Hameed Afssari is a multi-disciplinary globalization veteran with a long history of leadership in the localization industry. His focus is on improving the localization process and tooling to provide service to millions of users worldwide in their own language. Hameed currently serves as head of globalization at Uber and has also led effective teams of onsite and remote engineers in raising the quality bar of internationalization and localization at Microsoft for over 100 languages. Hameed not only defines software product requirements globally but also educates and empowers teams through training and tools while measuring progress via metrics to empower data-driven decision-making.

Petra has led product, enablement, and now global solutions with one goal: turn AI-powered translation into something enterprises can trust. She guides teams through the chaotic reality of hybrid workflows — where models produce at scale, and humans decide what’s acceptable. Her work centers on making localization faster and smarter without sacrificing the judgment that keeps brands safe.

Hilary Atkisson Normanha is a senior product manager specializing in product globalization and localization strategy. With over a decade of experience across fintech, B2B, social media, and music streaming, she has successfully built and scaled localization programs and products in companies of all sizes. Driven by the mission of making technology borderless, Hilary leverages her expertise in localization and internationalization to create globally accessible products that adapt seamlessly to local markets.

Sara Basile is the Director of Platform Product Management at XTM, where she leads the strategic transformation of a multi-product ecosystem into a unified, agentic globalization platform. Sara leverages nearly two decades of experience to help enterprises operationalize AI responsibly. She is a recognized thought leader in autonomous orchestration, dedicated to evolving legacy translation management into invisible, high-impact language systems.

Olga has over 20 years of experience in language technology, NLP, machine learning, global content transformation, and AI data development, and is passionate about growing businesses through driving change and innovation. Olga started her career in language technology building lexicons and rules for rule-based MT, expanding her expertise into broader applications of NLP and machine learning to enterprise translation workflows. Olga has also served as the president of AMTA, VP and technology program sponsor for Women in Localization, and an engineering leadership advisor at California State University, Chico.

Alessandra Binazzi is a leading expert in globalization strategy, tech stack definition and implementation, process automation and change management for global companies looking to expand reach and maximize revenues. Proficient in all major European languages, Alessandra has dedicated her professional life to advocating for international users and to create, market, and support products and services that engage customers in all continents. She is the principal consultant of Global Sights Consulting, member of the Board of Advisors of the Process Innovation Challenge, a former Board Member of the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

Adam Bittlingmayer is co-founder and CEO of ModelFront. ModelFront is accelerating translation safely, by providing private custom LLMs for automatic post-editing and quality prediction. High-volume, high-quality buyers use AI from ModelFront to fully automate millions of words at human quality.

Adam was previously an engineer at Google Translate within Google Research, and also has experience building products like Android and Adobe Creative Suite. He also founded the Machine Translate Foundation – open information and community to make machine translation more accessible.

Inge Boonen is passionate about fostering relationships and building communities within the localization and globalization industry. With an academic background in languages and translation, and nearly two decades of experience, she is dedicated to promoting localization as a strategic revenue enabler. Inge founded the Lessons in Localization Club to provide a safe space for localization leaders to connect, share knowledge, and drive innovation. Her expertise includes international growth strategies, workflow optimization, and enhancing global user experiences. Through her work at Nimdzi Insights, Inge advocates for the value of localization in empowering businesses to expand globally and achieve sustainable success.

Erik Bremer leads Dell’s Content Engineering & Translation organization (CE&T), a 300+ member organization responsible for technical product content and globalization of Dell’s products and services. He brings over two decades of leadership in business transformation, leveraging technology to streamline operations through simplification, automation, and a data-centric approach. Under his leadership, CE&T has advanced a modern information experience powered by GenAI at scale, delivering smarter, faster, globally consistent content. He champions innovation and governance frameworks that enable enterprise-wide adoption of AI solutions, ensuring Dell remains at the forefront of global content strategy and operational excellence.

Tom Bridges is the CEO and founder of CaptionHub, the platform for multimedia localization at scale. Prior to CaptionHub, he founded and led multiple post-production and motion graphics studios in London.

Elena Carpanese is a localization leader with several years of experience in global content strategy and multilingual delivery. At DeepL for the past five years, she’s helped build and manage the localization team, scaling operations across 15+ markets. Fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and German, Elena is passionate about how language and technology intersect, and is committed to using AI in localization with a focus on people and cultures.

Marcus is passionate about the intersection of language and technology, and have been in this space for much of his career. With a background in both technology and linguistics, he is eager to continue to engage with the evolving worlds of technology and global content.

