Today I want to introduce you Stefania Russo, the manager of our newest chapter: The Netherlands. A warm welcome to Stefania and to all the members of the Amsterdam chapter. Stefania is Global Content Manager for TNT/FedEx and she is a certified Scrum master. One of the fascinating aspects of these interviews with the chapter managers is the fact that I get a close look at their career choices and how they manage career change. There are plenty of valuable lessons that apply to general career building and to our industry in particular. For example look at how Stefania managed her move from the client side, to the vendor side and back to the client side. Leveraging her valuable technical skills when moving to the vendor side and then going back to school to master the Agile methodology and becoming a Scrum master before moving back to the client side in a key position. Well done Stefania! I hope your story will inspire many little girls from small villages in Southern Italy and more!
About Stefania
I’ve been working in the localization field for the past ten years – on both the translation
company and client side. I started out as Italian Linguist at Computer Associates. After that, I crossed over to the translation company side, starring as Project Manager, Team Lead and Account Manager for companies like TransPerfect and AranchoDoc. A couple of years ago, I did a postgraduate degree in Agile Methodologies for Product Development. Then I became a certified Scrum Master. Today, I’m a Global Content Manager at TNT Digital, where I deliver the localization of app content into all corporate languages.
1. What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Stefania Russo and I am Global Content Manager at TNT/FedEx Express, where I am responsible for the localization of web and mobile apps into 36+ languages.
2. Where do you live?
Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
3. How many countries have you lived in?
Italy is my native country. I lived in the UK for a few months while attending university, then I moved to Spain, where I lived for 10 years before moving to The Netherlands in 2016.
4. What is your global footprint? This is our way of measuring how global our group of women is. so, you can tell us in how many countries you have lived, you have visited or you have traveled to.
I come from a small village in Southern Italy and I always dreamed of travelling abroad. My first international experience was with the Erasmus program, a university student exchange program within Europe. This was an amazing experience that marked me for the rest of my life. Meeting people from all over the world, knowing different cultures and languages is so enriching and rewarding. Since then, I have visited around 20 countries across Europe, America and Asia. Working in the localization industry allows me to be surrounded by international people and deal with different cultures on a daily basis and I simply love it!
5. What did you study?
I studied Translation and Interpreting at the University of Bologna, Italy. In 2014-2015 I attended the Ramon Llul University in Barcelona, for a postgraduate course in Agile methodologies for product development and I became a certified scrum master.
6. What do you like about your job?
I love the fact that localization is everywhere, in every product and initiative that takes place, so it helps you to acquire a broad vision of what happens in a company. I really enjoy collaborating with colleagues across different areas and departments: from developers, product owners and scrum masters, to UX designers, digital marketing specialists, and testers. Everyday there’s a new challenge to face and, ultimately, all these challenges contribute to improving our customers’ experience. I like the fact that what we do actually makes a difference!
7. What surprises you in the world of localization?
I find localization’s multifaceted and ever-evolving nature very fascinating. I am still surprised by how much localization affects different businesses areas. Considering how crucial it is to the international success of a product, it is surprising how many people are not aware of its importance.
8. How did you get involved in WL?
I learned about WL through Maria Kania-Tasak, who is geo-manager for EMEA . I was a regular attendee of the Catalan chapter events when I was living in Barcelona and I also participated as panelist in one of their events about Agile localization. When I moved to The Netherlands, I noticed that there was no active chapter, so I thought it would be a good idea to launch a chapter in The Netherlands.
9. What is your role in WL?
I’m the Chapter Manager of WL The Netherlands.
10. In which direction would you like WL to develop in the future?
I’d like WL to be the best community in the world for women in our industry to get together, share experiences, develop their skills and careers, find coaching and mentoring. I see it quickly developing toward being the go-to community for women in our industry.
11. Are you planning a WL event?
Yes! We will host our first WL The Netherlands event on June 28 in Amsterdam where we will introduce Women in Localization, its organization, scope and mission. There will also be time to talk and network.
Here is the link to register for the event:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-in-localization-the-netherlands-kick-off-event-amsterdam-tickets-35352653739