PRAGUE, Czech Republic, November 2, 2026 — Phrase, the world’s leading Language Intelligence Platform, today announced the appointment of David Pavlik as Chief Executive Officer and the promotion of Ian Woolley to President, effective immediately.
Pavlik, based at Phrase’s headquarters in Prague, joins from BottleCap AI, where he served as Chief Product Officer, building systems that apply large language model research at production scale. Before that, he spent more than two decades in senior technology roles at some of the world’s most demanding engineering organizations, including SpaceX, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft. At SpaceX, he managed the software programs for automated data processing and analysis and for the Autonomous Flight Termination System. At Netflix, he led technical program managers driving company-wide infrastructure initiatives. He later served as Chief Information Officer at Kiwi.com during a period of rapid international growth, and as Chief Technology Officer at both ShipMonk and Rohlik Group, one of Europe’s fastest-growing e-grocery companies.
“I’ve spent 25 years building technology at organizations with extremely high standards. I’m bringing that same mindset to Phrase,” Pavlik said. “My immediate focus is accelerating our AI innovation and product roadmap. I want to be close to our customers, understand what they need, and help them harness the future potential of AI in how they communicate globally. Phrase’s foundation is very strong, and the people and technology behind it are impressive. I’m genuinely excited to work alongside this team, move faster on AI, invest more in product, and build something our customers consider indispensable to how they create, manage, and deliver content across every market.”
Woolley has served as Chief Revenue Officer at Phrase since December 2022, having joined the company in April 2021 as Vice President of Global Sales. Under his leadership, Phrase has expanded its global customer base and built a commercial engine that consistently converts platform capability into revenue growth and customer value. Before Phrase, Woolley held senior commercial leadership roles at Ensighten, VisualDNA, and blinkx PLC, bringing more than 25 years of experience building and scaling go-to-market organizations internationally.
In his new role as President, Woolley will oversee Phrase’s commercial strategy, customer operations, and market expansion, working alongside Pavlik to turn product innovation into commercial results and expand Phrase’s presence in key markets.
“David and Ian bring a powerful combination of product expertise and commercial leadership to Phrase,” said Fernando Chueca, Managing Director and Partner, Carlyle Europe Technology Partners. “David’s technology vision and product intensity, paired with Ian’s commercial acumen and strong customer relationships, position Phrase to compete and grow at a new level. We’re confident this is the leadership team to accelerate Phrase’s market leadership further.”
Phrase has established itself as the world’s leading Language Intelligence Platform, as evidenced by its status as a leader in the first Forrester Wave for language technology. The company serves global brands including Uber, Zendesk, and Volkswagen. Backed by The Carlyle Group, it is investing heavily in the intelligence layer that orchestrates context, quality, and intent so AI translation works for business-critical content across every language and market. Pavlik’s appointment signals an intensified focus on technology innovation and product excellence as Phrase moves into its next phase.
“David brings a level of technology and product ambition that will push us even further and faster than we’ve gone before,” said Woolley. “I’m looking forward to pairing that with the market momentum we’ve established and leading this business forward together.”
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About Phrase
Phrase is the world’s leading Language Intelligence Platform, helping global organizations move faster, reach more markets, and deliver content that feels local, relevant, and authentic.
The Phrase Platform combines AI, agentic orchestration, and a headless, API-first architecture in one unified system. It applies the context that makes content perform in every market, including brand voice, quality standards, glossaries, prior translations, and cultural nuance. This means every team, in every region, can ship content that’s on-brand, on-point, and ready for any audience.
Brands like Uber, Zendesk, and Volkswagen, along with leading LSPs, global SI partners, and thousands of other organizations, choose Phrase to accelerate international growth and turn global content into a competitive advantage. For more information, visit phrase.com.
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Pamela Ghosal
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