About Us
Why now?
Samanta was born from a deep belief that language should never be a barrier to dignity, safety, or opportunity. Founded by a team of professionals with backgrounds in psychology, technology, and public service, Samanta was created to solve a growing global challenge: millions of people—refugees, patients, service users—are left unseen and unheard every day due to a lack of timely, accessible interpretation. Our mission is to change that. By combining the speed of AI with the accuracy and empathy of human interpreters, Samanta ensures that vital conversations—whether in hospitals, social services, legal settings, or crisis response—can happen clearly, instantly, and with respect.
Our Team
Philipa Kelly, Founder & CEO
With over a decade of experience in the interpreting industry, Philipa Kelly saw first-hand the gaps in accessibility, speed, and quality that left too many people without the support they needed.
Determined to create a better, more human-centred solution, she founded Samanta in 2020. Since then, Philipa has worked closely with a dedicated team of developers to build a cutting-edge platform that combines the power of AI with the empathy of real interpreters.
A three-time participant in Enterprise Ireland’s startup mentorship programmes, Philipa now leads Samanta’s growth across the UK and Ireland, driven by a mission to make critical communication seamless and inclusive for all.
Together with a team of highly skilled interpreters and tech support, Philipa and Jennie run the daily operations of Samanta. As Samanta scales and grows we look forward to expanding our team and offering our employees the highest level of job satisfaction, employee benefits and career progression. Get in touch today to register your interest in becoming part of Team Samanta. We look forward to hearing from you!
Jennie Watson, Co-Founder & COO
With over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business psychology, Jennie Watson brings a unique blend of commercial acumen and human insight to Samanta.
She joined the company as Co-Founder and COO in 2023, following a successful career across multiple corporate industries. Jennie leads Samanta’s business development and marketing efforts, playing a key role in strategic growth while overseeing day-to-day operations.
Her background in performance psychology and passion for mission-driven business make her a driving force behind Samanta’s vision to transform access to on-demand interpretation across the UK, Ireland, and beyond.
