderbird School of Global Management. Over the course of his career, he has held a number of senior leadership positions at some of the world's best-known CPG brands. He has led international sales teams a Kao Corporation, ConAgra Foods, Revlon Professional Brands, Henkel, and e.l.f. Cosmetics, before taking on the role of General Manager, International, atThe Honest Company in 2019.   In this interview, James talks about how today's CPG companies are approaching international expansion, and their strategies for building great global brands in a rapidly evolving marketplace. Catch his valuable insights!     Links: The Honest Company website The Honest Company on Facebook The Honest Company on Instagram The Honest Company on Pinterest The Honest Company on Twitter The Honest Company on LinkedIn The Honest Company Blog James on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec and GALA.

John Pabon is the Founder of Fulcrum Strategic Advisors, Asia's only risk management firm that addresses the most critical areas of change, namely: shifts in geopolitics; the need for sustainability; and the strategic communications underpinning reputation. Fulcrum's mission is to help its clients capitalize on these seismic shifts through strategic communications and marketing, global policy development, personal branding, and better stakeholder engagement. Originally from the U.S., John holds advanced degrees in Political Science and International Relations. He has worked with the United Nations, McKinsey, A.C. Nielsen, and as a consultant with BSR, the world's largest sustainability-focused business network. His career has taken him across the globe, and has given him the opportunity to live and work in China for almost a decade. In 2017, he launched Fulcrum Strategic Advisors, with offices in Melbourne, Hong Kong and Shanghai. John has been named as one of the world's top 100 voices on modern China. He is the Resident Sustainability Expert at The Silk Initiative, a Shanghai-based brand consultancy. He is also a member of the United Nations Association of Australia, and serves on the Board of Advisors to the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce and the Australian Chamber of Commerce's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee. John is a regular contributor to major publications, and he is a global speaker on issues of sustainability, geopolitics, communications, and societal change. His new book, Sustainability for the Rest of Us: Your No-Bullsh*t, Five-Point Plan for Saving the Planet, was launched in July 2020. In this interview, John explains what the field of Sustainability encompasses, why companies need to set clear sustainability targets, how sustainability issues present opportunities for growing brands, how China has actually become a leader in global sustainability, and how the current pandemic is affecting the “Rise of the Asian Century”. Make sure to catch John's fascinating insights.   Links: Fulcrum Strategic Advisors website Fulcrum Strategic Advisors on LinkedIn John's personal website John's book “Sustainability for the Rest of Us” on Amazon The Silk Initiative website BSR website United Nations Association of Australia website U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce website Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry website John on LinkedIn John on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Dr. Ajay K. Jha is the Founder of InnoP – Innovative Preneurship, a boutique global innovation, incubation & mentor-driven co-working space located in Fort Collins, Colorado. InnoP incubates and accelerates start-ups in the Agri-Tech, Nutrition, Biotech, Healthcare, Energy, and Big Data sectors, and promotes global trade and investment. Originally from India, Ajay has over 20 years of global business experience. He obtained his Ph.D. in biotechnology from Delhi University, and began his career as an Advisor for Agri-Tech ventures, building international partnerships between Indian companies and organizations abroad. In 2001, Ajay relocated to the U.S. to pursue a post-doctoral degree, followed by MBA, at Colorado State University. Since then, he has worked as an expert consultant to a number of different American and foreign companies looking to expand their trade and investments internationally. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, and helped U.S. as well as Indian companies enter the global market and internal attract talent. At InnoP, Ajay now acts as a mentor to Colorado-based startups that are looking to go global. He helps them raise capital, build strategies for global trade, and develop partnerships overseas. In this interview, Ajay talks about InnoP's holistic approach to incubation and acceleration, how solutions to local problems can often be scaled up to serve global needs, which sectors present huge opportunities for innovation, and why India should be of particular interest to U.S. based startups.   