About a week ago, the European Language Industry Association (Elia), a coalition of language service companies based in Europe, announced its newly elected board of directors.

You might recognize a few familiar faces on the new board of directors: Diego Cresceri, CEO of Creative Words, Indrė Lelevičienė, CEO of BV Translations, and Dorothy Scerri, business development manager of Global Translation Solutions, were all re-elected to remain on the board. Rounding out the board is first-time director Nenad Andricsek, managing director of A.G.E. Translations.

MultiLingual caught up with each of the freshly elected (and re-elected) board members, to learn a little bit more about their plans for the coming year and the term ahead of them.

Editor’s note: The following interviews have been edited for clarity, conciseness, and house style.

Diego Cresceri

Congratulations on your re-election! Could you tell us a little bit about what made you want to remain on the Elia board of directors and why you went up for re-election? How are you feeling after being re-elected to the board?

Thank you! Staying on the Elia board for me is like continuing the best TV show binge ever — I simply can’t get enough of it.

Jokes aside, staying on the board for another two years is amazing after the first five.

I genuinely believe there’s more I can contribute to securing the association’s stability and growth, continuing the path that we have started after the pandemic. Many things have been done and many still need to be done. Elia became my second family in 2018, and the changes we’ve experienced in the association have only fueled my passion. 

After being re-elected, I have a mix of excitement, responsibility, and sheer joy.

Looking toward the coming year, what are your plans for the Elia board?

For sure we want to continue our path to future-proof the association and our members. At times of rapid change in our industry, we want to provide our members the tools to navigate the change, not only to survive but to thrive.

I also aim at bringing some innovation in our internal processes, and this of course to the final benefit of our members. In the last year, we have worked to strengthen our relationship with other industry associations as well, and this is something we want to continue. 

Last, we want to contribute to raising awareness about our industry, which will happen both with increased communication and with closer relationships with institutions at a European level. 

As you can see, there are many things on our plate, but the people I am working with on the board, together with the Elia team, make a great group, and I am sure we can achieve all of this together.

Indrė Lelevičienė

Congratulations! How are you feeling in the wake of your re-election to Elia’s board?

Thank you! I am truly thrilled and honored to have been re-elected to Elia’s board. The support and trust bestowed upon me by the members of our industry is immensely gratifying. It’s a clear indication that my efforts and dedication to advancing the language industry have been recognized and appreciated.

This re-election not only brings personal satisfaction but also reinforces my commitment to serving the language industry and its stakeholders. It affirms that the initiatives and goals I have pursued during my previous term resonated with the needs and aspirations of the Elia community.

Being re-elected is a humbling experience that inspires me to continue advocating for the interests of language service providers, freelancers, technology providers, and all other professionals associated with the language industry. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute further to the growth, collaboration, and innovation within our industry.

I am particularly grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me by my peers. It motivates me to work tirelessly towards fostering a stronger and more prosperous language industry, addressing the challenges we face, and seizing the opportunities that lie ahead.

What have been some of your most formative experiences and memories from your time on the board thus far that drove you to go up for re-election?

One of the most significant experiences during my time on the board was the opportunity to spearhead the reshaping of Elia’s Exchange initiative. Recognizing the importance of bridging the gap between academia and business in our industry, I was driven to find ways to enhance collaboration between universities and language service providers. 

Through internal discussions and drawing upon my personal experience in academia, we reimagined Exchange, and it has since evolved into a valuable platform that facilitates knowledge sharing, research collaboration, and talent development. It was a privilege to be entrusted with this responsibility and witness the positive impact it has had on our industry.

One of the most rewarding aspects of serving on the board has been the realization that my efforts can truly make a difference for the entire language industry. Witnessing the tangible impact of our collective work, whether through the development of strategic initiatives, advocacy for industry interests, or fostering collaboration, has been incredibly motivating. It reinforces my commitment to continue serving the industry and drive positive change.

These formative experiences, alongside the invaluable collaborations and relationships built with fellow board members and industry stakeholders, have been instrumental in shaping my decision to seek re-election. They have instilled in me a deep sense of purpose and a passion for furthering the interests of the language industry. I firmly believe that by continuing to serve on the board, I can contribute even more to the advancement and success of Elia and its members.

Dorothy Scerri

Could you tell me a little bit about what made you want to remain on the Elia board of directors and why you went up for re-election?

I decided to go for another election because once you’re on the board, it becomes natural — it’s like a duty you owe to the other members of the board and the members, of course. You just don’t think twice. It’s a wonderful experience. 

Also, since my previous term lasted only for one year (as I was replacing another director) there are lots of unfinished activities and initiatives that need to be continued, so my term was quite shorter and I look forward to the coming two-year term.

How would you describe your experience on the Elia board of directors these past few years? What have been some of your favorite accomplishments in the role?

I truly feel privileged that I was given this opportunity. When Manuele Vecchi approached me to submit my application for the board, I just didn’t think twice and I just accepted the challenge and started the procedure to submit my nomination. So far it has been very inspiring and motivational to work closely with industry professionals like Lucia, Diego, Alina, Klaus, Anu and Indrė. 

We work together and grow together — that is our motto. It is a mission where we all work hand in hand and help one another to reach the goals for the benefit of the association (and its members). So far I have been contributing as a treasurer to the association and I was also part of the membership committee and sponsorship committee. Since my term was significantly short, there are also unfinished tasks that require my attention. 

What are some things you’re hoping to get done in your time on the board this year? 

Naturally, there are the unfinished initiatives and activities that need to be given a push over the coming months. I hope to be able to help in the financial part of Elia as a treasurer. Then there is the Execs Conference in Malta, which is taking place in my country. I’m looking forward to bringing all our peers to my beautiful island. So we need to start preparing for that as well in terms of conference programme and logistics. 

We will be meeting in person in Krakow in September as a board and we will be discussing the initiatives and decide who will be the person in charge for the pending initiatives. It will be exciting and interesting at the same time.

Nenad Andricsek

Congratulations on your election to Elia’s board! How are you feeling about being elected to the board of directors? 

Personally, this is a great honor and I am overwhelmed. I still need to wrap my mind around what really happened. My company has been a member for many years now, and I’ve seen quite some positive changes in Elia in the last couple of years. My respect for the association was already there, but it also grew a lot. To be part of the board feels like a great personal and business achievement both to me and my company. 

This is your first time on Elia’s board of directors, correct? What drew you to consider joining Elia’s board of directors in the first place and why did you decide to run for election?

Yes, this is the first time. The motivation was to be a part of “something bigger,” not just stuck in the virtual office surrounded by Instant Messages and hundreds of emails. 

I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, to grow and to learn from peers who run much bigger companies, in a better, more sophisticated way. The possibility to learn from the other current members of the board is priceless.

What are some of your plans for your time on the board of directors? What are you most excited about and what are you hoping to accomplish as a new member of the board?

I am still finding out my possibilities and responsibilities. What I do know now is that I’ll try to bring in a fresh mind, throw some ideas around, maybe look at things from a different perspective. It would also be very good to see more and more companies joining Elia, as it is a good association which has huge potential in helping the companies stay on top of this industry. We’ll have two years to make an impact, and maybe a good plan would be to use that time to introduce Elia to more and more companies on both vendor and client side.