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.

Danilo is an accomplished manager with extensive leadership and sales expertise. He has successfully led cross-country, cross-cultural teams in both general management and sales director roles. His core strengths lie in sales management, process optimization, and driving sustainable business growth. A technology enthusiast with a people-first mindset, Danilo believes that effective people management is at the heart of every successful business. As a certified business coach, he specializes in performance coaching, helping managers and teams enhance specific skills and achieve measurable improvements in results.