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John Yunker is a well-known pioneer in the field of web and software globalization, and, by now, one of the perennial contributors to this podcast. I've featured him on three previous episodes: #059, #182 and, most recently, episode #221. He is the Co-Founder & President of Byte Level Research, an agency that specializes in researching, promoting, and advising on best practices in website globalization.

Based in Ashland, Oregon, John has been helping companies improve their global content, websites, and software since 2000. He has worked with many of the world’s biggest multinational corporations, providing them with web-globalization training, specialized reports, and benchmark services. His Web Globalization Report Cards have become required reading for global brand leaders everywhere; these annual reports provide an up-to-date evaluation of how major global companies are performing relative to each other and to current industry best practices.

Besides his client work, John writes the popular blog Global by Design, and has authored several books, including Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies, the first book devoted to the emerging field of web globalization, and more recently, Think Outside the Country: A Guide to Going Global and Succeeding in the Translation Economy.

I’m absolutely delighted to welcome John back to the show to talk about his 2022 Web Globalization Report Card, which he published earlier this year.

Links:

• Byte Level Research website
• Byte Level Research on LinkedIn
• John’s 2022 Web Globalization Report Card
• John’s book “Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies”
• John’s blog “Global By Design”
• The Localization Institute
• LocWorld Conference
• MultiLingual Magazine
• John on LinkedIn
• John on Twitter

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Andy Klump is a renewable energy executive with nearly two decades of experience living and working in Asia. He is the founder, owner, and CEO of Clean Energy Associates (CEA), a solar energy and storage advisory firm that specializes in technical due diligence and engineering services. Established in 2008, CEAnow employs over 175 professionals around the world, and has completed solar energy and storage projects in more than 65 countries so far.

Originally from the U.S., Andy has a background in Economics and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He relocated from Atlanta to Shanghai in 2002 and has been based in Asia ever since. Prior to founding his own company, he served as the Vice President of Business Development for Trina Solar, where he headed the company’s international expansion plans covering supply chain, international business development, capital raising, and corporate development. Over a two-year period, he and his Trina Solarmanagement team successfully raised nearly $500 million in capital during the company’s IPO and follow-on offerings on the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition to his role as the head of CEA, Andy is a current board member of a couple of renewable energy startups, ion Ventures and Solar Inventions, and he has served as a board member of the U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). He is also a co-founder and board member of the health-care focused non-profit organizations iDefine.org and KIDSIQProject.org.

In this interview, Andy shares his personal career journey of relocating to China from the U.S., adapting to the local business culture, and eventually launching and scaling his own global company. He explains what the core purpose behind CEA is, and how he manages his growing international team. And he talks about some global and regional trends he's seeing in solar energy, and his perspective on the solar supply chain going forward.

Tune in for Andy's valuable insights!

Links:

• CEA website
• CEA on LinkedIn
• CEA on Twitter
• Andy on LinkedIn

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Kathleen MacLean is the Head of Growth at ev.energy, a London-based Cleantech startup that empowers electric vehicle owners to charge their EV in a simpler, cheaper, and greener way. Launched in 2018, ev.energy’s innovative app keeps track of when energy is least expensive and carbon-intensive, and balances user demand on the energy grid at peak times. As a Certified B Corporation, ev.energy is part of a global community of over 5,000 companies (and counting) that are reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit.

In early 2022, ev.energy extended its Series A funding to $12.8 Million, enabling it to pursue rapid growth in North America and around the world. In addition to its U.K. headquarters, ev.energy has now has an office Palo Alto, California, and employs a world-class team of over 60 people across Europe, North America and the Caribbean.

Originally from Scotland, Kathleen has been based in London since 2012. She has over a decade of experience in marketing and brand management, and has worked both on the agency and on the client side for a variety of industries. She joined ev.energy at the beginning of 2021, and is now on a mission to help drive the decarbonization of transport. Besides her role at ev.energy, she is also a passionate TEDx'er and has volunteered as the Co-Licensee & Curator for TEDx Covent Garden Women in London.

In this interview, Kathleen talks about the challenges and benefits of having a globally dispersed team, how she approaches international marketing strategy on a startup budget, and how she has adapted the ev.energy app’s value proposition for each of the company’s three core markets so far: the U.K., Germany, and California.

Tune in for Kathleen’s great insights!

Links:

• energy website
• energy on LinkedIn
• energy on Facebook
• energy on Instagram
• energy on Twitter
• Aaron Sweet on LinkedIn
• Kathleen on LinkedIn

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María González-Calvo de Miguel is the Global Lead for Marketing and Communications at Sonnedix, a multi-national Independent Power Producer (IPP) that develops, finances, builds, owns, and operates solar power plants around the globe. Founded in 2009, the company's purpose is to harness the power of the sun to build a bright future. Today, Sonnedix has 400 photovoltaic power plants in operation, construction or under development around the world, with a total production capacity of more than six GW of power. The company has over 400 employees across a dozen global offices, including in the U.K., Italy, France, Spain, Poland, the U.S., Chile, and Japan.

Based in Madrid, María has over a decade of experience in branding, marketing, communications, PR, and media relations. She began her career in her native Spain in 2008, and then took the opportunity to live and work in the Philippines, in the Netherlands, and in the U.K. She joined Sonnedix in early 2020, when she took on her current role, and is now leading the company's international brand development – from market research and conceptualization, to the implementation of Sonnedix's communications plan and marketing campaigns.

In this interview, María describes how Sonnedix is building a successful global brand through community engagement and innovative content strategies. She talks about the importance storytelling and adapting communications for different kinds of audiences around the world. And she explains why Sonnedix has started investing in the creation of educational content for the next generation of solar energy stakeholders.

Tune in for María’s fascinating insights!

Links:

• Sonnedix website
• Sonnedix on LinkedIn
• Sonnedix on Facebook
• Sonnedix on Instagram
• Sonnedix on YouTube
• Sonnedix on Twitter
• Sonnedix Sustainability Academy
• María on LinkedIn

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This episode is a special cross-post. As the producer & host of The Worldly Marketer Podcast, Kathrin Bussmann is usually the one asking the questions. But in early 2022, she was invited to be a guest on The International Business Podcast, and found herself on other side of the interview process.

In conversation with Audrey Wagner, one of the podcast’s co-hosts, Kathrin talks about her definition of ‘branding’, the importance of having a global brand strategy in today's digital economy, how localization contributes to global business success, and why she chose to focus her consulting practice on the Cleantech sector.

With kind permission from Audrey and her colleagues, Leonardo Marra and Stefano Santelmo, Kathrin is re-sharing the interview here, for the benefit of her Worldly Marketer Podcast listeners. She also encourages everyone to check out The International Business Podcast for many more interesting episodes on a wide variety of global business topics.

Happy listening!

Links:

• The International Business Podcast
• The International Business Podcast on LinkedIn
• The International Business Podcast on Facebook

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This week, instead of bringing you a podcast interview, I’d like to share something a bit more personal. I’d like tell you about my father, Prof. Dr. Max G. Krell. In so many ways, he’s the reason I’m the person I am today.

My father was a nuclear physicist. He was born in 1935 in Lower Silesia, a region that was part of Germany before the Second World War and is now part of Poland. He studied Physics at the university of Erlangen, in Bavaria, which is where he met my mother. As newlyweds, they moved to Karlsruhe, another German university town, so that my father could pursue his doctorate. They then relocated to Geneva, where my father worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) for several years.

Eventually, my father accepted a tenure-track position in the department of Physics at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec. Leaving behind all their family and friends, my parents immigrated to Canada. My mother was almost eight months pregnant at the time, and I was born about a month after they had settled into their small apartment near the university campus.

My father had a three-decades long career as a science professor in Sherbrooke. He finally retired in 1999, and happily devoted himself to his 100-acre hobby farm. He had bought the property, a ten-minute drive from the university, when I was two years old. It was a perfectly square, partially forested piece of land, with an old “saltbox” style farmhouse, a barn, and a couple of ponds. This was the backdrop of my childhood. To my father, that farm was his very own piece of Paradise, something he could have never afforded if he had stayed in Germany.

He often told me about his own childhood, vividly remembering the years around World War II. At the end of the war, he and his family had had to flee their village and head west to safety, with basically just the clothes on their backs and whatever they could carry on foot. The years right after the war, his formative years, were especially difficult. His family had to start all over in a new town, mourning loved ones lost in the war, rebuilding their lives from scratch, and food was in short supply. I suppose that’s why my father was obsessed with the idea of having his own land and being as food self-sufficient as possible. My mother, whose family had also had to flee westward at the end of the war, was on the same page.

Thinking back now, I realize what a wonderfully idyllic childhood I had, growing up in the beautiful countryside of the Eastern Townships – though I often dreamed of city life, especially as a teenager. We had a huge vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry shrubs, beehives, a small herd of sheep, rabbits, ducks, geese, and more. I was immersed in the natural world, seeing things grow around me, planting things, harvesting things, witnessing the cycle of life, and knowing exactly where most of my food came from.

For my father, the proximity to nature combined with his training as a scientist, also led to environmental activism. In my teens, I remember several citizen-led, pro-environmental initiatives that my father helped launch and organize, which were driven by the prospect of local authorities making potentially disastrous decisions.

All through my youth, I witnessed my father fight stubbornly, unflinchingly for what he believed was right, even when it meant opposing the powers-that-be. He taught me some very important lessons about stepping up when it matters and fighting for the greater good. He shaped the core values that I carry with me as an adult: a belief in science, in justice, in personal integrity, and in social responsibility.

On April 16th, 2002, exactly three years into his retirement, my father died unexpectedly of a massive stroke.

He never got to meet his only grandchild, who was born the year after his death. But I know he would have been so incredibly proud. He also never got to see me launch my own business. But I know he would have been extremely supportive and interested, especially with regards to my new focus on Cleantech. No doubt whatsoever, he would have had a lot to say about the inherent risks of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.

I wish he was still with us.

This Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday, marks the 20th anniversary of my father’s passing. On the one hand, I can’t believe it’s already been 20 years. On the other hand, so much has happened in those years – many things that would absolutely amaze and thrill him, and other things that would completely outrage and dismay him. I’m pretty sure that if he were still alive, at the age of 87, he’d be as involved as ever in his local community of environmental activists.

My father was a man of strong principles, deep moral convictions, and a level of personal integrity that seems all too rare these days. He believed in fairness, honesty, and accountability. And he wasn’t afraid to say unpopular things if he felt that truth and justice were at stake.

I’m incredibly proud to be his daughter. In so many ways, his legacy is what drives me now.

So this Easter long weekend, I will celebrate my father’s life, and I will remember all the things that made him a such wonderful dad and a truly great human being.

Whether you’re celebrating Easter, Passover, Ramadan, or Songkran, I hope that you’re able to spend it with family or friends, sharing memories of loved ones who have passed, and cherishing your time together.

Kathrin

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Simon Kemp is a global authority on how people use the Internet. As Founder & CEO at Kepios, a strategy consultancy, he helps organizations all over the world to make sense of what people are really doing online, to identify changes in digital behaviour, and to understand how these trends will impact their success.

Originally from Scotland, Simon has been based in Singapore since 2007. In parallel to his work at Kepios, he is also the Chief Analyst at DataReportal, an online reference library of up-to-date reports that explore people's digital behaviours globally, regionally, and by country. These free reports, which he produces in collaboration with Hootsuite and We Are Social, provide current information on everything from Internet penetration rates to online activities such as mobile usage, social-media habits, e-commerce adoption, and much more.

Simon has been featured on eight previous episodes of this podcast, most recently about a year ago, on episode #213. You could say that he has become a perennial guest of the show, and he's always a pleasure to catch up with. In this interview, he returns to the show to talk about his Digital 2022 Global Overview Report and Local Country Reports, and he shares his analysis of some of the more remarkable data points.

As always, the numbers tell an interesting story of what people around the world are actually doing online. And once again, Simon's findings will likely present a challenge to many marketers' assumptions. Tune in and prepare to be surprised!

Links:

• DataReportal website
• Digital 2022 Global Overview Report
• Digital 2022 Country Reports
• Digital 2022 Deep Dives
• GSMA: “The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity” report
• A4AI: “Advancing Meaningful Connectivity” report
• Hootsuite website
• WeAreSocial website
• GWI website
• Simon’s articles on The Next Web
• Kepios website
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

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Michelle Carvill is a strategic marketer and entrepreneur, as well as a successful speaker, podcaster, and author. Her latest book, published in 2021, is called Sustainable Marketing – How to Drive Profits with Purpose.

In parallel to the book, which she co-authored with Gemma Butler and Geraint Evans, she has developed training programs for the Chartered Institute of Marketing to ensure that sustainability is firmly on the marketing education agenda. Michelle has also developed a certified "Carbon Literacy Training for Marketers", and she is creating conversations around sustainable marketing through the podcast she co-hosts called Can Marketing Save the Planet?

Based in the U.K., Michelle began her career in marketing over three decades ago. Today, she has numerous awards and recognitions to her name, and is leading her very own digital agency, Carvill Creative, which she founded in 2002. As an agency owner, Michelle’s focus is on helping organizations to develop a strong digital presence through robust and highly human digital and social-media marketing strategies. She also leads a social enterprise called The Preventative Healthcare Service, and she's a Co-Founder & Partner at The Online Digital Academy.

Through her body of work and her Sustainable Marketer Manifesto, which is a sort of Hippocratic oath for responsible marketing, Michelle is at the vanguard of the movement to make marketing a force for good. She believes that the need to focus on sustainability has never been more urgent for businesses and marketers. In her view, there’s no one better placed to affect change, align with and influence customers, and drive hope for a better, more sustainable future, than an ‘educated and aware’ responsible marketer.

In this interview, Michelle talks about how consumers’ expectations around sustainability have evolved over the past 30 years, how brands around the world are rising to the challenge, and why marketing professionals have a crucial role to play in creating a more sustainable economy. She also shares some key takeaways from her book, Sustainable Marketing.

Links

• Carvill Creative website
• Can Marketing Save the Planet? website
• Book: “Sustainable Marketing – How to Drive Profits with Purpose”
• Podcast: “Can Marketing Save the Planet?”
• Sustainable Marketer Manifesto
• B Corp website
• Book: “Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations” by Sangeeta Waldron
• Richard Hagan’s net-zero manufacturing business, Crystal Doors
• Michelle’s personal website
• Michelle on LinkedIn
• Michelle on Facebook
• Michelle on Instagram
• Michelle on Twitter

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Chris Coulter is the CEO at GlobeScan, an international insights and advisory consultancy that works at the intersection of brand purpose, sustainability, and trust. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, GlobeScan’s purpose is to co-create a sustainable and equitable future. It partners with leading businesses, NGOs, and governmental organizations to deliver insights that guide decision-making, and to build strategies that contribute to a sustainable and equitable world.

More than three decades into its mission, GlobeScan now has a global network of experts, as well as offices around the world, including in Cape Town, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, Paris, San Francisco, and São Paulo. GlobeScan is a participant of the UN Global Compact, and it is also a Certified B Corp.

Based at GlobeScan’s headquarters in Toronto, Chris has over 15 years of experience in providing evidence-based counsel to leadership organizations at the nexus of reputation, brand, and sustainability. He is a specialist in international relations, and has lived and worked in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Besides his role as CEO at GlobeScan, Chris is the Director of the GlobeScan Foundation, a Board Member at CBSR (Canadian Business for Social Responsibility), a Council Member at SustainAbility (a think tank), and a Board Member at Good World Solutions. Along with David Grayson and Mark Lee, he is also the co-author of The Sustainable Business Handbook: A guide to becoming more innovative, resilient and successful, published in February 2022.

In this interview, Chris talks about how GlobeScan is working with partners around the world to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable global economy, and what trends he’s seeing among big multinationals when it comes to setting and reaching ESG targets. He also shares his insights into why it’s so important for global-minded companies to take a long-term view of growth, and why markets outside their comfort zone may in fact hold the biggest future opportunities. Last but not least, he shares some of the top takeaways from his new book. Tune in!

Links:

• GlobeScan website
• GlobeScan on LinkedIn
• GlobeScan on Twitter
• “The Sustainable Business Handbook” on the Kogan Page website
• Authors’ “All In” website
• All In – The Sustainable Business Podcast
• Chris on LinkedIn
• Chris on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by The Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Bettina Grab has over 15 years of experience in global B2B tech marketing. She is the President at Alder & Co., a leading marketing agency that works exclusively with cleantech and climate-tech companies. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Alder & Co.'s mission is to advance the adoption of climate technologies until they become universal.

Originally from Germany, Bettina has a background in communication sciences, international relations, and journalism. She began her marketing career in 2004, and worked at some large German IT & media enterprises, before relocating to London, U.K., in 2011. There, she had a chance to hone her expertise in global marketing and global brand management at a couple of international outsourcing and offshoring companies.

Then, just before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bettina relocated to the U.S., and settled down in the San Francisco Bay area. There, she founded her own marketing consultancy, which focused on serving Cleantech and climate tech companies. She also launched a blog and eco-activism platform called bluegreen.blog. Finally, in 2021, she joined forces with fellow west-coast agency owner Melanie Adamson, when she had the opportunity to take on the role of President & Partner at Alder & Co.

In her role at Alder & Co., Bettina now drives business development for the agency and advises clients on growth marketing strategies. She is also a guest lecturer for cleantech marketing at the Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, and serves as Cleantech Open's National Marketing Chair. Along with Melanie Adamson, Bettina is also the co-founder of ToFu, a substack newsletter and membership community for cleantech and climate tech marketing professionals.

In this interview, Bettina talks about why she’s so passionate about her work, how good marketing empowers climate tech companies to make a bigger impact, why B2B marketing strategy may need to differ significantly for the U.S. versus the U.K. or Germany, what current trends she has noticed in the nascent field of cleantech marketing, and how North American scale-ups should approach their expansion into Europe. Tune in!

Links:

• Alder & Co. website
• Alder & Co. on LinkedIn
• Alder & Co. on Instagram
• Alder & Co. on Twitter
• ToFu newsletter & membership community
• Women in Cleantech & Sustainability
• Bettina’s blog: “bluegreen – zero waste living”
• Bettina on LinkedIn
• Bettina on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Dr. Michael E. Smith is an applied cognitive neuroscientist and consumer insights professional, who studies the connection between brain function, human behaviour and the decisions we make as consumers. Based in San Diego, California, he is the Founder and Principal Scientist at Adaptation Research, a boutique consultancy that he launched in 2017. He is also an Advisory Board Member at CloudArmy Neuro, a Vancouver-based software company that provides on online neuro-powered marketing research platform.

Before starting his own firm, Michael served as Vice President of Consumer Neuroscience at Nielsen, the market-leading consumer research firm. Previous roles include that of President at CorTechs Labs Inc, a medical devices company; Program Director in Cognitive Neuroscience at the US National Science Foundation; and Principal Neuroscientist at SAM Technology, where he directed research programs in the field of Neuroergonomics.

I've had the pleasure of featuring Michael on this podcast once before, on episode #095, when we discussed how consumer neuroscience applies to global marketing. In his current work, he is focused on identifying how the latest insights into human behaviour and consumer decision-making can help speed the transition to a more circular economy. And on that topic, he recently published a book called Inspiring Green Consumer Choices: Leverage Neuroscience to Reshape Marketplace Behavior.

In this in interview, Michael discusses the reasons behind the global “intention-action” gap when it comes to sustainable consumer behaviours, why consumer habits are so difficult to change, and how green brands can become more competitive in the marketplace. He also explains why the value proposition of a green brand may need to be adapted for different cultures, why brands should avoid greenwashing at all costs, and how marketers and policy makers can work together to incentivize greener consumer choices.

You won’t want to miss this fascinating conversation!

Links:

• Michael’s book: “Inspiring Green Consumer Choices”
• GlobeScan “Insight of the Week”: the Aspiration-Action Gap
• Michael on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Emily Rakowski is the Chief Marketing Officer at EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted sustainability ratings provider. Launched in 2007 and headquartered in Paris, EcoVadis helps businesses reduce risk and drive performance & innovation in their supply chain by evaluating their environmental, labor & human rights, sustainable procurement, and fair-trading practices.

The EcoVadis methodology, which is built on international CSR standards, covers over 200 industries across more than 160 countries. The organization now has nine offices around the globe, and it works with over 85,000 companies, including global brands such as Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, Subway, Coca Cola, Salesforce, Renault-Nissan, ING Bank, and Nokia.

With a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Emily has over 25 years of experience in sourcing and procurement solutions. She spent many years in global marketing and demand management with both SAP and Ariba, and also worked in leadership roles at Ellucian, Kearney Procurement Solutions, Creative Good, and Kearney Consulting, where she managed marketing functions and consulting engagements for clients in the high technology, banking and energy industries.

Now based in the greater Washington D.C. area, Emily leads a global team of professionals, who cover all aspects of EcoVadis’ B2B marketing, supporting the company's annual revenue growth, and helping to drive the overall business strategy. She was also instrumental in the success of EcoVadis’ $200M funding round back in January 2020.

In this interview, Emily discusses the challenges of building a brand that engages stakeholders around the world and working with a globally dispersed marketing team. She also talks about the evolving language of Sustainability, and the trends she’s seeing in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) conscienciousness among big global brands today. Tune in!

Links:

• EcoVadis website
• EcoVadis Resources site
• EcoVadis on LinkedIn
• EcoVadis on Facebook
• EcoVadis on Instagram
• EcoVadis on Twitter
• Emily on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Cynthia Dearin is the Founder & Managing Director at Dearin & Associates, an international business consulting company that helps its clients to access opportunities in fast-growing international markets. I've had the pleasure of featuring her on a previous episode of this podcast, namely episode #174, which came out back in early 2020.

Based in Sydney, Australia, Cynthia launched her consulting firm in 2013, and now works with a variety of manufacturing and tech companies that are looking to succeed in overseas markets. As an extension of her consultancy, she has also launched the International Business Accelerator, which helps SMEs speed up and de-risk their international expansion process, and get their products and services to the world.

From her early career as a diplomat, through her years working as a legal advisor and management consultant, Cynthia has now accumulated two decades of international experience. She has lived in France, the U.K., the U.S., North Africa, and the Middle East, besides her native Australia, and she speaks three different languages.

In addition to her consulting work, Cynthia is a successful keynote speaker, podcaster, and best-selling author. Her most recent book, which was published in 2021, is called Business Beyond Borders: How to Take Your Company Global.

In this interview, I talk with Cynthia about how the pandemic has affected her consultancy and her clients' international business efforts, and we dive into some of the top takeaways from her new book. Tune into our conversation!

Links:

• Dearin & Associates website
• Dearin & Associates on LinkedIn
• Dearin & Associates on YouTube
• International Business Accelerator
• Cynthia’s book “Business Beyond Borders” on Amazon
• Business Beyond Borders podcast

• GoGlobal Blog

• Cynthia on LinkedIn
• Cynthia on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Saleem Ahamed is the Chief Marketing Officer at Plastic Bank, an organization that is helping the world to stop ocean plastic, while improving the lives of those who help collect it. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Plastic Bank’s mission is to empower the regenerative society by building ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities and reprocessing the materials for reintroduction into the global manufacturing supply chain.

Currently, the company operates in Haiti, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Egypt, and works with over 17,000 collectors. So far, Plastic Bank has stopped over one billion plastic bottles from entering our oceans. That's over 20 million kilograms of plastic waste.

With a background in business and marketing, Saleem began his career over 25 years ago, working for Procter & Gamble in Europe. After more than a decade with Procter & Gamble, he joined Johnson & Johnson, where he eventually became Worldwide Director of Global Strategic Marketing.

In 2012, he decided to launch a business of his own, as Co-Founder and CEO of Silver Health Systems, a valet dental care company. After four years of this entrepreneurial hiatus, he rejoined Johnson & Johnson to take on a series of senior leadership roles – including that of Global CMO – in the company's Diabetes Care division.

In 2019, Saleem transitioned into the Cleantech space, when he took on the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Terramera, a Vancouver-based AgTech company focused on applying AI solutions to agricultural problems. Finally, in early 2020, he joined the team at Plastic Bank in his current position of CMO.

In this interview, Saleem talks about why Plastic Bank set up its operations in the countries where it did, the importance of driving the value proposition through strategic brand management, and how the organization now creates value on multiple levels for different types of stakeholders – from local plastic collectors to multinational corporate partners.

Links:

• Plastic Bank website
• Plastic Bank on LinkedIn
• Plastic Bank on Facebook
• Plastic Bank on Instagram
• Plastic Bank on YouTube
• Plastic Bank on Twitter
• CEO David Katz’s TED Talk
• Saleem on LinkedIn

This epsiode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Laurence (Larry) Minsky is an advertising & marketing consultant with clients throughout the globe. He is also a full-time Associate Professor in the Communication Department at Columbia College Chicago. With a background in psychology, Larry started his career as an advertising copywriter over 35 years ago. He went on the become a creative director and marketing strategist, and eventually launched his own consultancy in 2003.

Over the course of his career, Larry has worked with for many of the world's top brands. He is known for developing effective cross-channel solutions that boost marketing ROI for his clients, and his work has been recognized with more than 125 industry awards. His client experience ranges from the Fortune 500, to startups and non-profits. Some of the global brands he has worked with include Amazon, GE, Kraft, McDonald’s, and Unilever – to name just a few.

Last but not least, Larry is a successful author. His articles have been published by the Harvard Business Review, the European Business Review, and MarketingProfs, among others. He is also the author and co-author of several books on marketing & advertising, most recently Global Brand Management: A guide to developing, building and managing an international brand, which he co-authored with global branding expert Ilan Geva.

Links:

• Larry’s book: “Global Brand Management”
• Larry’s author page on Amazon
• Sean Duffy on episode #222 re. international brand strategy
• James Ellis on episode #201 re. global employer branding
• Datareportal.com article on voice search and other online search trends
• Larry on LinkedIn

The Worldly Marketer Podcast is a Verbaccino production.

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Anna N. Schlegel is the VP of Product, International and Globalization at Procore Technologies, a company that provides cloud-based project-management software for the construction industry. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in California, Procore's mission is to connect everyone in construction on a global platform. With nine offices on three continents, the company now employs 2,500 people globally. Hundreds of thousands of users around the world rely on Procore's collaborative, multilingual suite of tools to manage all types of large-scale construction projects more efficiently and more profitably.

In the world of software globalization, Anna almost needs no introduction. I've had the pleasure of featuring her on this podcast twice previously. She is a recognized expert in Global Product Management and Enterprise Globalization Strategy, and she's one of the most well-known personalities in the Localization industry. She has been blazing a trail in Silicon Valley for over 25 years now, with many impressive achievements and accolades earned along the way. Before joining Procore earlier this year, she spent more than a decade driving global growth at NetApp, the Fortune-500 tech company known for hybrid cloud data services and data management. Previous tech companies that benefitted from her expertise include VMWare, VeriSign, Xerox, and Cisco Systems.

Throughout her distinguished career, Anna has always taken the time to give back to her profession, perhaps most notably as an original Co-Founder and past President of Women in Localization, the leading professional organization for women and their allies in the localization industry (cf. episode #035). She is also involved with a number of economic development initiatives with her native region of Catalonia.

Last but not least, Anna is the author of Truly Global: The Theory and Practice of Bringing Your Company to International Markets. She originally published her book in 2016, and just recently launched a revised edition.

In this interview, Anna explains why Procore Technologies has prioritized international growth as its #1 strategic initiative, how Anna is applying her three decades of experience to help the company achieve its global business objectives, and why she feels so passionate about developing stakeholder management and business savvy as part of true leadership in globalization. She also talks about new learnings that she has included in the recently-updated edition of her book, Truly Global, and she shares some valuable advice for today’s ambitious tech CEOs.

