GALA Board of Directors

The GALA Board of Directors is composed of volunteer members who are elected by the GALA membership to serve for two-year terms. All board members work as unpaid members for the benefit of the industry as a whole. 

Fabiano Cid, Chair

Managing Director
Ccaps Translation and Localization, Brazil

Fabiano is the Managing Director of Ccaps Translation and Localization, a company that has been providing language services in the Latin American region since 1999. With a degree in Liberal Arts (Portuguese Language & Brazilian and Portuguese Literatures) from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Fabiano is responsible for the company’s long-term planning and strategic partnerships. He started his career as a translator at Lazoski, Beninatto and Associates in 1996 and later that year moved to London, where he worked as a freelance translator for two years. Returned to his home town of Rio de Janeiro to found Ccaps in 1999 and since then has positioned Ccaps as a market leader in its segment.

 

For six years Fabiano was the Chairman of the Board of Milengo, when he raised the investment necessary for the company’s restructuring. He is also a very active member of the industry who is frequently invited to speak at conferences and write articles for specialized publications, especially in matters related to Latin America. He is one of the leading organizers of Think Latin America, whose last edition happened in Silicon Valley, with the presence of distinguished players from inside and outside the localization industry.

Robert Etches, Vice Chair and Events Liaison


Robert is the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) of TextMinded Danmark.  Starting as a freelance Danish-English translator and IT consultant in 1989, Robert founded and managed EICOM to a leading position in the Nordic localization industry.  EICOM merged with Oversætterehuset in February 2012 and became TextMinded Danmark. 

Diego Bartolomé, Membership Liaison

Founder and CEO
tauyou, Spain

 

Diego is the founder and CEO of tauyou language technology, a company specialized in machine translation, natural processing tools, and process automation for Language Service Providers (LSPs).  He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and an MSc in Management and Business Administration.  He teaches at several universities in the Barcelona area courses in management, entrepreneurship, and translation technologies.  

Terena Bell, Secretary and Marketing & Public Relations Liaison


Terena Bell is CEO of In Every Language, an LSP offering translation, interpreting, and localization.  Terena has spoken at conferences in Canada, Portugal, and throughout the United States. She served on the leadership council for the Association of Language Companies for two years.  She also writes the popular column “Micro/Macro” for MultiLingual Magazine.  She was the only GALA member to serve on the Obama Administration’s White House Business Roundtable, which helps her represent GALA’s interests to the US government.  Before entering the industry, Terena was a producer for both NBC and CBS, covering the 2000 Vice-Presidential Debate, the 2000 Concorde crash and the tragedy of 9/11.

Joël Sigling, Treasurer and Programs Liaison

Co-director and Co-founder
AVB Translations, Netherlands


Joël began his career in the translation industry in 1991 after graduating from the Higher Institute for Translation and Interpreting in Antwerp in 1990.  In 1995 he co-founded Local Impact Translations, a single-language vendor specializing in software localization.  After 11 years in Belgium, he returned to Amsterdam in 1998, first working as a freelancer, then setting up Translation Word in 2002 together with Marc Feddema.  After eight successful years, Translation World merged with translation powerhouse Amstelveens Ver­taalburo, resulting in AVB Translations.  Joël‘s role in the company is that of technology and resource management director. He leads AVB’s efforts in the areas of CAT tools, translation management software, machine translation and MT post-editing.

Kim Harris, Collaborative Research & Standards Liaison

Managing Director
text & form GmbH, Germany

A native of Toronto, Canada, Kim studied French and German at the University of Toronto and moved to Berlin, Germany in 1986 to complete her language studies. She founded text & form GmbH in March 1996 with three other partners. As co-owner and managing director of text & form, Kim has performed a number of extracurricular duties within the translation and localization community. She has published several articles, organized industry events, and spoken on various topics including trends in the localization industry, the future of SMEs in the industry, quality standards, and industry metrics.

Kim served on the GALA Board of Directors in 2007-2008 and was chairperson for the last year of that term. She was a member of the GALA 2009 program committee that created the content for GALA's first independent conference, "The Business of Language, The Language of Business", held in Cancún, Mexico.

Véronique Özkaya, Events Liaison

Chief Sales and Marketing Officer
Xplanation, Belgium


Véronique is currently Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Xplanation, a global provider of languages services and technology headquartered in Belgium.  As a member of management, she is responsible for the company’s sales, marketing and account management strategies.  Prior to joining Xplanation, Véronique held senior management roles at Moravia, Lionbridge and Stream International.  She is a frequent public speaker at industry events. Educated in France and Ireland, Véronique holds a double master’s degree in International Politics and Administration from the Université Grenoble 1 as well as a Diploma in Public Relations from the Institute of Public Relations of Ireland.
 

The entire GALA board can be reached by e-mailing .

Past GALA Board Members

Board Election FAQs for Members