An Italian, A Latvian and A Finn Walk into a Bank: The SISU guide to friendship-business partnerships

What happens when translation industry friendships evolve into formal business partnerships? Industry veterans Danilo Monaco and Kristaps Kvelde offer an unfiltered look at their journey from casual colleagues to hierarchical business partners, exploring M&A integration challenges and the messy reality when personal and professional stakes collide. Drawing on the Finnish concept of SISU (grit and determination), in this session they will share practical people management techniques and hard-earned lessons for navigating friendship-to-business transitions.

Kristaps is the founder and CEO of Nordtext, a boutique language solutions company with HQ in Latvia and two acquisitions in Finland. Beyond steering daily operations and company strategy, he is a firm believer in human-centric leadership and is driven by creating work environment where colleagues can thrive and evolve. Passionate about strengthening Nordic-Baltic business ties, Kristaps currently serves as a Board Member of the Finnish Chamber of commerce in Latvia.