Julia Cassidy is the Director of Global Experience & Localization at SurveyMonkey, a global leader in online surveys and forms headquartered in San Mateo, California. Originally from Bavaria in Germany, Julia is based in Dublin, Ireland and manages a globally dispersed team in charge of all aspects of localization and global experiences at SurveyMonkey. Throughout her 20+ year career, she has held various roles, primarily at US technology companies, ranging from German translator, machine translation specialist, language and process engineer, language quality and localization manager as well as global experience leader. She is passionate about building scalable localization and content delivery programs that build deep connections with global audiences and enable business growth.

Amanda Connolly is an accomplished marketing professional with over seven years of experience in content marketing, demand generation, and localization, built on a foundation in journalism and technology reporting. As the Web & localization Manager at Workvivo, a leading employee experience platform, she spearheads global expansion efforts, manages the company’s website as a pivotal marketing channel, and supports growth across multiple regions. She is passionate about optimizing digital experiences and ensuring brands resonate across diverse markets.

Localization leader with experience across e-commerce, travel and digital products. Manages Language Quality at Trendyol, focusing on quality strategy, measurement and scalable processes across all supported languages. Prior to Trendyol, led global localization at GetYourGuide, managed localization teams at Adjust, and held leadership roles at Patreon and Emirates across content, product and localization operations. Background covers vendor management, MT-driven workflows, team leadership, UX-focused localization and cross-functional collaboration with engineering, product and marketing. Worked across 20+ languages and brings experience in building quality programs that balance scale, automation and customer needs.

Mayank is the CEO of a global content, localization, and market-expansion solutions company, where he leads strategic initiatives for brands entering multicultural and multilingual markets. He has played a key role in developing Indianization Through Process – a workflow-driven methodology that integrates market consultancy, cultural intelligence, localized content creation, and analytics to help global companies succeed in India. With more than a decade of experience across localization strategy, business development, and digital content transformation, Mayank advises organizations on how to scale effectively by using culturally aligned and data-informed localization workflows. He regularly collaborates with global teams seeking to understand and navigate India’s complex landscape of micro-markets.

Anne-Sophie Delafosse is a localization, quality, and internationalization leader with deep expertise in building scalable global content and product systems. Before Spotify, she created and led Deliveroo’s localization program, integrating it into product and design workflows and earning the 2020 “Localization Process Innovator of the Year (USA)” award. At Spotify, she works at the intersection of AI, multilingual quality, and program strategy, developing operating models, governance frameworks, and evaluation systems that enable AI features to launch across 70+ languages. She partners across engineering, research, product, and content to ensure linguistic quality, cultural nuance, and clarity in Spotify’s AI ecosystem.

Alice is the Head of Localization at Miro and passionate about how technology in the language sphere can revolutionize traditional localization processes, to empower companies to scale and be successful in their global growth objectives. She stumbled into Localization in a non-traditional way but her interests in what it takes to make global companies successful, language and culture, are what led her here. She was born in Paris, grew up in Colorado, and now based in Amsterdam. She received her Master’s in International Business from Inseec, Bordeaux.

Elitza Dublewa-Servatius is an internpreneur at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, where she leads pilots and programs in automated translation solutions, audio accessibility, and AI adoption for a 41,000-employee organization. With a background in philosophy and linguistics from the University of Cologne and Sofia University, and years of experience as an interpreter, she brings a rare blend of humanistic thinking and technical curiosity. Elitza is passionate about using technology to remove barriers, empower employees, and keep human intention alive in every message, across formats and languages.

Rafaëla Ellensburg is a Content Engineering Consultant and founder of The Content Engineering Agency, specializing in content architecture, linked data, and semantic infrastructure. With over a decade of experience in e-commerce, omnichannel content strategy, and MarTech integration, she helps organizations structure content so AI can traverse meaning—not just retrieve files.

Her work sits at the intersection of metadata, domain modeling, and knowledge graph architecture. She developed the PRISMAS™ framework for scalable, context-rich content systems and has spoken at World IA Day London 2026.

Rafaëla brings a multidisciplinary perspective on how structured content enables AI to co-create meaningfully across global audiences.

Georg Ell is the CEO of Phrase, a global leader in localization technology with over 300 employees and prestigious clients such as Uber, Shopify, Zendesk, and Deliveroo. Backed by The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm, Phrase thrives under Georg’s extensive experience in the tech industry. With over 17 years of leadership experience, Georg has held significant roles, including CEO of Smoothwall, an education safety-tech business that gained recognition as a Top 100 UK employer under his tenure. He also served as Director for Western Europe at Tesla, leading a team of over 330 people to promote sustainable energy adoption.