Links:

• Procore Technologies website
• Procore Technologies on LinkedIn
• Procore Technologies on Instagram
• Procore Technologies on Facebook
• Procore Technologies on YouTube
• Procore Technologies on Twitter
• Anna’s Truly Global Business website
• Anna’s book “Truly Global” on the FriesenPress website
• Women in Localization website
• Aula Magna Business School website
• Aula Magna Business School on LinkedIn
• Anna on LinkedIn
• Anna on Twitter

The Worldly Marketer Podcast is a Verbaccino production.

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Andy Andersen drives international growth at Tinder, the world’s most popular app for meeting new people. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Tinder was introduced almost ten years ago, on a college campus, and has since evolved into the highest grossing non-gaming app globally. It is now available in 190 countries and over 40 languages, has been downloaded more than 450 million times since its launch, and has led to more than 65 billion matches – including more than 145 million new matches via its ‘More Genders’ feature.

Originally from Louisiana, Andy has a background in business and international studies, and he is fluent in English and Spanish. He has had a very interesting career path. In 2012, while he was still a university student at Louisiana State University (and the same year that Tinder got started), he launched a blog called Backpacking Diplomacy, which was focused on everything global from general travel tips to in-depth cultural immersion.

After a brief stint in Puerto Rico working in the hospitality industry, Andy relocated to Brooklyn in 2014 to take on the role of Linguist Recruiter at a New York-based language services company catering to the legal services industry. His foray on the vendor side of the translation & localization industry lasted the better part of three years. In 2017, Andy transitioned to the client side when he joined Tinder as Localization Program Manager, and he has been at the company ever since. In his current role, he is centred on international growth, and works with a team of 15 in-house specialists.

Besides his role at Tinder, Andy is an International Growth Consultant at AppLocalization.io, a consulting group of working international growth professionals, who help products reach the world through strategically customized localization, product, and user acquisition tactics.

Links:

• Tinder website
• Tinder on LinkedIn
• More on the “Underwear Effect”
• More on web globalization best practices
• AppLocalization.io website
• AppLocalization.io on LinkedIn
• Andy’s blog: “Backpacking Diplomacy”
• Andy on LinkedIn

The Worldly Marketer Podcast is a Verbaccino production.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

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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.

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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.

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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 of its commitment to accessibility, diverse representation and inclusion – core values that are inherent to the company’s mission. On a variety of levels, Canvarepresents 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Stella Paris is the Head of Language Services at Translators Without Borders (TWB), the world’s leading non-profit translation organization. Since 1993, TWB’s mission has been to work towards a world where knowledge knows no language barriers, and people around the world have access to vital information in their language. To achieve this goal, TWB connects NGOs and aid organizations with a community of over 4,000 professional translators, who work in 190 language pairs.

In 2020, one of TWB’s top priorities has been to help provide access to timely and accurate information about COVID-19. In July, it announced its participation in the Translation Initiative for COVID-19 (or TICO-19, for short), which brings together translators, technologists and researchers from major technology companies, academic institutions, and Language Services Providers. The aim of this initiative is to use language technology to make potentially life-saving COVID-19 information available in as many languages as possible, with a view to bringing the global pandemic under control.

Originally from the U.K., and based in Italy since 2003, Stella has a background in language studies, marketing and translation. She has been working in the language services industry for two decades, and has held a variety of roles including as translator, vendor manager, project manager, account manager, and communication manager. Before joining TWB in 2018, she was the Marketing Director at one of Europe’s top localization companies. In her current role as Head of Language Services, she is a member of the TWB's Leadership Team, and is responsible for managing the organization’s Language Services Team.

Stella believes in the power of global communication as a driver for change. Besides her role at TWB, she is a member of the management team for the Italian Chapter of Women in Localization.

Links:

• Translators Without Borders website
• TWB’s Holiday Giving Campaign page
• Episode #074 with Lori Thicke, Founder of TWB
• TWB on LinkedIn
• TWB on Facebook
• TWB on YouTube
• TWB on Instagram
• TWM on Twitter
• Stella on LinkedIn
• Stella on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by Bubbl.

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Matteo Ceurvels is a Regional Analyst for Latin America & Spain at eMarketer, a leading NYC-based market research firm, which recently merged with Insider Intelligence, the market-research division of Business Insider.

Matteo has been featured several times previously on this podcast, namely on episodes #83, #106, #116, #141, and #151. Last time he was on the show, in July 2019, he talked about the Latin-American e-commerce landscape. Since then, a lot has happened in the world, not least the global spread of COVID-19. One of the observable consequences of the pandemic has been the acceleration of digital transformation and of e-commerce adoption in every region of the world, including Latin America.

In this interview, Matteo shares some of the latest data around e-commerce adoption in LATAM generally, and Mexico in particular. He talks about the most popular e-commerce platforms in the region (Mercado Libre, Amazon, Alibaba, Carrefour Brazil, Magazine Luiza, etc.), as well as some unique local payment methods (e.g. Mercado Pago). He also explains why search-based marketing (cf. SEO and Amazon SEO) and localization ought to get much greater attention than they have so far.

Finally, Matteo looks at regional consumer trends that he thinks will become increasingly important for online retailers in 2021 and beyond, e.g. clear brand positioning around sustainability, diversity and inclusion issues, as well as consumer-to-consumer and social commerce.

Links:

• eMarketer website
• eMarketer on LinkedIn
• eMarketer on Facebook
• eMarketer on Twitter
• Insider Intelligence website
• Insider Intelligence on LinkedIn
• Insider Intelligence on Instagram
• Insider Intelligence on Twitter
• Matteo on LinkedIn
• Matteo on Twitter
• Matteo’s website

This episode was sponsored by Bubbl.

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Gabriel Karandyšovský is the Managing Editor at Nimdzi Insights LLC, which is a market research and international consulting company that focuses on the language services industry. Launched in 2017, Nimdzi Insights brings together localization analysts, international business consultants, and a variety of other experts and researchers, who help companies make better decisions around going global.

Originally from Slovakia, Gabriel speaks seven languages and has a degree in International Business from the Sorbonne University in Paris. He has worked in the language industry for over a decade, and has worn a few different hats: from sales and marketing, to creative copywriting, to localization project management, before eventually joining Nimdzi in 2019.

As Managing Editor, Gabriel now leads Nimdzi's team of researchers and writers, and oversees the company’s publications. He helps clients make data-driven decisions about their global market entry through research on target demographics, consumer buying behaviour, brand awareness, and brand perception. He is based in the city of Brno, in the Czech Republic.

In this interview, Gabriel dives into the main takeaways from one of Nimdzi Insights’ most talked-about reports of 2020, "Project Underwear: A Study of Online Buyer Behaviour and How Language Affects User Choice". He discusses why the “Underwear Effect” matters to your global content strategy, what the difference is between “traditional” localization markets and “next frontier” markets, how expectations around localized content vary from market to market, and much more.

Links:

• Nimdzi Insights website
• Report: Project Underwear
• TWM 137 with Renato Beninatto
• Nimdzi on LinkedIn
• Nimdzi on Facebook
• Nimdzi on YouTube
• Nimdzi on Instagram
• Nimdzi on Twitter
• Nimdzi’s playlist on Spotify
• Gabriel on LinkedIn
• Gabriel on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by Bubbl.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Neil Sheth is the Founder & CEO at Bubbl, a digital marketing and SEO agency that helps companies build their brands and domain authority on a global scale. With offices in London and Colorado, Neil and his diverse team of experts work with clients from a vast range of industries, cultures and languages to create buzz around their brands. Their focus is on evocative, enticing storytelling, combined with digital PR and International Search Engine Optimization (ISEO).

With a degree in Economics from the University of London, Neil began his career in investment banking, working as a project manager at financial institutions including Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Nomura for the better part of a decade. In 2015, he pivoted into the field of digital content strategy and launched his own agency, Bubbl. He and his team now work across oceans and borders to help businesses build their brands online, with a view to making the web a better place.

In this interview, Neil offers an excellent deep-dive into ISEO. He explains how ISEO differs from local SEO, and why the content you create for international audiences – whether it’s translated or original content – cannot be truly effective until you combine it with a well-researched ISEO strategy. You’ll learn how to super-charge your international content, get it found by searchers in other markets, and build your global brand organically. Far from being dry or technical, Neil offers a refreshing perspective on ISEO, with plenty of valuable insights and actionable tips. You won’t want to miss this highly educational episode!

Links:

• Bubbl website
• Bubbl on LinkedIn
• Bubbl on Facebook
• Bubbl on Intagram
• TWM interview w/ Chris Raulf
• Bubbl’s SEO & Digital Marketing Course
• Your Brand Found website
• Your Brand Found on Facebook
• Brand Found on Instagram
• Your Brand Found on Twitter
• Neil on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by GALA.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Dean Foster is a cross-cultural business expert, intercultural training consultant, author, speaker, and the Founder & Principal at Dean Foster Global Cultures, a training and coaching company focused on cultural competencies and agilities.

Based in New York City, Dean has played a central role in the development of the field of cross-cultural training and consulting.  He has worked with most major Fortune 500 companies, national governments and NGOs. His work has taken him to more than 100 countries around the world, and to every continent – including Antarctica. He believes that living in the 21st century means experiencing cultural complexity every day, allowing it to transform our travel, our work, our holidays, our relationships – in short, our very being – if we are to become the global citizens we need to be.

Besides his consulting work, Dean is on the faculty of the American University's Intercultural Management Institute in Washington, D.C. He has also taught at other premier institutions, including Harvard Business School, Columbia University School of Business, New York University, and Darden Business School. He’s a frequent contributor on the topic of culture, global work, and social issues for major media outlets such as CNN, CNBC, the BBC, Newsweek, USA Today, and The New York Times.

Dean is the author of five books, including Bargaining Across Borders, which was voted one of the top 10 business books of the year by the American Library Association. And he is the co-host of Oops, Your Culture Is Showing! – a podcast that explores global cultures and issues around cross-cultural communication.

Links:

• Dean Foster Global Cultures website
• Dean’s books on Amazon
• Podcast: Oops, Your Culture Is Showing!
• Dean on LinkedIn
• Dean on Facebook
• Dean on Instagram
• Dean on Twitter

Note: this interview was recorded at the very beginning of March 2020, just before the spread of COVID-19 caused international travel to be suspended. Still, as corporate executives are forced to move their international business meetings into the virtual realm, and companies rely entirely on digital channels for their global business communications, cultural differences in communication require as much attention as ever.

• Kathrin Bussmann

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Gloria Petersen is the Founder and President at Global Protocol Academy, LLC, a company that provides training to professionals who are navigating today’s global business world. Her dynamic presentations have inspired audiences for over 30 years to handle professional and social situations with class and finesse. She is the author of The Art of Professional Connections, a four-guidebook series with companion Subject Matter Expert training modules. Her clients range from Fortune 100 companies to emerging entrepreneurs.

A graduate of the Protocol School of Washington, among many other credentials, Gloria has hosted the FOX television series, “Image of Success”, served as etiquette judge on The Learning Channel, and has as an expert on numerous radio and television shows. She has also published articles and served as a contributing columnist for magazines, trade publications, and corporate newsletters.

Prior to founding Global Protocol Academy, LLC, Gloria spent sixteen years in civic and corporate roles developing her professional presence, business etiquette and international protocol experience. She continues to focus on keeping her knowledge current by conducting surveys, attending frequent symposiums, and monitoring the business climate for emerging issues.

Links:

• Global Protocol Academy website
• Gloria’s personal website
• The Art of Professional Connections website
• Gloria’s “The Art of Professional Connections” book series on Amazon
• Gloria on LinkedIn

Note: this interview was recorded in late February 2020, before the spread of COVID-19 caused international business travel to grind to a halt. However, even while meetings with foreign counterparts have had to move into the virtual realm, and companies are relying entirely on digital channels for their international communications, differences in cultural etiquette and protocol still need to be considered.

• Kathrin Bussmann

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Simon Kemp is the Founder & CEO at Kepios, a digital marketing consultancy that helps brands make sense of the future. He’s 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 social-media usage and e-commerce.

Originally from Scotland, Simon been based in Singapore since 2007, and he has become a perennial guest on this podcast. I’ve featured him on six previous episodes, most recently on episode #153.

On this episode, Simon joins me to talk about his very latest report: the April 2020 Global Statshot, a quarterly update to the Global Digital Reports that he published in January 2020. Among other things, this update includes recent data from GlobalWebIndex on changes in people’s online behaviours since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Make sure to catch Simon’s analysis of some emerging trends in global Internet usage, and what they may mean for marketers going forward.

Links:

• DataReportal website
• DataReportal on LinkedIn
• DataReportal on Facebook
• DataReportal on Twitter
• Digital 2020: April Global Statshot Report
• Digital 2020: Global Digital Overview
• Digital 2020: Global Digital Yearbook
• GlobalWebIndex website
• Hootsuite website
• WeAreSocial website
• Kepios website
• Kepios on LinkedIn
• Kepios on Twitter
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

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Ashley Dudarenok is a China marketing expert based in Hong Kong. She is the founder of Alarice, a China-focused social media agency, and ChoZan, a China insights and training company. Originally from Vladivostok, Ashley attended school in England, New Zealand and Russia, before moving to China in 2006. After only one year of studying the Mandarin language at Chongqing University, she went on to pursue a business degree there. In 2010, she relocated to Hong Kong, embarked on a career in marketing, and became a serial entrepreneur.

Today, Ashley runs three successful companies, and has travelled the world as a keynote speaker, sharing her expertise on modern Chinese consumers, Chinese social media marketing, and China's new retail and technology. Her clients include global brands such as Coca Cola, Disneyland, BMW, IWC, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Deutsche Bundesbank, TEDx, and many more.

In addition to her work as a business owner and speaker, Ashley runs a popular YouTube vlog, where she discussed the Chinese market, consumers and social media, and she hosts a podcast where she interviews top thought leaders from across Asia about entrepreneurship, marketing, women in business, China, tech, and more. Ashley is the author of three international Amazon bestsellers about China. She is also a regular contributor to the South China Morning Post, the Next Web, and China Daily, and she is often featured in other media such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and WIRED.

Links:

• Alarice website
• Alarice on LinkedIn
• ChoZan website
• ChoZan on LinkedIn
• FIRE by Ashley website (mentorship program)
• FIRE by Ashley on LinkedIn
• Ashley Talks blog
• Ashley’s books on Amazon
• Ashley on the China Speakers Bureau website
• Ashley on LinkedIn
• Ashley on YouTube
• Ashley on Facebook
• Ashley on Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter

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Frida Owinga is an entrepreneur, business coach and mentor based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is the Founder of PassionProfit, a company that helps emerging entrepreneurs build profitable businesses through professional coaching and mentorship. Her goal is to help her clients generate revenues of $1 million or more, and thereby contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals of reducing poverty, creating decent work and economic growth, and promoting gender equality.

Frida has 25 years of business experience in a variety of sectors, such as banking, retail, hospitality, beauty, international trade, and not-for-profit organizations. She has worked across different geographies, including the U.S., the U.K., Japan, South Africa, and East Africa. Over the course of her career, she has discovered that entrepreneurship can be fun when you have the right information and the right support to be more resourceful.

Besides her work at PassionProfit, Frida also serves as the Executive Vice President and President-Elect of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT). Founded in 1989, OWIT is a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster united trade around the globe and to promote the advancement of women in business. In her role, Frida helps women across the globe to establish OWIT chapters in their cities by providing them with support to set up a Board, programming and membership-recruitment strategies.

Links:

• PassionProfit website
• PassionProfit on LinkedIn
• PassionProfit Brands on Facebook
• PassionProfit on Twitter
• SME Founders Association website
• OWIT website
• OWIT on LinkedIn
• OWIT on Facebook
• OWIT on Twitter
• Kenyan National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) website
• Kenya Private Sector Alliance website
• KenInvest website
• GroYourBiz website
• Frida on LinkedIn
• Frida on Facebook

Note: this interview was recorded in February 2020, before the spread of COVID-19 caused Nairobi to go into lockdown. Please join me in wishing Frida and her fellow citizens all the strength and resilience they need to get through the current pandemic and to emerge stronger on the other side.

• Kathrin Bussmann

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Susanna Fiorini is a translation, localization and global communications expert, who has a special knowledge of the Italian market. As an independent consultant, she works with a wide variety of organizations and industries, helping them to develop their international brand image through tailored localization and global communication strategies.

Born and raised in Rome, Susanna relocated to Paris in 2008 to pursue her studies in French language and literature, and she has been based there ever since. In 2011, while completing a Masters’ degree in translation at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, she launched her own consultancy, offering a range of language services, from translation and localization to transcreation, copywriting, and more. She also designs special training programs on translation and localization best practices for university students, developers, communication and marketing teams, as well as product teams.

Susanna has worked for renowned brands, institutions and start-ups in a variety of fields, including software and IT, finance and economics, arts and culture, fashion, beauty and luxury, sports, and the public sector. In addition to her consulting work, she recently became an Associate Professor at her alma mater, the École Supérieure d’Interprètes et de Traducteurs (ESIT) of the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle.

Links:

• Susanna’s website
• Susanna on LinkedIn
• Susanna on Twitter

Note:

This interview was recorded before the COVID-19 crisis escalated to become the full-blown pandemic that we now see unfolding globally. While all countries are grappling with the rapid spread of this virus, its fallout has been particularly catastrophic in Italy. My thoughts and best wishes go out to everyone who is affected by the current crisis. In the context of this podcast episode, I want to offer my particular sympathies to the Italian people, who are experiencing a national tragedy of historic proportions.

Sto pensando a tutti voi e vi auguro buona salute.

• Kathrin Bussmann

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Shane Jacobs is a Business Advisor at Global Upside, a U.S.-based firm that helps companies set up and grow their international operations in an efficient, compliant way. Founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley, Global Upside now empowers clients in over 150 countries – from established multinationals to high-growth companies – by providing world-class HR, Payroll, Accounting, Tax, Talent Acquisition and other services. Its proprietary HR technology is the only cloud-based time and benefits management software that is compliance-ready for more than 40 countries right out of the box.

With a degree in International Business and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Shane has been passionate about international business ever since he had the opportunity to live and work in France over 25 years ago. In 2019, with over a decade of professional experience under his belt, he took on his role at Global Upside.

Now based in Mesa, Arizona, Shane supports businesses as they embark on their international expansion, he assists them in hiring foreign employees through Global Upside’s Professional Employer Organization (PEO), and he provides tools and resources for them to stay in compliance in each new country they enter. He believes that taking a business global, entering foreign markets, and accessing foreign talent all have a tremendous upside. But he also knows that navigating the complexities of global expansion can leave a company vulnerable if not done properly. Catch his valuable insights!

Links:

• Global Upside website
• Global PEO Services website
• Mihi HR software
• Gava Talent Solutions website
• Global Upside Corporation website
• Global Upside on LinkedIn
• Thunderbird School of Global Management
• Shane on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by memoQ.

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Cynthia Dearin is the Head of Dearin & Associates, an international business consulting firm that helps clients to access opportunities in fast-growing foreign markets. Based in Sydney, Australia, the firm works with micro-to-medium sized companies to speed up and de-risk their international expansion process and help them get their products and services to the world. Cynthia is also the Founder of the International Business Accelerator, a 12-month program that she launched in 2017.

With a background in International Studies, Law, Middle East Politics, and Arabic, Cynthia has over a decade of experience as an international business strategist. She speaks three different languages and has lived in France, the U.K., the U.S., North Africa, and the Middle East, as well as in her native Australia.

In addition to her work at Dearin & Associates, Cynthia is an experienced keynote speaker, a podcaster, and the author of the best-selling book "Camels, Sheikhs and Billionaires: Your Guide to Business Culture in the Middle East & North Africa". She’s currently working on her next book, "Business Beyond Borders: How to Take Your Company Global".

Links: * Dearin & Associates website * Dearin & Associates blog * Dearin & Associates on LinkedIn * International Business Accelerator webpage * Australian Trade and Investment Commission website * U.S. Commercial Service website * Canadian Trade Commissioner Service website * Cynthia’s book: “Camels, Sheikhs and Billionaires” * Cynthia’s podcast: “Business Beyond Borders” * Cynthia’s personal website * Cynthia on LinkedIn * Cynthia on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by memoQ.

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Lauren Hallanan is the Head of Marketing at Chatly, a New York based company that helps global brands connect with consumers via WeChat, China’s most important social media app. Having spent more than eight years living, studying and working in China, she is fluent in Mandarin and she has become a recognized expert on Chinese social media marketing, influencer marketing, live streaming, and social commerce.

Born and raised in the U.S, Lauren first travelled to China in 2009 to study the Mandarin language. She eventually had the opportunity to work in the Chinese entertainment, PR, live-streaming, and influencer marketing industries – even becoming an online influencer herself. In 2018, she co-authored a bestselling book called Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers, and KOLs. She also runs what is possibly the only website completely dedicated to analyzing the Chinese live-streaming industry: China Live.

In her role at Chatly, Lauren now helps brands and investors understand and interpret Chinese social media marketing and consumer trends. She is a regular contributor to online publications including Forbes and Jing Daily, she writes a newsletter called China Marketing Insights, and she is the host of the China Marketing Podcast.

Links:

• Chatly website
• Chatly on Facebook
• Chatly on LinkedIn
• Chatly on Twitter
• Lauren’s website about live-streaming in China: China Live
• Lauren’s China Marketing Podcast
• Lauren’s personal website
• Lauren on LinkedIn
• Lauren on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by memoQ and the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA)

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Arnold Ma is the Founder and CEO at Qumin, an award-winning Chinese digital creative agency based in London and Shanghai. Launched in 2012, Qumin helps its clients build their global brands in China and beyond by delivering creative marketing campaigns based on Chinese audience behaviours. As China and Asia move faster into the digital future than their Western counterparts, my guest believes that the East is becoming the place for those who want to make their mark, and for brands who want to lead where others will follow.

With a background in engineering and network security, Arnold has been working in the digital marketing field for over 15 years. His big purpose in life, as he’ll tell you over a steamed bun in Camden Town, is to “Open the world to China”. His belief is that only Digital can make that happen quickly, that the time is now, and that Digital is most powerful when it’s used to connect people, cultures, and brands. Besides his role work at Qumin, he is a speaker, a writer, a podcast host and a technophile.

In this episode, Arnold shares some incredibly valuable insights for Western brands that are looking to enter China or have already made their market entry there. In particular, he gives his perspective around marketing in the time of coronavirus concerns, he talks about some current consumer trends that are being reinforced as a result, and he discusses the importance of Douyin, a.k.a. TikTok, in the Chinese social media landscape.

Links:

• Qumin website
• Qumin on LinkedIn
• Qumin on Vimeo
• Qumin on YouTube
• Qumin on Twitter
• "China, WTF?!?" on Apple Podcasts
• "China, WTF?!" on YouTube
• Arnold on LinkedIn

This episode is sponsored by memoQ and the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Chris Englund is the Vice President of International Operations at ActiveCampaign, a software company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2003, ActiveCampaign helps businesses to connect and engage with their customers through email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM tools.

Born and raised in the U.S., Chris speaks five different languages, and holds a degree in Latin American Studies and an MBA in Marketing. He began his international career in 2006, and has spent time living and working in Korea as well as in France. Before joining ActiveCampaign, he spent nine years working at HubSpot, most recently as the company’s International Go To Market Lead. In that role, he enabled HubSpot to build a more global-friendly product, with the objective of providing equal value and functionality irrespective of a user’s location or language of marketing, sales and service content.

In September 2019, Chris took on his current role at ActiveCampaign, where he now oversees the company's international operations. So far, those operations encompass more than 525 employees worldwide and offices on three different continents, serving over 90,000 small businesses in over 160 countries around the globe.

Links:

• ActiveCampaign website
• ActiveCampaign on LinkedIn
• ActiveCamapign on YouTube
• ActiveCampaign on Facebook
• ActiveCampaign on Twitter
• Chris on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Basil Ennab is the Manager of Market Intelligence at MaRS Discovery District, which is located in Toronto, Canada. Touted as North America's largest urban innovation hub, MaRS supports over 1,200 startups in the Health, Cleantech, Fintech, and Enterprise sectors. From advisory services to connections to talent, capital, customers and more, MaRS offers a range of high-value services that help high-growth companies succeed. It also provides access to a curated ecosystem of entrepreneurs, and investors, as well as partners in the corporate, academic and government sectors. Today, MaRS is reshaping other cities around the world, and has been at the forefront of a wave of change that extends from Melbourne to Amsterdam, from San Francisco to London from Medellín to Los Angeles, and from Paris to New York.

In his current role at MaRS, Basil focuses on Market Development, helping later-stage startups to scale and expand globally. He is also the team lead for Open Banking, where he collaborates with stakeholders to drive system-level change that enables improved access to customers and markets.

Prior to joining MaRS, Basil spent more than five years in the finance industry, working in equity research and advisory roles covering Large Cap North American financial equities. He speaks three different languages, and holds a degree in Commerce as well as an MBA. He is entrepreneur at heart, with a passion for investing and tech. In his free time, he writes a blog about impact investing called “When Thoughts Collide”.

Links:

• MaRS Discovery District website
• MaRS Startup Toolkit
• MaRS on LinkedIn
• MaRS on YouTube
• MaRS on Facebook
• MaRS on Instagram
• MaRS on Twitter
• EDC Blog article: “4 tools to help size up your global competition”
• Basil’s blog: When Thoughts Collide
• Basil on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Melanie Chevalier is the Founder & CEO at Creative Culture, a cross-cultural marketing & advertising consultancy based in London, U.K. With more than 15 years of industry experience in cross-cultural communications, she helps international brands and agencies successfully roll out their creative concepts and campaigns across borders.

Originally from France, Melanie has a background in foreign languages, marketing, advertising and economics. She started out her career as an Account Director at Textappeal, another London-based cross-cultural agency. In 2008, she launched her own consultancy, Creative Culture, which provides local market insights, cultural consulting, copy adaptation, copywriting, and brand positioning, among many other services.

Today, Melanie and her team at Creative Culture engage with a global network of about 2,000 experts in over 100 countries, and work with global brands such as Astor, Cointreau, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oréal Luxe, Maserati, Nokia, Orange, P&G, Rémy Martin, Sanofi, and Sony, among many others.

Links:

• Creative Culture website
• Creative Culture on LinkedIn
• Creative Culture on Twitter
• Creative Culture podcast on SoundCloud
• Melanie on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Lars Anthonisen is the Head of Ads Marketing for Large Customers in Southeast & South Asia at Google. With nearly two decades of international experience in the Internet and media industry, his passion lies at the intersection of technology and marketing. He has worked with clients across the globe – from Europe all the way to the emerging markets of Asia – and from early-stage startups to large organizations. In the course of his career, he has gained an in-depth understanding of marketing, sales and business development across a wide range of cultures and industries.

Originally from Denmark, Lars speaks five different languages and has a background in marketing, economics and business. He began his career on the agency side of the Danish marketing industry. In 2011, he moved to Singapore to take on a Regional Director role with MediaCom, a global advertising and marketing firm. For the next three years, he led MediaCom’s strategic digital planning for Proctor & Gamble across the Asia-Pacific region. In 2014, he joined Google in the role of Regional Business Lead - CPG for Asia Pacific, and he has been with Google ever since.

