Our Executive Team

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.

Candida (Candy) Davies joined RWS as Chief Financial Officer in October 2022. She oversees all aspects of the Group’s financial function. 

An accomplished leader with more than 25 years’ experience, Candy has a deep expertise in finance, strategy and business transformation, and a wealth of international experience in executing and integrating significant corporate transactions. 

Most recently Candy was Head of Finance for the Personal Health division of Royal Philips, the Dutch-headquartered health technology conglomerate, where she additionally supported the Group Innovation and Strategy function. She has considerable experience in commercial and operational leadership and played a key role in driving market innovation, new business models and solutions to support enhancing patient and consumer experience, improving health outcomes and driving sustainable performance. 

She previously spent eight years at Reckitt Benckiser as SVP Group Controller and European Finance Director for the Hygiene and Home Business Unit. After qualifying as a chartered accountant at KPMG International Ltd, Candy worked for 12 years at Eli Lilly & Co, the US pharmaceutical company. 

Candy graduated from the University of Bristol with a BSC (Hons) in Engineering Mathematics. When she’s not working Candy enjoys hiking, playing tennis, travelling and spending time with family and friends.

Joseph is Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Affairs and is responsible for strategy, investor relations and the company’s global M&A activity.

Joseph has 14 years’ experience in senior leadership roles in technology-enabled service companies. He was most recently responsible for corporate development at Webhelp (owned by founders Olivier Duha/Frédéric Jousset and successive funds including Charterhouse, KKR and Groupe Bruxelles Lambert) and delivered the successful buy-and-build strategy in the period 2015-2023, culminating with a combination with NASDAQ quoted Concentrix. He was also responsible for corporate development at Travelex (owned by founder Sir Lloyd Dorfman and Apax) and supported the company’s successful turnaround strategy in the period 2010-2015.

Previously, Joseph spent 14 years at BZW, Credit Suisse and Hawkpoint, advising public and private companies in a wide variety of industries on international M&A and equity/debt financing.

Joseph holds a BA (Hons) in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford and is fluent in English, French and Spanish, having lived, studied, and worked in the UK, France and his native Guatemala.

Outside of work, Joseph is passionate about wine, enjoys serious hiking and practises boxing. He has been a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge for over 20 years!

Jérôme joined RWS in April 2025 as Executive Vice President, Go-To-Market, where he is responsible for redefining and steering the company’s commercial operations. He brings extensive expertise in scaling global businesses, driving transformation and building high-performing teams across sales, partnerships and customer success. 

A highly experienced business leader, Jérôme has spent more than 25 years in senior roles across the technology and SaaS sectors. He was previously Chief Operating Officer at Eviden and Chief Revenue Officer at Mapbox. Before that, he spent 15 years with Google, where he helped scale the company’s AdTech business globally and, in his last four years, was Managing Director for Google Workspace in EMEA within Google Cloud. His career has been defined by his ability to combine strategic vision with operational excellence, consistently delivering profitable growth and lasting customer value. 

Jérôme began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he developed strong problem-solving and strategic skills that have underpinned his leadership journey in the technology sector. Over the course of his career, he has lived and worked in France, the United Kingdom and the United States, gaining first-hand experience leading international teams and businesses across diverse markets. 

Outside of work, Jérôme embraces a rich multicultural family life with his wife and four children, drawing on his French roots and her Mexican heritage, and enjoys traveling, exploring global cuisines and deepening his passion for history and geopolitics.

John was appointed CEO of Content Technology, part of the Generate segment, on 1 October 2025. He is responsible for setting the vision, strategy and execution for RWS’s content technology portfolio, working closely with clients to deliver the next generation of enterprise knowledge management solutions. 

With nearly two decades of leadership experience, John brings deep expertise in software development, knowledge management and digital transformation within highly regulated industries. His career spans product innovation, client engagement, operations and scaling global businesses to meet the evolving needs of enterprise and government customers. 

Prior to this role, John served as Chief Executive Officer of Propylon (acquired by RWS in 2023), a global leader in simplifying complex legal, legislative and regulatory processes through technology. After joining Propylon in 2005, he held multiple leadership positions, including Chief Operations Officer, before being appointed CEO in 2012. Under his leadership, Propylon earned repeated recognition as one of Ireland’s best workplaces, certified by Great Places to Work.

John began his career in the telecommunications sector, where he developed revenue generation and billing platforms for operators across Europe and the United States. This early experience provided a strong foundation in building scalable systems that support growth and compliance in complex, demanding environments. 

