WALTHAM, Mass. — As a child following his international executive father around the world, Satish Maripuri had no idea that his globe-spanning lifestyle would become a significant asset in his professional pursuits.

Nevertheless, Maripuri has utilized his cultural sensitivity and awareness to help propel Waltham, Mass.-based Lionbridge Technologies Inc. to unprecedented leadership in the global services industry. As chief operating officer at Lionbridge for the last three years, Maripuri has been instrumental in growing the firm from $150 million in revenue to an impressive $420 million in 2006.

A native of Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, Maripuri earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Andhra University in 1986. He then came to the United States to finish a master’s degree in computer science in 1988 at Northeastern University in Boston.

Maripuri, 42, joined Lionbridge with more than a decade of experience in building and growing successful software and services organizations. Among his achievements, he was former senior vice president of business development for Imprivata, a provider of identity and access management security products. He also spent seven years at eXcelon Corp., serving as president and chief operating officer, where he led all aspects of the company’s business operations, including international services expansion and global onsite consulting.

Started in 1996, Lionbridge specializes in adapting client content and products, most notably software technology, to meet the linguistic, technical and cultural requirements of customers, partners and employees on a worldwide basis.  In addition to its Massachusetts headquarters, it has 50 locations in 25 countries and 4,000 employees. The firm’s client base includes Microsoft Corp., Ebay Inc., PayPal, Google, Sony Corp., Novell Inc., Thomson Electronics, Hewlett-Packard Development Co., IBM and a wide array of technological and pharmaceutical companies.

Maripuri’s responsibilities and expertise encompass the entire spectrum of Lionbridge services starting with business development and meeting market needs. His duties also include ensuring the quality, interoperability and performance of clients’ software, hardware and consumer technology, such as Web sites according to global demands. For example, Lionbridge offers these services in more than 110 languages.

The company operates in close to 30 countries and continues to grow. Central to this effort is Maripuri’s focus on building international management teams that effectively meet and respond to client’s customer requirements.

These teams include members of all different nationalities, making cross-cultural integration a challenge. However, Maripuri has succeeded in building a corporate culture that, by and large, has effectively met the international demands of Lionbridge clients.

Maripuri is confident that such innovation will enable Lionbridge to achieve its five-year objective of reaching $1 billion in revenue, which he says the company is on track to do.

Without a doubt, Maripuri himself has played a large role in Lionbridge’s continued progress. “He is a tremendously engaged and supportive leader,” said Tracey Feick, vice president of Americas operations for Lionbridge. Feick works closely with Maripuri in building and sustaining product management and productivity for clients based in North America and South America.

 “He not only sets the vision for the organization but also empowers and inspires his team while also holding them accountable for their efforts,” she added.

In fact, Maripuri’s reputation within the global services industry encouraged Feick to come to Lionbridge in November 2006 in the first place. She says she came here because of her respect for him as a leader.

In addition to his management style, Maripuri speaks six languages and points to his international awareness as being integral to his success.

Maripuri also counts several individuals as having enormous influence on both his personal and professional development, including his father. He also cites cycling legend Lance Armstrong as a source of inspiration, as well. 

Looking ahead, Lionbridge’s COO is setting his sights on achieving chief executive officer status, perhaps of his own company.