In his current role, Lars is responsible for helping businesses understand the consumer behaviour and trends that are driving our world, so that their marketing and advertising efforts remain relevant and achieve results. Together with his team, he is focused on driving consistent thought leadership to enable action amongst Google’s large customers, so that they can take advantage of the advancements happening in technology, and from that, understand their impact on consumer behaviour.

Links:

• Google homepage
• Google Trends page
• Think With Google – APAC
• e-Conomy SEA 2019 report
• Google Skillshop
• Create With Google – Director Mix
• Lars on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Todd Cornell is the Founder and Managing Director at Cultur668, a consulting firm that facilitates cross-cultural interactions between the U.S. and Chinese-speaking countries. He has over 30 years of experience with Chinese language, culture, and business savvy from an American standpoint.

Born and raised in the U.S., Todd spent two decades living, studying and working in East Asia. He became fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and developed a profound understanding of the differences between American and Chinese culture and mindset.

Now based in Colorado, Todd helps American clients navigate business activities and communications with their Chinese counterparts. He is the compiler of a system called The Five Skills of “Bing Fa”. These business strategies are based on practices straight out of Chinese culture, where the core teaching is “Know self and know others”.

Todd understands from personal experience that differences in culture and mentality are the biggest challenges to business dealings between nations. He also believes that language is key to understanding other cultures, and that it is a conduit for world views and cultural coding.

In this episode, Todd shares some truly fascinating insights into Chinese culture, mentality, and business etiquette. He explains how North American companies, in particular, often fail to understand how their own assumptions and Western worldview can get in the way of a successful market entry into China.

Links:

• Cultur668 website
• Cultur668 Blog
• Cultur668 on Facebook
• Cultur668 on LinkedIn
• Cultur668 on Twitter
• The Global Chamber – Northern Colorado webpage
• Todd’s article: “It’s in the Mindset”
• Todd on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

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Mi Jeong Hibbitts is an international business and marketing expert, who has a special knowledge of the South Korean market. She is the President of Robert & William, LLC, an international trade and marketing consulting firm that provides strategic guidance and practical know-how for companies in the U.S. and Asia doing cross-border business. She is also the current Executive Director for the Baltimore/Washington chapter of The Global Chamber, an organization that helps members in 525 metro areas worldwide to bridge new global business opportunities.

Previously, Mi Jeong served as the Director of International Sales and Marketing at PTC International, Inc., a privately-owned international business and marketing company in the Food and Beverage industry. In that role, she oversaw multimillion-dollar international sales and marketing programs, managed multinational teams and offices, and helped various U.S. brands reach the dynamic markets of Asia.

Originally from South Korea, Mi Jeong began her career in the advertising, where she managed the accounts of some of the most well-known Korean brands across a variety of industries. She later served as a Congressional Correspondent for the East Asia division of the Voice of America. She is bilingual in English and Korean and has traveled extensively in Asia.

Links:

• Robert & William, LLC website (coming soon!)
• Robert & William, LLC on LinkedIn
• Robert & William, LLC on Facebook
• Global Chamber – Baltimore/Washington webpage
• Mi Jeong on LinkedIn
• Mi Jeong on Twitter

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Prof. Roberto Ancis is an international business consultant with over 40 years of experience. He is the Head of Coaching Professors, Inc., and its recent virtual offshoot, Consulting Professors Online. LLC. Over the course of his career, he has worked with hundreds of clients in dozens of different industries, advising them on creative business development, marketing, sales, and funding strategies for international expansion.

Originally from Italy, Prof. Ancis first arrived in the U.S. in 1966 to pursue a degree in Physics at Boston University. He then went on to have a successful career as a Research Scientist for Lincoln Electric in Cleveland. After nearly a decade in that role, he relocated to California to become the Chief Engineer & Technical Marketing Manager for the U.S. division of Solahart Industries. A few years later, he took the leap into entrepreneurship and started his own advisory firm, Network and Energy Resources, bringing together MBA-program instructors who provide their business expertise to domestic and as well as international companies. This firm became known as Coaching Professors, Inc. in 2006.

With four very successful decades at Coaching Professors under his belt, Prof. Ancis decided to launch a virtual division of his business in early 2019. Thus, Consulting Professors Online, LLC, was born. Now based in Sedona, Arizona, he offers regular e-Seminars as well as one-on-one consulting services for select clients, advising them remotely on issues around foreign market entry. So far, Prof. Ancis and his team of experts have trained over 65,000 clients around the world, and counting.

Links:

• Coaching Professors, Inc. website
• Consulting Professors Online, LLC website
• Prof. Ancis on LinkedIn

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Jeff Beatty is the Head of Localization at Mozilla, an open-source software company headquartered in Silicon Valley. Since its founding in 1998, Mozilla's mission has been to keep the internet open and accessible to all. To that end, Mozilla has harnessed the power of online communities to develop, spread and support its free software to users around the world. Some of its best-known products include the Firefox web browser, the Thunderbird e-mail client, and the Firefox OS mobile operating system, among many others.

Jeff is a world-class expert in community-driven translation and localization models. He also specializes in localization pedagogy, translation for under-resourced languages, translation technology and process development, virtual team management, as well as cross-functional and cross-cultural management.

Based in Provo, Utah, Jeff has traveled to 31 countries, and speaks three different languages. In addition to his role at Mozilla, he also teaches courses on Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) at Brigham Young University. He has written articles for trade publications such as Multilingual Magazine, he has been quoted by major media outlets, and he has been a speaker at industry conferences such as LocWorld, GALA, and OpenWest.

Links:

• Mozilla website
• Mozilla on LinkedIn
• Mozilla on Instagram
• Mozilla on Twitter
• Lingoport website
• Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey website
• BYU Center for Language Studies website
• Jeff on LinkedIn
• Jeff on Twitter

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Dulce Carrillo-Woltman is the Localization Lead for Mobile Apps in Oral Healthcare at Philips, one of the world’s largest electronics companies. Founded in the Netherlands over a century ago, the Philips brand has long been a household name around the globe, and now employs over 77,000 people across 100 countries. These days, Philips is particularly focused on technologies for the Consumer Health & Well-Being and the Professional Healthcare sectors.

Born and raised in Mexico, Dulce started out as a Journalism student, but always had her eye on foreign lands and languages. Her travels and studies took her to places like France, Germany, and the U.S. In 2008, she transitioned into the language industry when she took on a role as court interpreter for the State of Washington.

Since then, Dulce has been based in the Seattle Area, and has become a translation and localization expert in a variety of verticals, including video games, life sciences, software as a service, and Internet-of-Things products. In current her role, she manages localization for all Sonicare Apps for Philips' connected line of toothbrushes.

Dulce is a self-described localization nerd and a lifelong learner. She enjoys reading up on the topics of information architecture, content strategy, and storytelling. She believes that customers deserve the best possible user experience, no matter where they live and no matter what language they speak.

Links:

• Philips global website
• Philips on LinkedIn
• Philips on Facebook
• Philips on YouTube
• Philips on Twitter
• Dulce on LinkedIn

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Sarah Presch is the Managing Director at Retro Digital, a marketing agency that specializes in international and multilingual marketing. A true polyglot, she has 10 years of experience working in the language industry in some capacity or other: first as a foreign language teacher, then as a translator, then as a marketing & communications lead, and business development manager, before launching her own agency in 2017.

Based in Dublin, Ireland, Sarah and her Retro Digital team help companies grow with tailor-made local, international, and multilingual marketing solutions. Since launching the agency, she has gone on to co-found the Retro Live and Retrovation conferences, which are held yearly in Dublin and Prague. And she also co-founded a recruitment website, which connects companies with digital workers from around the world.

Earlier this year, Sarah founded a not-for-profit organization called the Retro Digital Foundation, which helps young parents achieve their full potential by providing access to education and mentoring. And, because she’s not busy enough, she also took on the role of Digital Marketing Lecturer at the University of Strasbourg in France.

Links:

• Retro Digital website
• Retro Digital on LinkedIn
• Retro Digital on Facebook
• Retro Digital on Twitter
• Retro Digital on XING
• Retro Digital Foundation website
• Sarah on LinkedIn

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Julian Leuthold is the Founder and CEO at GetGlobal, the premier business conference in North America for companies who are looking to expand into new global markets. Every year since 2016, GetGlobal has been attracting company executives, international business experts, and senior government officials from around the world to compare markets, opportunities and strategies, and to explore the key issues affecting businesses worldwide.

A native of California with a deep affinity for India, Julian has a formal background in international relations and business. After beginning his career working in marketing and events promotion, he pivoted for a while to become an independent consultant in the field of political and economic risk assessment.

In 2011, Julian founded his first company, Geoskope, which was a cross-market intelligence organization specializing in events and media. From that venture, he eventually launched his own event platform, the GetGlobal conference series.

Currently, Julian is preparing for his fourth annual GetGlobal conference, which will take place from November 5th to 7th, 2019, in Long Beach, California. For this conversation, he joins me from the heart of Los Angeles to tell me all about this upcoming event.

Links:

• GetGlobal 2019 conference website
• GetGlobal on LinkedIn
• GetGlobal on Facebook
• GetGlobal on Twitter
• GetGlobal Podcast
• Julian on LinkedIn
• Julian on Twitter

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Doug Bruhnke is the Founder & CEO of The Global Chamber, the only chamber of commerce located in hundreds of locations around the world. Operating in 525 metro areas in 195 countries, The Global Chamber helps businesses, investors and service providers grow and succeed faster across borders. With his Polish-German-American background and 40 years of experience in international marketing and global business, Doug is a true believer in the importance of having a 'global tribe'. He has worked in dozens of different countries, and helped leading brands such as DuPont, SAP, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Accenture, and Microsoft achieve their global goals. In 2007, Doug founded Growth Nation, a consulting firm that specialized in international marketing and sales. Eventually, in 2014, he founded The Global Chamber. Besides his role at The Global Chamber, Doug is an advisor for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and a member of the AZ District Export Council, the Global Interdependence Council, and several other groups. After many years living and working abroad, he now divides his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Scottsdale, Arizona. Links: * The Global Chamber website * The Global Chamber on LinkedIn * The Global Chamber on Facebook * The Global Chamber on Twitter * Doug on LinkedIn * Doug on Twitter

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Giulia Tarditi is the Head of Localisation at Monese, a London-based fintech company that provides instant current accounts in the U.K. and the Eurozone. She also freelances as a localization advisor, working with a number of fast-growing startups to help them on their journey to international expansion. Her goal is to support her clients by building a custom localization approach that addresses their very unique pain points, needs and goals.

Originally from Italy, Giulia is a self-described language geek. She speaks five different languages fluently and is on her way to learning a sixth. She began her career in multilingual journalism and copywriting. In 2008 she relocated to London, where she led localization efforts at a series of startups, including Badoo, Odobo, and Student.com, before joining Monese in 2017.

Giulia now has over a decade of experience working with product and content teams, scaling websites and apps to be able to serve hundreds of millions of users around the world in dozens of different languages. She is on a genuine mission to change the way companies conceive of localization.

In this episode, Giulia explains her unique and highly innovative approach to localization, which has proven to be tremendously effective for Monese’s growth as a company. Make sure to catch Giulia’s fascinating insights!

Links:

• Monese website
• Monese on LinkedIn
• Monese on Facebook
• Monese on Instagram
• Monese on YouTube
• Monese on Medium
• Monese on Twitter
• Giulia on LinkedIn
• Giulia on Twitter

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Kyle Hegarty is a Global Business Growth Specialist and Managing Director at TSL Marketing, a global B2B marketing agency headquartered in the U.S. Originally from Boston, but now based in Singapore, he helps companies develop and expand their footprint in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically by focusing on cross-cultural leadership strategies and sales & marketing solutions to drive growth.

From startups to Fortune 500 companies, Kyle works with a variety of organizations to find new ways to communicate and lead across our shrinking planet. His programs help clients increase business across regions, strengthen teams, build trust, and re-focus company cultures towards global innovation. He has trained thousands of executives, enabling their businesses to maximize their global leadership potential.

Kyle is also a faculty lecturer at Singapore Management University (SMU), and a frequent keynote speaker at business and management conferences around the world. His clients have included global companies such as Oracle, IBM, Indeed, Fuji Xerox, Lufthansa, Google, Amazon Web Services, and Salesforce. Kyle’s work in the APAC region has been featured in major media outlets, including the Singapore Business Review, Entrepreneur magazine, CNN and Fortune magazine.

Links:

• TSL Marketing website
• TSL Marketing on LinkedIn
• TSL Marketing on Facebook
• TSL Marketing on Twitter
• Leadership Nomad website
• Kyle on LinkedIn
• Kyle on Twitter

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Kevin Bird is a co-Founder and Partner at Brand Halo, a brand marketing consultancy based in the Toronto area. For four decades now, he has been focused on the evolving business landscape.

Kevin has been at the intersection of consulting, agency, IT and digital, working with SME's, enterprises and major CPG brands to conceive, design and deliver engaging experiences. He has worked with global brands such as Nestle, Cadbury, Reckitt Benkisser, Unilver, SAP, Oracle, and Bridgestone Firestone.

For this episode, Kevin joined podcast host Kathrin Bussmann in person for the August 2019 launch of Staples Canada’s new Staples Studio space in Oakville, Ontario, where they recorded their conversation in the on-site podcasting studio.

Links:

• Brand Halo website
• Brand Halo on Facebook
• Brand Halo on LinkedIn
• Kevin on LinkedIn
• Staples Canada’s Staples Studio website
• Video of this interview on Staples Canada’s Facebook page

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Michael Michelini is an American who moved to Hong Kong in 2007, and has spent the years since then learning and sharing everything he can about how to do business in Asia. He is the Principal Consultant at Shadstone Ltd., a boutique consulting company specialized in business between the US and China, and he’s the Founder of Global From Asia, a cross-border e-commerce community with 4 divisions: GFA Media (blog, podcast & more), GFA Events (Cross Border Summit, trips, meetups), GFA Platforms (experts platform, job board, marketplace and directory). He’s also the author of a more personal blog, about his Chinese adventures in business and in life.

Mike was first featured on this podcast three years ago, on episode #006. At the time, his Global From Asia Podcast had already become a great resource for anyone looking for information on how to open, operate, and grow an international business from that part of the world. He had also just published a book called China Startup: Experience and insights. A foreigner starting a Chinese tech startup – a very honest first-hand account of his own experiences, combined with practical, actionable advice for anyone who may be looking to start a tech company in China.

Since then, Mike launched a new initiative called the Cross Border Summit. It’s an annual conference that brings together top e-commerce cross-border business leaders from around the world to share their expertise about business strategy, marketing, team building, and other strategies to stay ahead in today’s global world. The next edition of the Cross Border Summit is coming up in October 2019 in Guangzhou, China.

Get a 10% discount off the regular ticket price for Cross Border Summit 2019 when you register using this special coupon code: htaey15

Links:

• Cross Border Summit website
• Cross Border Summit on LinkedIn
• Global From Asia website
• Global From Asia Podcast page
• Global From Asia Blog page
• Global From Asia on LinkedIn
• Alpha Rock Capital website
• Shadstone Ltd. website
• Shadstone Ltd. on LinkedIn
• Mike’s Blog
• Mike’s personal website
• Mike on LinkedIn
• Mike on Facebook
• Mike on Twitter

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Shalini Trefzer is the Founder of Swiss-based LeapSecond Consulting +, which works with young and emerging companies to grow their business from start-up to scale-up. Working mostly with companies who are applying Artificial Intelligence to solve problems in various market segments, she helps her clients execute go-to-market strategies, focusing especially on the European market. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Shalini has 15 years of experience in multinational project leadership. She spent over a decade of her career in the cutting-edge companies of the time, including Cisco Systems, before moving to Switzerland in 2008. There, she spent several years working in global program operations and business planning at Novartis, the multinational pharmaceuticals company, before launching her consultancy in 2016. Today, Shalini is based in the Basel Area of Switzerland, has become a Swiss citizen, speaks German, and has a tremendous appreciation for the natural beauty and philosophy of life in her new country. In addition to her consulting work, she is a contributing editor at the Diplomatic Courier, a global affairs media network. On this episode, Shalini talks about why it’s so important for companies who want to expand into a new region, such as Europe, to have someone on the ground who knows the local business culture, protocols and expectations. Catch her insights! Links: * LeapSecond Consulting + website * Shalini’s writings for the Diplomatic Courier * Episode #149 with “Digital Policy” author Kristina Podnar * Shalini on LinkedIn

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Nabil Malouli is VP Global Ecommerce at DHL Supply Chain, where he leads the innovation, strategy and product development of DHL’s e-commerce fulfillment and last-mile solutions. He first joined DHL over a decade ago, when he took on the role of Trade Lane Manager China - Latin America. Before taking on his current role about a year ago, Nabil was VP Customer Solutions & Innovation, where he oversaw the development of innovative logistics projects to support Fortune 500 companies doing business globally.

Founded in San Francisco in 1969, DHL is the world's largest logistics company, particularly via sea and air mail. The company delivers over 1.3 billion parcels per year. Now headquartered in Germany, since it was acquired by Deutsche Post, DHL is present in over 220 countries and territories across the globe, with a workforce exceeding 300,000 employees, making it the most international company in the world.

Originally from France and now based in Miami, Florida, Nabil speaks six languages, and holds degrees in International Trade from the University of Montpellier. He is passionate about innovation, e-commerce and entrepreneurship, and he’s a regular speaker on the conference circuit. In his free time, he serves as an advisor to high-growth start-ups, accelerators, and universities.

Catch Nabil’s valuable insights on the challenges of doing business across borders, cultures and timezones, and how even small brands can go global by leveraging the right online marketplaces.

Links:

• DHL website
• DHL Supply Chain division
• DHL Ecommerce division
• Nabil on LinkedIn

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Simon Kemp is the Founder & CEO at Kepios, a digital marketing consultancy that helps brands make sense of the future. He’s also a writer, a speaker, a mentor and a coach on the topics of marketing, social media and digital strategy. Originally from Scotland, and based in Singapore for over a decade now, he has become a perennial guest on this podcast. I’ve featured him previously episodes #022, #048, #104, #125, and #138.

Simon is the quintessential Worldly Marketer: more than anyone else, he has his finger on the pulse of the world’s Internet usage. His annual Global Digital Reports provide detailed and up-to-date information on how people around the world are using the Internet in general, and social media and ecommerce in particular. Produced in collaboration with Hootsuite and We Are Social, his reports, which by now number in the hundreds, are all available for free via his online reference library at DataReportal.com.

On this episode, Simon talks about the very latest Internet trends as of July 2019, which he outlines in his recent Q3 Report. Among the main headlines from this report: the incredible growth in the number of new Internet users in India, and the massive popularity of esports as a form of entertainment in China and other Asian countries.

Be sure to tune into this fascinating conversation!

Links:

• DataReportal website
• Digital 2019 Q3 Global Digital Statshot
• Digital 2019: Internet Trends in Q3 2019
• Digital 2019: Understanding the Esports Opportunity
• Hootsuite website
• WeAreSocial website
• Kepios website
• Kepios on LinkedIn
• Kepios on Twitter
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

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Yuka Nakasone was first featured on episode #097. She is the head of Global Bridge, a globalization and localization consultancy based in Barcelona. Through her services, she provides medium-sized tech companies with the know-how and best practices they need to take their digital products to international markets. She helps her clients plan their globalization and localization strategy, and then implement it. Originally from Japan, and educated in Spain, my guest began her career in the language industry in 1996, when she took on the role of localization specialist at Lionbridge, one of the world’s top translation companies. In 2001, she founded her own consultancy, Global Bridge. In 2015, she took on the role of Globalization and Localization Director for her main client, Beabloo, a tech company that provides omni-channel digital marketing and analytic solutions for retailers in more than twenty countries around the world. In this episode, Yuka talks about her new workshop, Digital Product Internationalization, which she is delivering with fellow experts in the field: Konstantin Dranch, Irina Rybnikova, Igor Afanasyev, and Patricia Paladini Adell. Together, they plan to share their knowledge of internationalization best practices, which will allow companies to produce digital products that can be launched in multiple markets in a timely and cost-effective way. Links: * Global Bridge website * Global Bridge on LinkedIn * Global by Design website * Landing page for August 27th workshop * Adobe Globalization: “Five Golden Rules to Achieve Agile Localization” * Interview with Igor Afanasyev * Interview with Patricia Paladini Adell * Yuka on LinkedIn * Yuka on Twitter

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Mara Martins is the Senior Global Marcom Manager at Microsoft, which is of course one of the most successful brands in the world. Since its founding in 1975, Microsoft has become a truly global organization, doing business in more than 223 markets and 96 languages, and employing over 114,000 people worldwide.

Originally from Portugal, Mara speaks five different languages, and has almost two decades of experience in translation and localization. Over the course of her career, she has worked on the vendor side as well as the client side of the industry. She has held a number of management positions, including at Sony, Apple, and Inflobox, before taking on her current role at Microsoft in 2016.

Now based at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Mara is helping to lead Microsoft’s best-in-class global operations. On top of that, she serves as the Assistant Chapter Manager of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Women in Localization.

Links:

• Microsoft website
• Mara on LinkedIn

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Simon Kemp has been featured on four previous episodes of this podcast: #022, #048, #104, and #125. He is best known for his annual Global Digital Reports, as well as his regional reports and country reports – all of which he produces in collaboration with Hootsuite and We Are Social. These reports provide detailed and up-to-date information on how people around the world are using the Internet in general and social media in particular.

Originally from Scotland, Simon has been living in Singapore for over a decade now. He is the Head of Kepios, a global marketing consultancy that helps brands make sense of the future.

All of Simon’s reports, which he has been publishing since 2011, are now available free of charge via DataReportal.com. This new online reference library represents an invaluable resource for marketers and business owners who are planning their international strategies.

Catch Simon’s key takeaways from the Digital 2019 report, and send him your comments or questions via the Verbaccino Contact page! We’ll make sure to have Simon back for a follow-up interview on a future episode of The Worldly Marketer Podcast.

Links:

• DataReportal website
• Hootsuite website
• WeAreSocial website
• YouTube video: “Burnistoun – Voice Recognition Lift”
• Kepios website
• Kepios on LinkedIn
• Kepios on Twitter
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

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Renato Beninatto was previously featured on episode #002 of this podcast. In 2017, he co-founded Nimdzi Insights LLC, a market research and international consulting company composed of analysts, consultants, LSP experts, and researchers.

Renato speaks five languages and has lived in seven countries around the world. He has three decades of experience in translation and localization, and has served on the executive teams for some of the most prominent companies in the language industry. In 2001, he co-founded Common Sense Advisory, the first market research company focusing on the language-services space.

In addition to his role as CEO of Nimdzi, Renato is an Adjunct Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, and a Faculty Member at the Pi School in Rome, Italy. He is also an author and a frequent speaker on globalization and localization issues at industry events and at universities around the world.

In this episode, Renato talks about how startups and SMEs can go about finding the right experts to help them expand internationally, and why the cost of NOT going global may actually be much higher than that of boldly going ahead with it. Catch our conversation!

Links:

• Nimdzi Insights website
• Nimdzi on LinkedIn
• Nimdzi on Facebook
• Nimdzi on YouTube
• Nimdzi on Instagram
• Nimdzi on Twitter
• Renato on LinkedIn
• Renato on Twitter

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This special episode is re-broadcast of episode 24 of the International Buzz Business Podcast by Wordbee, in which Kathrin Bussmann is the featured guest. Along with International Buzz co-hosts, Tanja Falkner and Robert Rogge, Kathrin talks about… podcasting! Yes, it’s all very meta.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Wordbee offers fully scalable, cloud-based translation management technologies for Enterprises as well as Language Services Providers (LSPs). The International Buzz Business Podcast was launched in 2017, and the interview with Kathrin Bussmann is re-broadcast here with kind permission from Wordbee.

In this episode, Kathrin explains how she got started as a podcaster, why a podcast can be such an effective content-marketing platform, and why more and more organizations are discovering podcasting as a powerful medium to reach their target audience, build their brands, and establish thought leadership.

Links:

• Wordbee website
• International Buzz Business Podcast: episode 24 show notes
• Wordbee on LinkedIn
• Wordbee on Facebook
• Wordbee on Twitter
• Tanja Falkner on LinkedIn
• Robert Rogge on LinkedIn
• Verbaccino’s consulting services
• Kathrin Bussmann on LinkedIn
• Kathrin Bussmann on Twitter

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Katell Jentreau is the Regional Globalization Manager for Latin America and Asia Pacific at Netflix. She has more than 20 years of experience in the localization industry, both on the vendor side and on the client side.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in California, Netflix is the world's leading internet entertainment service with 139 million paid subscriptions in over 190 countries. It offers TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages.

Originally from France, and with a background in translation, Katell began her career in 1995 when she joined SDL, one of the world’s leading language services providers. After 15 years of working at SDL’s U.K. office, in Sheffield, she relocated to California to take on the role of Senior Localization Manager at Yahoo! Inc. From there, she joined Box, the cloud content management company, where she held a series of localization management roles.

In 2015, Katell joined the Globalization team at Netflix, just as the company was getting ready to launch globally. In her role as Regional Globalization Manager (LATAM & APAC), she has been working on improving and expanding Netflix's localized experience for users around the world.

Links:

• Netflix website
• Netflix on LinkedIn
• Netflix on Facebook
• Netflix on YouTube
• Netflix on Instagram
• Netflix on Twitter
• Katell on LinkedIn

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Tarja Karjalainen is the Localization Specialist at HappyOrNot, the company responsible for creating the globally-recognizable ‘Smiley’ feedback system. With over 25,000 physical ‘SmileyTerminals’ in airports, office spaces, and retail outlets around the world, the company generates employee and customer feedback data on an unprecedented scale. Founded in 2009, HappyOrNot is headquartered in Tampere, Finland, with a US office in Florida and a global reseller network of over 110 companies. Serving more than 4,000 clients in 120 countries around the world, HappyOrNot has become "The leading solution for instant customer and employee satisfaction analytics and reporting.” Its clients include global brands such Microsoft, McDonald’s, London Heathrow Airport, LinkedIn, the British National Health Service (NHS), and IKEA. With a strong background in translation, Tarja was originally a freelance translator and project manager, and she has hands-on experience from both the vendor and client sides of the localization industry. She is passionate about languages and communication, localization technology, and ensuring a great user experience. On this episode, Tarja reveals how even the smallest in-house localization team – given the right tools and the right language vendors – can ensure a great user experience for global customers. Links: * HappyOrNot website * HappyOrNot on LinkedIn * HappyOrNot on Facebook * HappyOrNot on Instagram * HappyOrNot on YouTube * HappyOrNot on Twitter * Tarja on LinkedIn

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Bruno Herrmann has been a guest on the podcast twice before: on episodes #TWM010 and #TWM105. He is a seasoned localization and globalization strategist, evangelist and leader with a passion for taking up challenges at the intersection of product, content and technology in various industries and around the world.

Over the course of his 25 years of experience, Bruno has helped design and improve processes, he has partnered with stakeholders and team members, and he has acted as a change agent and a business partner in the IT, Operations, Communications, Marketing and Product Management roles that he has held.

Bruno is a frequent speaker and moderator at industry events, a regular contributor to industry publications, including Brand Quarterly and EContent Magazine, and he is also an Advisory Board Member for Brand2Global.