Links: InnoP website InnoP on LinkedIn InnoP on Facebook Ajay on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Markus Kramer is a Managing Partner at Brand Affairs AG, an independent PR & Communications agency headquartered in Zurich. He is a brand strategy expert, with a deep knowledge of global marketing, and media & reputation management across multiple sectors, including luxury, automotive, financial services, and government institutions. A native of Switzerland, Markus began his marketing career two decades ago, on the client side of the industry, at the Swiss offices of Honda. In 2003, he joined the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, where he led marketing efforts for over six years, first for the Swiss market and eventually as the Marketing Operations Director for EMEA (Europe, the Middle East & Africa). From there, took on the role of Global Marketing Director at Aston Martin, based in the U.K. In 2013, Markus transitioned to the agency side by joining Brand Affairs as a Managing Partner. Since then, he has divided his time between London and Zurich, and he has become an Associate Professor of Brand Management at the Faculty of Management Sciences of the Cass Business School in London. He is the author of The Guiding Purpose Strategy: A Navigational Code for Brand Growth. And he is also a current Board Member of the Swiss-based BPN Foundation, a non-profit that supports entrepreneurship in developing countries.   Links: Markus' personal website Markus' book: “The Guiding Purpose Strategy” Brand Affairs website Brand Affairs on LinkedIn Brand Affairs on Facebook Brand Affairs on Instagram Brand Affairs on Twitter Markus on LinkedIn Markus on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Kyle Hegarty has been called “the Indiana Jones of International Business”. He was first featured on episode #158 of this podcast. Based in Singapore, he is the Managing Director at TSL Marketing, a global B2B marketing agency headquartered in the U.S. Over the course of his career, Kyle has deciphered the culture code of doing business in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes some of the world's fastest-growing markets. His new book, The Accidental Business Nomad: A Survival Guide for Working Across a Shrinking Planet, details his triumphs and his failures as a global business growth specialist. The result is a no-holds-barred, gritty, and unvarnished account of doing business across cultures. The book features real stories of companies going global, and highlights the realities of doing business overseas. Each story gives fascinating insights and lessons into the cultural realities and unexpected surprises of modern globalization. With upwards of over 70% of foreign business ventures failing due to cultural differences, Kyle shows how anyone can beat the odds by harnessing the power of cross-cultural data and by learning new skills to adapt in today's fast-paced, technology-driven world. Due to COVID-19, Kyle argues, globalization is actually accelerating rapidly, and cross-cultural skills are needed now more than ever, as we face entirely new challenges of doing business digitally, at an unprecedented rate, with cultures around the world.   Links: Leadership Nomad website Kyle's book: “The Accidental Business Nomad” TSL Marketing website TSL Marketing on LinkedIn TSL Marketing on Facebook TSL Marketing on Twitter Kyle on LinkedIn Kyle on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Steven Hoffman is the Chairman & CEO of Founders Space, one of the world's leading incubators and accelerators, with over 50 partners in 22 countries. Founders Space has helped hundreds of start-ups scale their businesses, raise capital, and go global. Before launching Founders Space in 2010, Steven was the Founder & Chairman of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Producers Guild of America. He has served on the Board of Governors of the New Media Council, and he is a founding member of the Academy of Television's Interactive Media Group. He was previously based in Hollywood, where he worked as a TV development executive at Fries Entertainment, and he eventually went on to pioneer interactive television with his venture-funded start-up, Spiderdance. Now based in Silicon Valley, Steven has founded several venture-backed start-ups, specifically in the area of games and entertainment, and he has worked as a Mobile Studio Head for the mobile games division of Infospace. In the course of his career, he has trained hundreds of start-up founders and corporate executives in the art of innovation, and provided consulting to many of the world's largest corporations, including Qualcomm, Huawei, Bosch, Intel, Disney, Warner Brothers, NBC, Gulf Oil, Siemens, and Viacom. Besides his work at Founders Space, Steven is an angel investor, a limited partner at August Capital, a serial entrepreneur, and the author of several award-winning books, including “Make Elephants Fly” and “Surviving a Startup”.    Links: Founders Space website Founders Space on Facebook Founders Space on YouTube Founders Space on Instagram Founders Space on Twitter Steven's books Steven on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Don Southerton was first featured on episode #057 of this podcast. As the Founder & CEO at Bridging Culture Worldwide, he helps Korea-facing business by assisting companies in their market entry strategy into South Korea, by helping Korean brands expand into North America and internationally. With nearly four decades of experience, Don is recognized as the definitive authority on South Korean business consulting and Korean corporate culture. In fact, he is known in business circles as “The Hyundai Whisperer”. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, top Korean groups, leading international law firms, and elite consultancies. He has worked with a variety of industries, including automotive, golf, quick-service restaurant sectors, New Urbanism, and green technology. In late 2019, Don became the Global Head of Corporate Communications at Hancom Group, which is South Korea's leading ICT company. He now heads up the group's global communications and PR, as well as its North American market entry. In addition, Don is a regular contributor to online publications such as Branding in Asia on the topic of Korean business, and he is the author and co-author of several books, including Korea Perspective. His latest book is called Korea 2020, A Workplace in Transition. In this interview, Don talks about how South Korea's economy is weathering the COVID-19 pandemic, how he's seeing interesting shifts in traditional Korean corporate culture, and what those changes mean for Western companies looking to do business there.   Links: Bridging Culture Worldwide website Bridging Culture Worldwide on LinkedIn Bridging Culture Worldwide on Facebook Don's books on Amazon Free copy of Don's book: “Korea 2020, A Workplace in Transition” Don's articles on Branding in Asia Don on LinkedIn Don on Facebook Don on YouTube Don on Instagram Don on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Burcu Demirörs is the Co-Founder & CEO at HeliCo Translation, a language services company based in Turkey. She is a highly qualified translator and simultaneous interpreter, who specializes in English-to-Turkish and German-to-Turkish. She has been actively working in the language industry for more than decade now. After obtaining advanced degrees in Translation and Simultaneous Interpretation from universities in Izmir and Ankara, Burcu spent several years working for a variety of different clients and agencies. In 2015, she and her partner founded their own agency, with offices located in the city of Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast. HeliCo Translation's motto is “Everyone smiles here in the same language”, and its mission is to provide clients with the highest level of professionalism and industry know-how. In addition to running her translation agency, Burcu volunteers as an Emergency & Disaster Interpreter. She is also a paragliding enthusiast, and happens to be one of the best women paragliding pilots in Turkey. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person in 2019, at the LocWorld conference in Portugal, where I moderated a presentation that she gave on how to manage translation quality. In June 2020, Burcu and her team organized the first #LocNowAndFuture event, hosted by ProZ.com TV, which featured a variety of important speakers from different backgrounds, as well as virtual round-table discussions. In fact, I had the honour of being a moderator for one of the sessions. In this interview, Burcu talks about today's Turkish market, and how foreign brands can adapt their products, services and marketing campaigns to make a more positive first impression on Turkish consumers.   Links: HeliCo Translation website HeliCo Translation on LinkedIn Helico Translation on Facebook HeliCo Translation on Instagram Burcu on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Judith Hornok is the Founder of Hornok & Partner, an internationally recognized innovation company for business success based in Vienna, Austria. She is also the author of a new book called The Arab Business Code, which deals with the cross-cultural challenges that Western companies may face when doing business in the Arab states of the Gulf region (i.e. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). As a trained journalist, Judith spent over 15 years researching the social and emotional mindset of Arab people in the Gulf region, and advising European businesses on how to be successful there. Her first book, Moderne Arabische Frauen / Modern Arab Women, was published in 2011 in German and English. Her second book, The Arab Business Code, was originally published in German in 2018, and as of February 2020, an English version is now available. Judith is The Decoder because she decodes human behaviour. She specializes in deciphering the often culture-based behaviours of people in order to facilitate business negotiations, help people overcome professional challenges, and mediate between seemingly irreconcilable positions. In her new book, she explores the “codes” of Arab business people, describes some techniques for successful communication, and explains why it's so essential to identify and manage The Emotional Hinderers in business as well as in life.   Links: Judith's website 'The Emotional Hinderers' webpage “The Arab Business Code” on the Routledge website Judith on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.  

