Language Industry Hires at Conversis, SDL, Straker Translations

British language service provider (LSP) Conversis Global recently announced the appointment of Jamie Newall as Co-CEO to work alongside Founder and CEO Gary Muddyman.

Jamie Newall, who has a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Cambridge and has held senior global executive roles in private equity, finance, and natural resources sectors, will also join the Conversis Board of Directors.

“We felt that Jamie’s wide-ranging experience from outside the languages sector as CEO and COO of listed companies and in the private equity field, would complement my own experience well,” Muddyman told Slator.

Prior to joining Conversis, Newall was Director of Investments at Intrepid Financial, a Canadian private equity group. He also worked as COO of mineral exploration company Declan Resources and served as Director at GPN Capital and at Berry Palmer & Lyle (BPL Global).

One of Conversis’ core specialist areas is life sciences and Muddyman expects this part of the business to continue growing. However, he sees a shift in the language services market in the next 12 to 18 months, particularly in the expectations of clients on digital output.

“I am thrilled to be joining Conversis at such an exciting time in its history,” Newall said in a media statement.

Mayer Becker — SDL

Mayer Becker joined SDL as VP Marketing Operations in September 2017. The marketing industry veteran has worked for HH Global, Coffee and Dunn, Motorola, and Markesphere Consulting.

“I was familiar with SDL because a prior employer was a client. I saw the chance to join a market-leading company going through a multi-year transformation, with a strong leadership team and well thought-out objectives for the future,” he told Slator.

Based in Chicago and reporting to Chief Marketing Officer Peggy Chen, Becker is in charge of SDL’s Project Management Office, as well as responsible for demand generation, process improvement, marketing technologies, planning, and budgeting.

He pointed out that from a marketer’s perspective, the language services industry is about being relevant at a local level with marketing materials that are not only translated accurately, but localized from a cultural perspective.

“This is a traditional B2B industry, and global, so relevant, localized content in all forms is a key element of the mix,” he said. “Like all companies, we make extensive use of our digital channels, support our sales teams in each region, and participate in industry events and conferences, among others.”

Another top-of-mind issue he sees is security. “Marketers must insist and verify that their LSP operates in a secure environment, protecting their content from hackers and others,” he explained.

Thomas Wicker — Straker Translations

Straker Translations has hired a new Vice President for Revenue who is tasked to drive the growth of the language service business in North America.

Thomas Wicker is joining the Denver-headquartered LSP from TransPerfect, where he was Director of Business Development. He reports to Lee Konstanty, Straker’s GM for North America.

In the language services industry, he sees that businesses growing rapidly across international lines are demanding the most efficient ways to reach new customers.

“The localization firms poised for success will be those who can make everything easier – as easy as absolutely possible,” he said. “We take for granted how our lives have become easier in so many ways, and the typically complex localization process needs to be approached similarly, with simplicity and intuition at the forefront.”

Another challenge that he sees is US companies eager to take their business global lack the foresight to prioritize localization in their plans.

“It is up to us to facilitate the growth of these companies – by balancing thoughtful globalization with the ease demanded by today’s market,” he said.