Links:

• Bruno’s January 2019 article for EContent Magazine
• Brand2Global Round Table Barcelona 2019 event
• Bruno’s session at Gilbane’s Digital Experience Conference 2019
• Bruno on LinkedIn
• Bruno on Twitter

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Gopi Koteeswaran is the CEO of LatentView Analytics, one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing data analytics firms. Founded in 2006, LatentView Analytics has become a trusted partner to enterprises around the world, including more than two dozen Fortune 100 companies in the financial services, retail, consumer packaged goods, technology, media, automotive and healthcare industries. With more than 550 employees, LatentView Analytics has offices in the U.S., Ireland, the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, and India.

Gopi has a history of leading global companies to positions of strength in geographically diverse markets. He began his career as a brand manager with Johnson & Johnson, and went on to spearhead the company’s Vision Care business in India and Malaysia. He then joined Philips at its headquarters in the Netherlands, handling M&As and general management responsibilities. In 2010, he was named CEO of Philip’s DirectLife, a health and wellness business.

In 2014, Gopi took on his current role as CEO of LatentView Analytics. He is based the company’s Chennai office, in India, and is responsible for the overall growth and expansion of the organization.

Catch Gopi’s insights into how the field of data analytics is helping global brands create more relevant, more personalized experiences for their customers.

Links:

• LatentView Analytics website
• LatentView Analytics on LinkedIn
• LatentView Analytics on YouTube
• Gopi on LinkedIn

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Antonio Tejada is the Managing Director at Capita Translation and Interpreting, a UK-based language services provider that works with public-sector clients as well commercial clients across the globe. Capita TI is part of Capita plc, the world’s leading provider of technology-enabled business services, bringing reliability and strong governance to the localization market.

Antonio has been working in the localization industry since 1992, after having studied Translation at the University of Granada in Spain. In 1998, he relocated to Ireland to pursue new management opportunities at one of the world’s largest language service providers. Since then, he has worked in various leadership positions, including in Operations, Business Development, and Language Solutions.

In 2013, Antonio joined Capita in the role of Strategic Business Manager, and eventually took on the role Managing Director in 2017. Since joining Capita, Antonio has used his experience and knowledge of the localization industry to develop, launch and drive Capita TI’s in-house, proprietary language technology tools: SmartMATE and LiveLINK. He is also a regular speaker at industry events, including LocWorld and TAUS.

Links:

• Capita Translation and Interpreting website
• Capita TI on LinkedIn
• Capita TI on Facebook
• Capita TI on YouTube
• Capita TI podcast
• Capita TI on Twitter
• Antonio on LinkedIn

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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

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Phil Ahad is the Executive Vice President, Head of Products and Strategy at Toluna, a leading digital insights company headquartered in Paris.

Since its founding in the year 2000, Toluna has grown from a one-person operation to a global company of more than 1,200 staff in 21 offices on 4 continents. Its mission is to help companies around the world make clearer business decisions by bringing brands and people together via a streamlined research platform and the world’s largest social-voting community.

Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Phil is a digital marketing expert with over a decade of experience. He first joined Toluna in 2012, and after serving in a couple of different senior leadership positions there, he took on his current role in 2017.

Phil is passionate about identifying first-look technology and trends that innovate companies, industries and business concepts. And he has a broad range of experience in digital product leadership and marketing focusing on automation and disruption across all industry types.

Links:

• Toluna Group main website
• Toluna Insights website
• Toluna on LinkedIn
• Toluna on Facebook
• Toluna on YouTube
• Toluna on Twitter
• Phil on LinkedIn

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Miryam Lazarte was first featured on episode #008 of this podcast. She is the Founder and CEO of LatAm Startups, a non-profit corporation based in Toronto, Canada. In her role as CEO, Miryam manages the organization's day-to-day operations, and provides new ideas and projects to connect Canadian and Latin-American technology ecosystems.

Through her organization’s LatAm Hub program, in particular, Miryam has been bringing market-ready tech startups from Latin America to Toronto or to New York, and then helping them to scale globally from there. Participants of the program take advantage of a transitional space where they can identify opportunities to go global while having their startup headquarters or partnerships based in North America. The LatAm Hub offers a three-month "soft landing” program, as well as one or two-week bootcamps for startups looking for market validation.

Catch Miryam's insights on what's trending in the LatAm tech space, and why today's startups need to take a global perspective – and some risks – in order to be successful.

Links:

• LatAm Startups website
• LatAm Hub Toronto webpage
• LatAm Startups on LinkedIn
• LatAm Startups on Facebook
• LatAm Startups on YouTube
• LatAm Startups on Twitter
• Miryam on LinkedIn
• Miryam on Twitter

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James Moffat is a Swiss-based sales and marketing consultant with an expertise in telecommunications and cross-border business. Through the two consultancies he founded, disrupt-it and Visibility Impact, he helps companies promote their products and services within Europe and beyond.

With a background in electrical engineering, James spent the first 10 years of his career working in his native U.K., before relocating to the Netherlands in 2000. A couple of years later, he relocated to Bern, Switzerland, where he been based ever since.

As a Business Growth Transformation Expert, James now leads and nurtures sales teams to accelerate growth and efficiency, coupled with team collaboration to drive business results. He works with business owners, startups and industry experts, driving product or service awareness, and creating visibility to help them make an impact across borders.

Currently, James is preparing to launch Visibility Impact’s new 12-week training program for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Links:

• Visibility Impact website
• Visibility Impact on LinkedIn
• Visibility Impact Facebook group
• disrupt-it website
• disrupt-it on LinkedIn
• James on LinkedIn
• James on Twitter

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Emiliano Introcaso was previously featured on episode #055 of this podcast. Based in Toronto, Canada, he is a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) and a Professional Logistician (P.Log.) with almost two decades of experience working with manufacturers and exporters.

Emiliano combines his extensive experience in international logistics and supply chain management with his current work as an educator. He been teaching and designing academic programs at several Ontario-based colleges for almost a decade now. He also delivers training workshops – both in Canada and abroad – to organizations looking to improve their knowledge around export practices.

Earlier this year, Emiliano took on the role of Export Help Advisor at Export Development Canada (EDC), which is Canada’s export credit agency. Founded in 1944, EDC is a self-financing, Crown corporation that operates at arm's length from the Canadian government. Its job is to support and develop Canada’s export trade by helping Canadian companies respond to international business opportunities. EDC provides trade credit insurance, export financing, and bonding solutions, as well as extensive trade and international market expertise, to Canadian exporters and investors.

Catch Emiliano’s valuable advice for SMEs looking to export into new markets for the first time!

Links:

• Emiliano’s website
• Emiliano on LinkedIn
• Emiliano on Twitter
• Export Development Canada (EDC) website
• EDC’s “Introduction to Exporting”
• EDC’s Export Help tool
• Emiliano’s article about eco-labelling on the EDC blog
• Government of Canada’s Trade Data Online tool
• Guide to Harmonized System (HS) codes
• Canadian Trade Commissioner’s “Step-By-Step Guide to Exporting”
• Canada Border Services Agency’s “Exporting Goods from Canada”

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Simon Kemp has been featured on three previous episodes of this podcast: TWM 022, TWM 048, and TWM 104. You might say he’s become a perennial guest, and with good reason. Simon is probably best known for his annual Global Digital Reports and quarterly Global Statshots, which he produces in collaboration with Hootsuite, a social-media management platform, and We Are Social, a global digital marketing agency.

As the Founder and CEO of his own digital marketing and branding consultancy, Kepios, Simon helps organizations all over the world make sense of the future. He is passionate about showing business owners and senior executives how digital technologies can help them achieve their goals and ambitions. Simon has already worked with many of the world’s most admired brands, including Unilever, Google, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, and Diageo, and he's a regular speaker at top conferences and events all across the globe.

Most recently, Simon founded an online reference library called DataReportal, which offers hundreds of reports packed with data, insights, and trends to help businesses make more informed marketing decisions. Through DataReportal, marketers can easily explore the most up-to-date digital behaviours in every country around the world, with all the numbers they need to understand how people use the Internet, mobile devices, apps, social media, and e-commerce. It’s a fantastic new resource and, on top of that, it’s free!

Links:

• DataReportal website
• Kepios website
• Kepios on LinkedIn
• Kepios on Twitter
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

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Allison Ferch is the Executive Director of the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), which is a global, non-profit trade association for the translation and localization industry. Founded in 2002, GALA’s mission is to support its member companies and the globalization sector by creating communities, championing standards, sharing knowledge, and advancing technology.

In her role as Executive Director, Allison leads GALA’s internal operations and is responsible for the successful leadership and management of the association. She works with the Board of Directors to set the strategic direction of the organization, and she ensures the strategic alignment of all of GALA's programs and services.

Allison is also responsible for developing partnerships that accelerate growth for GALA and its members. With nearly 400 member companies located all around the world, GALA is the largest global industry association for the translation and localization sector.

Links:

• GALA website
• GALA publications
• GALA on LinkedIn
• GALA on Facebook
• GALA on Twitter
• GALA 2019 Conference in Munich
• Allison on LinkedIn

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Ron Pick is the VP of Marketing and Demand Generation at SimilarWeb, a New York based market research firm that specializes in digital market intelligence, and whose clients include Walmart, AirBnB, adidas, DHL and eBay. Founded in 2007, SimilarWeb now has over 400 employees around the globe, with offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Kiev, Paris, and Sao Paulo.

Ron is a seasoned entrepreneur with a unique combination of growth market and business development experience in various technology and advertising industries. He has helped grow startups from idea to maturity, and has worked on initiatives dealing with both small and mid-sized companies. His work incorporates years of team building, growth, and bleeding-edge technology development, as well as marketing to, and partnering with companies all around the world.

Catch Ron's insights on how today's data-savvy brands are using web-traffic intelligence to expand into new markets.

Links:

• SimilarWeb website
• SimilarWeb on LinkedIn
• SimilarWeb on YouTube
• SimilarWeb on Facebook
• SimilarWeb on Twitter
• Ron on LinkedIn
• Ron on Twitter

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Ryan Patel is a global business executive, a board director, an international keynote speaker, and a CNN TV contributor on the Newsroom. He is an expert in scaling businesses, and has worked for startups as well as publicly-traded companies. His deep knowledge in strategic global market development, concept scalability, digital transformation in retail, and consumer-driven marketing has made him a thought leader in the global business realm.

A strong believer in giving back to the community and paying it forward, Ryan has been the recipient of numerous accolades for his work of inspiring and modelling how business can make a social contribution.

As a global executive, Ryan serves on several Advisory Boards and Boards of Directors across different sectors, from social responsibility to technology. He recently served as the Vice President of Global Development for Pinkberry, the leading frozen yogurt brand. Over his five-year tenure there, the company went from fewer than 95 locations to over 270 stores in 23 countries.

Ryan has been featured on major business-media outlets, and has given talks around the world. His clients include Edison International, the Nasdaq Centre, Salesforce, the London School of Economics, the Wharton Business School, Osaka University, and the World Government Summit, to name a few.

Links:

• Ryan’s website
• Ryan on LinkedIn
• Ryan on Instagram
• Ryan on Twitter

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Hilary Atkisson Normanha is the Product Localization Manager at Eezy.com. Founded in 2010, Eezy is an online network that helps millions of professional designers, illustrators and artists connect with design resources from brands around the world.

With a background in psychology, Hilary began her career over a decade ago as a professional translator and language instructor. In 2015, she took on the role of International Program Manager at DTM Distributors, a Kentucky-based transportation company.

In 2017, Hilary joined Eezy, where she now oversees all website and product localization. This includes leading a team that builds and maintains a company-specific translation memory and terminology databases, and working with the Content Director to develop products that are specific to each locale. Hilary is also responsible for researching country-specific product data, as well as the cultural and linguistic characteristics of Eezy’s international users to give them the product they need and advocate for their best possible user experience.

Links:

• Eezy website
• Eezy on LinkedIn
• Eezy on Facebook
• Eezy on Twitter
• Hilary on LinkedIn

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Lucie Newcomb was first featured on episode #038 of this podcast. She is the head of The NewComm Global Group, Inc., a management consulting firm that specializes in global markets expansion and leadership development for the B2B technology and services sector.

For over 20 years now, Lucie has been helping her clients grow their brands and revenue streams worldwide – including into Emerging Markets – and often serves as an interim or fractional CMO for B2B companies.

In addition to her role at The NewComm Global Group, Lucie is a Global Mentor with the U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation - Science & Technology (GIST) program. She has also served on the Advisory Board of Brand2Global, the leading conference series on global marketing and branding.

Currently, Lucie is working on go-to-market strategies for tech startups that specialize Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), the Internet of Things (IoT), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Software solutions.

On this episode, Lucie focuses on the particular challenges and opportunities for business looking to enter today’s Emerging Markets.

Links:

• ​The NewComm Global Group website​
• Lucie on LinkedIn
• Lucie on Twitter​​

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Michiel Kroder is a copywriter and localization expert based in the Netherlands. He helps entrepreneurs and business owners find clarity in their messaging by crafting strong, authentic and persuasive marketing content for multiple media.

With a background in creative writing, copywriting and journalism, Michiel has been creating, editing and managing online content for over a decade, most of which he spent working in the video games industry – first at Commodore Gaming, then at Nintendo of Europe.

Michiel also worked at the Amsterdam office of Blast Radius, a global digital marketing agency headquartered in Vancouver. In his role at Blast Radius, he was responsible for managing digital content for Microsoft Netherlands, and for monitoring Dutch social engagement around their products and services.

Since 2015, Michiel has been working as a freelance content creator from his home in Uithoorn, just south of Amsterdam.

Links:

• Michiel’s website
• Michiel on LinkedIn
• Michiel on Facebook
• Michiel on Instagram
• Michiel on Twitter

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Carrie Livermore Fischer has been working in the language and localization world for almost three decades now. She is the Internationalization Manager at Subway, the US-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) franchise. Founded in 1965, Subway now has well over 43,000 restaurants in over 100 countries, and the company was named as one of the fastest-growing franchises in the world by Entrepreneur magazine.

With a background in French business and translation, Carrie started her career at Transparent Language, a language-learning company based in New Hampshire. From there, she moved to Connecticut to join Hyperion Solutions, where she helped create a localization department that could handle all of Engineering’s globalization needs.

After Hyperion Solutions was bought up by Oracle, Carrie stayed on and learned how a large corporation manages all of its globalization requirements. After 14 years with Hyperion/Oracle, she relocated again, this time to Boise, Idaho, to take on the role of Localization Program Manager at Bodybuilding.com. Eventually, in 2017, Carrie joined Subway in her most recent position.

Links:

• Subway website
• Subway on Facebook
• Subway on Instagram
• Subway on Twitter
• Subway on YouTube
• LocWorld website
• LocWorld38 conference program
• Carrie on LinkedIn

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Tanya Sapty was previously featured on episode #100 of this podcast. She is the Founder of Circa Translations Inc., a language services company based in Toronto, Canada.

Tanya began her career as a French-to-English translator, and has more than a decade of experience in the language industry, including in senior management roles. In the course of her career, she has also acquired first-hand experience in the field of sales and marketing, and has worked on major campaigns for some of the world’s best-known consumer brands.

With her agency, Circa Translations Inc., Tanya is now focused on providing high-quality human translation with a particular attention to cultural relevance. Areas of speciality include financial, medical, and marketing translation.

In the interest of full disclosure: Circa Translations Inc. is now an affiliate partner of Verbaccino, as mentioned in the pre-roll message of this podcast.

Links:

• Circa Translations Inc. website
• Circa Translations Inc. on LinkedIn
• Circa Translations Inc. on Facebook
• Circa Translations Inc. on Twitter
• Tanya on LinkedIn

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Matteo Ceurvels has been featured twice before on this podcast: first on episode #083 and, more recently, on episode #106.

Matteo is a Senior Researcher 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 Latin America and Spain.

On this episode, Matteo dives into the key findings from his most recent report for eMarketer: "Latin America Ecommerce 2018: Digital Buyer Trends for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico".

Links:

• eMarketer website
• eMarkter report: “Latin America Ecommerce 2018”
• eMarketer on LinkedIn
• eMarketer on Facebook
• eMarketer on Twitter
• Matteo on LinkedIn
• Matteo on Facebook
• Matteo on Instagram
• Matteo on Twitter

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Joel Backaler is a global marketing strategist, an award-winning author, and an international keynote speaker. He is Managing Director at Frontier Strategy Group, a research and advisory firm that helps companies enter and expand their presence in international markets.

Joel combines his expertise in global marketing with a strong connection to China. He is a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations, and he is a fluent Mandarin speaker. Early in his career, he spent many years working in Asia, including in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Singapore.

Joel's writing has appeared in business media outlets including Forbes, the BBC, and The Financial Times. He is a sought-after international keynote, with previous speaking engagements in Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America.

Last but not least, Joel is the author of two books: China Goes West, which was originally published in 2014, and a new book, coming out in September 2018, called Digital Influence: Unleash the Power of Influencer Marketing to Accelerate Your Global Business.

Links:

• Frontier Strategy Group website
• Joel’s website
• Joel’s book “China Goes West” on Amazon
• Joel’s book “Digital Influence” on Amazon
• Joel on LinkedIn
• Joel on Instagram
• Joel on Twitter

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Dr. Nitish Singh is a leading global digital marketing and localization expert, who was previously featured on episode #88 of this podcast. He is a Professor at the Boeing Institute of International Business at St. Louis University, Missouri, and he has been teaching there for over a decade now. He is also the President of Integtree LLC, which an ethics and compliance consulting firm.

Nitish holds a Ph.D. in International Business and Marketing, and his primary research focuses on cross-cultural consumer marketing, global e-business, and sustainability. He is the co-author of two critically-acclaimed books: The Culturally Customized Web Site: Customizing Websites for the Global Marketplace and Localization Strategies for Global e-Business.

In addition to his responsibilities as a professor and business owner, Nitish is a close collaborator with The Localization Institute. Since 2013, he has helped organize the Institute’s Brand2Global conference series, and he has contributed significantly to the development of its online certification programs.

Most recently, Nitish developed and launched the Global Branding and Marketing Certification program, which is now open for enrolment on the Brand2Global website.

Links:

• Global Branding and Marketing Certification program
• Brand2Global homepage
• Brand2Global on LinkedIn
• Brand2Global on Facebook
• Brand2Global on Twitter
• The Localization Institute website
• Nitish Singh on LinkedIn

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Ulrich Henes is the Founder & President of The Localization Institute, and was previously featured on episode #49 of The Worldly Marketer Podcast. Since 1995, the Institute has become a leader in educational advancement in the field of localization. It has partnered with top universities and professional associations to develop comprehensive certification programs in localization project management, quality management, and global digital marketing.

In 2003, Ulich co-founded the Loccalization World conference series, which is now held three times a year – in North America, in Europe, and in Asia – and is recognized as the world’s premier conference and exhibition series for the localization industry. Currently, he's busy preparing for the 38th edition of LocWorld, which will take place in Seattle, Washington, this October.

Ulrich is passionate about connecting the localization and global marketing communities. And that’s why, in 2013, he also launched the Brand2Global conference series, which is specifically designed for professionals who drive global marketing and are responsible for international market share and revenue. I had the great honour of being invited to be a panelist at the last edition of Brand2Global, which was held in Silicon Valley last Fall.

In this epsisode, Ulrich talks about the next edition of Brand2Global, which is being planned for Spring of 2019. More specifically, we chat about a very exciting project that we’ll be working on together in advance of that conference: the B2G Podcast, to be launched in the Fall of 2018.

Links:

• The Localization Institute website
• The Localization Institute on LinkedIn
• The Localization Institute on Facebook
• The Localization Institute on Twitter
• Brand2Global website
• Brand2Global on YouTube
• Brand2Global on Twitter
• LocWorld website
• LocWorld on LinkedIn
• LocWorld on Facebook
• LocWorld on Twitter
• Ulrich on LinkedIn

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Nataly Kelly is the VP of International Operations and Strategy at HubSpot, an inbound marketing, sales, and services software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 2006, HubSpot has been recognized by Inc., Forbes, and Deloitte as one of the world’s fastest-growing companies. Beyond the US, it now has offices in Ireland, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Germany, and Bogota, Colombia opening soon.

With a background in translation and interpretation, Nataly loves helping companies grow internationally. She has over 20 years of experience working with global organizations, both in-house and as an independent consultant. She is the former Chief Research Officer at Common Sense Advisory, a market-research company focused on the localization industry, and she has held leadership roles at various translation services and technology companies.

Nataly is a regular contributor to media outlets, including the Harvard Business Review and the Huffington Post, on topics of global business and localization. She is also an author with Penguin Random-House, and her most recent book is called Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World.

A former Fulbright scholar, Nataly has been the recipient of numerous business awards over the years. She is a frequent speaker at industry events, an occasional guest professor, and a Board member of MultiLingual, the leading industry magazine for website globalization, international software development and language technology.

Links:

• HubSpot website
• HubSpot on LinkedIn
• HubSpot on Facebook
• HubSpot on YouTube
• HubSpot on Instagram
• HubSpot on Twitter
• Born To Be Global blog
• Nataly’s book: “Found in Translation: How language shapes our lives and transforms the world”
• Nataly’s articles in the Harvard Business Review
• Nataly’s articles in the Huffington Post
• Nataly’s articles on Medium
• Nataly on LinkedIn
• Nataly on Twitter

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Erica Haims is an international marketing expert, who views content through a global lens. As the Head of Haims Consulting, her unique vantage point covers just about every aspect of content production. She is a global producer at heart and believes in empowering globally-minded brands to create impactful and consistent messaging.

Before starting her own consultancy in 2015, Erica held long-term roles at Apple and Atlantic Records. She now has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment and technology industries, working in marketing, video production, and graphic design environments.

In addition to her client work at Haims Consulting, Erica has taken on the role of Executive Director for the Marketing Committee at Women in Localization, a global organization that I’ve featured several times before on this podcast. Erica currently manages all content production, event marketing, social media, web production, and editorial for this vibrant organization, which has 4,500 members around the world – and counting!

Links:

• Haims Consulting website
• Haims Consulting on LinkedIn
• Women in Localization website
• Women in Localization on LinkedIn
• TWM 035: The Global Success of Women in Localization
• Erica on LinkedIn
• Erica on Twitter

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Darlene Duggan is the President and CEO at Duggan International Group, a full-service international business consultancy that she founded in 2004. Previously, she spent several years working as a Trade Commissioner for the Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, now called Global Affairs Canada.

Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the East Coast of Canada, Darlene believes that expanding your business in the global economy is as important as maintaining your local client base. With her BPR and CIT designations, she has over 20 years of experience in business planning, public relations and communications, sales and marketing, international trade consulting, and strategic initiatives.

Through the Duggan International Group, Darlene helps companies develop the right business plans and sales & marketing strategies to establish themselves in new markets. She also conducts foreign market research, and with her worldwide network of associates, she organizes trade missions and helps companies find the best possible local partners.

Links:

• Duggan International Group website
• Duggan International Group on LinkedIn
• Duggan International Group on Facebook
• Duggan International Group on Twitter
• Darlene on LinkedIn

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Sonia Zamborsky is the Director of Product Field Support & Communications, Digital Globalization at Marriott International. Based at Marriott’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, she also serves as the Communications Director for ONE Marriott, the company's LGBTQ and Straight-Ally Associate Network, which has nearly 2,500 members worldwide.

With a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, Sonia gained some first-hand entrepreneurial experience in back in 1998, when she co-founded a successful web-applications development company called Corporate Zen, Inc. As the CEO of Corporate Zen, she successfully led a team of 12 people and built a global client base.

In 2004, Sonia helped Corporate Zen transition to new ownership, and then went on to join Marriott International in the role of Senior Project Manager. In the years since then, she has served as Marriott's Director of eCommerce Product Development and as Communications Director, before taking on her current role in 2012.

Sonia is an intrepid world traveler with a passion for cross-cultural understanding. In addition to her work, she also serves as a Global Village volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International, and as a Team Leader for Marriott International’s annual global community-service day.

Links:

• Marriott International website
• Marriott International on LinkedIn
• Marriott International on Facebook
• Marriott International on Instagram
• Marriott International on Twitter
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts website
• ONE Marriott website
• Sonia on LinkedIn
• Sonia on Twitter

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Corrie Germin has been helping companies expand into new markets for over 13 years. In the course of his career, he has worked in South Africa, in Australia, and, of course, in his native Canada – continuously developing his core competencies in the field of Economic & Business Development, connecting global companies to global opportunities.

Early on in his career, Corrie spent six years with the South African Department of Trade & Industry as a Trade & Investment Manager. Next, he relocated to Australia to work with the City of Brisbane, and eventually took on the role of Investment Director at the Australian Trade Commission based in Canada. Throughout, Corrie has been focused on the Resource & Energy sector, and promoted investment from Canada into Australia. Since 2015, he has been working to promote New South Wales Australia as an investment destination for mining, oil and gas companies from around the world.

Now based in Toronto, Corrie has taken on the role of Executive Director for Strategic Trade, Investment, & Technology Advisory at his own consultancy, the Invest & Trade Business Advisory. Through this consultancy, he has collaborated with the World Trade Centre Toronto to launch its new Trade Accelerator Program (TAP), which is aimed at Canadian SMEs looking to expand into international markets.

Links:

• Toronto Region Board of Trade website
• Toronto Region Board of Trade on LinkedIn
• Toronto Region Board of Trade on Twitter
• World Trade Centre Toronto website
• World Trade Centre Toronto on Twitter
• Trade Accelerator Program (TAP)
• Corrie on LinkedIn

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Sophie Lechner is the Founder and CEO of Global Commerce Education, Inc., the operating company for the G2 Experience program. It’s an innovative program that accelerates the global expansion of companies by helping them successfully enter new markets. The program teaches multicultural competencies through action learning, deep immersion, and rich networking in global business hubs.

Originally from France, Sophie began her career in law and finance, then shifted into marketing management in 1995, when she joined Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in New York. There, she led teams and projects across many countries, and managed professional education for several billion-dollar global brands. She eventually took on the role of Associate Director, Global Marketing at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, where she led multinational conferences and workshops for physicians and researchers.

In the course of her career, Sophie has led many cross-functional international teams. With 25 years of experience, she is an expert in global trade, cross-border transactions, market-entry strategies. Sophie is also a certified cross-cultural trainer, and she speaks in the U.S. and abroad at workshops, conferences and webinars offered by Global Commerce Education Inc. or co-sponsored with private companies or national development agencies.

Links:

• G2 Experience website
• G2 Experience blog
• Global Commerce Education, Inc. on LinkedIn
• The G2 Experience on Facebook
• G2 Experience on Twitter
• Sophie on LinkedIn

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Matteo Ceurvels is a Senior Researcher at eMarketer, a leading market research firm headquartered in New York City. With a background in Latin American studies and political science, he is specifically focused on the digital marketing landscape of Latin America and Spain.

I've had the pleasure of featuring Matteo on a previous episode of this podcast (TWM#083), back in November 2017. We had an excellent conversation about the current state of digital usage and marketing in the LATAM region.

Today, Matteo is back on the show to talk about eMarketer's most recent report on Latin-America: the "LATAM Ad Spending Summary 2018" report, which was released just last month.

Links:

• eMarketer website
• eMarkter articles
• eMarketer on LinkedIn
• eMarketer on Facebook
• eMarketer on Twitter
• eMarketer podcast “Behind the Numbers”
• Matteo’s website
• LATAM Online
• Matteo on LinkedIn
• Matteo on Facebook
• Matteo on Instagram
• Matteo on Twitter

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Bruno Herrmann is the former Director of Globalization at The Nielsen Company. I first introduced him to listeners of The Worldly Marketer Podcast on episode #TWM010: How Simplicity Spells Success in the Age of Digital Globalization.

