Kristina Šuškevič is the Country Head at Skrivanek Group, a leading language-tech company. Skrivanek is an international provider of linguistic and technological services, specializing in translation, localization, and business-focused language and skills training.
As a specialist, Kristina is committed to advancing language solutions through the use of cutting-edge technologies, optimizing translation processes, and designing, developing, and implementing company expansion strategies. She advises on cross-cultural communication, supports the integration and adaptation of foreign employees to company standards and the local market, and ensures high standards of performance.
Kristina’s expertise includes monitoring results, directing and coordinating skill development initiatives, and conducting market research. Networking and building long-term professional relationships with business partners, clients, and employees are also key aspects of her work.
Company: Skrivanek
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Kristina Suskevic: My name is Kristina Šuškevič, and I am the Country Head at the Skrivanek Group branch in Lithuania.
As the company’s CEO, I deal daily with the challenges of cross-cultural communication, innovative solutions, and organizational growth – all of which shape my perspective and responsibility as a leader.
I manage complex cross-functional projects that involve voiceover, e-learning, and cultural consulting. I work closely with clients in regulated industries to develop tailored localization strategies that deliver the right balance between accuracy, compliance, and cultural nuance.
I am a visionary who believes that new ideas, their strategic implementation, flexibility, and constant development lead to success.
Skrivanek is a global language service provider specializing in tech-enhanced, strategically integrated language solutions. The company has acquired over 30 years of experience worldwide, and 20 years’ worth of experience in Lithuania.
We collaborate with regulated industries such as pharma, military, aviation, and legal, offering compliance-ready content, terminology strategy, and localization support. Our team has expertise in managing complex multilingual projects, integrating voiceover, cultural consulting, and e-learning. We’re also running the Skrivanek Training Academy, which delivers language, business communication, and intercultural skills training.
Our greatest achievements include successfully adapting businesses for foreign markets, executing complex and large-scale projects, evolving into a language-tech company, developing and implementing AI-driven tools, managing localization and globalization projects, designing business-oriented training programs for C-level executives, facilitating seamless integration of foreign employees into local markets, and shaping strategic goals through cross-cultural communication.
We’re not only adapting to the changes in industry, but actively shaping its future, delivering smarter, more strategic language solutions that meet the real-world challenges of global business.
How has the significance of networking evolved over the past decades?
Kristina Suskevic: I started networking about 15 years ago by joining various associations that bring together professionals from different industries. Throughout all these years, I’ve met many inspiring people. All of them are true experts in their fields who want to share their experience with the community and take in new knowledge from others. I’ve connected with them, exchanged those experiences, and built relationships that have grown into trusted partnerships and collaborations.
Over the years of my experience, I’ve seen how networking changed from being transactional to being relationship-driven. From time to time in the past, networking events felt like people were just there to collect business cards or pitch services instead of actually communicating. It was more like a “marketplace” of one-sided presentations, where the quality of connections was less important.
These days, it’s not so much about a quick win. People are looking for relationships they can build on – something based on trust and a real, more genuine connection. More and more, it’s about finding people you can talk to openly, share experiences with, and learn from, rather than just adding another contact to your list.
Networking taught me that the core of successful communication is honesty. You can be the best presenter, with plenty of experience in your field, but if you can’t make people feel included and valued, all your efforts simply won’t work. Showing up with integrity, being clear about what you’re looking for, and sincerely supporting others creates stronger, more resilient connections. Especially now, when our attention is scattered and relationships are more digital, being real is what cuts through the noise.
Can you share a personal story where one networking interaction led to unexpected doors opening, and how it highlights the ripple effect of networking?
Kristina Suskevic: My business model is deeply rooted in building and nurturing strong relationships with clients, partners, colleagues, employees, and vendors. I’ve always believed that every connection, whether in the short or long term, creates measurable value. It can open unexpected doors, lead to valuable partnerships and friendships, generate new opportunities, and contribute both to my personal growth as a leader and to the company’s overall success. It expands awareness, exposes me to diverse industries, and enables business agility and adaptability.
From the very beginning of my leadership journey, I knew that strong social capital is not just a nice-to-have, but one of the keys to sustainable business growth. Networking has therefore been one of my strategic priorities for many years. I am an active member of several professional organizations and business associations, and this has been a significant source of added value, both for me and for the companies I lead.
One of the examples comes from several years ago, when a fellow member of one such organization recommended me to a company. They needed a partner for a highly specialized and tailor-made project. Our first meetings with the client went exceptionally well. The project wasn’t just a one-off; it became a gateway to serving the entire corporate group, which meant we were expanding our partnership across multiple regions and into completely different business lines.
