The LIND (Language Industry) Expert Group — Members

Andrejs Vasiļjevs is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of a leading European language technology and localization company Tilde. He also serves as a board member of the Big Data Value Association (BDVA). Andrejs has received a PhD degree in computer sciences from the University of Latvia and is an Honorary Doctor of the Academy of Sciences of Latvia.

Balázs Kis is one of the co-CEOs of memoQ, and also member of the Board of Directors at GALA (Globalization and Localization Association). He is one of the founders of memoQ. Balázs has decades of experience in IT, translation, and natural language processing. He has a degree in IT engineering and a PhD in applied linguistics. At the start of his career, he was a Microsoft systems engineer and trainer and one of the prominent Hungarian IT authors with over 20 titles published. He was also the head of research and development at MorphoLogic, a Hungarian company specializing in language technology research. He taught translation technology at the ELTE University of Budapest. He has massive experience in collaborative translation and project management.

Beate Kuhl is a language technology professional at the Federal Office of Languages – the language service of the German Federal Ministry of Defence and the German Bundeswehr. She has a master’s degree in Technical Communications from the University of Rostock and a degree in translation from the University of Applied Science in Cologne. In her current position as assistant chief of branch, she is responsible for everything related to the translation workflow, including translation management and knowledge management, as well as computer-assisted translation training and support.

Britta is the Chief Business Officer at Semantix and she is part of the executive leadership team of TransPerfect, the global leader in language services and technology solutions. With an academic background in the Philosophy and Science of language and 20+ years as a business executive, she brings a unique combination of language expertise and critical thinking to her role. Leveraging her industry knowledge, deep passion for technology and identifying market opportunities, Britta is looking to establish strong relationships, fostering growth and promoting innovation.

Beyond the privilege of providing executive leadership to her organization, Britta offers thought leadership to the business community. Britta serves on the board of GALA and LT Innovate, renowned global and European organizations dedicated to fostering collaboration and innovation in the language industry. Britta also serves on the board of CLEAR Global, a non-profit organization with the mission to empower underserved communities with vital information, no matter their language, and for a fairer future.

Britta's engagement showcases her deep industry knowledge and dedication to driving positive change with multilingual AI, advanced data and language technology for a prosperous and democratic digital future.

Claudio Chiavetta has a long experience in the localisation industry as a freelance translator, consultant and account/sales manager.  He has more than 20-year experience in managing large calls for tenders from the European and international public sector, mainly the European institutions and the United Nations System. He worked as EU procurement specialist and Head of European Public Sector for major Language Service Companies. Currently he works as a consultant in client relations and strategic account management for Tipik Communication Agency. Claudio holds a Master degree in Translation.

Diego Cresceri is the CEO & Founder of Creative Words, a leading Italian language company. With a degree in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Genoa, Diego brings extensive experience as a translator, Project Manager, and former COO.

Passionate about innovation, AI, and machine translation, he drives Creative Words' strategy and growth while frequently speaking at industry events.

Diego also serves as a Director of the Board of ELIA (European Language Industry Association) and in the Advisory Board of CLIA (Canadian Language Industry Association), contributing to the advancement of the language industry and cross-cultural collaboration.

Giulia Tarditi has fifteen years of experience in the localization industry. She has built and managed teams of linguists, project managers and language technology experts for a number of high-profile companies in the digital sector. Having made a name for herself for her innovative and out-of-the-box leadership, she is a frequent speaker and host at industry events, webinars and podcasts. Passionate about how different disciplines can positively influence each other, she is committed to expanding the boundaries of our field by advocating for a vision of localization management that includes principles of user experience, cross-cultural communication and experience design.

John O'Shea is Chairperson of FIT Europe, the Regional Centre Europe of the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT). A long-standing member of the Panhellenic Association of Translators, he is a legal translator and author of several papers on various aspects of legal translation. He regularly delivers CPD training on topics related to translation (including GDPR, and liability).

Lucio Bagnulo is a passionate, multilingual professional with a strong background in foreign languages and cultures. He holds an MA in Translation from the University of Bologna and an MA in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Westminster in London. He has worked in the language industry in various in-house and freelance roles and currently holds the position of Deputy Programme Director, Head of Translation and Language Strategy at Amnesty International. Lucio is also a member of the EC’s Language Industry Expert Group (LIND) and served as Co-Chair of the Global Coalition for Language Rights from 2022 to 2024. In 2022, he won the Think Global Award for Language Industry Person of the Year, and in February 2024, he was among the 34 global influencers awarded the MultiLingual Media Influencer award by MultiLingual Media Magazine.

Dr. Oleksandr Bondarenko is a CEO of Translatel Ltd and an associate professor at Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State University. Holding a PhD in contrastive-historical and typological linguistics, he has authored numerous publications in translation and localisation. With 24 years of combined experience in the language industry and university lecturing, Oleksandr is a driving force in translator education. As the initiator of numerous national and international industry-academy initiatives, he actively shapes the future of translator training. Oleksandr's commitment to effective solutions for methodological problems is evident in his professional and social activities, reflecting his dedication to positive change in the translation and localisation field.

Mirko Silvestrini is the CEO of the Italian translation company Rapitrad and President of UNILINGUE, the Italian Association of Translation Companies. He graduated at Venice University in Foreign Languages and Literature. Currently he is the EUATC Ambassador at the EU. EUATC is the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies, in which Mr. Silvestrini has covered the role of President for 4 years and VicePresident for 4 years. Mr. Silvestrini is a member of the Board of tekom Europe advisory board for professional development and training.

Panayota (Yota) Georgakopoulou is a leading media localization expert, specializing in the application of language technologies in the creative industries. She is the owner of Athena Consultancy, which offers services to language service providers, software and technology companies, content owners and institutions around the world. Yota advises on strategy, business development, quality, tools, workflows, as well as talent sourcing, training and management. 

With a PhD in translation and subtitling, and an early career in academia, Yota then spent almost 20 years in the industry in senior management roles at multinational language service providers and participated in multiple international research projects. She has published extensively, is on the steering committee of the Languages & The Media conference, the founder of the Greece Chapter of Women in Localization, as well as a writer, speaker and influencer in the content localization field.