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171: Cultural Intelligence Series – The new rules of global success
“Some brands are really proud - they have thousands and thousands of pages in hundreds of languages. But nobody reads them. Gone are the days when you were translating for the sake of it.”
Ben Faes, CEO of RWS, joins the Cultural Intelligence Podcast for a conversation on what’s reshaping global brand strategy - and why Cultural Intelligence is now fundamental to succeed.
In this episode:
- Why one message no longer works everywhere - and why “American cachet” no longer carries the weight it once did
- How leading global brands stay recognizable without sounding the same everywhere - and why translation alone leaves value on the table
- Why automating everything is the fastest route to creating content nobody reads - and how AI is changing expectations around quality and relevance
This episode explores AI volume versus AI value, meaning at scale, and meeting audiences where they are.
Guests
Ben Faes is Group Chief Executive Officer of RWS. He brings more than 25 years of experience in leading digital transformation and scaling technology-driven businesses, with a strong track record of driving profitable growth, building innovative go-to-market models, and developing high-performing international teams.
Before joining RWS, Ben held senior leadership roles across the technology and business services sectors. At AOL he rose to Managing Director for France, before moving to Alphabet in 2008 where he pioneered YouTube’s monetization in Europe and later led multiple Google businesses across the EMEA region, culminating as Managing Director of Google Cloud for Southern Europe and Emerging Markets. In 2021, he became UK CEO of Webhelp, and following its acquisition by Concentrix, led global transformation and technology initiatives at Concentrix Catalyst.
Beyond his executive career, Ben is passionate about the arts and culture, actively supporting leading museums and cultural initiatives. Based in London, he balances a busy professional life with running, cycling, and traveling, and treasures time spent exploring the world with his three children.
Hosts
Marine is RWS’s Head of Global Social Media, responsible for developing and implementing the company’s global social media strategy.
After graduating as a translator from German and English into French, Marine did her internship at RWS in Berlin as a translator and terminologist. After her internship, she continued to work for the RWS Berlin office as a technical translator for 5 years while continuing to learn about marketing and social media. She then did some consulting for RWS as a social media specialist and became RWS’s social media manager in 2021, managing the company social media channels and community.
Marine has a degree in translation and terminology from the UCLouvain in Belgium. In her free time, she enjoys learning foreign languages, doing sport and taking a walk in the sun to discover cute coffee places. She is based in Madrid, Spain.
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