Dana Doswell is the Founder of Dozzy Inc., an independent consultancy that helps Latin-American businesses enter the North American market and vice versa. Originally from Canada, she is now based in Mexico and provides cultural training to business executives, with a focus on sales, marketing and networking in English and Spanish. After completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree in Nova Scotia, one of Canada's Atlantic provinces, Dana came back to Toronto in 2017. Following a brief stint at KPMG and a year working at an IT company, she co-founded a strategic marketing firm called Sidepart Digital. Headquartered in Toronto, Sidepart helps business owners in the financial and legal services sectors by building digital ecosystems through automation and workflow optimization to reduce labour hours and find new revenue opportunities. In 2019, Dana decided to relocate to Mexico and to launch her own consultancy, Dozzy Inc. Currently based in Mérida, in the Yucatan, she is focused on helping SMEs optimize their sales, marketing and customer-service strategies for better cross-border business. Catch Dana's insights into Mexico's evolving consumer market, and why foreign brands may need to significantly adapt their marketing – from their value proposition, to their content, all the way to their tactics – to be successful there.   Links: Dozzy Inc. on Facebook Dozzy Inc. on LinkedIn Dozzy Inc. on Instagram Sidepart Digital website Sidepart on LinkedIn Dana on LinkedIn Dana on Instagram   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Yingying Li is a cross-cultural communication and leadership coach, who has over 10 years of experience in operations and business development in the U.S., China, Brazil, India, and Turkey. She is the Founder of Yingfluence, Inc., a Silicon Valley based start-up that empowers professionals to connect and lead their brands cross-culturally. Her clients include high-level executives from companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Cisco and Intel. With its mission of fostering empathy and opportunities, Yingfluence's services range from futuristic executive coaching, to creative branding, to advanced communication and global partnerships among multi-cultural communities, such as China, Latin America, and the United States. It also boasts a multilingual talent think-tank of so-called “Yingfluencers”, which empowers cross-cultural professionals to become thought leaders, to create a positive influence, and to move humanity a step forward. Yingying believes that Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is critical for the next generation of global leadership. In addition to her work at Yingfluence, she also co-hosts and co-produces a podcast called How China Works, which helps foreigners become “China-smart”. The show uses a hybrid East-West perspective - crossing cultures, generations, and genders - to find common ground and build understanding. Besides her consulting work and her podcasting activities, Yingying serves as an Executive Trainer and Partner at Founders Space, a top-ranked Global Accelerator for overseas start-ups. She is also the COO at Skive it, Inc., a Deep Learning start-up headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area. For this interview, Yingying joined me from Beijing. She talked about why she believes it's never been more important for global-minded entrepreneurs to stay calm, think big, and improve their understanding of foreign markets. She also discussed how she uses digital channels, including LinkedIn, to help build cross-cultural bridges for herself and for her clients. Catch this fascinating conversation.   Links: Yingfluence, Inc. website Yingfluence, Inc. on LinkedIn “How China Works” Podcast website Founders Space website Skive it, Inc. website Yingying on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Prof. Svend Hollensen is the author of Global Marketing, a textbook he first published in 1998. Now in its eighth edition, the book continues to be the most up-to-date and comprehensive text of its kind, with cutting-edge case studies and a focus on the impact of new technologies and perspectives on international marketing. For nearly twenty years now, this title has been a definitive, truly international guide on the topic of global marketing. Since its original publication, it has been translated into Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and a localized Indian edition. A native of Denmark, Svend holds a Masters' degree in Marketing & Business Administration and a Ph.D. in International Marketing. After several years of working in the private sector, he took on the position of Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, and he has been teaching there ever since, becoming Associate Professor of International Marketing in 1993. He also teaches at London Metropolitan University and at the Europäische Fachhochschule Hamburg (Euro FH). In addition to his book on Global Marketing, Svend has published numerous journal articles over the years, as well as a number of other successful book titles, including on Marketing Management, Marketing Research, Essentials of Global Marketing, and Social Media Marketing. Alongside his successful career in academia, my guest has been running his own international marketing consultancy for over 20 years. His clients have included several multinational companies as well as global organizations such as the World Bank.   Links: Svend's book: “Global Marketing”, 8th edition Teaser pack for “Global Marketing”, 8th edition Pearson request form for a complimentary copy of “Global Marketing” (ISBN 9781292251806) Svend's books on Amazon Article on “glocalization” by Hollensen & Møller Article on “glocalization” by Hollensen & Schimmelpfennig Svend on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Laurence Lim Dally is the Founder & Managing Director at Cherry Blossoms Intercultural Branding, a boutique marketing agency based in Hong Kong and New York City. She is an expert on diversity and the decoding of cultural differences. With her Cherry Blossoms team, she helps Western brands in the beauty, hospitality, jewelry, fashion, and wine & spirits sectors to better resonate with Asian consumers. Originally from France, Laurence started her career working for the French government on diversity and equal opportunities issues, before moving to Hong Kong in 2008. There, she founded her marketing agency, Cherry Blossoms, with the goal of bridging the gap between East and West. Since 2018, Laurence has been based in New York City, and is a now frequent keynote speaker on China and marketing for organizations such as China Connect, the Women in Innovation Forum, the French Chamber of Commerce, Sotheby's, Jingdaily, and major international business schools.   Links: Cherry Blossoms website Cherry Blossoms on LinkedIn Cherry Blossoms on Instagram Laurence on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

