Women in Localization announces their 2026 President and Board for the near year. The 2026 Board of Directors reflects W.L.’s continued focus on scale, innovation, and global impact:

• Anna N. Schlegel, President, Interim Chapters, Marketing & Advocacy
• Maria Jesús de Arriba Díaz, Vice President, Technology & Innovation
• Cecilia Maldonado, Operations & Metrics
• Madhu Sundaramurthy, Global Community
• Jill Goldsberry, Global Partnerships & Events
• Carrie Fischer, Global Growth & Diversity
• Vanessa Prolow, Interim Non-Profit Programs
• Maria Kania, Global Sponsorship & Fundraising
• Lina Eliachova, Treasurer

Continuing in advisory board roles for 2026 are Fabiano Cid (Diversity & Inclusion), Eva Klaudinyova (Non-Profit, Co-Founder), Gary Muddyman (Growth & Africa Non-Profit), and Silvia Avary (Finance, Co-Founder). The organization also welcomes Allison McDougall to the advisory team supporting Sponsorship and Fundraising.

Reflecting on 2025, Schlegel acknowledged the achievements of the outgoing board. “Thank you to our 2025 Board for your leadership and stewardship. Together, we reached 17,270 members in 2025, an unprecedented level of growth for our industry.”

A Global Community in Motion: Women in Localization Grows to 17,270 Members Worldwide

Women in Localization is currently adding approximately 650 new members every quarter worldwide. This rapid growth is powered by more than 350 volunteers, including Program Directors, Chapter Managers, Board Members, Advisors, Partners, and Sponsors.

2025 notable milestones include the launch of two new chapters, bringing the total number of W.L.’s global chapters to 34. The New York City chapter supports the sizable community of localization professionals in the tri-state area, and the East African chapter was created for localization professionals across eight countries in East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Somalia. In addition, in November, Women in Localization’s Catalunya chapter marked ten years of community, equality, and innovation at an event celebrating this milestone anniversary.

“As an organization, we are effectively running a world-class international airport — adding two new planes every quarter, opening new routes, welcoming new passengers — while maintaining the highest standards of excellence and member impact,” Schlegel said.

In April, W.L. launched a Mental Health and Wellness initiative designed to create meaningful conversations around mental well-being and offer practical support for life’s daily challenges. A series of workshops hosted by Wellness Ambassadors are providing a safe space for W.L. members to discuss issues, learn how to better manage stress, and build resilience through 2026.

August saw the publication of the organization’s second annual Impact Report, highlighting the organization’s momentum and growth throughout 2024.

In October the organization hosted the first WeShape AI panel with Vicente Silveira, Ari Font and Anna Schlegel as 3 Silicon Valley pioneers who reflected on where AI is heading. As well as a thought-provoking discussion at LocWorld54 called “Leveraging Global Experience for Career Growth and Competitive Edge.” The conversation featured Nataly Kelly in dialogue with Winnie Heh exploring how linguistic and cultural fluency sharpens leadership skills, creates business impact, and opens doors to global career opportunities. All incredible thought leaders in our profession.

2026 Strategic Focus

In 2026, Women in Localization will continue its shift toward highly intentional global growth, as well as deepening impact in the areas that matter most to members. The organization’s strategic focus will center on three core programs:

• Global Mentoring, expanding access for professionals new to the globalization industry.
• The Job Board, a go-to resource for upskilling and reskilling in an AI-driven economy.
• WeShape AI, an initiative launched in 2025 focused on shaping the future of AI through global inclusion.

Under Schlegel’s presidency, W.L. will deepen its commitment by continuing to expand in Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the East Coast of the United States, regions showing the fastest growth in member demand. This intentional growth is driven by insights from W.L.’s data and metrics teams and direct feedback from its global community.

With more than 115 free educational and networking events each year worldwide, Women in Localization operates as a truly distributed, always-on platform—locally grounded, globally connected, and deeply responsive to member needs.

Looking Ahead

This unique combination of global scale, strong local execution, continuous innovation, rapid collaboration, and future-focused leadership positions Women in Localization as the strongest globalization platform and an incredible women empowerment engine, effectively creating the next leaders who will shape the future of our industry.

“It’s always an exciting moment for Women in Localization,” Schlegel said. “Our community grows every day, our processes are strong, and our volunteers and members actively shape our direction. After 18 years, we are the world’s strongest engine for globalization and innovation, and we’re making a difference in the lives of our community every day, this is why we all work so hard and our community gives back in such a big way.”