Peter Reynolds is Director of the LSP Advantage Program at Idiom. This is the company's partner program with translation and localization companies, which was a crucial factor in making Idiom WorldServer one of the most widely used globalization management systems (GMS) by providers of localization and translation services. Peter works on a daily basis with translation companies ranging from some of the smallest to the some of the largest in the industry.

Peter has been very actively involved in the development and promotion of standards, notably XLIFF, which is becoming an increasingly used standard within the globalization and localization industry. He is Secretary of the XLIFF Technical Committee at OASIS and is one of two people who have been on the XLIFF Technical Committee since its inception. He is also Chair of the Translation Web Services Technical Committee.

Peter holds an MBA degree from the Open University.

Prior to Idiom, Peter worked for Lionbridge and comes from the Berlitz, Bowne Global Solutions tradition within that company. While there, he managed the Dublin development team responsible for BerlitzIT, Elcano, Freeway 2.0 and internal project and vendor management tools.

I have always been enthusiastic about GALA and volunteered in the past for committee work. Now I am seeking your vote so that I can play a direct role in GALA's operations and future initiatives.

Promoting the industry and GALA members outside our traditional sphere is very important. The excellent work GALA has recently done with the Tekom conference is a good example of where we should be heading with events. As a board member, I would focus on increasing GALA presence, identify and seek out the best events and new communication channels with the aim of developing new markets for our industry.

One of the problems we have is ensuring that the importance of localization and translation services is identified and appreciated by global companies. Many could become more effective globally if there was greater awareness about the services we provide. At GALA we have to facilitate exchange of knowledge and expertise both within and outside our industry. For example, MBA programs are increasingly used for management resources in most industries. Collaborating with MBA and other University programs as well as MBA alumni associations and management organizations would effectively improve the profile of our industry and educate decision makers.

With over 200 members, GALA is now the leading industry association. However, there are other organizations out there which represent specific geographies or interests. Our combined efforts should be used to create synergies and provide new opportunities for members (both companies and individuals). GALA should take the lead in working with other organizations in promoting the localization and translation industry.

Much of the work I have done within this industry, both professionally and on pro publico bono basis, has focused on technology and standards. I think it is important that GALA members have greater access to knowledge about emerging standards and provide an input into their development. The development of technical standards such as XLIFF and TMX and process standards such as EN 15038 and ASTMS F2575-06 are good examples of collaboration within the industry to improve quality, effectiveness and general perception.

The boards' efforts to grow GALA membership base have been both impressive and effective. I believe it is important that we continue to work towards increasing the number of companies within GALA but focus even more on activating members on global, regional and special interest basis. I am enthusiastic about helping GALA achieve these pragmatic and measurable goals.