Bruno is a frequent speaker and moderator at industry events, and he is seasoned strategist, evangelist and leader in the areas of globalization, global content, and digitalization. His threefold manifesto to create value digitally and delight customers globally is:

1. Digital is global by nature, not by default.
2. There is no great local experience without global excellence.
3. The rest of the world is most of the world.

With his a passion for taking up challenges at the crossroads of product, content and technology in the digital age and around the world, Bruno has become one of the industry's best-known thought leaders.

Links:

• Article: “Global Content Needs Automated Intelligence as Much as Intelligent Automation”
• Bruno’s other articles in EContent Magazine
• Bruno’s articles in Brand Quarterly Magazine
• Bruno’s article in Slator
• Bruno on LinkedIn
• Bruno on Twitter

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It's a pleasure to welcome Simon Kemp back to The Worldly Marketer Podcast. He has been on the show twice before: on episodes TWM#022 (Why Marketing In Asia Is All About Cultural Intelligence) and TWM#048 (What You Need to Know About Global Digital Usage in 2017).

Originally from Scotland, Simon has been living in Singapore for over a decade. He is the Head of Kepios, a global marketing consultancy that helps brands make sense of the future. He’s also the creator of the well known Global Digital Reports, which he publishes annually and updates quarterly in collaboration with Hootsuite and WeAreSocial.

Simon’s much-anticipated reports are available for free via the Kepios website and on SlideShare. They provide marketers and business owners with a detailed and up-to-date snapshot of how people all around the world are using the Internet in general and social media in particular. They represent an invaluable resource for anyone planning an international marketing strategy.

Catch Simon’s latest insights from the 2018 data. You can even follow along via the linked SlideShare presentations, below. And if you have any questions for Simon, feel free to send them along via the Verbaccino Contact page! I’ll be happy to have Simon back on the show to answer your questions on a future episode.

Links:

• Kepios website
• Kepios Data
• Kepios on LinkedIn
• Kepios on Twitter
• Kepios presentations on SlideShare
• SlideShare: Digital in 2018 Global Overview
• SlideShare: 2018 Digital Yearbook
• SlideShare: 2018 Q2 Global Digital Statshot
• Hootsuite website
• WeAreSocial website
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

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Dave Ruane is part of the Enterprise Business team at Xplanation, a global language services company headquartered in Belgium. He works with international companies in the industrial and manufacturing sectors to design and implement solutions that help them meet their global market strategies.

With a background in electronic engineering, Dave started his career at the height of the software localization revolution that was happening in the mid-1990s in Dublin, Ireland, his hometown. After a three-year stint with the engineering team at Microsoft there, he went on to join Lionbridge, one of the world’s top localization companies, where he applied his knowledge in a series of leadership positions. Since then, he has worked for various localization organizations in technology management, solutions, operational management, and sales roles.

These days, Dave is on a mission to inspire people in the localization industry to share their ideas, expertise and innovations, so that the collective knowledge can increase. He is a regular speaker and moderator of industry panels, and he is also a co-founder of the Process Innovation Challenge, a platform for sharing innovation in the localization industry.

Links:

• Xplanation website
• LocWorld website
• Process Innovation Challenge: Call for Papers for LocWorld37
• Dave on LinkedIn
• Dave on Twitter

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Laurel Delaney is the President of GlobeTrade.com, a management consulting company that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses go global. Based in Chicago, she has over three decades of experience in the area of trade, export and global small business. Laurel has authored numerous articles for international and scholarly publications, as well as several books, including her most recent one entitled Exporting Essentials: Selling Products and Services to the World Successfully.

Besides running her consultancy, Laurel divides her time between – among other things – serving as a board member for the World Entrepreneurship Forum, being an active member of the International Council for Small Business, and as the Chicago Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents’ Organization. She is also the creator of the Global Small Business Blog – which is ranked No. 1 in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global – and the Global Small Business Forum.

In 2008, Laurel launched Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global (WEGG). It’s a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and nurture women business owners and entrepreneurs worldwide on how to go global so they can run healthier businesses and create a new future for themselves, their families and their community. And I’m very honoured to be the speaker for an upcoming WEGGinar, which is one of the free monthly webinars that Laurel organizes for the online WEGG community.

Links:

• com website
• The Global Small Business Blog
• Book: “Exporting: the Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably”
• Laurel’s books: the complete collection
• Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global (WEGG) website
• WEGG on Twitter
• Laurel on LinkedIn
• Laurel on Twitter
• Laurel’s email address

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Florian Auckenthaler is the owner of DesigningIT, an international digital agency that specializes in multilingual website development. Through custom web design, localization, international SEO, creative campaign strategy, analytics, and other digital services, DesigningIT helps businesses win new customers both at home and abroad.

Originally from Austria, Florian first moved to the United States as a student. Almost two decades later, he’s now happily settled in Charleston, South Carolina, where he founded DesigningIT in 2003.

With his background in international business and web development, Florian is passionate about helping global companies figure out how international digital marketing fits into their overall business model.

Links:

• DesigningIT website
• DesigningIT on LinkedIn
• DesigningIT on Facebook
• DesigningIT on Twitter
• Florian on LinkedIn

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Tanya Sapty is the Founder of Circa Translations Inc., a newly-launched language services company based in right here, in Toronto, Canada. With over a decade of experience in the language industry, Tanya started off her career as a French-to-English translator, eventually taking on senior management positions at a series of Toronto-based companies.

Besides her expertise in the language industry, Tanya has also worked in the field of sales and marketing, first at the Toronto offices of Procter & Gamble, then at TBWA, and finally at Evolusent.

With Circa Translations, Tanya is fulfilling her vocation of running her own boutique agency, focused on high-quality human translation and a special attention to cultural relevance. She is as passionate about the translation and localization process as I am. That’s why I'm very excited to announce that Tanya’s brand new agency, Circa Translations, and my international marketing consultancy, Verbaccino, are now affiliate partners.

Links:

• Circa Translations Inc. website
• Circa Translations Inc. on LinkedIn
• Circa Translations Inc. on Facebook
• Circa Translations Inc. on Twitter
• Tanya on LinkedIn

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Alicia Camacho is the Marketing Manager for Europe at Donnelly Language Solutions. Based in Madrid, Spain, she has over a decade of experience in the professional services industries, and she has worked in a range of different markets. With a background in business, sales and marketing, she specializes in strategic planning, inbound marketing and go-to-market strategies.

In addition to her role as at Donnelley Language Solutions, Alicia is a teacher at the digital marketing school EDIT. Prior to that, she spent three years at JLL, where she successfully managed complex global marketing projects across different geographies, time zones, and business lines.

Alicia’s endless curiosity and passion for travelling drove her to develop her career in different countries, including Spain, Singapore and the UK. With her positive attitude toward change and ability to build relationships with people from different cultures, Alicia embodies the qualities of today’s successful global-minded marketer.

Links:

• Donnelly Language Solutions website
• Donnelly Language Solutions on LinkedIn
• Donnelly Language Solutions on Facebook
• Donnelly Language Solutions on Twitter
• Alicia on LinkedIn

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Nina Gibbs is the Managing Director of Savi Global, a consultancy that helps early-phase and established businesses expand into new markets. Launched in 2012, Savi Global combines Nina's passion for international affairs and foreign languages with her many years of experience in business development, marketing strategy, and supply-chain planning.

With a Master’s degree in International Affairs from UC San Diego, Nina has worked for clients in the technology, food & agriculture, and defense sectors, and she has a worldwide network of international business resources.

Now based in Redding, California, Nina is focused on providing business planning, marketing strategy and translation services to international startups doing business in the U.S. and to American organizations looking to work globally.

Links:

• Savi Global website
• Blog: “Where to get your global trade news”
• Blog: “How to start an international sales program without going broke”
• Savi Global on LinkedIn
• Savi Global on Facebook
• Savi Global on Twitter
• Nina on LinkedIn

U.S. Government resources:

• SBDC (U.S., Puerto Rico)
• SBDC Global
• CITD (California)
• gov (U.S.)
• MBDA(U.S.)
• Ex/Im Bank (U.S.)
• California Governor's Office of Business Development

Public-private resources:

• Global Chamber
• World Trade Center
• Getting to Global
• WEGG

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Yuka Ghesquière Nakasone is the head of Global Bridge, L.S., a globalization and localization consultancy based in Barcelona. Through her services, she provides medium-sized tech companies with the know-how and best practices they need to take their digital products to international markets. She helps her clients plan their globalization and localization strategy, and then implement it.

Originally from Japan, and educated in Spain, Yuka began her career in the language industry in 1996, when she took on the role of localization specialist at Lionbridge, one of the world’s top translation companies. In 2001, she founded her own consultancy, Global Bridge. In 2015, she took on the role of Globalization and Localization Director for her main client, Beabloo, a tech company that provides omni-channel digital marketing and analytic solutions for retailers in more than twenty countries in the world.

I first met Yuka in June 2017 at LocWorld 34 in Barcelona, and then again at the Brand2Global 2017 conference in Silicon Valley. We’ve kept in touch ever since, and I’m honoured to say we’ve become good friends.

Links:

• Global Bridge website
• Beabloo website
• Beabloo on LinkedIn
• Beabloo on Facebook
• Beabloo on Twitter
• Yuka on LinkedIn
• Yuka on Twitter

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Richard M. Brooks is the owner and CEO at K International, a UK-based language services company that has been around for over 30 years. With a background in international business, he first joined the company in 1994, and has been there in various leadership positions ever since, eventually taking on the role of CEO in 2012.

In addition to his work at K International, Richard served on the Executive Board of the Association of Language Companies for many years. He has also contributed to numerous educational programs in Europe, the US, and Asia, and he has co-written several publications on relevant topics.

Richard holds an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management, and he is much respected for his business insights and acumen. As an experienced professional in the language industry, he is a popular speaker at international conferences and events, where his open, passionate and honest style – combined with his dry sense of humour – keeps his audiences thoroughly engaged.

Links:

• K International website
• K International blog
• K International on LinkedIn
• K International on Facebook
• K International on Instagram
• K International on Twitter
• Richard on LinkedIn
• Richard on Twitter

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Dr. Michael E. Smith is a business strategist, an entrepreneur, and an applied neuroscientist with over 30 years of experience in basic and applied research on cognitive brain function. He has consulted with dozens of multinational corporations on strategies for leveraging neuroscience to improve consumer engagement with advertising, branding, product development, and packaging.

With a Ph.D. and postdoctoral degrees in Cognitive Psychology, Michael is the author of over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and an inventor on multiple patents for advanced neurological assessment methods. In the course of his 30-year career, he has taught at the university level; he has worked for the National Science Foundation; he has led neurotechnology companies; he has founded his own neurotech startup; and, most recently, he has served as the Vice President at Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience.

I first met Michael in the context of the 2017 Brand2Global conference in Silicon Valley, where he gave a presentation on “Using Neuroscience to Optimize Creative Across Borders”.

Links:

• Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience
• Michael on LinkedIn

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Leona Frank is the Senior Manager for Brand, Social Media & Content at Vistaprint, a company that empowers millions of business owners worldwide to market themselves professionally. As content marketing continues to grow in importance for the Vistaprint brand, Leona is leading an international team that develops digital marketing strategies and engaging, customer-centric content across the company’s top 10 markets.

Prior to her current role at Vistaprint, Leona managed the company’s localization team and led a global, multi-year, multi-million-dollar rebrand initiative for its European markets. In the past, she has also worked on the localization vendor side as Head of Production at Translate Media, which is one of the UK’s leading language service providers.

Originally from Germany, and now based in Boston, MA, Leona speaks four languages and holds Masters degrees in Bilingual German-English Translation as well as International and Intercultural Communication. With a decade of experience in global marketing and branding, she is passionate about storytelling, and believes that the best brands are also the best storytellers.

Links:

• Vistaprint website
• Vistaprint’s “Ideas and Advice” page
• Vistaprint on LinkedIn
• Vistaprint on YouTube
• Vistaprint on Facebook
• Vistaprint on Pinterest
• Vistaprint on Instagram
• Vistaprint on Twitter
• Leona on LinkedIn

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Max Lobanov is the Localization Manager for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific at Google. He has almost two decades of experience in localization operation management.

With a background in business administration, philology, and civil law, Max began his career in 2000 as a translator and interpreter. He spent several years working in-house at CBOSS, a leading telecommunications software development company.

In 2008, Max joined Google as the quality manager for Russian, and eventually for all of Eastern Europe. He has led and driven the company’s efforts across localization vendors, marketing, public relations, engineering and sales teams, to ensure that Google’s voice sounds natural and authentic for users in the different regional markets.

Links:

• Max on LinkedIn
• Max’s article in MultiLingual Magazine

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John Ounpuu is a Co-Founder and Partner at Modern Craft, a boutique marketing consultancy focused on helping brands keep pace with modern customers by upgrading the most critical components of their marketing engine. John is a seasoned strategist, a writer and a speaker with a deep interest in the new challenges and opportunities facing marketers today. His clients at Modern Craft include Destination Canada, Hootsuite, and Sesame Street.

Before co-founding Modern Craft in 2014, John was the Vice President of Strategy at Blast Radius, a Vancouver-based digital agency, where he spent a decade guiding brands like Nike Golf, Nike Jordan, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Electronic Arts, as they adapted themselves to the challenges of an increasingly digital world. Prior to joining Blast Radius, he worked in software marketing and spent time in the tech startup world.

John has been featured as a speaker by Forrester, BCAMA, Canada Post, and the CIMC Conference. His writing has been published by Forbes, CMO.com, CMSwire, and WARC, among others.

In a previous career, way back in 1990s, John was a musician and songwriter, and the bassist for the Canadian Juno-nominated alternative rock band, Pluto.

Links:

• Modern Craft website
• Free ebook: Tapping the Power of Passion
• Modern Craft on LinkedIn
• Modern Craft articles on Medium
• Modern Craft on Twitter
• John on LinkedIn
• John on Twitter

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Brendan Kane is a growth hacker and influencer-marketing expert who works with Fortune 500 companies, major brands, and global celebrities. As the Founder of Social Ink, he helps create interactive experiences between celebrities and their fans through digital technology. He is also the Managing Partner at SEAkers, a global network of growth hackers who help clients scale, expand and accelerate their brand internationally.

Brendan thrives on helping his clients find and engage new audiences around the world. He is the hired gun behind brands such as MTV, Rhianna, Paramount, Ikea, Taylor Swift, Universal and Yahoo, helping them unlock value and transform their business on a global level. So far, the apps and platforms that Brendan has created for his celebrity clients have been accessed by over 50 million people worldwide.

Brendan started his career in 2005, as the Head of Interactive Media at Lakeshore Entertainment. In that role, he worked on 16 different films that grossed $685 million dollars worldwide, and he pioneered the first ever influencer campaigns to effectively promote Lakeshore's movies.

Today, Brendan is known for the innovative app that he created for Taylor Swift and Rihanna, and which can automatically turn any Facebook profile into a website in less than 60 seconds.

In partnership with MTV, Brendan has developed an advertising technology that monetizes consumer-to-consumer interactions within social networks. He has also served as a consultant for the NHL and NFL Players Associations on how to bolster their digital offering for both players and fans.

Currently, Brendan is advising Strike Social, the largest TrueView Advertising and YouTube Intelligence company, which runs over 2,500 campaigns a day for brands such as Disney, Fox, NBC, Netflix, XBOX, LinkedIn and many notable Fortune 100 companies. In addition to his consulting business, he is also a mentor at Techstars and a keynote speaker at industry events.

Links:

• Brendan on LinkedIn
• Brendan on Facebook
• Brendan’s email at SEAkers

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Wolfgang Allisat is the Chief Customer Officer at Unbabel, a translation and localization company headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal. Originally from Germany, and with a background in economics and international business, he joined the company at the beginning of 2017.

Founded in 2013, Unbabel has a strong digital focus that is accelerating the shift towards a world without language barriers by enabling trustworthy, seamless and scalable translations between companies and their customers.

International businesses trust Unbabel’s enterprise platform to open up and grow new markets by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and a global community of mobile linguists.

Backed by Notion Capital, Google Ventures, Caixa Capital and Y Combinator, Unbabel is helping customers like Pinterest, Skyscanner, Under Armour, Trello and Oculus VR to understand and be understood.

Wolfgang holds a masters degree in Economics from the University of Saarland, Germany. When not in the office, he can often be found sailing around the Balearic Islands.

Links:

• Unbabel website
• Unbabel on LinkedIn
• Unbabel on Facebook
• Unbabel on Instagram
• Unbabel on YouTube
• Unbabel on Twitter
• Wolfgang on LinkedIn

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Gabriel Fairman is a polyglot, an entrepreneur and the CEO of Bureau Translations, a language services agency that he founded when he was only 24 years old. Based in Palo Alto, California, Bureau Translations has worked with such well-known companies as Harley Davidson, Volkswagen, Audi, the NBA, Sony Music, Pfizer, MasterCard, Pepsi and Burger King, helping them to drive their multilingual content throughout the world.

Thanks to its proprietary technology and processes, Bureau makes it easy for clients to save on translation costs, cut down their time to market, and minimize the internal resources needed to manage a global content production chain.

Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Gabriel grew up speaking Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Over the years, he also acquired some Mandarin-Chinese, Italian, and French. Gabriel loves to challenge business practices and deconstruct operational paradigms, and he rebuilds his own organization as often as possible.

Links:

• Bureau Translations website
• Bureau Translations on LinkedIn
• Bureau Translations on Facebook
• Bureau Translations on Twitter
• Gabriel on LinkedIn
• Gabriel on Twitter

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Dr. Nitish Singh is an Associate Professor at the Boeing Institute of International Business at Saint Louis University, Missouri. He has been teaching there for a decade now and in that time, he has developed an Online Certificate program in ethics & compliance. He is also the President of an ethics & compliance consulting firm called Integtree LLC, which he founded in 2013.

Before joining the faculty at Saint Louis University, Nitish spent several years as a full tenured Professor at California State University, Chico, where he led the Localization and International e-Business programs. His educational efforts have been supported by US Department of Education, the Qatar National Research Foundation, California State University, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft and other companies.

Nitish holds a Ph.D. in international business and marketing. He has co-authored two critically acclaimed books: "The Culturally Customized Web Site: Customizing Websites for the Global Marketplace" and "Localization Strategies for Global e-Business".

Last but not least, Nitish is a co-organizer of the Brand2Global conference series, which has been bringing together digital marketing and localization professionals every year since 2013. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the most recent edition of Brand2Global in Silicon Valley, where he gave a presentation called "Optimizing Global Marketing Budgets: The Global Segmentation Tool”.

Links:

• Brand2Global website
• Brand2Global Conference on LinkedIn
• Brand2Global Group on LinkedIn
• Brand2Global Conference on Facebook
• Brand2Global on Twitter
• Integtree website
• Global Digital Marketing and Localization Certification program
• Nitish Singh on LinkedIn
• Web Globalization LinkedIn group
• Nitish’s books on Amazon

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Diego Cresceri is the Founder & CEO at Creative Words, a localization company that he founded in 2016. Based in Genoa, in Northern Italy, he has worked in the language industry for over a decade.

Before starting his own business, Diego was a translator, then a Project Manager, and finally the Chief Operations Officer at an Italian language services company. He has always loved languages, he’s a Machine Translation (MT) enthusiast, and he loves teaching language technology whenever he has the chance.

With his new localization company, Creative Words, Diego is focused on the four cornerstones that ensure his work is always in line with customer expectations: listening to the customer, flexibility, technology, and innovation.

Links:

• Creative Words website
• Creative Words on LinkedIn
• Creative Words on Facebook
• Creative Words on Twitter
• Diego on LinkedIn

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Fritz Grutzner is the President of Brandgarten – a brand strategy firm that he founded in 2005. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Brandgarten specializes in uncovering the deep emotional drivers of brand choice, and in building brand strategies around these insights.

With a background in Germanic studies and international business, Fritz’s career has always been focused on global marketing. He now has 30 years of brand-building experience, having worked for Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profits, both in the U.S. and abroad, both in-house as well as on the agency side. Through his own firm, Brandgarten, he has conducted primary research on five continents for some of the world’s most recognized brands.

Besides running his own firm, Fritz has co-authored a book called Tips and Traps for Marketing your Business, he is a frequent speaker on branding topics, and he has published numerous articles in industry journals. He believes that people – no matter where in the world they are – don’t buy things, but rather the story about the thing.

Links:

• Brandgarten website
• Brandgarten on LinkedIn
• Brandgarten on Facebook
• Fritz on LinkedIn
• Fritz’s book on Amazon

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Talia Baruch is the Founder and CEO of Yewser, a consultancy based in San Francisco that helps companies accelerate growth in international markets. Together with her in-country teams, she helps her clients go global by optimizing product functionality, user-experience, and value proposition in a way that is geo-fitted to each local market.

Before launching Yewser in 2017, Talia lead international expansion at LinkedIn and then at SurveyMonkey. She has also mentored startup executives at Google Launchpad; she has managed Google’s internationalization and localization for Earth & Maps products worldwide; she has driven Starbucks' brand entry into the Middle East and North Africa; and she has optimized VMware’s product localization for Latin America.

In addition to running her own consultancy, Talia is the co-founder of a nonprofit called Global Saké. Global Saké’s mission is to make products make sense in international markets by creating a collective community across countries and cultures, and giving members a venue to share industry insights on global growth and international product strategy.

Catch Talia's insights on how today’s startups and SMEs can be global-ready from the get-go!

Links:

• Yewser website
• Yewser on LinkedIn
• Global Saké on LinkedIn
• Global Saké on Twitter
• Talia on LinkedIn
• Talia on Twitter

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Kirsten Suto Seckler is the Chief Marketing Officer for Special Olympics, an international organization that she has worked with for the past 20 years. In her role as CMO, she oversees a team that is working creatively to shape and challenge perceptions about people with intellectual disabilities, and to build awareness of and engagement with the Special Olympics movement.

With a background in mass communication and media studies, Kirsten has over two decades of experience as a marketing, branding and public relations professional. She has been involved in many Special Olympics initiatives that have contributed to the growth of the movement around the world. She has worked on both the Winter and Summer World Games broadcasts, as well as policy summits, the Global Ambassadors program, concerts and conferences supporting Special Olympics, and the launch of new programming in the areas of health, education and community building.

In addition to her work with Special Olympics, Kirsten is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.. She is also a member of the National Press Club, the American Marketing Association and the Association for Women in Sports Media.

Links:

• Special Olympics website
• Special Olympics on Facebook
• Special Olympics on YouTube
• Special Olympics on Instagram
• Special Olympics on Pinterest
• Special Olympics on Twitter
• Kirsten Suto Seckler on LinkedIn

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Matteo Ceurvels is a serial entrepreneur, a marketing and communications professional, and a digital strategist, who specializes in Latin American markets. For almost a decade now, he has been managing multiple global accounts and building strategic initiatives within the private and public sectors.

Currently, Matteo works as a Researcher in Digital Marketing for Latin America and Spain at eMarketer, a leading market research firm headquartered in New York. Thousands of companies worldwide rely on eMarketer for insights into the digital marketing world.

Matteo is also the Founder & Editor-at-Large of LATAM Online, a publication that covers stories and trends throughout Latin America and beyond.

With a background in Latin American studies and political science, Matteo has become proficient in nine languages, he has lived in four different countries, and has traveled very extensively.

Links:

• eMarketer website
• eMarkter articles
• eMarketer on LinkedIn
• eMarketer on Facebook
• eMarketer on Twitter
• Behind the Numbers” podcast on SoundCloud
• Behind the Numbers” video-on-demand podcast on SoundCloud
• Podcast episode: “The Next Big Digital Video Market – Latin America”
• Matteo’s website
• LATAM Online
• Matteo on LinkedIn
• Matteo on Facebook
• Matteo on Instagram
• Matteo on Twitter

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Constantino de Miguel is the Founder and General Manager of Prime Group, which specializes in multilingual voice-overs, subtitling, and digital multimedia localization. With offices in France, Spain and Ecuador, Prime Group serves a wide variety of clients, including many major multinational companies.

Originally from Spain, Constantino spent over two decades working in international broadcasting – including radio, television and the print media – before founding his own business, PrimeVoices, in the year 2000. Focused on high-quality voice-overs for audio and video content, PrimeVoices has a casting of over 1,000 voices in 45 languages, and operates from studios in Europe and Latin America.

In 2016, Constantino launched his next venture, PrimeMultimedia. As part of the Prime Group, its mission is to streamline the process of localizing audio and video content through cost-effective and easy-to-use online tools. Its latest innovation, called AVM, is a tool developed specifically to improve video localization.

Besides managing his localization businesses, Constantino is also a media trainer and consultant. He coaches executives on how to interact with journalists in a more effective and media-savvy way, based on his many years of personal experience in the news broadcasting business.

Links:

• PrimeVoices website
• PrimeVoices on LinkedIn
• PrimeVoices on YouTube
• PrimeVoices on Facebook
• PrimeVoices on Instagram
• PrimeVoices on Twitter
• PrimeMultimedia website
• PrimeMultimedia on LinkedIn
• PrimeMultimedia on Facebook
• PrimeMultimedia on Twitter
• Digit-a website
• Digit-a on Facebook
• Digit-a on Twitter
• Constantino on LinkedIn

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Lahcene Guerrouj is a marketer, a tech enthusiast and a content expert, who has led many international cross-functional teams landing brands and content from HQ to the regions. Currently, he is the Global Content Marketing and Localization Manager at Salesforce, a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform.

Since 2015, Lahcene has been managing global marketing content strategy for top multinationals, including Dell, LexisNexis, Microsoft (Skype), Juniper Networks, and now Salesforce. He has a background in business management and e-commerce, and speaks four different languages. Originally from Paris, he has worked in San Francisco, and is now based in London, U.K.

Not only is Lahcene an expert on globalization, internationalization and content marketing strategies. He also holds a Doctorate in Segway Navigation and Rider Proficiency from the San Francisco Electric Tour Company!

Links:

• Salesforce website
• Salesforce on YouTube
• Salesforce on LinkedIn
• Salesforce on Facebook
• Salesforce on Twitter
• Lahcene on Twitter

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Nani Ratnawati is the Senior Localization Program Manager for a social network that you’re probably familiar with: LinkedIn. With half a billion members in over 200 countries, LinkedIn is now available in 24 different language interfaces and has become the world's largest professional networking platform.

In her current role, Nani drives strategic partnerships with the global marketing teams in all of LinkedIn's business units, and she ensures the highest quality in LinkedIn’s translated content, as well as its efficiency and performance.

Based in California’s Bay Area, Nani graduated from San Francisco State University with a Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology. After an eclectic career path, she joined the LinkedIn team in 2011 as a specialist for Indonesian, a language in which she's fluent.

Today, Nani manages end-to-end localization projects that cover languages in Europe, the Middle-East, Latin-America and Asia-Pacific. She tracks and evaluates the performance of LinkedIn's marketing campaigns in those regions. Nani also advocates for LinkedIn's international users by gathering cultural and linguistic knowledge, as well as product data, that is unique to their specific countries.

Links:

• LinkedIn English “About” page
• Nani on LinkedIn

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Ivan Smolnikov is an entrepreneur with more than 10 years of experience in linguistic technologies and services. Currently, he is the CEO of Smartcat.ai, a cloud ecosystem that makes it easy for companies and translators to connect and collaborate.

With a strong background in applied sciences, Ivan began his entrepreneurial journey in 2004, when he co-founded his first language services company. Focused on high-quality, technology-intensive translation and localization, ABBYY Language Services now has more than 2,500 corporate clients worldwide, including many Top-100 Global Brands and Fortune 500 companies. ABBYY LS is a part of the ABBYY Group, which is a leading global software developer for the language services industry.