John Yunker is a recognized expert in the field of web and software globalization. I first featured him on episode #059 of this podcast. He is the Co-Founder & President of Byte Level Research, which was the first agency devoted to web globalization best practices. Over the past two decades, he has helped hundreds of companies improve their global content, websites and software through specialized reports, consulting, speaking and training sessions. Based in Ashland, Oregon, John works with many of the world's largest multinational corporations, providing web-globalization training and benchmark services. He is perhaps best known for his series of specialized reports on web globalization, in particular the annual Web Globalization Report Cards, of which the 16th edition is now available. Besides his annual report cards, John is the author of several books, including The Savvy Client's Guide to Translation Agencies, The Art of the Global Gateway, and Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies, which was the first book devoted to the emerging field of web globalization. This widely acclaimed book is now used in a number of university and corporate training programs and by most of the Fortune 500. My guest's most recent book is called Think Outside the Country: A Guide to Going Global and Succeeding in the Translation Economy, and it is now available in Japanese as well as in English. Last but not least, John writes a blog called Global by Design. Tune into this latest conversation with John, as he shares some takeaways from his 2020 Web Globalization Report Card – including current best practices and which companies are leading the field ­– as well as some thoughts on the future of global business.   Links: Byte Level Research website The 2020 Web Globalization Report Card Global By Design website Byte Level Books John's personal website John on LinkedIn John on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Matteo Ceurvels is a Regional Analyst for Latin America and Spain at eMarketer, a leading market research firm headquartered in New York City. He has been featured on this podcast several times before: on episodes #83, #106, #116, and #141. On this episode, Matteo talks about his most recent report for eMarketer, which was released in June: “Latin America Ecommerce 2019: Mobile to Capture More than One-Third of the Regional Market”. This report provides an analysis for retail ecommerce and mcommerce sales in Latin America, with a particular attention to Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. It also examines some interesting new trends and key drivers fuelling ecommerce in the LATAM region. Catch Matteo's latest insights!   Links: eMarketer website "Latin America Ecommerce 2019" report Matteo's executive summary on LinkedIn eMarketer on LinkedIn eMarketer on Facebook eMarketer on Twitter Matteo on LinkedIn Matteo on Twitter Matteo's website   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Chris Raulf is an international Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert. He is one of the very few professionals in the industry who truly lives and breathes global SEO on a daily basis. As a specialized consultant for international SEO, he offers advice and training to companies around the world. Originally from Switzerland, Chris has been working in Sales and Marketing for three decades now. He has held a series of leadership positions within the localization industry, including at Lionbridge Technologies, RWS Group, ENLASO Corp. and Lingoport. In 2009, Chris founded his own digital marketing agency, Boulder SEO Marketing. With offices in Colorado and London, UK, he and his team assist local, national and international customers with all of their online marketing needs. In 2016, Chris launched his specialized International SEO Solutions consultancy. Last but not least, Chris is an international keynote speaker, and an online lecturer at the University of Strasbourg, where he teaches SEO, digital and content marketing at the graduate level.   Links: Boulder SEO Marketing website Boulder SEO Marketing on LinkedIn Boulder SEO Marketing on Facebook Boulder SEO Marketing on Twitter Chris Raulf International SEO Solutions website Chris Raulf International SEO Solutions on LinkedIn Chris on LinkedIn Chris on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Kristina Podnar is a consultant, a speaker and an author on the topic of digital policy. For over two decades, she has worked with some of the most high-profile companies in the world. Based in Washington, D.C., she is the Principal at NativeTrust Consulting, LLC, which she founded in 2016. Through her consultancy, she helps her clients create sound and smart digital policies, and to see those policies as opportunities to free their organization from uncertainty, risk and internal chaos. With a background in international studies and international business, Kristina is certified as a Change Management Practitioner as well as a Project Management Professional. Over the course of her career, she has become a thought leader and innovator in creating digital policies that – counterintuitively – unlock opportunity, liberate employees, and increase the company's bottom line. Kristina's new book, The Power of Digital Policy: A practical guide to minimizing risk and maximizing opportunity for your organization, was published earlier this year, in March 2019. It's a handbook full of actionable advice for companies of all sizes: from solo entrepreneurs, to startups and SMEs, all the way to global enterprises.   