Meet the Founding Team
Talia Zur Baruch
GlobalSaké & LocLearn Founder CEO: 2017-Current
Talia is a Global-Ready Product & Growth Executive, working cross-functionally to develop, design and deliver product experiences fit for the diverse use cases of the world. She has 25 years of experience leading international expansion as Head of Product for New Markets Growth at LinkedIn and SurveyMonkey, and earlier in her career, leading Localization and Internationalization at Google, VMware, and Lionbridge.
Talia has developed the GlobalSake and LocLearn Upskill Training programs for knowledge sharing, interdisciplinary connections, and industry collaborations. She believes that "When we come together across functions, cultures, and regions, we can solve big global challenges, leveraging the diverse perspectives and skillsets."
Talia fuels on outdoor action, swimming, dancing, and world travel.
John Hayato Branderhorst
GlobalSaké CoFounder: 2017-2024
John’s path has been anything but straight. Before his time at GlobalSaké, he joined btrax, a US and Japan Design and Marketing agency. He has consulted with NTT on partnership and acquisition strategies, worked with Sony spinout, MotionPortrait, on their U.S. expansion, and started a ramen noodle business that was the precursor to Off The Grid. Right out of college John spent 5 years in Okinawa, Japan as part of the JET Program.
John is passionate about fitness and healthy living and spends his free time volunteering with Kids Enjoy Exercise Now USA, a national non-profit that provides free one-to-one exercise opportunities for youth with disabilities. He is also on the board of the Japan America Society of Colorado supporting Japan US partnership initiatives.
Meet Our Interns
Minting Lu
MA in Translation and Localization Management (Chinese<>English),
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
Ruiyi Zhang
MA Candidate in Translation and Localization Management (Chinese<>English),
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
Kristen Ingalz
MA Candidate in Translation and Localization Management (English<>Japanese),
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
Julena Wuer
MA Candidate in Translation and Localization Management (Chinese<>English),
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
GlobalSaké Experts Roundtable
Talia Zur Baruch
Founder, GlobalSaké & LocLearn
(Led International Expansion at LinkedIn, SurveyMonkey, Google)
Giulia Greco
International Expansion and Global Growth Strategist
Ex Head of Localization at Shopify
Dr. Rafał Jaworski
PhD, Principal AI Engineer (ex XTM International)
Academic lecturer at AMU Poznań
Alessandra Binazzi
Globalization Strategist at Global Sights Consulting (ex Head of Localization at ASICS Digital)
Saskia Rock
Japan-focused HR & Business Consultant, Coach, Representative of the Japan Consulting Office