Gabriel Fairman is the founder and CEO of Bureau Works, with over two decades of experience building translation technology, designing enterprise workflows, and supporting global organizations across industries. Raised in a multilingual family and fluent in six languages, he brings a lifelong fascination with communication and identity to his work. Gabriel has led large-scale implementations for some of the world’s most complex organizations and is known for bridging human-centered thinking with advanced technical innovation. He speaks regularly at industry events and is committed to creating systems that make multilingual communication more sustainable, intuitive, and authentically human.

María Roa Felices is the Director of Marketing and Events at Vistatec, where she drives global brand strategy, industry engagement, and high‑impact events. With deep expertise in localization and globalization, she specializes in elevating thought leadership, fostering community, and increasing visibility for innovative language‑technology initiatives. Known for her strategic mindset and collaborative approach, María plays a key role in shaping Vistatec’s presence across international markets.

Carrie Fischer is the Globalization Services Manager at Subway, headquartered in Shelton, CT. She is responsible for the company’s globalization strategy. With over 30 years of experience in localization, she has previously held roles at Bodybuilding.com, Hyperion/Oracle, and Transparent Language.

Carrie is a board member of Women in Localization, the largest female-led nonprofit in the localization industry. She also serves as a mentor through Mentor Ease, Women in Localization’s mentorship platform, and is passionate about localization outreach to academia.

Sara Gil is a project and program manager with experience driving complex, cross-functional initiatives within global organizations. She currently works as a Senior Program Manager at ServiceNow, where she focuses on operational alignment, stakeholder coordination, and execution excellence.

Sara brings a structured, outcomes-driven approach to program management, combined with strong collaboration skills across diverse teams.

L’Meese Greaney is a sociolinguist who applies academic insight to global content workflows. With a deep understanding of semantic framing, discourse, and the interplay of language and power, she designs scalable systems for multilingual data curation and translation.

Her expertise in multilingual content transformation enables organizations to deliver seamless, culturally nuanced communication worldwide. Drawing on her background as an educator, she is also passionate about fostering intellectual agency and promoting independent, informed thinking across diverse languages and cultures.

Lucía Guerrero is a Globalization Program Manager at Expedia Group, where she currently drives the Globalization AI strategy and its execution. With over 15 years in the localization industry, she has been exploring and applying AI and machine learning to localization workflows for the past seven years.

Andrea holds a BA in Translation and an MA in Translation and New Technologies. She began her career in game localization and has spent the past decade at KAYAK, growing from Localization Specialist to Senior Director of Localization. Andrea is driven by a passion for leadership and the evolving role of AI in reshaping organizations, actively investing in her own learning to balance technological advances with essential human skills.

Carola leads the global Content Operations team for ZEISS’s Medical Technology segment. Her team covers core disciplines including content development, translation management, linguistic assets and data management, as well as information architecture and technological infrastructure. Both governance and operational responsibilities are centralized within her team.

She places a strong strategic focus on designing and implementing future-proof processes and data-driven automation, with the goal of unlocking the value of language data across a wide range of current and future business applications. In doing so, her team helps drive innovation and digitalization across the company.

Carola has worked in the language industry for more than twenty years. Previously, she held roles such as Head of Translations at Fresenius Medical Care GmbH, Head of Project Management at Lionbridge Germany, and served as a consultant in translation management, process optimization, and content strategy.

Muhammad Ikram is an emerging markets strategist specializing in language, AI, and technology adoption. With more than 20 years of experience in the localization industry, he has worked with major technology platforms, including Microsoft, Google, and Meta.

Ikram is widely recognized for challenging traditional localization practices that often prioritize linguistic purity over usability. He introduced the concept of Linguistic Puritanism, a theory that examines how language ideology, identity, and cultural attitudes influence technology adoption.

His work highlights how rigid language policies can unintentionally limit access to technology and advocates for more practical, user-centered language strategies to accelerate digital inclusion across emerging markets worldwide.

James Jameson runs CaptionHub’s GTM team. CaptionHub is a team, product, and brand he is hugely proud of. He has been leading growth and positioning for what is now a world-leading enterprise multimedia localization platform since 2017, serving clients in every industry. Clients include TED, Ford, GSK, Flo Health, Pokémon, Amazon, and Stripe. Their ecosystem-first commercial approach delivers value to clients, partners, and the localization industry.

