Localization Leaders: Meet HP Indigo’s Brigitte Benett

In this episode of our Localization Leaders podcast series, we spoke to Brigitte Benett, Localization Project Manager at HP Indigo. HP Indigo, a subdivision of HP Inc., specializes in manufacturing and selling digital presses for users around the world.

Learn from Brigitte’s 18+ years in the localization industry as she shares the benefits of a small localization team, her best advice for fostering internal support for localization, plus skills every Localization Project Manager should hone. 

Read the full interview, or watch the videocast below:

How did your career path lead you to the localization industry, particularly as a localization project manager at HP Indigo?

I was born and raised in France, and I studied computer science in both Israel and France. I started my career as a programmer analyst in France, working for IT and industrial companies. Later, I moved to the US, working first in Austin, Texas, and then in Alameda, California, where I was more involved in system analysis and project management. 

After that, I returned to France and worked in Sophia Antipolis, where I led a team of technical support engineers for a B2B marketplace company. I was in charge of customer care and support for their auction center.

Eventually, I moved back to Israel in search of a company I would truly want to work for. I started my career off as a nerd, but really, I’m a builder—I love working on projects from scratch so I can look back and admire what’s been accomplished. When I heard about HP Indigo, I fell in love with their product. The presses are amazing—very complex, but fantastic quality. Now I’ve been working for HP Inc. in the Indigo division for around 18 years as a Localization Project Manager (PM). Time flies!

Wow, that’s amazing! I’d love to hear more about HP and what localization looks like there. What role does it play, and how is your team or department structured?

At HP, localization is considered a core feature. All our products are released in every language we support simultaneously—it’s considered a “sim-ship,” meaning simultaneous shipping. 

One of HP’s divisions has a complete localization and globalization department, with its own developers, in-house translators, and QA testers – the whole shebang. 

When we built the localization department at HP Indigo, we opted for a small core team—myself as the Localization PM and two localization specialists. However, we rely heavily on support from other departments, like UX, system engineering, QA, and technical writers.

Working directly with the people who develop things means we avoid duplication and don’t have to train as much. Plus, we get to teach others to think about localization from the start, which has worked well for us. 

It does have challenges, however. Since I don’t manage those teams directly, aligning priorities and getting the resources we need can require a lot of communication across teams. But I think it’s a good setup overall, and working with various people in the company has its advantages.

Actually, I remember being so happy one day because I entered a meeting and heard someone say, ‘But what about localization?’ 

It’s amazing because I often don’t have to say anything—someone else in the room will say, “Yes, but Brigitte’s team with localization—did you think about that?” For me, that’s the best achievement.

It sounds like you’ve managed to foster a strong localization culture at HP Indigo. Do you have any tips for others looking to demonstrate the value of localization within their companies?

Localization is a core feature of all our products now, but it wasn’t always like that. When I first started, it was tough to push for the resources we needed because localization adds tasks to various teams—UX, system engineers, developers—and it wasn’t always welcomed. They already have to think of 1,000 details and then on top of that, you add the localization limitations. Localization also requires an additional budget, which can be difficult for other departments to accept.

Over time, though, we put processes in place, and people started to see localization as part of the overall product quality. 

I like to think of localization as taking the product’s temperature—if you care about localization, you’re ensuring the product will succeed in different markets. 

Upper management needs to understand what is at stake to provide localization with the appropriate budget and support. We were fortunate that our upper management knew our clientele very well, so they understood the importance of localization and supported us. They knew that without localization, we couldn’t gain market share. While it’s hard to calculate the exact ROI of localization, it’s clear that it’s essential for both pre-and post-sales success.

Once you put the right processes in place for your company, people will adapt to the idea of localization with time, and in the end, they will make it their own. 

Localization really does act as a diagnostic test for a product’s readiness. In your view, what is HP’s greatest localization strength?

Commitment. Localization is a heavy task, but we have the commitment of everyone involved, from engineers to upper management. That commitment ensures we have the resources we need, and we’ve developed a lot of processes around localization. 

It took me a year to select the right LSP (language service provider) and specialists, and we’ve even developed tools to assist with linguistic QA. At HP, we’ve also been using Neural Machine Translation (NMT) for several years, long before the AI buzz, which has helped cut down turnaround time and costs. 

This commitment and constant improvement in processes make our localization efforts strong.

Speaking of AI, how does it impact your day-to-day work, and do you have any tips on how to use it effectively?

AI is everywhere now. It’s an incredible tool, though it can be tricky depending on the domain. In localization, though, it’s very powerful. 

We’ve been using NMT for some time now, and we’re currently working on a new process that involves using large language models (LLMs) to further fine-tune our NMT output. It’s still in the early stages, but I believe it will have a big impact on how we work, and it’s exciting to see how AI will shape our industry moving forward.

As an experienced Localization Project Manager (LPM), what advice would you give to someone looking to become an LPM? What skills should they focus on?

A Localization PM is first and foremost a project manager, so strong project manager skills are essential. You’ll be juggling multiple products and priorities, so being able to manage that effectively is key. Having a technical background has also helped me a lot. While I don’t code anymore, understanding the technical side of things is crucial because you’ll spend a lot of time working with engineers. Even if you’re not programming, you need to understand the problems engineers face in order to effectively communicate how to address localization issues. 

You need strong technical skills, but also really good communication skills because you need support from several teams. I think that’s what makes it great—people aren’t just doing the same repetitive tasks over and over. Speaking a foreign language besides English is a must-have, too. 

To sum it up, the skills I look for in a localization team include versatility, technical know-how, and great communication. And, of course, if they speak English well and a foreign language, that’s a big plus.

Thank you, Brigitte. Let’s move on to rapid-fire questions…what is your favorite language?

I think the most beautiful language, apart from French, is Italian. 

What is your favorite localization tool?

Catalyst from Alchemy. When I decided to introduce a localization tool, there weren’t many options—only about two at the time. It took me a year to decide between them. 

I ran a lot of tests because when you adopt a new application in-house, it can either help you or become a real burden if it’s not the right fit. 

So, I wanted to be absolutely sure, and in the end, I trusted my gut and chose Catalyst. I’ve been happy with it since day one. We’ve had an excellent support relationship with Alchemy for around 15 years now. 

And where’s your favorite place that you’ve ever traveled to?

I’ve traveled a lot, but I love the Philippines.

What is your localization nightmare?

That would be reaching the last build before release, and something that you’ve tested and approved suddenly goes wrong. Then, the product gets released to customers and you realize you caught the error too late – that’s my nightmare.

Thank you so much, Brigitte. It’s been a pleasure hearing about your journey and insights into localization at HP Indigo.

Corinne Sharabi

Corinne is the Social Media and Content Lead at BLEND. She is dedicated to keeping global business professionals up to date on all things localization, translation, language and culture.

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