What began as a single contract quickly evolved into a long-term collaboration, which is a clear illustration of how a single introduction, one seemingly small networking moment, can create a “ripple effect” that spans years, industries, and geographies. That initial contact did not just bring one client; it unlocked a chain of new relationships, strategic partnerships, and further recommendations that continue to generate value to this day.
What I believe most strongly is this: we don’t truly do business with brands; we do business with people. And when relationships are built on trust, mutual value, and genuine connection, the ripple effect of your network is not only inevitable — it becomes one of the most powerful drivers of your growth and competitive advantage.
What are some common networking mistakes people make, and how can they pivot to turn potential missteps into learning experiences?
Kristina Suskevic: There are a lot of mistakes people make in networking, and if I’m being honest, I’ve also made them. Looking back, some of these mistakes turned out to be the most valuable lessons I could have asked for. Because if I didn’t make mistakes, how else would I have learned?
One mistake I see quite frequently is thinking you need to impress people right away. There’s this unspoken rule to be “the most interesting person in the room”, to show all the cards from the start. But in reality, those who are sincerely interested in what others do and say are those who actually succeed in communication. You can have the perfect elevator pitch polished to a shine, but if you’re not truly listening to the person in front of you, you’re missing the point. Because a conversation is a chance to connect, and connection comes more naturally from curiosity.
It’s becoming popular to treat networking as a numbers game, where you need to collect more business cards or LinkedIn connections like trophies. I think it’s because we are taught to be like this – to gain a minimum of five hundred connections on LinkedIn, to have more contacts, because it automatically means more opportunities. With these efforts, we see the results in numbers, but are they moving you closer to your goal? It might make your contact list longer, but it doesn’t make it stronger, and it doesn’t affect your real purpose. The relationships that matter are the ones where you take the time to create context, follow up, and actually engage others. I still remember conversations years later, not because of what someone did for me, but because of how genuine the exchange felt.
There’s also this habit of focusing on asking rather than offering, looking for good opportunities for yourself without first contributing any value. With that kind of approach, people would always think that your only goal is to use them, which is definitely not what networking should be about. But if we see the communication as a win-win situation, when the approach is more of a “let’s see how we can help each other” conversation, we can build that trust and make it a strong partnership. It can be a small thing like sharing an article that could solve their problem, or connecting with someone they should meet. No matter how small the gesture is, if it helps build trust, that trust is what holds the most value.
One of the most common and damaging mistakes is feeling the need to be a version of yourself that isn’t the “real you”. We often step into new environments and feel the pressure to “perform”, to present an idealized version of ourselves: always confident, successful, and know everything and everyone. But in networking, authenticity is more powerful than polish. People usually have an intuition for something inauthentic. And rehearsed stories or memorized scripts won’t help it, so it’s better to name it, say “I’m a little nervous because I really respect your work,” which can break down barriers. It’s a vulnerable and honest statement that shows respect while also making you more relatable. If you’re new to a field, just say so. For the person you’re talking to it would feel like an invitation for a more genuine exchange and an opportunity to learn from others. It’s what creates a much stronger base for relationships, as the people who are drawn to you will be connecting with the real you, not a carefully constructed, idealized image.
How do you see the future of networking evolving with the rise of AI, VR, and other technologies?
Kristina Suskevic: Technology is already changing the way we meet people and connect with them, and I’m sure we’re at the beginning of these changes. With AI tools, VR environments, and an endless number of online platforms, it’s possible to look up and reach out to someone before you’ve even met in real life. You can see their professional background, read about their current projects, and understand some of the challenges they’ve faced. With this in mind, you can start a conversation on common ground rather than generic small talk.
But as powerful as these tools are, they’re still just tools, and they can’t replace what happens when two people sit down together, look each other in the eye, and listen. And as I mentioned earlier, that’s how trust is built. Trust is a part of networking that no amount of technology can fully replicate and replace. I’ve always seen networking as a long-term investment, not a quick transaction. The most meaningful relationships come from being curious, not from pushing your agenda. While tech might speed up the process of meeting people, the old-school principles like listening more than you speak, offering help without expecting something in return, and staying authentic are what truly create lasting connections.
Looking ahead, I think the future of networking will be a mix. Technology such as AI and VR, will make it easier to find the right people, prepare for conversations, and stay connected. We might attend conferences in virtual spaces, interact with AI-powered matchmaking tools that introduce us to relevant contacts, or use data to make our outreach more precise. But the human side will still matter most. Trust will still be earned the traditional way: through consistent follow-up, through listening more than you speak, through being the kind of person others genuinely want to work with.
In the end, no matter how advanced the tools become, the essence of networking won’t change. People remember how you made them feel far longer than they remember the stats on your LinkedIn profile. And that’s something no algorithm can replace.