He holds a degree in Business Information Technology from Trinity College Dublin and is a frequent contributor to discussions on digital transformation in legislative and regulatory domains. 

In his spare time John enjoys reading, running and following one of the world’s oldest sports – hurling.

Jane joined RWS as General Counsel and Company Secretary in October 2022, and holds overall responsibility for the Group’s legal, governance, and compliance functions. She also oversees the company’s risk management capabilities to support our future growth strategy ambitions. 

A highly experienced General Counsel and Company Secretary, Jane has an outstanding record advising listed companies. She has held a mix of private practice and in-house legal roles alongside commercial and compliance roles in international organizations. 

Previously Jane was General Counsel and Company Secretary of De La Rue plc, overseeing all legal and corporate governance matters, business ethics and risk management. She also spent six years with FTSE 250 company Hikma Pharmaceuticals plc as Head of Corporate and European Legal. Before then, Jane led the Investment Banking Compliance function at Nomura International and held roles in corporate broking and corporate finance at JP Morgan Cazenove. 

After completing a BA (Hons) in Law from Oxford University, Jane trained and qualified as a solicitor in the Corporate Department of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In her spare time Jane enjoys tennis, running and wine tasting.

Vasagi is the CEO of TrainAI, the AI data services business within the Generate segment of RWS. She provides overall strategic leadership and direction, with full accountability for the division’s global P&L, growth, and innovation agenda. As CEO, Vasagi drives the long-term vision and operational excellence of TrainAI, ensuring the company delivers trusted, large-scale AI data solutions to the world’s leading technology enterprises. 

With over 28 years of global experience, Vasagi brings a track record of transformational leadership across technology consulting, professional services and AI data industries. She has successfully steered organizations through business model evolution, digital transformation, and scaling of AI-driven operations. Her career spans strategic planning and execution, business development, client relationship leadership, and engineering management, giving her a holistic perspective on enterprise growth. Vasagi is a thought leader in AI data services, frequently shaping dialogue on the future of human-in-the-loop AI, data quality and responsible AI adoption. 

Prior to joining RWS, Vasagi held senior leadership roles at Appen, where she managed one of the company’s largest global AI data services portfolios, and at Cognizant Technology Solutions and CoreLogic. At Cognizant, she specialized in the banking and financial services practice, managing strategic fintech and banking accounts. At CoreLogic, she focused on product development and engineering management within large-scale data and analytics platforms, delivering solutions that powered decision-making for global financial institutions and enterprises. 

She holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Kuvempu University, a Post Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Texas, and multiple advanced certifications in Data Science, Software Architecture, Cybersecurity, and Business Strategy from MIT, Harvard, and HBS Online. 

Beyond her professional pursuits, Vasagi is an avid reader and enjoys cooking. She treasures time outdoors with her teenage daughter and husband.

James joined the Executive Team in October 2025 as CEO, Protect. He is responsible for overseeing Protect’s overall strategic direction, leadership and growth, with a focus on supporting IP law firms and corporate IP departments in driving value across the IP lifecycle. 

James has over 20 years’ experience in the IP industry, leading global teams and serving some of the world’s top corporate IP filers and IP law firms. He started his IP career at CPA Global, specializing in trademarks and held his first senior management position running a multi-territory service delivery function for CPA Global’s core renewals business. In 2018, he moved with his family to Hong Kong where he spent four years scaling and growing key APAC markets. Prior to joining RWS, James was Vice President of Clarivate’s Patent Annuity business. 

His intricate knowledge of the IP industry, proven track record in leading global teams and deep understanding of customer requirements enable him to develop market-leading solutions across the IP lifecycle and drive operational excellence for the benefit of our IP customers. He has the ability to understand and deliver localized IP solutions in a diverse global IP market. 

James holds a Business Studies degree from the University of Plymouth. 

Outside of work, James enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures with his wife and two boys. He stays active by playing football for an amateur team, regularly running by the River Thames and tending to his garden. He can also be found stood in a wet field on a Sunday morning coaching his son’s football team!

Mark joined the Executive Team in August 2024 and is CEO of the NASA region (Transform), overseeing all aspects of sales and client delivery for our strategic content solutions. 

Mark brings over two decades of experience in the enterprise software and services space, collaborating with and developing solutions for leading Fortune 500 companies. 

