GlobalEnglish - Management Team

Management Team

The GlobalEnglish management team brings together extensive experience in global business, learning, and technology. They focus on creating value for clients, employees, investors, and partners.

Deepak Desai

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Desai has over 20 years of strong financial and operating experience, most notably with Time Warner Inc., where he spent twelve years in senior financial positions in New York and Asia. From 1995 to 1999, he served as General Manager/CFO for Time Life Asia, managing the children's education, ESL, and direct marketing businesses. He received a B.S. in commerce from the University of Bombay and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Les Schmidt

Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Schmidt has over 20 years of executive experience with technology and emerging-growth companies. Most recently, he was Vice President of Worldwide Custom Solutions and Business Operations for the Mobile and Devices business unit of Adobe Systems (formerly Macromedia). Previously, Mr. Schmidt was a founder of The Information Privacy Company. He has also held senior leadership roles at Quokka Sports, MECON, Inc., The Learning Company, and Applied Immune Services. Mr. Schmidt holds an M.S. in taxation from Golden Gate University and a B.S. in political science and economics from Antioch College.

Sheila Madden

Senior Vice President of Talent Management

Ms. Madden has worked in the areas of talent management, executive leadership development, human resources, and organization effectiveness for over 20 years. Most recently, she served as the Principal of Madden Coaching & Consulting, providing executive and organization coaching and consulting to leaders of high-growth companies. Previously, Ms. Madden served as Vice President of Human Resources for The Learning Company and held senior management roles at Tandem Computers and the IBM Corporation.

Tom Kahl

Vice President and Corporate Sales Director - United States

Mr. Kahl is responsible for USA sales, support, and global sales operations. Prior to joining GlobalEnglish, he spent seven years with SmartForce (now Skillsoft), serving in various management positions, including Vice President of EMEA with responsibility for sales, support, marketing, and operations. Mr. Kahl received his B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Mahesh Ram

Vice President of Worldwide Business Development and Corporate Sales Director - EMEA

Prior to joining GlobalEnglish, Mr. Ram held a variety of senior management positions with The Thomson Corporation, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of WisdomLink, a leading Internet learning service provider to the corporate, education, and lifelong learning markets. Mr. Ram received a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in American history from the University of Pennsylvania and the Advanced Information Technology Management (AITM) Certificate from Columbia University.

Michelle Haag

Vice President, Products and User Experience

Ms. Haag has over 13 years of experience designing and developing innovative Web, desktop, and mobile products for the consumer and enterprise markets. Prior to GlobalEnglish, Ms. Haag held several strategic senior management roles at Yahoo! Inc., most recently for Yahoo! Global Mobile products. Previously, she held a variety of senior management positions at IBM, Rational Software, Pets.com, and Documentum. Ms. Haag received a B.A. in political science from Colorado State University.

Santosh Jha

Vice President of Product Development and Technology

Mr. Jha has over 20 years of experience in technology strategy, architecture, implementation, engineering management, and product design. He has held senior positions with several global companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Tata Engineering, and Intuit. Mr. Jha received his M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India.

Sam Neff

Vice President of Special Projects

Mr. Neff has over 18 years of experience in the field of educational software. He is currently creating a community for worldwide English learners, EnglishCafe.com. Prior to joining GlobalEnglish, Mr. Neff designed and engineered personal investment software for Intuit. Mr. Neff received his B.A. in psychology from Stanford University and his M.S. in computer science from San Francisco State University.

Danielle Busack

Director of Marketing

Prior to assuming her current role, Ms. Busack spent five years at GlobalEnglish as a Global Account Manager and Global Account Executive for customers in Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. Before joining GlobalEnglish, Ms. Busack held a variety of senior positions at the Forum Corporation, including Product Marketing Manager for e-learning and Marketing Manager for Learning Management. Ms. Busack received a B.B.A. in marketing management from the University of Notre Dame.

Ann Kwon

Director of Worldwide HR Operations

Ms. Kwon is responsible for recruiting and managing the company's global workforce, focusing on performance management and management training and development. In addition, she oversees the benefits, compensation, and employee relations functions. Prior to joining GlobalEnglish, she was the HR Consultant for BabyCenter.com. Ms. Kwon received her B.A. in history with a minor in education from University of California, Berkeley.

Scott Ludeke

Director - Systems & Data

Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Ludeke served as Director of Engineering for GlobalEnglish. His previous software experience includes the startup Personal News, Inc., and Intuit, where he worked on the Quicken.com team. Mr. Ludeke received his B.S. in geophysics from Stanford University.

Joe Minutoli

Corporate Sales Director - Asia Pacific

Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Minutoli served as Associate General Counsel and Director of Sales Operations for GlobalEnglish. He previously served as corporate counsel for the Environmental Chemical Corporation, working closely with the operations and business development teams. Mr. Minutoli received his B.B.A. in management from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Antonio Pastor

Corporate Sales Director - Latin America, Spain, Portugal & Italy

Prior to joining GlobalEnglish, Mr. Pastor spent 7 years with SmartForce (now SkillSoft), serving in various management positions, including Latin American Business Development Director and EMEA Channel Sales Director. Mr. Pastor received his B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Connecticut and is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and his native English.

Inga Pedersen

Director of Sales Operations

Ms. Pedersen has over 15 years of experience in the technology and educational software industry, holding a variety of roles in sales operations, project management, and client services. Prior to GlobalEnglish, she worked for Broderbund Software. Ms. Pedersen received her B.A. in rhetoric and communications from the University of California, Davis.

Richard Taylor

Director of Learning & Performance

Mr. Taylor has over a decade of executive experience leading Learning & Development teams at TIBCO, Reuters, Cargill, and, most recently, as Vice President of Consulting at Aptara, a content-transformation company. Prior to his corporate experience, Mr. Taylor was a scholar of comparative religion and linguistics. He has several published works, including Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia.