RWS Holdings plc, a provider of technology-enabled language, content and intellectual property services, has named a new CEO.
Founded in 1958, RWS has 65+ offices in 33 countries, generated £350.3 million revenue in H1 2024 and has more than 8,000 clients.
These include 84 of the top 100 global brands, 19 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and 18 of the top 20 patent filers worldwide.
Benjamin Faes, 52, will be appointed as CEO in January following a period as CEO-designate from early December.
Current CEO Ian El-Mokadem will remain available to support a smooth handover until the end of January 2025, when he will leave the company.
After eight years at AOL, culminating in the role of managing director for France, Faes joined Alphabet in 2008 where he launched the monetisation of YouTube across Europe.
He then took a series of leadership roles for Google in the EMEA region before becoming managing director of Google Cloud for Southern Europe and Emerging Markets.
In 2021, he joined Webhelp, a customer experience management company, as UK CEO and, following their merger with Concentrix, he led the transformation and technology team at Concentrix in his most recent role.
RWS says its AI-enabled technology and human expertise helps its clients to grow by ensuring they are understood anywhere, in any language.
“I am delighted to be joining RWS at such an exciting time for the business,” said Faes. “It is clear that the industry is in transition and that the group is pivoting successfully in response, with a clear focus on accessing new sources of growth and adding to its already impressive technology and AI capabilities.
“I look forward to getting to know RWS’s talented teams and leading the Group in the next phase of its development.”
Julie Southern, chairman, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Ben to RWS. His extensive, international track record in developing new revenue streams and implementing go-to-market strategies will be a significant asset to the group as we continue to develop and market our suite of AI-enabled services and software.
“I am confident that Ben’s longstanding experience across sales, business development and marketing, combined with his strong technology background, will enable him to build on the strong foundations Ian has established.
“We are grateful for Ian’s leadership of RWS over the last three and half years. He, and our broader leadership team, have made considerable progress in line with the group’s strategy, having brought RWS and SDL together, shaped our purpose and values, developed a refreshed range of AI-centred solutions, invested in a more efficient platform and seen the group returning to organic constant currency growth in the second half of FY24.
“I would like to thank him for his continued commitment to the Group over the last six months while we have recruited his successor.”
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