Beata Janaszkiewicz-Cavalcanti is a Lead Researcher at Nimdzi Insights, with a professional background in education, translation, and linguistics. She plays an active leadership role in Women in Localization as the Poland Chapter Manager and Events Manager for the Global Growth and Diversity Program.

A dedicated community builder, she brings a research-driven yet practical perspective on emerging technologies, advocating for a balanced and deliberate approach to AI adoption in localization.

Gabriel is an industry researcher, consultant, and content producer. With over a decade in the language industry, Gabriel has worn many hats, from onboarding new clients as a business developer to hands-on work on projects in 100+ languages, from deconstructing industry trends to advising clients on how to talk to global audiences. Yet the biggest challenge lies ahead of us – how do professionals and companies grow and reinvent themselves while the industry is transformed by new technology? Through his varied projects, Gabriel has re-confirmed what we all know: global business is a people business. And our industry will continue to have a fundamental role to play in enabling it.

EVA KLAUDINYOVA has been working in the localization industry since 2000, first managing localization
programs at MediaLocate, then leading localization teams and implementing new globalization, quality and
supplier management strategies in companies like VeriSign, VMware and Apple. Eva is a co-founder and an
Advisory Board member of Women in Localization. She is currently the Program Chair of the Translation and
Localization Management Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, imparting
her knowledge and longstanding localization and leadership experience to graduate students. She is also an
instructor at the Localization Institute. She is from Slovakia, speaks multiple languages, and holds MAs in
Foreign Language Teaching and in Translation.

Mercedes leads the International Experience team at Notion, where she has grown the scope and strategic footprint of the team across both Product and Marketing localization. Last year she drove key company-wide international expansion initiatives including RTL enablement and non-English LLM and AI product evaluation frameworks. She previously led the product localization teams at Spotify and Facebook, always keeping global users and cultural relevance in mind when building.

Wael Makram brings over 14 years of experience navigating the evolution of the localization industry, building and leading teams across the full spectrum of the localization lifecycle. Managing a localization company in today’s landscape requires more than linguistic expertise; it requires a vision for the future. Wael believes the industry is at a unique point of convergence. Rather than viewing emerging technologies as competition, he champions the use of AI as a powerful co-pilot. His focus is on empowering teams to leverage these tools to enhance their expertise and bridge cultural gaps with greater speed, precision, and human-centric nuance. He is passionate about languages and the details that build trust across cultures—tone, terminology, and context—helping organizations deliver experiences that meet local expectations across markets.

Luciana Martins Franco is a senior international engineering lead in the Microsoft Dynamics International Engineering organization. Luciana and her team are responsible for the Dynamics AX (Enterprise Resource Planning) product internationalization, partnering with the Microsoft engineering teams on enabling product world-readiness, driving international scenarios implementation and delivering the translated versions of the products. Her team also creates solutions to support the Dynamics ISVs and partner translation scenario. Luciana has four years of experience with Dynamics product internationalization and 19 years of experience on the localization space across different Microsoft product lines and roles. She specializes in world readiness, international scenarios, custom localization processes, agile localization and enabling solutions for partner/community localization. Luciana holds a BA in computer science.

Dan Milczarski is Vice President of Solutions at Blackbird.io, where he leads global solution architecture and helps enterprises design scalable, automated multilingual content workflows. With over 20 years of experience in language services and technology, he previously served as CTO at CQ fluency, driving innovation in automation, machine learning, and operational excellence. Dan has built and optimized localization ecosystems for global organizations, with expertise in orchestration, systems integration, and quality frameworks.

Claudia Francesca Mueller has over 15 years of experience in content, localization, and translation. She started as a journalist before branching out into various content roles such as content writer, copywriter, content editor, content strategist, managing editor, and transcreator. Claudia’s passion for language, culture, shapes, colors, and design led her to content design, where she can combine all her interests in research, information design, and product development. She currently works as principal content design and localization at Trusted Shops, promoting a strong collaboration between the two disciplines, as she believes they are interconnected.

Pejman Nozad is one of the most successful tech investors in the world. He has invested in over 100 companies, including Dropbox, DoorDash, and LendingClub. He is the Founding Managing Partner of Pear VC, a seed-stage venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs from the very beginning.

Kevin O’Donnell is the fractional leader and advisor for international expansion and revenue growth at Global10x. He help B2B SaaS companies expand internationally, grow their international revenue and modernize their localization processes. He has 20+ years in product and international leadership roles at Microsoft, Dropbox, and Nitro.

