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About

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GALA Board of Directors

The GALA Board of Directors is comprised of volunteer members who are elected by the GALA membership to serve for two-year terms. Their mandate is to drive the strategic direction of the association.


	Britta Aagaard Chief Business Officer, Semantix, Denmark 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 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. Her understanding of client needs and technology trends enhances her capacity to position the professional language community as a vital catalyst for digital transformation and global customer experience.
	Daniela D'Amato Operations Manager, Creative Words, Italy Daniela is an experienced professional in the localization industry with over a decade of expertise driving organizational growth and empowering teams to excel. As the Operations Manager at Creative Words, a leading Italian localization company, she oversees different departments, including project management, finance, and innovation, ensuring efficient operations and alignment with strategic goals. In addition to her professional role, Daniela is actively involved in the localization community, volunteering with Women in Localization and LocLunch. Her contributions to the industry were recognized in 2020 when she was awarded the ATC Innovator of the Year. With a pragmatic mindset and a talent for transforming ambitious visions into practical solutions, Daniela specializes in designing and implementing frameworks that foster innovation, ensure excellence, while delivering measurable results. Her leadership is marked by a commitment to mentoring, process optimization, and strategic growth initiatives.
	Annelise Finegan Academic Director & Clinical Associate Professor of Translation, NYU School of Professional Studies, United States Annelise Finegan is Academic Director of Translation & Interpreting and Clinical Associate Professor of Translation at the NYU School of Professional Studies Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts. An award-winning translator, she has published translations from Chinese including novels, short fiction, and non-fiction by prominent contemporary and historical authors. Annelise has worked for academic and textbook publishers as an acquisitions editor, publishing coordinator, bilingual copy editor, and project manager. She earned her PhD in Comparative Literature at Washington University in St. Louis, where she also completed a Graduate Certificate in Translation Studies.
	Viveta Gene Professor, Ionian University, Greece Viveta Gene is a passionate and driven executive with 20+ years of experience in the translation and localization industry and holds a PhD in Translation and New Technologies from the Ionian University. She has a 360-degree view of the industry through her experience as a language solutions specialist, business developer, vendor manager, project manager, and linguist. Her focus is to promote new trends in the industry, where translation skills meet technology and artificial intelligence. Alongside her academic role, Viveta currently serves as Head of Translation Solutions Innovation at Intertranslations Ltd.
	Paulo Pereira Guimarães Managing Director, Inside Language Solutions, Brazil Paulo began his career in 2006 as an administrative assistant, responsible for collecting paper documents from clients' offices and sending them to translators via fax machine. Over time, he took on additional responsibilities as a project manager, overseeing the translation of more than 15 million words per year. For the past four years, Paulo has served as the Managing Director of Inside Language Solutions, guiding the company through the advancements in machine translation, developing its employees, and planning for the future. Currently, he holds the position of President at the Brazilian Association of the Linguistic Industry - BLISS.
	Jose Palomares Director of Localization, Coupa Software, United States Jose is the Director of Localization at Coupa, the software company leader in the enterprise Business Spend Management category. With a trajectory in our industry spanning more than 25 years as a translator, technologist, business leader, and entrepreneur, Jose brings to the table his combined experience from the vendor and buyer sides, a keen interest in all things technology, and an outspoken attitude toward how to empower our community, do more, and do better.
	Francesca Sorrentino Director Localization, Phrase, Spain Francesca Sorrentino is the Localization Director at Phrase, a global leader in AI-powered localization technology. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Translation and Interpreting and a Master’s Degree in Conference Interpreting, Francesca started her career in localization soon after graduation. Her professional journey includes significant roles in the video game industry and with language service providers, and her contributions span consulting, events, and community management. In her current role at Phrase, Francesca is responsible for designing effective localization strategies and processes. In 2022, she founded LocLeaders, a network aimed at promoting best practices and fostering innovation among localization professionals.