Links: NativeTrust Consulting, LLC website Kristina's personal website “The Power of Digital Policy” webpage The Power of Digital Policy on LinkedIn Smashing Conferences webpage Kristina on LinkedIn Kristina on Vimeo Kristina on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Nicolas Bourdon is the Senior Vice President of Marketing at EVS Broadcast Equipment, a company which is globally recognized as the leader in live video production technology. Headquartered in Belgium, EVS launched its ground-breaking Live Slow Motion (LSM) replay system in 1994, and has continued to develop cutting-edge solutions for live sports, entertainment and news productions ever since. The company now employs about 500 people in offices across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America, and it provides sales and technical support to clients in more than 100 countries around the world. With a background in Business Administration, Finance and Marketing, Nicolas spent the first six years of his career as Communications and Marketing Manager at Sabina Technics, a French aviation company. He eventually joined EVS in 2005, as Marketing and Communications Director. In 2013, he took on his current role as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and led a complete redesign of the company's brand identity. Nicolas is now responsible for, among other things, EVS' global marketing strategy, as well as its global marcom activities. Catch Nicolas' insights into how EVS grew from a small Belgian startup to become the world's gold-standard brand in live video production technology, relied upon today for events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the Oscars.    Links: EVS Broadcast Equipment website EVS Broadcast Equipment on LinkedIn EVS Broadcast Equipment on Facebook EVS Broadcast Equipment on Twitter Nicolas on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Mick Monaghan is a Globalization Architect at Guidewire Software, a company that develops software products for the Property and Casualty (P&C) insurance industry. He is a seasoned software engineer specializing in all things multilingual. Guidewire Software provides the platform, services, and partner ecosystem that enables Property and Casualty (P&C) insurers to run, differentiate, and grow their business. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Foster City, CA, Guidewire now serves more than 350 companies in 32 countries around the world. Originally from Ireland, Mick has been working in globalization for almost twenty years now, and has become a “go-to” person for localization in the software development industry. He started out as a Software Engineer at Sun Microsystems, where he worked on many initiatives around internationalization and localization. In 2003, Mick took the opportunity to relocate to Toronto, and has been based here ever since. In 2009, he joined Tessolutions Inc. as a Programmer & Analyst, went on to become the Senior Localization and Internationalization Engineer at BlackBerry, and then took the on the role of Globalization Architect at Qlik, before joining Guidewire Softeware in 2018. Catch Mick's insights on why it's so crucial for software companies to incorporate basic internationalization requirements at the very beginning of their product development process.   Links: Guidewire Software website Guidewire Software on LinkedIn Guidewire Software on Facebook Guidewire Software on Twitter “Joel on Software” blog post about internationalization basics Unicode Conference website LocWorld conference website Mick (a.k.a. Michael) on LinkedIn   This episode is sponsored by Vistatec.

Amisha Gandhi is the VP Influencer Marketing & Communications at SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass. She is also the Creator of the SAP Global Influencer Program, which she took from pilot to a full-scale global function across SAP with the purpose of driving influencer marketing across the entire customer journey – from awareness to demand-gen to advocacy. SAP Ariba is a leading business commerce network. It combines cloud-based applications with the world's largest Internet-based trading community to help companies discover and collaborate with a global network of partners. SAP Fieldglass is a leader in external talent management and services procurement. Its cloud-based open platform has been deployed in more than 165 countries around the world. Amisha has worked in marketing communications and social media roles in Silicon Valley for the past 15 years. In that time, she has worked with startups and notable brands such as Citysearch.com, HP, Google, Accenture, Merrill Lynch, VISA, and Time-Warner. She joined SAP in 2010 as Director of Global Corporate Communications and Global PR Lead for Mobile. She went on to become Senior Director of Mobile Product Marketing, and then the Global Head of Influencer Marketing. In April 2018, she took on her current role with SAP Ariba, and added SAP Fieldglass to her scope of responsibilities very recently.   Links: SAP website SAP Ariba website SAP Ariba podcast series SAP Ariba YouTube channel SAP Intelligent Spend site SAP Fieldglass website Amisha on LinkedIn Amisha on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Bruno Herrmann has been a guest on the podcast three times before: on episodes #010, #105 and #133. As a digital leader, he has more than 20 years of experience in international product, content, and customer experience leadership. Most recently, Bruno was the Digital Globalization Leader at The Nielsen Company, focusing on global content creation, localization, testing, certification and delivery, as well as on product management and international customer experiences. Before joining Nielsen, Bruno managed online globalization programs at HP, and content management in addition to Web localization at Compaq. Prior that, he worked in the marketing communications and localization industries, taking part in major international projects for high-profile technology clients. Bruno has been a practitioner, a change agent, a thought leader and a strategist in the areas of international information, transformation and product management – both in the offline and online world. He is a regular speaker, panelist, moderator and workshop leader at conferences and events around the world. He is also a columnist for Brand Quarterly and EContent Magazine.   