In 2013, Ivan founded Smartcat.ai and in 2016, it received backing from a venture fund to support its quick growth. In his role as Smartcat's CEO, Ivan is focused on building a next-generation platform for translation automation that enables an effective relationship between the key participants of today’s translation market: freelance translators, translation agencies, and translation service buyers.

Links:

• ai website
• Smartcat on LinkedIn
• Smartcat on Facebook
• Smartcat on YouTube
• Smartcat on Twitter
• Smartcat Blog
• Ivan’s blog on Medium
• Ivan on LinkedIn
• Ivan on Facebook
• Ivan on Twitter

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Miguel Sepulveda is the Global Localization Manager at King Digital Entertainment, a social gaming company probably best known for its 2012 smash hit Candy Crush Saga. Today, King is one of the world’s biggest mobile-game developers. Headquartered in London, it has offices around the globe, more than 200 game titles to its name, and over 400 million monthly active users.

With his background in computer engineering, quality assurance, human resources and project management, Miguel has been working in the localization industry since 1995, when he joined Lionbridge Technologies as a Software Tester. After working on the language vendor side for a number of years, Miguel joined King in 2014. In his current role, he drives a team of localization professionals, who translate and culturally adapt digital games in up to 24 different languages for players on every continent.

In addition to his work at King, Miguel is on the Advisory Board for the Games Round Table of the LocWorld conference series, and he writes a blog about localization issues called Yo Localizo. He’s also an active member of Toastmasters. And yes, he does play video games in his spare time.

Links:

• King Digital Entertainment website
• King on LinkedIn
• King on Facebook
• King on YouTube
• King on Twitter
• Activation Blizzard website
• Activation Blizzard on Twitter
• Miguel’s blog: Yo Localizo
• Miguel on LinkedIn
• Miguel on Twitter
• LocWorld conference website

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Gregor Rosulnik is part of a young, dynamic generation of Slovenian entrepreneurs. With a background in economics, business management and international marketing, he founded the Translation Agency GORR in 2013.

Today, GORR is on its way to becoming one of the key language services providers in the Western Balkan region, and it works with a number of important clients, both locally and internationally. Headquartered just outside Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, the agency covers all European language pairs, but it specializes in Slovenian and the Western Balkan languages, which include Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian.

I first met Gregor at a Localization World conference (LocWorld34) in June 2017, and he impressed me with his positive energy, his outgoing personality and his entrepreneurial attitude. Catch his insights into the Slovenian and Western Balkan markets, which cover a relatively small geographic area, yet comprise a high diversity of languages and cultures.

Links:

• GORR website
• GORR on LinkedIn
• GORR on Facebook
• GORR on Twitter
• Gregor on LinkedIn

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Jessica Rathke is a marketing expert, a public speaker, and the CEO of Localisation Sales & Marketing, a consulting firm that she founded in 2011. From her base in London, U.K., she provides sales consulting and training to translation companies, helping them achieve their revenue objectives. To date, she has trained hundreds of sales professionals from over 41 countries.

With a strong background in foreign affairs, German studies and marketing, Jessica first entered the language industry in 1998, when she took on the role of business development manager for ALPNET, a US-based company that was acquired by SDL. From there, she went on to work with a number of leading language services providers, including Rubric, Oxford Conversis, and Jonkers.

Besides running her own consultancy, Jessica is an active member of Women in Localization, and recently became the U.K. Chapter Manager for the association. In her spare time, she’s also an avid competitive masters swimmer, and regularly competes at the international level.

Catch Jessica’s insights into the best ways for startups and SMEs to go about choosing the right translation and localization vendor for their particular needs.

Links:

• Localisation Sales & Marketing website
• Jessica on LinkedIn
• Jessica on Twitter

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Christiane Bark is the Localisation Manager at busuu, a digital platform that enhances and transforms the way people learn languages. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in London, busuu’s mission is to change the global language learning industry through the use technology. So far, it has over 70 million users and offers 12 different languages to study.

A native of Germany, Christiane is fluently bilingual and has a solid background in translation. She has been living and working in London since 2011, and joined the team at busuu in 2015.

Christiane is a self-described localization enthusiast, and she is passionate about making great content available to as many people as possible. I first met her at a recent Localization World conference (LocWorld34) in Barcelona, where she was one of the presenters on a panel called “Hacking the Localization Thinking Into Startups”.

Catch Christiane’s insights into what it takes to build a multilingual platform, and why maintenance costs need to be factored into the localization budget.

Links:

• busuu website
• busuu blog
• busuu on YouTube
• busuu on Facebook
• busuu on Twitter
• Christiane on LinkedIn

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Lori Thicke is a serial entrepreneur, a humanitarian, and the CEO of Lexcelera, a company that provides translation services to global companies. A native of Canada, she founded her first company when she was just 12 years old, and her next one while she was still in high school.

In 1986, after receiving her Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia, Lori moved to Paris, France. Convinced that high-quality translation would be a game changer in the translation and localization industry, she founded Eurotexte, which was later renamed Lexcelera.

For over 30 years now, Lexcelera and its subsidiary company, LexWorks, have been helping clients grow international revenues, decrease time to global markets, and increase customer satisfaction. The company is now a leading provider of translation services, with offices in Paris, London, Vancouver, Buenos Aires, and Singapore.

In addition to her business ventures, Lori is the Founder of Translators without Borders (TWB), the world’s largest humanitarian translation organization. Since 1993, TWB has been providing translation support to other organizations including Doctors without Borders, Partners in Health, Oxfam, and Wikipedia.

Lori is passionate about corporate social responsibility, and she is a frequent speaker on how translation and technology can work together to take down language barriers. Her vision is for everyone in the world to be able to access the information they need, no matter what language they speak.

Links:

• Lexcelera website
• Lexcelera on LinkedIn
• Lexcelera on Facebook
• LexWorks website
• LexWorks on LinkedIn
• LexWorks on Facebook
• Translators without Borders website
• Translators without Borders on LinkedIn
• Translators without Borders on YouTube
• Translators without Borders on Facebook
• Translators without Borders on Instagram
• Translators without Borders on Twitter
• Lori’s blog
• Lori on LinkedIn
• Lori on Twitter

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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

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Allison McDougall is the Vice President of Emerging Business at Lionbridge Technologies, one of the world’s largest language services providers. She is an experienced global business strategist, a cross-cultural sales leader, and an innovative “disrupter”.

With a passion for languages and a strong background in marketing, Allison has been working in the language and localization industry since 1998, when she became Director of Globalization Solutions at SDL, another leading language services company.

After almost two decades in the industry, Allison is committed to helping others achieve their career goals as well. In 2015, she established a higher-education scholarship for an undergraduate student majoring in international language at her alma mater, the University of Illinois.

In January 2017, Allison took on the role of Chair of Women in Localization, a leading professional organization where she has been a Board Member since 2013. In her new role, she is leading the organization’s efforts to foster the advancement of women in the localization industry, and to promote their professional development, networking, and continuous education.

With 11 chapters worldwide and counting, Women in Localization presents an interesting case study: it’s not a nonprofit looking to go global, but rather, an organization already growing globally and now aiming for nonprofit status. And who better to lead the way than Allison, with her decades of experience in international business, marketing and the localization industry?

Links:

• ​Women in Localization website
• Women in Localization on LinkedIn
• Women in Localization on Facebook
• Women in Localization on Twitter
• Lionbridge website
• Lionbridge on LinkedIn
• Lionbridge on Facebook
• Lionbridge on Twitter
• Allison on LinkedIn
• Allison on Twitter

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Josh Steimle is the CEO of MWI, a global digital marketing agency that he founded in 1999, when he was still a college student. In 2013, Josh moved from Salt Lake City to Hong Kong to open his agency's first international office. Today, MWI has offices in the United States, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and more on the way.

Besides running his agency, Josh is a TEDx speaker and a frequent keynote speaker at marketing and business events. He is the author of Chief Marketing Officers at Work, which was recognized by Success magazine as one of the “5 Best Business Books of 2016”. He is also a regular contributor to publications such as Mashable, TechCrunch, and Entrepreneur magazine.

As of last year, 2016, Josh has taken on the role of organizer for the China Marketing Summit, which is the largest marketing conference in China. It has been called a “must-attend conference for anyone interested in marketing to Chinese audiences” by Forbes magazine.

Among his many accolades, Josh was named by Forbes magazine as one of “25 Marketing Influencers To Watch In 2017”, he is listed on Entrepreneur magazine's “50 Inspirational Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2017”, and he was ranked the “7th Most Influential CMO in the World” by Richtopia. Through his new project called Influencer Inc., he now coaches other individuals to become influencers through their writing, speaking, and marketing.

Links:

• MWI website
• MWI on LinkedIn
• MWI on Facebook
• MWI on Twitter
• China Marketing Summit website
• China Marketing Summit on LinkedIn
• China Marketing Summit on Facebook
• China Marketing Summit on YouTube
• China Marketing Summit on Twitter
• Josh’s book on Amazon
• Josh’s website
• Josh’s articles and interviews
• Josh on LinkedIn
• Josh on Facebook
• Josh on YouTube
• Josh on Twitter

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Dorota Pawlak is a language services professional who specializes in Polish. She is the owner of DP Translation Services and, more recently, of a consultancy called Polish Localisation.

As a translator and localizer, Dorota focuses on the cultural adaptation of digital products such as websites, mobile apps, and software. She runs online courses on localization and intercultural communication, and she is also the author of two blogs.

In addition to her client work, Dorota enjoys sharing her experience by speaking at industry events. In fact, in 2015, she co-founded All-round Translation Events, a series of small-scale events and workshops where translators can meet and learn more about topics that go beyond their core translation skills.

Dorota’s mission is to helps businesses, organizations and individuals to communicate successfully with their partners and customers across cultures and borders.

Links:

• DP Translation Services website
• DP Translation Services on Facebook
• Polish Localisation website
• Polish Localisation on LinkedIn
• Polish Localisation on Facebook
• Polish Localisation on Instagram
• Polish Localisation on Twitter
• All-round Translator Events website
• All-round Translator Events on LinkedIn
• All-round Translator Events on Facebook
• All-round Translator Events on Twitter
• Dorota on LinkedIn
• Dorota on Twitter

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Michael Ridgway is the Global Vice President of Interpreting at United Language Group (ULG), one of the largest translation, localization and interpreting providers in the world. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ULG has offices in seven countries on three different continents, and serves over 3,000 clients – including many Fortune 500 companies.

Michael joined ULG in January of 2017, after almost a decade of working with other leaders in the language services space, including Sajan, TheBigWord and Freedman International. In his new role at ULG, he is specifically focused on Over-the-Phone Interpretation technology (OPI).

With a background in finance and 20 years of professional experience, Michael has launched divisions and services around the world. He has led international sales and marketing teams, and has worked with some of the largest and most recognizable global brands.

Links:

• United Language Group website
• United Language Group Daily
• United Language Group on LinkedIn
• United Language Group on Facebook
• United Language Group on Instagram
• United Language Group on Twitter

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Lanie Denslow is a leading author, a popular speaker and a trusted advisor on how culture shapes business practices and business protocol around the world. Known for her candour and her humour, she is the Founder & Principal of World Wise Intercultural Training & Resources, a consulting firm that helps others grasp the complexity of today’s global business environment.

Lanie is the author of World Wise: What to Know Before You Go and the co-author of Working With Americans. Both publications are internationally recognized for their practical insights regarding how culture influences business. She has conducted workshops, seminars and keynote presentations for business leaders and organizations throughout the United States, as well as in Germany, England, China, and Russia.

In addition to running her consultancy, Lanie spent more than a decade and a half serving as the Director of International Affairs for the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. She is also the immediate Past President of Protocol & Diplomacy International, a global organization of protocol professionals with almost 300 members representing 20 countries. Currently, she is the Co-Chair of the 2017 International Education Forum being held in Dublin, Ireland, at the end of July.

Links:

• World Wise Intercultural Training & Resources website
• Lanie’s World Wise Blog
• Lanie’s books on Amazon
• Protocol & Diplomacy International website
• Protocol & Diplomacy International on Twitter
• Lanie on LinkedIn
• Lanie on Twitter

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Shama Hyder is an entrepreneur, an author, an international keynote speaker, and a web and television personality. She has been dubbed the “Zen Master of Marketing” by Entrepreneur Magazine and the “Millennial Master of the Universe” by FastCompany.com. She has received numerous awards and has shared the stage with some of the world’s top leaders, including President Obama and the Dalai Lama.

Originally from India, Shama immigrated to the United States with her family when she was a child. A born entrepreneur, she founded The Marketing Zen Group – a global online-marketing and digital-PR company – when she was still in her twenties. In 2009, she was named one of the Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25 by Business Week. Today, The Marketing Zen Group serves clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and nonprofit organizations across the globe.

Shama's first book, The Zen of Social Media Marketing, published in 2010, has since become a bestseller, and is currently in its fourth edition. Her latest book, Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age, was published in 2016.

Links:

• The Marketing Zen website
• The Marketing Zen Group on LinkedIn
• The Marketing Zen Group on Facebook
• The Marketing Zen Group on Twitter
• Shama’s website
• Shama’s books on Amazon
• Shama on LinkedIn
• Shama on YouTube
• Shama on Instagram
• Shama on Twitter

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Bindu Balakrishnan is a business development specialist, who divides her time between India and Germany. She leads the Indian operations of DCMN, which is a digital marketing agency headquartered in Berlin.

Since 2016, when Bindu was chosen to head DCMN’s first Asian office in Bangalore, the agency has opened two more offices in India. From there, DCMN is planning to expand even further into Asia, with Bindu helping to lead that international expansion.

Previously, Bindu headed business development and marketing at 1SDK, a mobile attribution analytics company, where she developed a deep understanding of both the Indian ecommerce and mobile industries.

Originally from India, Bindu spent several years living, studying and working in Europe – first in the healthcare field and then in business management. She speaks four different languages, is working on a fifth, and she has over a decade of experience working with digital startups.

Links:

• DCMN website
• DCMN on LinkedIn
• DCMN on Facebook
• DCMN on Twitter
• Bindu on LinkedIn
• Bindu on Twitter

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Tim Romero is a Tokyo-based innovator, author, and entrepreneur. He is also the host of the Disrupting Japan podcast, which explores the unique nature of Japan's startup scene and its current innovations. Since its debut in 2014, the podcast has become a trusted resource for Western entrepreneurs entering the Japanese market.

Originally from the United States, Tim moved to Japan more than 25 years ago. In that time, he has launched four of his own startups, as well as helping other people launch theirs. He is now deeply involved in Japan's startup community as an investor, a founder, and a mentor.

As Japan experiences a new wave of home-grown entrepreneurship, combined with an increased openness to Western tech companies, Tim is focused on helping local startups expand globally and Western companies expand into Japan.

Links:

• Disrupting Japan website
• Disrupting Japan podcast
• Disrupting Japan on LinkedIn
• Disrupting Japan on Facebook
• Disrupting Japan on Twitter
• Tim on LinkedIn
• Tim on Twitter

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Catherine Chai is the founder of Broc Consulting, an independent brand advisory firm based in Singapore. She works extensively with forward-looking Asian companies to unleash their brand value, help them ignite a brand-driven culture, and cultivate passionate brand ambassadors from within.

Catherine has been in the business of brand strategy and management for the past 20 years. As a brand advisor, she has helped over 100 companies and trained over 2000 people in Asia, cutting across diverse industries in the B2B and B2C sectors.

A certified Practicing Management Consultant, Catherine has assisted government agencies to conduct clinics and seminars that help educate businesses about branding. She has also taught international branding and marketing at major educational institutions in Singapore.

In 2016, Catherine published her book From Bland To Brand: The Essential Branding Handbook for Asian Businesses, which provides a practical framework to guide businesses through the process of building strong and purposeful brands.

Links:

• Broc Consulting website
• Broc Consulting on LinkedIn
• Broc Consulting on Facebook
• Broc Consulting on Twitter
• Catherine’s book, From Bland to Brand, on Amazon
• Catherine on LinkedIn

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Andrea Barp is the Translation Director at Adapt Worldwide, which is a multilingual digital marketing agency. Originally founded in 2010, the agency was acquired in 2015 by WeLocalize, one of the world’s top language services providers.

Today, Adapt Worldwide functions as the digital marketing and transcreation division of WeLocalize, helping brands expand their reach across global markets and platforms.

Originally from Italy, and with a background in Scandinavian studies, Andrea began his career as a freelance translator over two decades ago. Since then, he has worked in-house at a number of major companies, both in Europe and in North America, and in a variety of leadership positions.

In his current role at Adapt Worldwide, Andrea leads a team that supports transcreation and translation services, website and software localization projects, and other digital marketing activities in over 50 different languages.

Links:

• Adapt Worldwide website
• Adapt Worldwide on LinkedIn
• Adapt Worldwide on Facebook
• Adapt Worldwide on Twitter
• WeLocalize website
• WeLocalize on LinkedIn
• WeLocalize on Facebook
• WeLocalize on Twitter
• WeLocalize Blog interview with Andrea
• Andrea on LinkedIn

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Jamie Glass is the Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Artful Thinkers, a full-service strategic sales and marketing firm based in Chandler, Arizona.

Celebrating it’s 20th anniversary in 2017, Artful Thinkers specializes in providing creative solutions to clients in various B2B and B2C industries, including professional services, media, technology, software, retail, consumer, e-learning, finance, and language services.

Jamie has a particular expertise in globalization strategies, having spent many years working on global branding and marketing initiatives. Until recently, she was the CMO and Executive Vice President of Global Service Lines at WeLocalize, one of the world’s top language services companies.

In her role at Artful Thinkers, Jamie is focused on providing global marketing and sales consulting services that help her clients grow revenues, retain customers and increase brand awareness internationally.

Listen to Jamie's insights on why today’s brands need to think global from the start, why translation and localization are so crucial for international growth, and why hiring the right experts is a wise investment.

Links:

• Artful Thinkers website
• Artful Thinkers blog
• Artful Thinkers on LinkedIn
• Artful Thinkers on Twitter
• WeLocalize Innovator’s Blog
• Jamie on Medium
• Jamie on LinkedIn
• Jamie on Facebook
• Jamie on Twitter

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Kohei Kurihara is a digital marketing and e-commerce expert based in Tokyo. He is the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Mangaconnect, a marketing enterprise that promotes Japanese content and helps people around the world connect with the Japanese market. This includes a unique crowdfunding platform that empowers authors of manga, and helps manga fans get better access to original content.

Kurihara-san’s latest project is a digital marketing agency called Crowdships, which supports B2C and B2B cross-border deals. He helps foreign brands trying to enter the Japanese market by facilitating business partnerships, providing consulting services, and offering in-country performance support.

In addition to his role at Mangaconnect and Crowdships, Kurihara-san is also the Japan Manager for S&W Media Group and for Cogia Intelligence, where he works to provide services that integrate all facets of the global market and to develop profitable revenues for his clients.

Kurihara-san's previous experience includes working as a sales consultant for Rakuten, Japan's largest e-commerce company and the third largest e-commerce marketplace in the world. He also has extensive experience in the education and non-profit sectors, working with local government to help create and develop public policy.

Links:

• Crowdships website
• S&W Media Group website
• Cogia Intelligence website
• com
• Mangaconnect on LinkedIn
• Mangaconnect on Facebook
• Mangaconnect on Twitter
• Kurihara-san on LinkedIn
• Kurihara-san on Facebook
• Kurihara-san on Instagram
• Kurihara-san on Twitter

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Kris Bondi is a seasoned marketing professional with 20 years of experience working with global brands. Based in the San Francisco Bay area, she combines her knowledge of international marketing, public relations, crisis communications and journalism to help companies go global.

Currently, Kris is the Chief Marketing Officer at Neura Inc., a technology company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create intuitive experiences between people and their connected environments. In her role, she leads the company’s efforts to increase adoption and overall mindshare.

Before joining Neura, Kris served as Vice President of Global Marketing for Iron.io. She has also lent her strategic marketing background to a number of other technology companies, including Moka5, TIBCO, Mashery and Luma Technologies, and she has over a decade of experience as an advisory board member for tech startups.

Links:

• Contextual Wisdom – The Official Neura Blog on Medium
• Neura Inc. on LinkedIn
• Neura Inc. on Facebook
• Neura Inc. on Twitter
• Kris on LinkedIn
• Kris on Twitter

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John Yunker is an expert in web and software globalization. He is the co-founder and President of Byte Level Research, which is a consulting & publishing company dedicated to the art & science of web globalization.

John has worked with many of the world’s leading global brands, providing web globalization training and benchmark services. Over the years, he has authored a number of reports on web and content globalization, including 13 annual editions of The Web Globalization Report Card.

Besides his annual report cards, John writes a blog called Global by Design. He is also the author of several books, including Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies, The Savvy Client's Guide to Translation Agencies, and The Art of the Global Gateway.

John’s latest book, called Think Outside the Country: A Guide to Going Global and Succeeding in the Translation Economy, is hot off the press and available from your favourite book dealer.

Links:

• Byte Level Research website
• Global By Design blog
• John’s personal website
• John’s new book: Think Outside the Country
• John’s books on Amazon
• John on LinkedIn
• John on Twitter

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Andy Molinsky is the author of Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process. Published in 2013, it received an Axiom Award for Best Business Book in International Business & Globalization. It has been widely used in organizations around the world, including Boeing, AIG, the US Air Force Academy, and the Clinton Foundation, to name a few.

Andy’s received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and his M.A. in Psychology from Harvard University. He also holds a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University, and Master’s Degree in International Business from Columbia University.

Through his current position as a Professor at Brandeis University’s International Business School, Andy helps people develop the insights they need to act outside their personal and cultural comfort zones. His articles have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, NPR, and Voice of America – among others.

When he’s not teaching, Andy consults and lectures widely to university and corporate audiences. He has been recognized as a Top Voice for LinkedIn for his work in education, and his latest book, Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge and Build Confidence, was published in January 2017.

Links:

• Andy’s website
• Andy’s Cheat Sheet to 10 Cultural Codes From Around the World
• Andy’s books on Amazon
• Andy on LinkedIn
• Andy on Facebook
• Andy on YouTube
• Andy on Twitter

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Don Southerton is known in business circles as “The Hyundai Whisperer”. Based in Denver, Colorado, he is the Founder and CEO of a consulting firm called Bridging Culture Worldwide, which provides in-depth insights into the dynamics of Korean-based global business.

With 35 years of experience, Don is recognized as the definitive authority on Korea business consulting and Korean corporate culture. He is a trusted consultant, mentor, coach, and strategist who works with a variety of industries – from the automotive, golf, and quick-service restaurant sectors, to New Urbanism and green technology.

Don is a specialist on Korean cultures and norms, Korean market entry strategy, Korean education, and the Korean workplace. His clients include Fortune 500 companies, top Korean groups, leading international law firms, and elite consultancies.

Links:

• Bridging Culture Worldwide website
• Bridging Culture Worldwide on LinkedIn
• Bridging Culture Worldwide on Facebook
• Bridging Culture Worldwide on Instagram
• Don’s books on Amazon
• Don on LinkedIn
• Don on Facebook
• Don on Twitter

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Ana Lourenço is the Head of Blossom Translations, an agency based in Lisbon, Portugal, that caters specifically to the fresh-produce industry. Through her specialized translation and localization skills, her creative writing and her project-management services, she helps companies gain greater access to international markets.

A native of Portugal, Ana graduated from Lisbon’s Universidade NOVA with a degree in Translation and Business in 2012. She then went straight to work as a translator and writer for the family business, a fresh produce import-export company.

In 2014, Ana founded Blossom Translations, and she is now working on promoting her Blossom Premium project, which involves partnerships, translation project management, team management, and design services.

Besides running her own business, Ana volunteers as an event organizer for the Portuguese Translators’ Association (APTRAD), of which she has been a member since 2015. She also makes time for public-speaking engagements, such as the upcoming Wordfast Forward Conference in Varna, Bulgaria. And last but not least, she hosts a highly Instagram-worthy Tea Time for Translators in Lisbon every couple of months.

Links:

• Blossom Translations website
• Blossom Translations on Facebook
• Blossom Translations on Pinterest
• Blossom Translations on Instagram
• Ana on LinkedIn
• Ana on Twitter

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Emiliano Introcaso combines his extensive experience in international logistics and supply chain management with his current work as an educator.

Fluent in Spanish as well as in English, he is a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP), who received his designation from the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) in Canada. He also holds a Professional Logistician (P.Log.) designation from The Logistics Institute.

Over the past 7 years, Emiliano has been teaching at several colleges across the Greater Toronto Area in a range of programs, including Supply Chain Management, Global Logistics, and International Business Management.

In addition to his work as a college Professor, Emiliano also delivers training workshops – both in Canada and abroad – to organizations looking to improve their knowledge around export practices.

Links:

• Emiliano’s website
• Forum for International Trade Training (FITT)
• Emiliano’s articles on the FITT Trade Ready blog
• The Logistics Institute
• Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
• Export and Development Canada (EDC)
• Seneca College: International Trade Specialist Program
• George Brown College: International Business Management Program
• Emiliano on LinkedIn
• Emiliano on Twitter

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Chris 'Kubby' Kubbernus is a digital marketing expert with 20 years of experience. Originally fromCalgary, Alberta, he started working at an advertising agency at the age of 14 – sweeping floors and getting coffee. At 16, he was cleaning up graphic files and building websites. At 18, while at college, he opened his first digital marketing agency.

In 2008, Chris moved to Denmark, and started work as an Account Director with an agency called Adtomic. He quickly rose through the ranks and became their Digital Media Director.

After going client-side to work with some large B2B software companies, Chris eventually founded is own global digital agency, Kubb&Co., in January of 2016.

Based in Denmark, Kubo&Co. specializes in digital strategy development and execution. With a presence in Copenhagen, London, New York and Vancouver, Chris and his team combine native digital skills, creativity and business strategy to provide clients with transformative solutions that propel their businesses forward. The agency prides itself on its ability to strategize and execute extremely fast, in order to give its clients a competitive advantage.

Links:

• Kubb&Co. website
• Kubb&Co. on LinkedIn
• Kubb&Co. on Facebook
• Kubb&Co. on Instagram
• Kubb&Co. on Twitter
• Chris’ personal website
• Chris’ blog
• Chris on LinkedIn
• Chris on YouTube
• Chris on Facebook
• Chris on Instagram
• Chris on Twitter

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Ola Persson is the President and CEO of WordFinder Software International, which is based in Sweden. With a background in marketing, he founded WordFinder in 1990, after working at a software company and developing his language technology skills.

WordFinder helps both large and small businesses to find the right word in the right context. The main product is a dictionary tool that complements other Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. WordFinder combines an assortment of dictionaries, which is the market’s broadest, and includes dictionaries from the world’s leading publishers.

Today, WordFinder is the market leader in Scandinavia, and customers range from private users to large multinational companies. More than 25,000 businesses and half a million users communicate with the help of this software service. From private users to large multinational companies, WordFinder’s subscriber base reflects the global potential of SaaS companies.

Links:

• WordFinder website
• WordFinder on LinkedIn
• WordFinder on Facebook
• WordFinder on Twitter
• Ola on LinkedIn
• Ola on Twitter

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Shannon Smith is the founder of Café Noir Design, a professional web design and development company that specializes in bilingual and multilingual websites.

Based in Montreal, Canada, Shannon builds beautiful, functional websites that her clients can update themselves and that are easy for search engines to find. One of her most recent projects has been to redesign the Verbaccino website.

With a strong background in journalism and neuroscience, Shannon has over a decade of experience in open source web development. She supports things like making the web accessible for everyone; helping organizations find greener, more sustainable ways to operate through online technology; and helping non-profits with online community organizing.

Shannon has spent many years sitting on the boards of various nonprofit organizations. She enjoys volunteering with community groups that encourage STEM educational efforts, diversity and accessibility initiatives, and the democratization of knowledge, including open source software projects.

Links:

• Café Noir Design website
• Café Noir Design on LinkedIn
• Café Noir Design on Facebook
• Café Noir Design on Twitter
• Shannon on LinkedIn

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Patrick Nunes is the Global Communications Manager for Rotary International, a nonprofit organization of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs worldwide.

In his role, he has helped to build, grow and elevate the organization's global brand presence through the coordination of compelling global content – always ensuring that Rotary's global communications are strategic and aligned with the organization’s overall objectives.

Patrick first joined Rotary International in 2009 as the Team Leader for the Portuguese localization team. He now has almost a decade of expertise leading international teams and working with cross-cultural social media strategy.

With six languages under his belt, Patrick is passionate about the development and implementation of transcultural communication strategies, and he firmly believes in the concept of rebranding the role of linguists.

Links:

• Rotary International website
• Rotary International on LinkedIn
• Rotary International on Facebook (English)
• Rotary International on Twitter (English)
• Book recommendation: The Global English Style Guide by John Kohl
• Patrick on LinkedIn

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I’ve had the pleasure of featuring Kirill Soloviev on a previous episode of the podcast (TWM 009). He’s an entrepreneur with 14 years of experience in the translation and localization industry, and the founder of ContentQuo.

As a consultant, Kirill works with larger companies and translation agencies to help them deliver better content in more languages for less money.

Most recently, Kirill has launched a new startup called Nimi, which is a crowdsourcing service that helps brands put their best foot forward – or, rather, their best name forward – as they plan their international expansion.

Picking the right name for your business, product or service can be challenging, even within your own domestic market. In this episode, Kirill talks about the additional problems and pitfalls that can arise when you introduce your brand to foreign customers, and why vetting your brand name ahead of time is so crucial.

Links:

• Nimi website
• Nimi on LinkedIn
• Nimi on Facebook
• Nimi on Twitter
• ContentQuo website
• ContentQuo on LinkedIn
• Kirill on LinkedIn
• Kirill on Twitter

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Ulrich Henes has been fascinated by language, cultural differences, and global business since his youth. Originally from Germany, he devoted the first decade of his career to organizing global social-justice campaigns and promoting international human rights issues.

In the course of his later career, Ulrich discovered that there was almost nowhere to go to learn about localization and how companies could compete more effectively in international markets.

Now based in the United States, he has spent the past 25 years channeling his passion for all things global into promoting awareness and respect for differences among people, countries and languages in the international business community.

In 1996, Ulrich founded The Localization Institute, which has since become a leader in educational advancement in the field of localization. The Institute offers certification programs, as well as corporate training and consulting.

The Institute also organizes industry conferences such as LocWorld, the world’s premier localization conference and exhibition series held in North America, Europe, and Asia; and the Brand2Global conferences, which are for global marketing professionals.

Currently, Ulrich is busy preparing for LocWorld33, which will be taking place in Shenzhen, China, at the end of February.

Links:

• The Localization Institute website
• The Localization Institute on LinkedIn
• The Localization Institute on Facebook
• The Localization Institute on Twitter
• Brand2Global website
• Brand2Global on YouTube
• Brand2Global on Twitter
• LocWorld website
• LocWorld on LinkedIn
• LocWorld on Facebook
• LocWorld on Twitter
• Ulrich on LinkedIn

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Simon Kemp is an international marketing strategist who has been featured on The Worldly Marketer Podcast before (cf. episode TWM 022). Originally from Scotland but based in Singapore since 2007, he has worked with many of the world’s most admired companies.

Recently, Simon has taken on the role of Global Consultant at We Are Social, a global marketing agency with 11 offices around the world and headquarters in London, U.K. He is also the founder of his own marketing consultancy, Kepios.

Every year, Simon publishes a Digital Global Overview report, as well as a Digital Yearbook, which are in-depth studies of the latest Internet, social media, and mobile usage statistics around the world. Publicly available via SlideShare, these studies have become invaluable for anyone involved in international business or marketing.

Simon has just published his 2017 report – in partnership with We Are Social and Hootsuite – and it’s his most comprehensive study to date. On today’s episode of TWMPodcast, he shares some of his most interesting findings and main takeaways from this latest study.

Links:

• Digital In 2017: Global Overview
• 2017 Digital Yearbook: Digital Data For Every Country In The World
• We Are Social Singapore on SlideShare
• GlobalWebIndex
• GSMA Intelligence
• Statista
• Akamai
• Google Consumer Barometer
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

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I launched The Worldly Marketer Podcast in May 2016. By the time this episode goes live, I'll have been podcasting for just under nine months, and I'll have published 48 episodes, including my introductory episode (TWM 000).

When I first started podcasting, I had no pre-existing audience to speak of. Yes, I had been blogging for a couple of years, but only intermittently. And I had just recently pivoted my business to focus more on international marketing strategy.

From the beginning, my goal for the podcast was to build an audience of potential clients for Verbaccino. My target listeners: North-American business owners and marketers who want to grow a more international customer base.

So for the past nine months, I've been interviewing a different expert every week. From each new guest, I've gained important insights about what it takes to build a global business. And I've enjoyed sharing those insights with my growing audience. On top of that, I've also made some wonderful and lasting connections in the international business, marketing and localization communities – a huge benefit that I hadn't even thought of before I launched the podcast.

What I truly hadn't expected, though, is that the podcast itself would go global.

At the time of writing this, The Worldly Marketer Podcast has been downloaded in almost 70 different countries. Here they are, in order of the total number of downloads:

United States Canada China United Kingdom Netherlands Ireland Australia Brazil Russian Federation Egypt Spain France Germany Sweden Italy Austria Switzerland Japan Latvia Finland United Arab Emirates India Czech Republic Norway Thailand Malaysia Croatia Argentina Denmark Poland South Korea Slovakia Nigeria Philippines New Zealand Estonia Singapore Colombia Ecuador Hong Kong Hungary Indonesia Kuwait Uruguay Belgium Chile Mexico Pakistan Portugal Ukraine Vietnam Greece Israel Laos Sri Lanka Luxembourg Romania Taiwan Bhutan Cameroon Cyprus Dominican Republic Morocco Peru Qatar Serbia Trinidad and Tobago Yemen South Africa Looking at the 'Geographic Stats' chart (above), nearly half of all TWMPodcast downloads so far have come from listeners based in the U.S.A. and Canada. The other 50%+, however, have come from listeners all around the world, from every continent except Antarctica.

I never imagined, when I launched this podcast, that my audience would turn out to be so geographically diverse. It's amazing and humbling.

So I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all my wonderful listeners out there, wherever you are:

Thank you! 谢谢! Mòran taing! Diolch! Dank je! Go raibh maith agat! Obrigada! Спасибо! !شكرا ¡Gracias! Gràcies! Merci! Danke! Tack! Grazie! ありがとう！Paldies! Kiitos! धन्यवाद! !آپ کا شکریہ நன்றி! આભાર! ধন্যবাদ! ಧನ್ಯವಾದ! धन्यवाद! ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ! !مهرباني ధన్యవాదాలు! Děkuji! Takk! ขอบคุณ! Terima kasih! Hvala! Tak! Dzięki! 감사! Vďaka! Na gode! Daalụ! E dupe! Salamat! Mauruuru koe! Aitäh! 謝謝! Köszönöm! Terima kasih! Дякую! Cảm ơn bạn! Ευχαριστώ! !תודה! אדאנק ຂອບໃຈ! ඔබට ස්තුතියි! Mulțumesc! Хвала вам! Dankie! Asante! Enkosi! Ngiyabonga!

You are my community of Worldly Marketers, and I appreciate each and every one of you. I hope that you've enjoyed listening to The Worldly Marketer Podcast as much as I've enjoyed producing it, and that you will continue to tune in. I'd love to hear from you, so please don't hesitate to send me your comments or suggestions.

Let's keep on learning and growing together!

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Calvin Scharffs is a dedicated executive with over 20 years of experience managing products, sales, marketing, operations, and personnel. His experience ranges from working with small startups all the way to Fortune 500 companies.

Currently, he is the Vice President of Marketing at Lingotek, a cloud-based translation services provider that offers translation management software and professional linguistic services.

Before joining Lingotek in 2010, Calvin was the VP of Product Management at Sendside Networks, a Utah-based technology company. And before that, he was VP Group Director of Operations for the McCann Workgroup, which is the world's largest advertising agency network.

Calvin has also been a successful entrepreneur: back in the 1990s, he was the founder CEO of a Internet Service Provider startup called Digital Planet, which was acquired by the Citadel Broadcasting Corporation two years into the business.

Calvin is a regular contributor to industry blogs and a frequent speaker at industry conferences. I first met him at the LocWorld Conference in Montreal, in October 2016, where he was a panelist discussing the role of localization in social media marketing.

Links:

• Lingotek website
• Lingotek on LinkedIn
• Lingotek on Facebook
• Lingotek on YouTube
• Lingotek on Twitter
• Calvin on LinkedIn
• Calvin on Twitter​

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Pamela Hyatt is a born storyteller, who uses her expertise in copywriting, journalism and social media to help connect the international trade community.

Based in Ottawa, Canada, she is currently a Content Marketing Specialist at the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT).

Established in 1992, FITT is a non-profit organization that provides training, resources and professional certifications in international trade to prepare businesses and individuals to compete successfully in today’s world markets.

FITT’s business training solutions have become the standard of excellent for international trade professionals in Canada and around the globe.

In her role, Pamela develops, edits and publishes original content for the FITT blog, Trade Ready, with the mission of informing, inspiring and connecting trade professionals around the world.

Links:

• FITT website
• Trade Ready blog
• FITT on LinkedIn
• FITT on Facebook
• FITT on Twitter
• Pamela's articles on the Trade Ready blog
• Pamela on LinkedIn
• Pamela on Twitter

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Fabiano Cid is a Brazil-based executive with over 20 years of experience in the localization industry.

He is the Founder and Managing Director of Ccaps Translation & Localization, a company that supports the language needs of global brands in Latin America.

Besides his role at Ccaps, Fabiano is an Ambassador for GALA, the Globalization and Localization Association, which is the world's leading trade association for the language industry. In his role, he is currently leading the Gender Equality in the Language Services Industry project.

Fabiano has also served as GALA's Chairman of the Board and as a member of the Advisory Board for the GALA Think! series.

Last but not least, Fabiano is the co-creator of Think Latin America, an event series designed to educate investors about Latin America as a business region.

Links:

• Ccaps Translation & Localization website
• Ccaps on LinkedIn
• Ccaps on Facebook
• Ccaps on Twitter
• GALA website
• GALA blog
• GALA on LinkedIn
• GALA on Facebook
• GALA on YouTube
• GALA on Twitter
• Think Latin America on LinkedIn
• Think Latin America on Facebook
• ​Fabiano on LinkedIn
• ​Fabiano on Twitter​

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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​​

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Mike Colombo is a seasoned global marketing leader and strategist with 25 years of experience. He has travelled the world to successfully launch software and services into global markets for enterprise organizations.

Mike has been passionate about global marketing from the earliest age. Even as a kid growing up in Alberta, Canada, he was fascinated with the way global companies combined compelling messaging and great imagery to build their brands.

Today, Mike is the Chief Marketing Officer at Cloudwords Inc., a software provider based in San Francisco that helps global brands deliver more localized content, in more languages, to more customers around the world, in a more speedy way.

Mike is a strong believer in the digital transformation of global marketing by automating workflows, connecting marketing stakeholders, and scaling communications to more deeply engage more customers more efficiently.

Links:

• Cloudwords website
• ​Cloudwords on LinkedIn
• Cloudwords on Facebook
• Cloudwords on Twitter
• Mike on LinkedIn
• ​Mike on Twitter

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Neal Schaffer is an internationally-recognized leader in helping businesses generate a greater ROI from social media. As a global keynote speaker, he has educated and inspired audiences on four different continents.

As a result of spending many years studying and working in Asia, Neal speaks fluent Japanese as well as Mandarin Chinese. Now based in Irvine, California, he divides most of his time between the U.S. and Japan.

Neal is the author of several books, including a definitive book on social media strategy: Maximize Your Social: A One-Stop Guide to Building a Social Media Strategy for Marketing and Business Success.

Besides his own social media strategy consultancy called Maximize Your Social, Neal is the founder of Maximize Social Business, an online social-media-for-business resource. He is also the co-founder of the Social Tools Summit, a leading corporate social media conference.

Neal teaches social media to executives at Rutgers University Business School in New Jersey and at the Irish Management Institute in Dublin.

In addition to his teaching, speaking, coaching, and consulting work, Neal recently launched a social media management agency called PDCA Social, which is based on implementing the social media best practices that he teaches his clients.

Links:

• Maximize Your Social website
• Maximize Social Business website
• Social Tools Summit website
• PDCA Social website
• Neal's books on Amazon
• Neal on LinkedIn​
• Neal on Facebook
• Neal on Twitter​

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Kathrin Bussmann is the product of German parents who emigrated to Quebec, the French-speaking part of Canada.

She is the Founder of Verbaccino, a Toronto-based international marketing consultancy that helps businesses leverage today’s global, social, multilingual marketplace.

Kathrin is also the creator and regular host of The Worldly Marketer Podcast, the weekly audio show that explores how even small brands can go global in the Digital Age.

Kathrin is a founding member of the Canadian Association of Marketing Professionals (CAMP).

Links:

• Article: "Marketing in Canada: Officially Bilingual, Proudly Multicultural"
• Article: "Canadian Potential: Québec and Beyond"
• OECD's Better Life Index statistics for Canada
• ​Canada's ranking on the UNDP's Human Development Index
• ​The Reputation Institute's Country RepTrak reports
• Wikipedia entry on Canada's Official Languages Act of 1969
• Canadian Competition Bureau info on Consumer Packaging and Labelling
• ​Statistics Canada homepage
• ​Wikipedia entry on Canadian English
• ​Quebec's Charter of the French Language
• ​PDF document: The ABCs of Québec's Language Policy
• ​Information on Language Laws and Doing Business in Quebec
• Podcast #025: National Pride, Creativity and the French Language of Quebec
• SlideShare: Digital in 2016 statistics for Canada (compiled by We Are Social)
• ​Digital usage data for Canada compiled by Internet World Statistics
• ​Article: Internet Users in Canada Love and Fear Social Media (eMarketer)
• ​Report: The Mobile Economy of North America 2016 by GSMA Intelligence
• Website of the Canadian Association of Marketing Professionals (CAMP)
• Kathrin on LinkedIn
• Kathrin on Twitter

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Gary Muddyman is the Managing Director and CEO of Oxford Conversis Ltd., a language services provider based in the U.K. He founded Conversis in 2003 with the idea of advancing the understanding and use of localization and translation as a strategic business tool.

Today, Conversis operates in 33 markets around the world, and has a particular expertise in Corporate Communications and in the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences industries.

Prior to his localization career, Gary spent 16 years at London-based HSBC, where he was in charge of leading the product, marketing, commercial and business development divisions.

Gary is a previous Chair of the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), which is a leading trade association in that industry. He is also a regular speaker on all aspects of commercial globalization.

Last but not least, Gary is an advisor to the U.K.’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages, and he sits on the advisory board of two translation-focused charitable organizations: The Rosetta Foundation and Translators without Borders.

Links:

• Conversis website
• Conversis on LinkedIn
• Conversis on Facebook
• Conversis on Twitter
• Gary on LinkedIn
• Gary on Twitter​

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Lucie Newcomb is the President and CEO of The NewComm Global Group, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based international management consulting firm that has been specializing in global business success for more than 20 years.

Focusing on the B2B technology and services sector, Lucie helps her clients grow their brands and revenue streams worldwide – including in Emerging Markets.

A former resident of both the UK and South Africa, she specializes in the EMEA and ASEAN regions, working with leaders, such as Cisco, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and the U.S. State Department, as well as startups and governments.

In addition her role at NewCommGlobal, Lucie has been on the Advisory Board of Brand2Global, a leading global marketing and international brands conference.
She also continues to serve as a mentor and advocate with the U.S. Department of State's TechWomen program, with the group Impact Hub Harare, and she has advised accelerators in Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan.

Lucie is a frequent public speaker on the subject of global business, and she has been recognized as a Women of Influence Honoree by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. You can catch her at the upcoming SXSW (South by Southwest) 2017 event, where she will be a panelist on her favourite topic: public diplomacy.

Links:

• ​The NewComm Global Group website​
• U.S. State Dept. article: "Small Businesses and Trade Agreements – A Big Deal"
• U.S. Dept. of Commerce website
• U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA) website
• U.S. government's "A Basic Guide to Exporting"
• Global Chamber website
• SXSW 2017 #DisruptiveDiplomacy panel
• FITT (Forum for International Training) website
• Lucie on LinkedIn
• Lucie on Twitter​​

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Elliot Polak is an international marketing expert and entrepreneur, who helps brands successfully cross the barriers of language and culture.

Born and raised in the United States, he is the product of multiple cultures and backgrounds, and he has been based in London, U.K., for the past 14 years.

In 1998, Elliot co-founded Textappeal, an award-winning marketing agency specializing in transcreation services. In 2015, he launched Newsroom, a venture designed to support the in-market, local-language social activity of international brands.

Most recently, Elliot has taken on the role of Chief Consultant at Social Dividend Global, which is a multilingual content management consultancy that helps global brands increase engagement with local audiences through influencer marketing in over 140 markets.

Elliot is a frequent speaker on cross-cultural marketing topics, and has participated at the Cannes Lions advertising festival for 7 consecutive years. He has been featured in publications such as Adweek and AdAge International. His own articles have been published in a number of trade publications, including BrandQuarterly and the Internationalist.

Last but not least, Elliot is also the host of a podcast called Masters & Mavericks in Global Marketing.

Links:

• Elliot on LinkedIn
• Elliot on Twitter
• Masters & Mavericks podcast on iTunes

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Catherine Christaki helps businesses around the world reach out to Greek customers and markets by offering Greek translation and localization services.

She has been a full-time translator since 2001, and is a partner at Lingua Greca Translations, which she co-founded in 2012. Her specializations include medical and technical texts, as well as IT, and she has been the lead Greek translator for Apple since 2011.

Among Catherine's many achievements, you’ll find the Greek version of a popular guide for translation buyers called Translation: Getting it Right. She also writes a popular blog called Adventures in Technical Translation, and she regularly talks about social media and blogging for translators in interviews and at conferences.

Catherine is very active on social media, especially on Twitter, and has been voted among the "Top 25 Language Twitterers" 6 years in a row.

Links:

• Lingua Greca website
• Blog article: "Increase Your App's ROI with Localization"
• Lingua Greca on LinkedIn
• Lingua Greca on Facebook
• Catherine on LinkedIn
• Catherine on Twitter
• ​Free guide: Translation: Getting it Right – A guide to buying translation

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This episode features three remarkable women, all of them multilingual, all of them based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and each one of them a highly-respected expert in her field.

Together, they co-founded Women in Localization, which is a leading professional organization for women in the localization industry. Since its conception in 2008, Women in Localization has become a global association, with chapters throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Let’s meet the three co-founders:

Eva Klaudinyova is the Chairwoman of Women in Localization. A native of Slovakia, she has a background in foreign-language teaching and translation, and has been working in the localization industry since the year 2000. In her day job, Eva is the Manager of Linguistic Services at a Silicon Valley tech giant.

Silvia Avary-Silveira is originally from Brazil, and has been living in the U.S. since 1999. She has over 16 years of experience in localization for high-tech companies, and is currently the Senior Localization Manager at Juniper Networks in Silicon Valley. Silvia has a diverse background, which includes an MBA and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

Anna Schlegel is a native of Catalonia. She has over 20 years of experience leading globalization, digital and technical publication teams, and is currently the Senior Director of Globalization and Information Engineering at NetApp, another Silicon Valley tech company. Anna is the author of Truly Global, and was featured on episode #026 of The Worldly Marketer Podcast.

Links:

• ​Women in Localization website
• Women in Localization on LinkedIn
• Women in Localization on Facebook
• Women in Localization on Twitter
• Eva Klaudinyova on LinkedIn
• Eva Klaudinyova on Twitter
• Silvia Avary-Silveira on LinkedIn
• Silvia Avary-Silveira on Twitter
• Anna Schlegel on LinkedIn
• Anna Schlegel on Twitter

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Kevin Gentle is part of a new generation of foreign professionals in China who consider themselves emigrants more than expats. He first arrived in China as a student at age 19 and has been there ever since.

With seven years in China under his belt, he has worked on dozens of brand and digital innovation projects for companies of all sizes and from all industries.

Since 2013, Kevin has been the head of MADJOR, a digital transformation agency under Labbrand, which is a global branding consultancy that originated in China. He works with research, strategy, and creative teams, as well as technical partners, to create original digital journeys for his clients.

Kevin is highly passionate about the Chinese digital scene. His current crusade is to get foreign companies to draw inspiration from “made in China innovation” in order to gain an edge in their home markets.

Fluent in four languages, Kevin is frequently quoted in business publications, and he is a regular guest at conferences about marketing and digital innovation in China. He is also a member of Campaign Asia’s “Digital A List”.

Links:

• MADJOR website
• Labbrand website
• Labbrand on LinkedIn
• Labbrand on Facebook
• Labbrand on Twitter
• Kevin on LinkedIn
• Kevin on Twitter​​

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Part 2 of Kathrin's conversation with Alexia Ohannessian.

(For Part 1, listen to epsiode TWM 032.)

Alexia is originally from France and now makes her home in Brazil. She has lived and worked on three continents, speaks six different languages, and has helped many small and medium-sized companies create expansion strategies for Latin America.

Currently, Alexia is the International Marketing Lead at Trello, a project-management app company that spun out of Fog Creek Software in 2014.

Having joined the Trello team in 2015, she successfully launched the app in 21 languages through an innovative crowdsourcing effort. Today, Trello has over 15 million users, with localized experiences available for Brazil, Germany and Spain.

Besides her role at Trello, Alexia is also one of the three international marketing experts behind the recently-launched website Born To Be Global.

Links:

• Trello website
• ​Trello on Facebook
• ​Trello on Twitter
• Born To Be Global website
• Alexia on LinkedIn
• Alexia on Twitter

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Alexia Ohannessian is originally from France and now makes her home in Brazil. She has lived and worked on three continents, speaks six different languages, and has helped many small and medium-sized companies create expansion strategies for Latin America.

Currently, Alexia is the International Marketing Lead at Trello, a project-management app company that spun out of Fog Creek Software in 2014.

Having joined the Trello team in 2015, she successfully launched the app in 21 languages through an innovative crowd-sourcing effort. Today, Trello has over 15 million users, with localized experiences available for Brazil, Germany and Spain.

Besides her role at Trello, Alexia is also one of the three international marketing experts behind the recently-launched website Born To Be Global.

Links:

• Trello website
• Trello on Facebook
• ​Trello on Twitter
• Born To Be Global website
• Alexia on LinkedIn
• Alexia on Twitter

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Kathleen Bostick is the Executive Vice President for North America at SDL plc, a leading global content management and language solutions company, which is headquartered in the U.K.

With a solid background in marketing, Kathleen became SDL’s first US employee in 1996, and she spent the next nine years establishing the company as a language leader within North America.

In 2005, Kathleen joined industry competitor Lionbridge, and spent a number of years in senior executive positions there. She returned to SDL in 2014.

As a translation and localization expert with 20 years of experience, Kathleen has worked with hundreds of industry-leading companies in high-tech, financial services, government, life sciences, retail, online media, travel, and more.

Kathleen has seen first hand the critical role that language plays in today's competitive global business landscape. She uses this understanding to help SDL customers accelerate time-to-market and increase their global market share.

Links:

• SDL website
• Kathleen's articles on the SDL blog
• SDL on LinkedIn
• SDL on Twitter
• Kathleen on LinkedIn
• Kathleen on Twitter

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Donna Parrish is the co-founder and organizer of LocWorld, an international conference for the language and localization industry. From its humble beginnings in 2003, LocWorld has grown into a major event that now takes place three times a year, on three different continents.

A native of Tennessee and a mathematician by training, Donna began her career in the mid-1970s as a computer programmer and systems analyst. In 1997, she transitioned into the language industry by joining the team at MultiLingual Magazine. She eventually took over as Owner and Publisher of the magazine in 2003, and it's a role that she still holds today.

Donna's technical background has given her a deep appreciation for the exciting new language technologies that have emerged since she first entered the industry almost 20 years ago. With LocWorld, she has succeeded in creating a welcoming venue where localization providers can meet and learn from each other, and where industry clients get a chance to network with those providers face to face.

Besides her work at LocWorld and MultiLingual Magazine, Donna serves as Secretary for the non-profit organization Translators without Borders, and she is also on the advisory board of the Endangered Alphabets Project.

Links:

• LocWorld website
• LocWorld on Facebook
• LocWorld on LinkedIn
• LocWorld on Twitter
• Verbaccino Blog post about LocWorld32
• MultiLingual Magazine website
• ​Translators Without Borders website
• Endangered Alphabets Project website​
• Donna on Twitter​

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Bobby McGill is the founder and publisher of Branding in Asia Magazine, a digital publication that features news, creative work, profiles and insights into the world of advertising, marketing and branding across Asia.

Bobby got his start in journalism as business reporter in 1996, covering tech news for the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner during the dot.com boom.

In 2002, he relocated to Asia, and has been living and working there ever since.

After settling down in the South Korean port city of Busan in 2009, Bobby founded Haps Magazine, Busan's first independently-produced English-language lifestyle magazine.

Besides his work as a writer and publisher, Bobby is currently an Associate Professor of Branding and Marketing in the Department of International Studies at Dongseo University in Busan.

In 2014, he was named one of the "100 Expats Who Made a Difference" in South Korea by Groove Magazine, which is published out of Seoul, the capital city.

Bobby has been featured widely in the Korean media as well as on CNN. He is also a regular contributor to Adobe’s CMO.com through his articles on marketing and branding trends in the Asia Pacific region.

Links:

• Branding in Asia website
• Branding in Asia on Facebook
• Branding in Asia on Twitter
• Bobby's Sept. 2016 article on marketing in Korea
• Bobby's articles on Adobe's CMO.com
• Bobby on LinkedIn
• Bobby on Twitter

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Florian Faes is a native of Zurich, Switzerland. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at Slator, which is a digital news platform that makes business sense of the language services and technology market.

Before launching Slator, Florian spent over eight years working at CLS Communication – a Swiss-based language services provider, which was acquired by Lionbridge in 2015.

Florian began his career at CLS as a financial translator working in Singapore. He eventually became General Manager of CLS's Hong Kong office, and finally took on the role of CEO for Asia-Pacific, based in Shanghai, China.

With his new online startup, Slator.com, my guest has gone from working inside the language services industry to building a business based on writing about that industry. Headquartered in Zurich, he works with team members in Singapore and in Manila, the Philippines.

When he’s not busy running his burgeoning media empire, he enjoys running through cities and over mountains.

Links:

• Slator website
• Slator on LinkedIn
• Slator on Twitter
• Florian on LinkedIn
• Florian on Twitter

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Vijayalaxmi Hegde is a content expert based in Karnataka, which is a state in the south-western region of India.