Born into a multicultural family of scientists, Marina paired her multilingual background with an eccentric childhood dream that led her to mastering 11 languages … and still counting. After working as translator, educator, consultant, and more, Marina turned to exploring the elementary particles of language in her PhD research on Nanosyntax. In 2014, she exchanged academic life for the high-paced world of localization and is currently leading the Linguistic AI Services division at RWS. In her spare time, Marina still reads about science and engages in research inspired by the vast amount of data she encounters in her daily work.

Nova Patch (they/them) is Director of Internationalization & Localization at Shutterstock, with over two decades of experience working at the intersection of language, technology, and culture. Drawing on a background in software engineering and product management, they have led the expansion of global platforms into more than 30 languages through scalable, inclusive, and culturally grounded localization approaches. A lifetime individual member of the Unicode Consortium and co-founder of Shutterstock’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, Nova is committed to advancing open standards and creating digital experiences that support diverse users worldwide.

Leena Peltomaa is Global Solution Manager at Acolad with 20+ years of experience across translation, localization, globalization, and solution design. Known for her pragmatic, customer-focused approach, she builds scalable multilingual content solutions that balance AI, automation, and human expertise to deliver accuracy, consistency, and real operational impact.

Growing up in a multicultural environment and immersed in localization from an early age, Dominique Puls built a deep connection to languages, culture, and global communication. Today, as Global Chief Revenue Officer for Seprotec, she helps organizations turn complexity into clarity, aligning people, processes, and technology to make multilingual operations scalable, relevant, and future-ready. With over 15 years of experience, she bridges strategy and execution, from AI-enabled localization and workflow design to commercial and organizational transformation. Known for her collaborative, hands-on style, Dominique shares practical insights drawn from real-world leadership and change.

Oleksandr Pysaryuk is a localization leader with experience in building and growing successful teams and disciplines focused on internationalization, software development, localization and internationalization technical program management, and global product management at the enterprise scale – in sports technology, telecommunications, human capital management, e-commerce and engineering organizations.

Antoine Rey, senior vice president, customer development at Argos Multilingual, started his career in localization in 1997 and has held various technical, sales, and management roles in the industry. His main area of focus is to consult, develop, and implement mature operational and business globalization models with clients across various industries. Antoine is a French native and holds a MS in information technology and a BA in international business and communications. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Dave Ruane started his 25-year localization industry journey in technology and solutions roles, followed by operations management, consultancy, and then designed globalization business solutions for enterprises. He is a regular moderator and speaker at industry events, and runs the Process Innovation Challenge at LocWorld. He is a self-confessed techie, based in coastal Spain and more often than not can be found near fly fishing water.

With over 20 years in the industry, the speaker has held diverse roles, including translator, editor, terminologist, LSP project manager, and buyer-side localization expert. For the past decade, she has led and contributed to the evolution of marketing localization at a global SaaS company. Her experience spans shaping partnerships, advancing tech stacks, and exploring the changing meaning of language in the industry.

Born in the USA and based in Germany for 25+ years, Marta Schuman has spent just as long in the localization industry and the last decade leading DHL’s Corporate Language Services (CLS). She leads an international team of project managers, AI and data engineers, and language experts dedicated to making global communication faster, smarter, and more accessible across DHL. Powered by the team’s shared spirit of innovation, CLS is entering its next evolution, where responsible AI and deep human expertise advance together. In a time when AI is reshaping how we all work, Marta believes success comes from teams that stay curious, work openly, and experiment boldly.

Sarit Sela is the Head of Product and Engineering for Globalization at PayPal, where she leads the strategy and development of PayPal’s global product experiences. With a focus on innovation and scalability, she oversees the engineering and product teams responsible for localizing PayPal’s platform for millions of users worldwide.

Shafi Ullah is an MBA professional, educationist, and experienced linguistic service provider specializing in Pashto, Dari, and Urdu. With over 14 years of teaching experience, including at King Saud University, he has contributed to language development, cross-cultural understanding, and digital transformation. He has managed major localization and AI/ML projects for global platforms, reflecting his commitment to preserving regional languages through modern technology.

Rucha L. Sheth has worked in the localization and globalization industry for over 18 years in roles spanning language operations, account management, and business implementation. She now focuses on Customer Success and international expansion strategy, helping companies make practical, research-driven decisions as they enter and grow in global markets. Her experience combines hands-on operational work with strategic insight, giving her a balanced view of what it takes to succeed in diverse international environments.