Links: Bruno's article: “Localization Elevates AI Humanization (and Vice Versa)” Bruno's articles in EContent Magazine Bruno's articles in Brand Quarterly Bruno's recent workshop at DigiEx Conference 2019 Bruno & Esther Curiel's upcoming presentation at LocWorld40 Bruno on LinkedIn Bruno on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Loy Searle is the Founder and President of Global Guild, a consulting firm that connects people within the globalization field to a selected group of peers, who mentor each other by sharing their knowledge, expertise, best practices, challenges, successes, and failures. Launched in 2018, Global Guild focuses on creating small, personal communities, rather than an internet forum, so as to better help its members grow their careers, build their networks, and develop strong globalization practices.   Loy has been a globalization and content industry leader for over 20 years now. Over the course of her career, she has had a number of senior leadership positions. During her time at Google, she was the Head of Global Production and Language Services, in charge of turning language quality around while shortening time to market. At Intuit, her team built a scalable globalization and innovative content foundation to support the company's market expansion. At Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, her localization team transformed their practice to support the Entertainment industry's digital transformation.   Today, at Global Guild, Loy is building curated industry peer networks, which are designed to create stronger leaders and better globalization practices.   In addition to her work at Global Guild, Loy is an Advisor at AdvisoryCloud, a platform that gives professionals the exposure and tools to monetize their knowledge, and she is also the current President of Women in Localization.     Links: Global Guild website Global Guild on LinkedIn Global Guild on Facebook Loy on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Lux Narayan is the CEO at Unmetric, a social-media intelligence platform that he launched in 2012. Unmetric's clients include Fortune 500 companies, agencies, and other large global brands that want to engage more meaningfully with their target audiences. Through Unmetric's platform, brands can analyze how well their social-media content and campaigns are performing, compared to their industry competitors, and they can use their analytics to benchmark and enhance their social media efforts. With a background in mechanical engineering and marketing, Lux can certainly be described as a serial entrepreneur. Prior to Unmetric, he co-founded an online data backup company called Vembu Technologies, where he still serves on the Board of Directors. He also helped found a non-profit called ShareMyCake, focuses on raising a more ‘giving' generation of kids, who are sensitive to the realities around them. In his role as CEO at Unmetric, Lux leads a team of 70 people distributed across three continents, four countries, and 10 cities. He divides most of his time between the company's operations in India and its U.S. headquarters. Outside of work, Lux has many interests, including origami, molecular gastronomy, stand-up and improv comedy, mountain trekking, and scuba diving. And you can look up his popular TED Talk called “What I Learned From 2,000 Obituaries”, in which he shares what those immortalized in print can teach us about a life well lived.   Links: Unmetric website Unmetric on LinkedIn Unmetric on Facebook Unmetric on Twitter Lux on LinkedIn Lux's TED Talk   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Matteo Ceurvels has been featured before on this podcast: on episode #83, #106, and most recently, on episode #116. He is a Regional Analyst at eMarketer, which is a leading market research firm headquartered in New York City. With a background in Latin American studies and political science, His role at eMarketer is specifically focused on the digital marketing landscape of LATAM and Spain. On this episode, Matteo talks about his most recent report for eMarketer, which was released in March: "Latin America Digital Ad Spending 2019: As More Consumers Turn to Digital, Ad Spending Grows". This eMarketer report features Matteo's latest forecast for ad spending in Latin America, including regional and country breakouts in six markets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. It examines the key drivers fuelling market movements, and outlines four emerging digital trends in the LATAM region.   Links:  eMarketer website eMarketer report: “Latin America Digital Ad Spending 2019” eMarketer on LinkedIn eMarketer on Facebook eMarketer on Twitter Matteo on LinkedIn Matteo on Twitter Matteo's website   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Igor Afanasyev is the Director of Localization at Evernote, a popular productivity app designed for creating, organizing and sharing notes and task lists. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Redwood City, California, Evernote is now being used by 225 million people around the world, in over 25 languages, every day.   With a background in UI design, Igor has been on the Evernote team from the very beginning. He bootstrapped the internationalization and localization infrastructure from the ground up, managed the development of Evernote's online translation platform, and successfully built a lean localization process that has proven to be agile as well as cost-efficient.   