Date and place of birth? September 9, 1963, Moscow, Russia

Greatest professional success? Most probably it's just the fact of creating and building Logrus from scratch as a localization company at a time when the whole concept of what business is in Russia has been rather vague and purely theoretical. Or may be it is finding the new incarnation for myself after 10 years as a physicist.

Greatest professional mistake? Being naïve and sometimes too dewy-eyed and indulgent.

Most embarrassing professional moment? At the start of my software localization career I was attending a project kick-off with a very important client. Having just arrived I had to explain that I actually didn't represent the company I was supposed to represent any more, but rather my own small team… I will never forget the grace and adroitness that the client management demonstrated dealing with this abrupt mishap. This has turned into the most valuable (and free!) hands-on lesson in business conduct that I've ever received.

Most likely to say? Anything from telling a joke (sometimes on the verge of political correctness) to quoting a classic. I am really fond of clearing the air or dispelling the gloom when it accumulates (especially when it organically integrates with showing off my erudition ).

Least likely to say? "I want some peace of mind"

What do you like most about the business? The mere fact that we are doing something real, perceptible and useful, and the ability to change the world, however inconsiderable these changes are, rather than just watching it. This was what I missed most in my previous career as a scientist.

What do you like least about the business? The pervasive feeling that a substantial part of myself does not belong to me any more.

Who do you most admire, and why? Sharp-witted people with a detached and nonconformist view. For instance, I admire Fukidid who said that ignorance makes us courageous while knowledge makes us indecisive, and W.R. Inge, the English theologian, who has given us a brilliant definition of a nation that is as topical as ever: "A nation is a large group of people united by a false concept of their ancestry and hatred for their neighbors".

What keeps you awake at night? Rephrasing Antoine De Saint-Exupery, the thought that we are responsible for all those whom we have employed.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out? Get prepared for making decisions with an inadequate volume of available information. And don't learn from others' mistakes, otherwise you won't be able to make yours, and life will lose its color!

What is your favorite industry fantasy? Switching to a new localization paradigm—localizing people rather than software.

Where will the industry be in five years time? I hope it will stay as unpredictable as it has been for the last several years. That way I will have every reason to say that I don't have the slightest idea of where it will be without losing face! I could of course give you a gloomy forecast: with online user assistance taking over from the remaining manuals, and videoconferences substituting for traditional get-to-togethers, etc., we'll ultimately become virtual creatures ourselves, living not somewhere on planet Earth, but rather in the Internet, as localization companies evolving into "intellectual gateways".

If I had my time over again, I would… trust my intuition more!

How would you like to be remembered? I'll be very modest here: I would just like to be remembered… Maybe as a person who liked good jokes and couldn't sit idly by.