A free four-part webinar series, co-hosted by the Canadian Language Industry Association (CLIA) and the European Language Industry Association (ELIA) designed to equip language service leaders and founders at various stages of their companies’ lifecycle, with insights and strategies to help them make informed decisions, achieve sustainable success and approach transition or exit with confidence amid industry transformation.

Designing your Journey – Structuring for Value from Day One
Framing early business decisions and growth strategy
with your end-game in mind

24 March 2026, 16:00 CET

Speaker: Dee Johnson
Panelists: Robin Ayoub and Cedric Sigoire
Introduced by Lola Bendana

Presented by Dee Johnson of Language Transactions, this webinar focuses on how early strategic decisions influence long-term enterprise value and future exit options. Rather than positioning selling as the ultimate goal, the session reframes the end-game as building a business that is well-positioned, credible, and attractive—whether for continued growth, partnership, succession, or acquisition.

Dee will be joined by Robin Ayoub of N49 Networks and Cedric Sigoire of Deman Translations, who will share their own journeys building and growing businesses in the language industry. Together, they will offer practical perspectives on how early decisions and growth strategies can shape a company’s trajectory and long-term value.

Drawing on M&A experience in the language industry, the session highlights how ownership structure, financial clarity, market positioning, and growth choices made early on shape buyer perception and valuation years later. Attendees will gain a high-level framework to think more intentionally about their business journey and the options it can create over time.

Marketing, Growing and Scaling – Demonstrating and Sustaining Value
Positioning your business for visibility, growth, and strategic expansion

23 April 2026, 16:00 CET

Speaker: Paul Barlow
Introduced by Aleksandrina Karabasheva

In today’s language services market, growth is no longer driven by volume alone. Buyers expect partners who can clearly demonstrate business value, not just deliver services. In this session, Paul Barlow will explore how LSPs and language industry leaders can reposition their marketing, sales, and client engagement strategies to communicate real impact.

Drawing on years of advising and building growth programs for language service providers, Paul will share practical frameworks for clarifying your value proposition, aligning marketing with revenue growth, and building client relationships that scale. Attendees will learn how to move beyond “services and languages” messaging toward outcome-focused positioning that resonates with enterprise buyers and supports long-term growth.

This session is designed for founders, commercial leaders, and sales professionals looking to strengthen their market positioning and build a more sustainable growth engine.

Rethinking Talent, Quality and Performance in a Changing Industry
Building lasting value through adaptive talent and quality frameworks

23 June 2026, 16:00 CET

Speaker: Bruno Hermann
Introduced by Lola Bendana

AI is not the first game changer in language management. And it won’t be the last. The call for change in the language industry does not come from AI. It comes from clients. Pressure is not only on costs as the infusion and the adoption of AI within client organizations drive an in-depth transformation in content operations and product management. Therefore, suppliers of language services and/or technology should embrace change in talent, quality and performance management, which is paramount to keep creating value.

Key takeaways

• How to ensure talent remains the best assets of LSPs by turning their resources into true language experts with a focus on value-adding tasks and roles where language expertise is required.
• Where to find spots in content and product supply chains where language professionals can be integrated and celebrated.
• Why it is crucial to go beyond quality to measure effectiveness and demonstrate value with multilingual content.
• What performance indicators enable language management to stand out and to be closely connected with business goals and stakeholders.

New Considerations in Valuation, Succession Planning and Exit Strategies
A deeper dive into exit paths and current considerations in valuation and succession

21 July 2026, 16:00 CET

Speaker: Dee Johnson
Introduced by Brogan Taylor