A journalist by training, she has taken on different roles over the past 13 years, from editor, to freelance writer, to researcher.

For the last six years, she has been working in the translation and localization industry – initially at Common Sense Advisory, a market research firm, and then at Smartling, a technology provider.

Currently, Vijayalaxmi is a Content Marketing Manager at Moravia, one of the world’s top 10 language service providers. She enjoys writing about various aspects of translation, and how it aids and influences global marketing.

I first discovered her through her many and consistently excellent contributions to the Moravia Blog.

Her other passions include plain language, new journalism, organic farming, and alternative education.

Links:

• Vijayalaxmi's articles on the Moravia Blog
• Vijayalaxmi on LinkedIn
• ​Vijayalaxmi on Twitter

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Anna N. Schlegel is the author of Truly Global: The Theory and Practice of Bringing Your Company to International Markets. Published in August 2016, this new book provides an insider’s perspective of how large companies expand into foreign markets, and how they successfully deliver their products to customers across different cultures and languages.

As a localization and globalization expert with two decades of experience, Anna is currently the Head of Globalization Strategy and Information Engineering at NetApp, a multinational storage and data management company headquartered in Silicon Valley.

Born in Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain, Anna grew up immersed in multiple cultures and languages. She holds Linguistics degrees from the University of Barcelona and from Humboldt University in Berlin.

Anna has a passion for globalization innovation, information readiness, and for mentoring new talent. She is a frequent speaker at universities around the world, and her articles have been featured in publications such as Forbes and Fortune magazine, as well as on many industry websites.

In 2009, Anna co-founded Women in Localization, a worldwide association, whose goal is to help drive the localization industry and to support the advancement of women within it.

She is also the co-founder of Imagine Educating Everyone, a not-for-profit program that helps build the infrastructure for sustainable communities in rural Kenya.

Links:

• Truly Global book website
• A review of Truly Global by Vijayalaxmi Hegde on the Moravia Blog
• NetApp website
• Women in Localization website
• Women in Localization on Twitter
• Anna's articles for Forbes
• Anna on LinkedIn
• Anna on Twitter

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Patrick Pierra is a trained journalist, a serial entrepreneur, and a content marketing expert based in Quebec – the French-speaking province of Canada. Originally from France, he moved to North America in 1988 to pursue a career in journalism.

After five years at Infopresse, a news source for the French-Canadian marketing and media industry, Patrick founded his own media company, Branchez-vous!, in 1995.

Branchez-vous.com was the first French-language media website in Canada. Over the next 15 years, it became the flagship of Canada's largest independent French-language web-media and advertising network. It was eventually acquired by Canadian broadcasting giant Rogers Media in 2010.

In 2011, Patrick launched Invention Media, a consulting firm that offers media strategy services, and also invests directly in digital media projects. As CEO of Invention Media, his entrepreneurial ventures have included TabTimes, a news organization covering tablets as productivity and business tools, and The Tabby Awards, a global awards program for the best tablet-friendly apps.

In 2014, he co-founded Esprit de Marque, a content strategy and creation studio that helps organizations devise and implement effective content marketing programs. In June 2016, Esprit de Marque merged with 37e Avenue, another Montreal-based content marketing agency, where Patrick is now a Partner and the VP of Business & Strategy.

Links:

• 37e Avenue website
• 37e Avenue on Facebook
• 37e Avenue on LinkedIn
• 37e Avenue on Twitter
• Patrick on LinkedIn

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Simona Colombo may well be the envy of coffee-loving marketers everywhere. Born and raised in Italy, she has spent time in London and in Paris - studying and practicing her craft.

In 2014, Simona took on the role of Group Marketing & Communications Director at Gruppo Cimbali SpA.

Based in Milan, Italy, Gruppo Cimbali has established itself as a global leader in the design and production of professional coffee machines. With a distribution network that spans over 100 countries, the company offers solutions for the hotel and catering industry worldwide.

As the senior marketing expert for Gruppo Cimbali, Simona leads the company's digital transformation – from strategy to implementation – which includes websites, social media accounts, content creation, and SEO.

She is also a mentor at the Forum della Meritocrazia.

Simona is multilingual, she’s Milanese, she’s passionate about diversity, and she admits to having itchy feet.

If you're ever in Milan, take her up on her invitation to visit MUMAC, Gruppo Cimbali's museum, which boasts "the world's most complete collection of professional espresso machines".

Links:

• Gruppo Cimbali website
• Gruppo Cimbali on Wikipedia
• Gruppo Cimbali on LinkedIn
• MUMAC (Gruppo Cimbali's coffee machines museum) website
• Simona on LinkedIn
• Simona on Twitter

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Anne-Marie Colliander Lind is a recognized force in the global language-industry landscape. She has spent the past 25 years helping multinational organizations solve their language issues.

Anne-Marie has held executive positions at leading service, technology, and market research companies, and she has gained unique insights into all aspects of the translation and localization industry.

As the CEO of her own consulting firm, Inkrea.se, Anne-Marie now specializes in assisting language industry clients in their growth and development strategies. She is a public speaker, a consultant, an advisor and a coach, and she has a passion for social media.

In addition, Anne-Marie is a conference organizer for the Nordic Translation Industry Forum (NTIF). She is also the Marketing Director for LocWorld, a conference for global business know-how that takes place three times a year.

Last but not least, Anne-Marie is engaged as a fundraiser for the non-profit organization Translators Without Borders.

Links:

• ​Inkrea.se website
• Nordic Translation Industry Forum (NTIF) website
• LocWorld website
• LocWorld Twitter account
• I’m @Sweden Twitter account
• Anne-Marie's English-language Twitter account

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Simon Kemp is a marketing strategist who relocated from the U.K. to Singapore in 2007. Since then, he has developed brand and marketing strategies for many of the world’s most admired companies. 10 million people around the world have read his marketing books and guides, and he appears regularly on television and in the press.

In 2015, Simon founded his own marketing consultancy, Kepios. In addition, he is the Regional Managing Partner in Asia for We Are Social, a global marketing agency. He is also Head of APAC for Insider Consulting at Contagious Communications, another international marketing agency.

Simon was recently recognized as one of Asia’s Most Influential Digital Marketers by CMO Asia Magazine, and he was featured in Campaign Asia’s "40 Under 40" honours list in 2014.

Outside of work, Simon is a music producer and a DJ, and he's halfway through recording his first album. He also organizes various social events, including tasting nights for the Singapore Whisky Society, as well as the hugely popular #SataySocial street-food event.

Links:

• Simon's about.me webpage
• Kepios website
• We Are Social website
• We Are Social's 2016 Digital Yearbook on SlideShare
• Simon on Twitter

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Paula Shannon is the Chief Sales Officer and Senior Vice President at Lionbridge, the world’s largest language services provider.

Paula first joined Lionbridge in 1999. In current her role, she manages the company's $600-million global sales forces, as well as its account management teams.

Educated in Canada, Belgium and the U.S., she speaks six different languages, and has been working in the field of language, translation and localization for almost 30 years.

Her international career has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, and she has been the recipient of several prestigious business awards, including an International Stevie Award for “Best Sales Executive” and a Women in Business award for “Best Canadian Executive”. Most recently, she was named to the 2016 ‘Diversity 50’ listing by the Canadian Board Diversity Council.

Paula is currently a Board Member at the non-profit organization Translators without Borders, and has previously served on the board of several Montreal technology start-ups.

Links:
Lionbridge website
Lionbridge’s Global Content & Localization Blog
The Wall Street Journal interview
CBDC's 'Diversity 50' webpage
Paula on LinkedIn
Paula on Twitter

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Jerry Clode is a market research expert who specializes in Chinese consumer culture. He is the Head of Digital and Social Insight at Resonance China, a marketing agency based in Shanghai.

He is also the Director of a new division there called SMART, which a bespoke strategy, research and naming service.

Jerry first went to China in 1994 for his university studies. He then pursued an academic career in Melbourne for several years, teaching Chinese cinema and language.

In 2004, he launched into a marketing career, which has taken him to Shanghai, Singapore, London and most recently Sao Paolo (Brazil), before moving back to China.

With his new SMART service at Resonance China, Jerry's goal is to create world-class research solutions for his clients, with an emphasis on understanding the Chinese consumer's point-of-view.

Links:

Resonance China website
Social Brand Watch blog
Branding in Asia magazine interview with Jerry
Resonance China on Twitter: @littleredbook

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Sara Haq is an international business consultant who speaks six different languages and has worked in many different countries around the world.

She has extensive on-the-ground experience in emerging markets across Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and South Asia.

In 2012, Sara founded SH International, a business consultancy that helps entrepreneurs and fast-growing companies become multinational.

As a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Sara is currently the Chair of the International Forum of the Wharton Club of DC.

She is also on the advisory board of the Sote Tunaweza Initiative, which empowers women in emerging markets through leadership and entrepreneurship institutes.

I first discovered Sara on Twitter, where she is a frequent contributor to conversations around international entrepreneurship, language, culture, and good food!

Links:

• SH International LLC website
• Sara's blog
• SH International on Facebook
• SH International on LinkedIn
• SH International on Twitter
• Sara on Twitter

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Pam Didner is a global content marketing strategist, a published author, and a frequent speaker, who helps her clients reach across borders.

During her almost 20 years at Intel Corporation, she gained extensive experience managing product launches and marketing campaigns on a global scale.

These days, Pam leads a boutique consulting firm, called Relentless Pursuit, where she trains, coaches and provides strategic guidance to enterprises and established startups.

She is also teaches content marketing to graduate-level students at West Virginia University.

Pam's book Global Content Marketing, published in 2014, was the first marketing book describing how to scale content across regions.

Links:

• Pam's website
• Pam's blog
• Pam's book on Amazon
• Pam on LinkedIn
• Pam on Twitter

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Gabriela Castro-Fontoura is an economist, a published author, a frequent public speaker and an international business consultant with over 13 years of experience.

As the Director of Sunny Sky Solutions, an international business consultancy, she has divided her time between the U.K. and her native Uruguay.

Gabriela and her team help clients with everything from translation to customs, and from recruitment to legal advice.

Her mission is to help businesses from across the globe expand into Latin American markets.

Besides running her own consulting practice, Gabriela is the Business Development Manager for Latin America at Ellis Patents, a leading manufacturer headquartered in the U.K.

She is also an Advisor for Latin America at PBS International, another U.K.-based manufacturer.

Gabriela literally wrote the book on doing business in Latin America. The second, fully revised and updated edition of her book The SME Guide to Latin America was published in May 2016.

Links:

• ​Sunny Sky Solutions website
• Gabriela’s Beyond Brazil Blog
• Gabriela's book on Amazon
• Gabriela on LinkedIn
• Gabriela on Twitter​

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Jason Mander is the Chief Research Officer at GlobalWebIndex - a London-based market research firm, which is said to provide the "world's most detailed syndicated research into online consumer behaviours" (IAB UK Member Directory).

In his role, Jason is responsible for directing global studies across 34 markets and authoring flagship reports on social networking, mobile usage and media consumption.

Prior joining GlobalWebIndex in 2014, Jason was Head of Insight at Future Foundation, a leading global consumer trends and insight firm.

Jason is a regular public speaker and a published author, who now blogs for titles like the Huffington Post and MediaPost. He is also a frequent contributor to media outlets such as BBC News, CNN, the Guardian and Bloomberg.

Jason has been working with trends since his days as a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He has presented at a number of international conferences, and has been fortunate to visit more than 100 different cities in the name of research.

Links:

• GlobalWebIndex website
• GlobalWebIndex blog
• Jason's articles on the Huffington Post
• Jason’s articles on MediaPost
• GlobalWebIndex on Twitter
• Jason on Twitter

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Doris Nagel is a Certified Global Business Professional who has over 25 years of experience working on international projects.

She is a global growth coach, an entrepreneur, an international attorney and a management consultant.

Her advisory firm, Blue Sky Consulting Services, has been helping companies expand internationally since 2007.

Doris is also the Senior Vice President of Global Solutions at Essential Health Management, a healthcare business development firm.

In addition to her consulting practice, Doris is an author and a speaker. She is also a member of several organizations including the International Trade Association of Greater Chicago and the Organization of Women in Trade.

Check out Doris' podcast, Adventures in Global Expansion.

Links:

• Blue Sky Consulting Services website
• Globalocity website (forthcoming)
• Adventures in Global Expansion podcast
• Doris’ articles on the FITT Trade Ready blog
• Doris on LinkedIn
• Doris on Twitter

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Doug Taylor is a Certified International Trade Professional with over 30 years of experience in the field.

He is the Managing Director of Pacific Business Intelligence Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in international business development, strategic planning, international marketing and corporate guidance.

Doug has successfully operated the firm since 1983, and has been based in various locations over the years, including in Canada, the U.K. and Singapore.

In addition to his consulting practice, Doug is a noted public speaker on the topics of international marketing, export strategies and trade development.

Doug is also an Adjunct Professor at the Business Faculty of the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. And he has taught at other higher-learning institutions across Canada, as well as in Singapore.

Make sure to read Doug's excellent contributions to the FITT's Trade Ready blog, which is a great online resource for anyone interested in international business.

Links:

• Doug's articles on the Trade Ready blog
• Doug on LinkedIn
• Doug on Twitter

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Jacob Stempniewicz is originally from Poland, and has lived in Thailand for over a decade. He has an M.A. in Psychology. He is fluent in three languages, and is learning a fourth.

Jacob is the Vice President of Marketing at Andovar, a language services provider. In his role there, he is responsible for all aspects of marketing, including websites, social media, events, advertising, and content writing.

With headquarters in Singapore and offices in Thailand, India, Colombia, and the USA, Andovar's specialty is offering services in the languages of emerging markets like South East Asia, India and Latin America.

Links:

• Andovar website
• Jacob on Twitter

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Marion Rhodes is a German expatriate who moved to the United States in 2001. She is a trained journalist, a bilingual translator and copywriter, and a cross-cultural advisor.

As the proprietor of Integrated MarCom Translations, Marion helps businesses expand their brands across the Atlantic by making their marketing materials come to life in German.

Marion is a member of the American Translators Association (ATA), and is currently serving as President of the ATA’s Colorado Chapter.

Her marketing and media skills, combined with her cross-cultural knowledge, allow her to create compelling translations that always hit the right tone. To her, every translation is a work of art, carefully crafted to resonate - linguistically and culturally - with its intended audience.

I first discovered Marion through her blog, where she provides helpful information for translation buyers about topics such as the translation process and marketing to international audiences.

Links:

• ​Integrated MarCom Translations website
• Marion's blog
• Marion on LinkedIn
• Marion on Facebook
• ​Marion on Twitter

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Tess Whitty is a translation and localization expert who helps companies reach their target market in Sweden. She combines a background in international marketing and IT with her English/Swedish linguistic skills.

Tess is member of the American Translators Association, where she is actively involved as a marketing consultant, a trainer, a speaker and a grader for the English-Swedish Certification Program.

As the author of the Marketing Cookbook for Translators: Foolproof recipes for a successful freelance career, Tess has helped other freelance members of the translation community to build thriving businesses for themselves.

I first discovered Tess through her excellent Marketing Tips for Translators Podcast, which is now approaching its 100th episode.

Links:

• Swedish Translation Services LLC
• ​American Translators Association (ATA)
• Tess' book on Amazon
• Tess' blog
• Tess' podcast
• Tess on LinkedIn
• Tess on Twitter

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Bruno Herrmann is a globalization and localization expert with more than two decades of experience in various industries, on the client and agency side.

In 2003, Bruno joined The Nielsen Company to manage international digital marketing programs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In his current role, he is responsible for global content operations at Nielsen across 6 regions.

Bruno has managed globalization and localization projects for high-profile technology companies such as HP and Compaq.

He understands first hand that, in the Digital Age, with the right approach, businesses can take their products to markets around the world.

You can read Bruno’s excellent articles in Brand Quarterly and EContent Magazine, where he has been a regular contributor on the topic of digital globalization.

Links:

• The Nielsen Company website
• Bruno’s articles in Brand Quarterly Magazine
• Bruno’s articles in EContent Magazine
• Bruno’s recent article in Slator
• Bruno on LinkedIn
• Bruno on Twitter

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Kirill Soloviev has 13 years of experience in the translation and localization industry. He is the co-founder and product manager at an early-stage technology startup, ContentQuo.

Over the years, Kirill has worn many different hats in his quest to help tech businesses succeed globally. One of those hats includes his current role of Quality Management Representative with TAUS, the Translation Automation User Society.

Besides running his own startup, Kirill is a consultant to other startups and small businesses on how to go global in a lean, agile, data-driven way. He also works with larger companies and translation agencies to help them deliver better content in more languages for less money.

You can read Kirill’s blog articles about multilingual content quality via the ContentQuo website. 

Links:

• Content Quo website
• TAUS website
• ContentQuo on LinkedIn
• ContentQuo on Twitter
• Kirill on Twitter

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Miryam Lazarte is a serial entrepreneur who is working to connect the Canadian and Latin American innovation markets.

She is the Vice-President of Business Development at Go South! Consulting Inc., which helps Canadian high-tech companies gain a foothold in Latin America through market research, trade shows, negotiation assistance, and more.

Miryam is also the co-founder of LatAm Startups, a non-profit organization helping startups to scale.

Miryam is passionate about Latin America and Canada, and is working to develop better ties between entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.

Links:

• Go South! Consulting Inc. website
• LatAm Startups website
• Miryam on Twitter

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Christian Höferle is a cross-cultural trainer and an intercultural consultant who has extensive experience working with multinational companies. Through his coaching, mentoring and consulting work, he helps develop global business leaders.

As the President & CEO of The Culture Mastery, Christian and his team help multinational organizations and their employees to work better together across cultures.

Christian has also contributed articles on the topic of cross-cultural communication to publications including the Harvard Business Review.

German by birth, American by choice, and Bavarian at heart, Christian is a fan of building bridges instead of walls. Known as The Culture Guy, he hosts a podcast of the same name.  

Links:

• The Culture Mastery website
• The Culture Guy Podcast
• Christian’s most recent article in the Harvard Business Review
• Christian on Twitter

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Michael Michelini is an American who moved to Hong Kong in 2007, and has spent the years since then learning and then sharing everything he can about how to do business in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Michael is the author of two blogs: Global From Asia: A Blog for Your Hong Kong Business; and a more personal blog about his Chinese adventures in business and in life.

In 2013, he started the Global From Asia podcast, which has become a great resource for anyone looking for information on how to open, operate, and grow an international business from Hong Kong.

Michael is also the co-host of another podcast: the China Business Cast, which is all about business and entrepreneurship in China. I've interviewed his co-host and fellow expat entrepreneur, Shlomo Freund, on Episode 005 of TWM Podcast.

Most recently, Michael is the author of a new book called China Startup: Experience and Insights. It’s a very honest first-hand account of his own experiences, combined with practical, actionable advice for anyone who may be looking to start a tech company in China.

Links:

• Michael’s website
• Global From Asia website
• Global From Asia podcast
• Michael's business blog
• Mike’s Blog
• China Business Cast podcast
• Michael’s books on Amazon
• Michael on Facebook
• Michael on Twitter

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Shlomo Freund moved to Beijing, China, in 2011, where he founded Startup Noodle, a growing community of entrepreneurs whose aim is to build their own startup mainly focused on the Chinese market.

In 2013, he went on to found AppInChina, which is a service that helps foreign apps get distribution in China via the 20 biggest Android stores there.

Shlomo is passionate about startups and entrepreneurship as a way to pursue your dreams and lifestyle. As an organizer of the Lean Startup Beijing Meetup, he has become an integral part of the entrepreneur community in Beijing and he contributes to it in many different capacities.

Along with Michael Michelini (who is featured in Episode 006 of TWM Podcast), Shlomo is the co-host of the China Business Cast, a podcast about business and entrepreneurship in China.

Links:

• Startup Noodle website
• AppInChina website
• China Business Cast podcast
• Shlomo on LinkedIn
• Shlomo on Twitter
• Shlomo on Periscope

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Luna Vega is a successful digital marketing consultant and the co-founder of Ecommerce Academy.

She’s an experienced podcaster, an active YouTuber, and a sought-after speaker. She’s also the best-selling author of a book called The Global Influence: E-commerce Marketing Tips For Small Businesses.

Living and working in major cities around the world - such as New York, Miami, Paris, Berlin and Singapore - Luna has developed a unique ability to seamlessly launch and manage global fashion campaigns.

She has worked on a range of initiatives - from product overhauls and e-commerce optimizations, to mobile and 360 digital campaigns - and for an impressive list of clients.

Luna’s goal is to share her knowledge about global marketing with fashion start-ups.

Links:

• Luna’s website
• Ecommerce Academy
• Luna’s book: The Global Influence: E-Commerce Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
• Luna's YouTube channel
• Luna on Twitter

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Trajan King has over 20 years of experience in both Silicon Valley and Wall Street. He is a world traveller and the founder of 15 startups. I first discovered him through an episode of the Culture Matters Podcast (with Chris Smit), where the topic was what startups are facing internationally.

Currently, Trajan is the CEO of two companies: ExactConversion.com and Invincible Robots, which includes his online training community, Invincible Startup.

As a public speaker, he uses stories from his own experiences to teach other entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses and build a company they can be proud of, as well as a lifestyle that suits them.

Trajan has built a business that allows him to travel to the world, living in countries like France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Brazil while studying the language and connecting with the people in each city.

Links:

• Invincible Startup website
• Episode 054 of the Culture Matters Podcast
• Trajan on Twitter

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Renato Beninatto is a native Brazilian who speaks five languages and has lived in seven countries around the world. He has over 25 years of experience in the translation and localization industry.

Renato has served on the executive teams for some of the most prominent companies in the language industry. In 2001, he co-founded Common Sense Advisory, the first market research company focusing on the language-services space.

Renato is a frequent speaker on globalization and localization issues at industry events and at universities around the world. He is also the author of two books on global business, including "Innovate Globally: Making the Case for Global Growth”.

Currently, he is VP of Business Development and Marketing Communications at Moravia, a leading translation and localization company, which is headquartered in the Czech Republic and has offices around the world.

Links:

• Moravia website
• Moravia Blog
• Moravia’s Globally Speaking podcast
• Renato on Twitter

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Becky DeStigter is an international marketing expert, a cross-cultural management trainer, and a public speaker. She specializes in the Technology and Professional Services industries, and she advises companies on how to realize their overseas potential.

Becky combines impressive academic credentials with real-world entrepreneurial experience. She has owned a successful strategic marketing company, served as Chief Operating Officer for start-up technology companies, and worked in marketing and sales roles in the healthcare software industry.

Becky is a self-professed language junkie and she speaks four different languages (so far). She also volunteers for cultural exchange programs to support high school students seeking cultural immersion experiences.

You can follow Becky’s excellent blog articles via her website, The International Entrepreneur.

Links:

• Becky’s blog
• Becky’s latest article on FITTNews’s Trade Ready Blog
• U.S. government website on exporting
• Canadian government website on exporting
• Becky on Twitter
• The International Entrepreneur on LinkedIn

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Welcome to the very first episode of The Worldly Marketer Podcast! I'm your host, Kathrin Bussmann. This particular episode is a relatively short one (under 15 minutes). It’s just an opportunity for me to introduce myself, to explain why I created this podcast, and talk a bit about what you can look forward to in future episodes.

A bit of background about me: I’m a German-Canadian who was born and raised in the province of Quebec. If you're not familiar with Quebec, it’s one of the 10 provinces of Canada, and it’s the only province where English is not an official language. In Quebec, the majority of the population is French-speaking, so the official language is French.

When I was born, my parents had just immigrated to Quebec from Germany. So I grew up with three languages: German at home, French outside the home (including at school), and English in certain other social circles and through the media.

Because I used each language in separate situations and with different sets of people, I learned from a very young age to switch not only between languages but also between cultures. So I was able to experience first hand the ways in which language and culture are naturally linked, and how they shape people's perceptions of - and interactions with - the world around them. I guess that’s why I’ve always been fascinated with languages and culture, and the dynamics between them.

While pursuing a degree in Communication Studies at the University of Ottawa, I discovered the field of Linguistics, which is the scientific study of human language. I was smitten, and became particularly fascinated with historical linguistics. So I went on to get my B.A., M.A., and eventually my Ph.D. in Linguistics from Humboldt University in Berlin. What can I say: I had lots of encouragement, and there are a lot of academics in my family. I guess I always figured I’d pursue an academic career too.

By the time I finished my Ph.D., though, I was ready to leave academia and get out into the "real world". I felt like I wanted to start working on more practical problems and do something that would be truly helpful to people.

Around that same time, my daughter came along – and as any parent knows, life doesn’t get much less theoretical than when you become a parent. In fact, raising a child is probably that most hands-on, practical occupation there is, especially when that’s your full-time focus.

Fast forward to May 2014. I originally founded Verbaccino as a kind of boutique communication-services agency specializing in creating multilingual content. But what it really turned into for me was a crash course in entrepreneurship and marketing. In fact, I became completely fascinated with marketing in general, and with international marketing in particular.

So over the past year or so, I’ve also been busy pivoting my business. I’m now much more focused on marketing strategies for international growth. My new mission is to help North American brands leverage today’s new digital marketplace, which – like it or not – is becoming increasingly global, social and multilingual.

Because I’m a recovering academic, the first thing I do when I want to become an expert at something is to throw myself into lots and lots of research. I figure out what the issues are, who the thought leaders are, and I start reading everything I can get my hands on. And because I’m a huge fan of podcasts, I also try to find relevant podcasts that I can learn from.

Unfortunately, in the case of international and global marketing, I’ve found the podcast pickings to be rather slim – though I did discover some excellent podcasts dealing with related topics, and I’ve recommended them in a recent blog post.

So full disclosure: my reasons for creating The Worldly Marketer Podcast are not entirely altruistic. Really, I’m scratching my own itch. It’s the podcast that I wished already existed, so I’ve decided to go ahead and create it myself. And I hope that it will become a helpful resource for anyone else who wants to learn more about what it takes for brands – even small ones – to “go global” in the Digital Age.

Now I’m happy to report that there are a few new podcasts in the works by other people in the global marketing industry, and I’ve already had a chance to talk to some of them in the context of this podcast. It’s very exciting to see these new podcast coming up, because as a consumer of podcasts myself, I say: the more, the merrier. There’s lots of room for fresh contributions to the topic global marketing, which is a very wide and very complex field. They can include everything from translation and localization issues to international SEO, social media strategies, cross-cultural communication, and the latest insights into particular foreign consumer markets.

This podcast is going to be a weekly interview-style show. My goal is to talk to a wide variety of specialists in the field of global marketing, and to learn as much from them as I can. In the process, I hope to create a body of content that will be helpful to other entrepreneurs and marketers who are interested in exploring today’s global possibilities.

If you have a particular question that you’d like to ask a global marketing expert, I’d love to hear from you. The best way to contact me is through the Verbaccino website. And while you’re there, please join mailing list, so I can keep you in the loop about future episodes of the podcast.

That’s all for this first episode. Thanks for listening! I hope you join me for another, proper episode of The Worldly Marketer Podcast - where the motto is:

“Keep on learning, and keep on growing!"

Links:

• The Worldly Marketer mailing list
• Verbaccino website
• Blog post: 10 Great Podcasts for Global-Minded Marketers
• Verbaccino on Twitter
• Verbaccino on Facebook
• The Worldly Marketer on Twitter
• The Worldly Marketer on Facebook