Last year, we started a series highlighting the amazing Lilt employees (or Liltonians, as we like to call ourselves). We’re excited to continue that series this week with some of our recent hires helping to pave the way for a multilingual global future. Get to know more about the faces behind the work, their backgrounds, what makes them tick, and what makes Lilt the place for them.

Meet Mike Richards, an Enterprise Account Executive helping companies find solutions to their localization challenges. With over ten years of experience in the space and additional business development experience beyond that, Mike is a seasoned leader building the foundation here at Lilt. 

What’s life at Lilt like?

Well, first of all, it's fantastic. My colleagues are so great to work with and everybody seems to just have really interesting and amazing backgrounds. And I just love having the opportunity to work with all the people from different areas of the company, whether it's product, services, marketing, or even just within the sales team. 

They always say that people make the job easier, and it’s very true - the people at Lilt are just fantastic.

Where is your happy place outside of the office?

My happy place outside of the office would have to be our family cabin in the woods on an island here in the Pacific Northwest. It's just such a great place to go and get back to nature, and do some physical work and recharge. We also love to get up there and play music and sing. It really is the perfect place to help keep the balance between the busy rush of the day to day and relaxation.

What’s something people don’t know about you?

Oh, that’s a good question… always a hard one to answer. I think something that surprises people is that I’ve actually been skydiving before.

Favorite movie?

Another tough one. I'd have to say that my favorite movie is This Is Spinal Tap. It's something that I quote fairly often in my regular life. I just find it hilarious and I think it’s one of those movies that the more you watch it, the more you get out of it.

Day in the life of your role?

It’s mostly focused on helping customers with their challenges in going global. Some of the companies that I work with are going global for the first time while some of them have been doing localization for decades. The projects that these companies are working on are fascinating and really impactful, which is even more interesting to be part of.

My job also takes me into a number of different industries as well, from product-related issues and services-based companies to legal finance and even HR projects. And I just find that, more than anything, it’s always exciting. And there's always something different every day. I just love it.

Why did you start working in your role?

I actually lived in Japan for six years and, during the tail end of that time, I became a Japanese to English translator for a short time. I kind of stumbled upon this industry called localization and moved into project management, then account management and business development. 

A lot of my career came from the experience of living in Asia. It was quite a humbling experience for me when I first moved there - I wasn’t able to read signs and couldn’t really understand what people are saying. Now, working in this industry, I can really understand how difficult it can be trying to engage with a company in a language you don’t understand. I'm a real believer in what Lilt is doing, trying to make all of the world’s content accessible to everybody, no matter where they're from.

Why Lilt?

I actually knew a few people at Lilt right before joining, and the more people I met at the company, the more I knew I needed to join. It's a breath of fresh air, seeing the way we approach localization. I think some of the challenges that people are faced with in going global in 2021 are different than what they were not even five years ago. Some of the old solutions don't fit anymore, and I think that what we’re doing to address those challenges is really impactful. 

Describe Lilt in 3 words.

Dynamic, responsive, and innovative. 

The company has been so innovative in its solutions and is always willing to take feedback to change its approach. I think being responsive is really important - not just on a micro level, but responsive at a company level, responding to challenges in the marketplace and anticipating challenges that customers might need solutions for. Not only does the company have a pulse on what’s happening internally, it’s clear they pay close attention to everything else as well.

Want to join our growing team and help build the future of global experience? We’d love to talk to you if so. Check out our careers page to find the right role for you and learn more about how you can get involved.