In the past few years, Igor has shared Evernote's unique vision of the localization process and its tools at events such as LocWorld conference and Silicon Valley's International Multilingual User Group forum (or IMUG, for short), as well as through various webinars.     Links:   Evernote website Evernote Translation Server Evernote's Cross-Platform i18n Library on GitHub Serge.io website Mozilla's Localizability Guidelines (from 1998 but still relevant) Evernote on LinkedIn Evernote on Facebook Evernote on YouTube Evernote on Instagram Evernote on Medium Evernote on Twitter Igor on LinkedIn   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Esther Curiel is a global content and localization expert with more than two decades of experience. Currently, she is a Localization Operations Manager at Indeed.com, the world's #1 online job site. Headquartered in the U.S. and with offices in Dublin, Düsseldorf, and beyond, Indeed.com receives over 250 million unique visitors every month from over 60 different countries. Originally from Spain, Esther started her career in localization in 1998, and has worked on the vendor as well as on client side of the industry. She has a particular interest in content marketing, and streamlining the collaboration between marketing and localization, to help bring great user experiences to global audiences. Esther is an active member in the localization community. She is the assistant chapter manager of Women in Localization Ireland, and she has participated in LocWorld as well as Brand2Global events, leading discussions on global marketing topics. Catch Esther's valuable insights on how Indeed.com grew from a small Texas startup into a successful global company, and how it plans to keep on growing into the future.   Links: Indeed.com website Indeed.com on LinkedIn Inside Indeed on Facebook Inside Indeed on Twitter LocWorld40 - Portugal Process Innovation Challenge Esther on LinkedIn Esther on Twitter   This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Patricia Paladini Adell is the Globalization Director World Wide at CA Technologies, a California-based enterprise software company that has been around since 1976 and was just recently acquired by Broadcom Inc. In her role, Patricia leads the company's globalization strategy and execution. With her team of globalization professionals, she works with the Business Units and Product Teams to make sure that CA Technologies' software solutions succeed in international markets. Patricia has almost two decades of experience in the content, translation and localization industry – both vendor side as well as client side – and has spent most of her career working in various leadership roles in software globalization. She specializes in building cohesive international teams that help companies grow their international revenue by localizing software in an ecosystem that supports agile software development methodology. In addition to her role at CA Technologies (a Broadcom company), Patricia is an Associate Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, where she is based. As a doctoral candidate herself, she is currently working on measuring and visualizing technical debt related to internationalization issues. She is also an active member of industry groups including GALA, TAUS, and Women in Localization. Catch Patricia's explanation of the four main requirements of software internationalization, which every developer needs to know and any global-minded tech company should implement from the start.   Links: CA Technologies (a Broadcom company) website Vistatec webinars Women in Localization website Patricia on LinkedIn Patricia on Twitter  

Patrick Kelly is the Chief Commercial Officer at Vistatec, one of the world's leading localization services providers. In his role as CCO, he is responsible for the commercial viability of the company's business solutions. With a background in IT, Pat began his career in software development at Lotus. He then went on to become the Localization Manager at GeCAP, a localization company based in Germany. When GeCAP was eventually acquired Bowne Global Solution in 1997, he became one of the founding members of Vistatec. Today, the Vistatec is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and has offices in Mountain View, California. For two decades now, it has been supporting some of the world's most iconic brands, helping them to optimize their global commercial potential. As the Vistatec celebrates its 20th anniversary, it's a perfect opportunity to chat with one of the company's original co-founders. Pat has some great insights into what it takes to grow a global brand in the Digital Age, and how a new generation of tools is keeping up with the need for agile content localization.   Links: Vistatec website Vistatec on LinkedIn Vistatec on Facebook Vistatec on Twitter Think Global Forum website Think Global Forum on Twitter Episode TWM 043 w/ Michele Smith Pat Kelly on LinkedIn Pat Kelly on Twitter  

Michele Smith is a leading executive with many years of experience, first in the travel and hospitality industry, and now in the localization industry. In 2016, she took on the role of Senior Vice President of New Business Development Worldwide at Vistatec, a localization services company based in Dublin, Ireland. Michele has held a number of senior positions with companies such as United Airlines, Royal Caribbean International and Expedia. Before joining the Vistatec team in 2015, she spent several years at Lionbridge, the world's largest language services provider. In her new role at Vistatec, Michele's focus is on business growth and innovation, as she helps the company further develop its global clients. One of her ongoing projects is to help to organize and facilitate a new Think Global Forum series of industry events. Currently, Michele divides her time between the company's headquarters in Ireland and its offices in Mountain View, California, and Washington, D.C.   Links: Vistatec wesbite Vistatec on LinkedIn Vistatec on Facebook Vistatec on Twitter Think Global Forum website Think Global Forum on Twitter Michele on LinkedIn Michele on Twitter​​