Priyanka Singh is a Senior Localization Program Manager at Google, where she leads localization efforts for Google’s hardware products. With over a decade of experience in the industry, she has a proven track record of managing complex, large-scale localization projects across multiple regions and languages.

Olga Stokowiec is a localization program and product manager. She’s been in the industry for over six years, with the experience spanning from managing daily deliveries to shaping long-term roadmaps at companies of different sizes and complexity. Currently, she’s leading localization efforts at Maxon, aligning six product teams, marketing, and legal, to empower creative communities around the world. When not in localization, Olga is devouring books about history and geopolitics, practicing trumpet, and staying active.

Antonio Tejada brings over three decades of experience in translation and localization. He joined LanguageLine in 2022 following the acquisition of Capita Translation and Interpreting, where he served as Managing Director. Throughout his career, he has held several senior executive roles, leading global teams, expanding multilingual services, and overseeing strategic integration efforts across Spain, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Antonio has been a key advocate for innovation in language technology, including the introduction of computer-aided translation (CAT) tools and early adoption of machine translation. He continues to advance LanguageLine’s translation and localization capabilities worldwide.

Paola Tirelli is a linguist working at the intersection of localization, prompt design, and applied AI. I work in the Linguistic AI department of my company, where I test and develop workflows for AI-powered localization projects. With a background in linguistics and a master’s degree in Data Science and applied AI and data-driven approaches to localization, my work explores how linguistic expertise can guide and structure automation through prompting, vibe coding and evaluation strategies. I’m passionate about integrating technology with language services and building practical and scalable solutions that bridge linguistic knowledge and technical systems.

Alison Toon has over 25 years of experience in the translation and localization industry with an emphasis in management of translation and localization tools, processes, architecture and operation for content management, and ebusiness services across enterprises. Her experience in these research areas and key projects help CSA Research’s clients gain key insights into the technologies, pricing and business processes key to executive buy-in.

Teresa is a localization leader with over 14 years of experience across Europe and Southeast Asia. Specializing in the SaaS and software sectors, she has built localization strategies from the ground up and managed complex workflows in 35+ languages for brands including Workday, Klook, and Malt.

With experience across some of the industry’s most diverse global markets, Teresa brings deep expertise in navigating large-scale team structures and cross-cultural communication. Originally from Seville, she combines her professional background with a passion for global travel. Outside of localization, she enjoys life with her two toddlers, music, and literature.

Maya Toutountzi is a product leader with a strong foundation in computer engineering. She delivers solutions where innovation meets purpose to create meaningful impact. Delivering customer-centric solutions and launching new products and features that make a real difference is what motivates her.

Valentina Turra has been working at Philips Healthcare since 2013. After 11 years as a Translation Validator for Italian, she has recently taken on a new role as a UI/UX Localization Specialist. She is passionate about continuous improvement, whether it means implementing new translation and terminology tools, streamlining localization processes, or enhancing source content quality. Valentina’s work focuses on bridging the gap between UX design and localization, ensuring that global products are both technically robust and culturally relevant.

Jennifer Vela-Valido is a localization strategist with over ten years of experience in various roles in the localization industry. She has recently completed a PhD in localization quality management and she collaborates with several universities as a researcher and guest lecturer specializing in localization strategies, vendor management, and linguistic quality management. Jennifer is a member of ASTM International’s  Subcommittee F43.03 on language translation and the ISO/TC 37/SC 5/WG 1 translation working group.

Beatriz Verdasco has been in internationalization and localization for over 16 years and has 10+ years of experience leading multicultural and multidisciplinary global teams that multiply growth by bringing digital products to international audiences. She leads localization and global readiness at Trendyol Group, the largest eCommerce company in Turkey and the most valuable private internet company in the EMEA region. Bea is passionate about the combined power of technology and languages to create authentic, inclusive experiences for people across cultures and geographical borders.

Christian Wecke leads the Language Data & Technology Management team at DHL’s Corporate Language Services (CLS), where he is shaping the future of how the world’s largest logistics company communicates across borders—connecting people and improving lives. At the intersection of AI, language data, and enterprise platforms, Christian explores how APIs unlock the power of LLMs in translation and localization—because in a world of AI, everything speaks API.

His work focuses on building scalable, intelligent language and translation infrastructures that connect people, data, and platforms across more than 220 countries and territories. He also shares insights from CLS’s global transformation journey and its first steps toward an orchestrated, LangOps-driven ecosystem—where automation, intelligence, and human expertise converge.