Previously President of RWS’s Linguistic AI and Regulated Industries businesses, Mark has a proven track record in assembling and leading high-performing teams dedicated to overcoming clients’ language and content transformation challenges with the latest advances in AI. Based in New York, Mark is a graduate in Communication and International Business and is passionate about people, technology and positive change.

In his spare time, Mark valiantly tries to keep up with his children on the water in the summer and on the slopes in the winter, though they often leave him in their wake.

Amanda joined the Executive Team in 2023 and serves as CEO of EMEA & APAC (Transform), overseeing all aspects of sales and client delivery for our strategic content solutions across these two regions. 

She has more than 20 years’ experience in the localization industry, starting as a translation project manager in 2000 and later becoming Vice President of a Global Project Management Office. Amanda was appointed Executive Vice President of RWS’s Strategic Solutions Group in 2022. Before joining RWS Amanda worked as a Spanish to English translator in Mexico and subsequently joined AT&T as a Project Manager.  

Her operational experience in some of the most demanding environments and proven history in maintaining long-term client relationships enable her to develop highly effective strategies for companies looking to engage with global audiences.  

She has a BA in Languages from Liverpool University and a Post Graduate degree in IT at Newcastle University, as well as qualifications from the Project Management Institute.  

A mother of two sports-mad daughters, Amanda spends most weekends cheering them on at national and international diving competitions, as well as volunteering to run diving events.

Maria is responsible for our Language eXperience Delivery platform, and oversees all localization and production processes for our client-facing teams.

Over 15 years’ experience in localization has given Maria an unrivalled level of expertise. Not only does she drive the day-to-day activities of our language delivery teams, she is leading our transformation towards a data-driven, machine-first, human-centered localization process. 

After graduating from university, Maria joined SDL (acquired by RWS in 2020) as a Localization Project Manager. Her first leadership role arrived in 2010 when she led SDL’s operational and commercial teams in Germany. Five years later Maria moved to the operational side, leading production teams across Europe, and then globally. 

Maria has a Diplom Übersetzer from the University of Heidelberg. In her spare time Maria enjoys cooking and spending time with her family.

Christina joined RWS in May 2025 as Chief Product and Technology Officer and leads the company’s global product and technology strategy, shaping the innovation agenda and delivering scalable, market-leading solutions. 

A highly experienced senior executive with a proven record of delivering revenue growth and cost optimization across complex technology, digital product and data solutions, Christina brings more than 25 years’ experience working with blue chip companies, private equity and start-ups undergoing large digital transformations and change programmes. 

Before joining RWS, Christina held various strategic roles including Chief Operating Officer and Adviser at a fertility start-up, and Chief Product and Technology Officer at OVO Energy where she held responsibilities across all technology, product and data. 

Previous tenures included Chief Technology Officer for News UK where Christina delivered new digital product and delivery capabilities and created a data strategy to improve revenue streams. Christina was also deputy CTO for News Corp and ran their global Emerging Technology practice, helping to implement a global technology change and innovation programme across the organization. In addition, as Chief Product and Information Officer at the Financial Times, she implemented a new digital-first strategy and delivered new data, content and subscription platforms to drive significant savings for the business. She has also held senior management positions at Pearson and the BBC. Christina also currently holds a Non-executive Director role at Which?. 

She has a MSc Management and Organisational Analysis from the University of London (Birkbeck) and a BEng (Hons) Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. 

Christina spends her spare time trying to keep on top of her garden, dog walking and meeting friends for drinks or theatre trips. She loves travelling and exploring new places. She has three boys so is also often found on the sideline of a pitch.

Jacqui was appointed Chief People Officer in October 2024 and is responsible for RWS’s global human resources strategy, including global talent acquisition, leadership development, colleague engagement and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She is an ambassador for RWS’s values, cultivating an environment where colleagues have an opportunity to be their best as part of a diverse global team. 

A commercially-focused people leader with proven international expertise, Jacqui excels at developing HR strategy and delivering results in diverse and rapidly changing environments. She is passionate about giving a voice to people issues and developing creative solutions that deliver positive business outcomes. 

She brings more than 25 years’ experience across several industries including the electronics, construction, hire services and testing, inspection and certification sectors. Before joining RWS she was Group Chief Human Resources Officer at EDM Group and has held HR Director positions at Sherwin-Williams and Exova Group Limited. 

In her spare time Jacqui enjoys spending time with her family and is a keen animal lover with three cats and a horse to keep her busy.