Cecilia Poratti
GALA Board Candidate, 2027-2029 Term
Professional Information
Brief Bio
As Co-Founder and CBDO of Wessence Language Lab, I bring 25+ years of industry experience across business development, production, and executive leadership. After serving as a Language Specialist at Lionbridge in the US, I founded Essence Translations, serving 15 years as CEO before co-founding Wessence. Today, I drive strategic partnerships and sales for global clients. Deeply committed to industry advocacy, I serve as Vice President of ALIA, previously volunteered with Women in Localization, and served as Secretary for Translated in Argentina. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, I focus on building sustainable, human-centered global connections. I am also an avid painter and home chef.
Have you served on a board, committee, or working group before? What surprised you about it?
As Secretary of Translated in Argentina, I championed the initiative to merge with AASL, giving birth to ALIA, where I currently serve as Vice President. I also sit on CLINT’s Program Committee, and previously volunteered with Women in Localization’s Mental Health Program and a Buenos Aires children’s residence.
What surprised me was the transformative power of a clear vision. Unifying two distinct associations into ALIA proved to me that when you foster trust and open communication, leaders set individual interests aside to create a unified force stronger than its individual parts.
Which skills do you possess that would make you valuable as a board member?
My primary value lies in business development, strategic growth, and association governance, complemented by an intuitive talent for public relations, cross-cultural diplomacy, and community building.
Describe your experience with setting strategy.
Setting strategy requires balancing visionary growth with execution. Over 25 years, I’ve set strategic directions as CEO of Essence Translations, co-guided Wessence’s merger strategy, and co-led the organizational initiative to unify TInA and AASL under ALIA. At Wessence, I continually shape sales, partnership, and service-expansion strategies. Across all roles, my strategic framework relies on evaluating market dynamics, fostering open dialogue with key stakeholders, and creating adaptive roadmaps that deliver long-term value, elevate organizational reputation, and foster strong, sustainable global communities.
Candidate Perspective
If you had to give GALA a new tagline to convey the association's future-readiness, what would it be?
Uniting the Industry. Shaping the Future.
What should GALA look like in 3 years if change keeps happening at the current pace? Who should we serve? What should we offer? What value should we deliver?
GALA already serves our broader global ecosystem, but as our industry consolidates, individual association communities will naturally become smaller. In three years, GALA’s defining focus must be strategic alliances. I believe deeply in joining forces; together, we are stronger.
We should offer joint global summits, and unified advocacy campaigns built in direct partnership with other regional and international language associations.
We should deliver collective strength, broader reach, and shared resilience. By building forces with peer associations, GALA will deliver maximum visibility, pooled knowledge, and a far more powerful, unified voice for language professionals worldwide.
Which GALA programs have you personally participated in over the past few years? Describe any volunteer roles you've had at GALA.
I have not participated in internal GALA programs or held volunteer roles to date. However, I am a passionate, long-time champion of the organization, having attended 9 GALA annual conferences and contributed frequently as an event sponsor. My investment in GALA has always been driven by advocacy, networking, and community building. I am excited to bring this long-standing commitment and executive experience to formal service on the GALA Board.
What is GALA doing today that you would stop doing?
Regarding the annual conference, I would reduce the total number of talks to give attendees more room for genuine connection and deep-dive discussions. Provided the numbers align, I would also evaluate making registration more accessible to drive higher turnout.
I wouldn’t touch our educational resources. Programs like the GALA Academy and webinars are exceptionally strong.