Michael Ward has been teaching English since 2006. He created Fast Forward to provide the opportunity for working professionals to have meaningful and relevant instructions in order to advance their careers. Along with being a celebrated teacher, Mike is a passionate learner and careful listener. His goal is to unlock the potential in every student, to instill them with confidence and to set them on the path to success. In short, to make them fearless. To accomplish this Mike’s classes are primarily conversation based focusing on “real” daily conversations which can be used immediately. This innovative and pedagogical style of teaching has won him accolades from students around the world.
Dr. Meritxell Obiols PhD and professor of Emotional Intelligence and Coaching at the University of Barcelona, is one of the most respected career coaches in Europe. The author of five books on the importance of emotional intelligence and coaching in the workplace, she is the founder and director of her own coaching firm, www.meritxellobiols.com. Meritxell has over 31 years of professional experience and has dedicated her life to helping people find meaning in their profession as well as developing their leadership skills and honing their aspirations for professional excellence.
Sofia Simonetto is from Santos, Brazil and has been teaching English for ten years. Her students have ranged from kids to seniors, and she takes great pride in helping them achieve their English language goals. Sofia is organized, understanding and enthusiastic about her work. She fits perfectly into the Fast Forward family.
Tamusi Mosidze, Fast Forward’s Business Manager, was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. She has a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in auditing and accounting. She worked for 9 years in an ambulatory clinic, first as an accountant and then as a financial manager. Last year, after getting married, she relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She began working for Fast Forward soon after arriving. Along with her Business Manger duties, Tamusi is also a conversation partner. In this role, she enjoys meeting various people from all over the world and loves learning about their goals and aspirations. It is her great pleasure to help the students achieve their language goals.
Natalia Furuno, Fast Forward’s Executive Partnership Manager, lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Fundacao Armando Alvares Penteado and a master’s degree in business economics from Fundacao Getulio Vargas. For the past six years, Natalia has been working as a human resource professional. Natalia and Mike met in Philadelphia in 2013, and five years later, Mike recruited her to function as sales manager, web designer and customer support in the early days of Fast Forward. In her current role of partnership manager, Natalia works closely with our corporate partners providing pertinent information and gathering feedback critical to our continuous improvement. Natalia is fluent in English, Spanish and her native Portuguese.
Anna Galante, originally from Venice, Italy, has been living in Barcelona since June 2023. Anna holds a bachelor’s degree in Languages and Literatures (English and Spanish) at University of Trieste. In the last few years, she has been working in the tourism area while teaching languages to students of different ages in her free time. Now, she’s working for an international company in Barcelona, handling tasks and translations for different European markets. Anna is a proactive and open-minded person, travelling the world whenever she can, sharing experiences and connecting with people. She believes this is the best way to learn new languages, nourishing enthusiasm, and curiosity about the world.
Ilaria Selmani, was born in Albania, but she grew up in Venice, Italy. Ilaria speaks six languages, holds a bachelor degree in Foreign Languages Studies at Ca’ Foscari University and is currently completing a dual master’s degree in Management and Global Marketing at the University of Modena e Reggio Emilia.
Ilaria works as a business developer executive in Barcelona - Spain, and is specialized in strategic partnerships. She is Fast Forward’s Marketing manager: her role is based on spreading the voice of Fast Forward through different channels and developing the activity of the company. Ilaria’s strongest belief is “Having a second language is having a second soul”, which best represents her bicultural being.
Marcelo Henzel was born in the south of Brazil and has been living in São Paulo for the last 10 years. He majored in Veterinary Medicine at UFGRS, but made a career transition and has been teaching ESL for 3 years for students of all ages.
Marcelo has published a poetry book and loves writing, reading, playing the guitar, skateboarding, traveling, and playing videogames.
He strongly believes in forming deep connections with his students and finding out what moves them so they can learn English the fastest, easiest and best way possible. He speaks English, Portuguese, a bit of Spanish, and is learning French.
Marcelo is very friendly, easygoing, empathic, and is very happy to be a part of Fast Forward.
Magda Carvahlo, who lives in Sao Paulo, holds a degree in Pedagogy (with a specialization in Neurolinguistics) from Centro Universitário do Sul de Minas. In addition, she studied English at the University of Pennsylvania and has a master’s degree in English from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.Magda is certified in TESOL along with TOEFL and IELTS instruction.
As a TOEFL and IELTS teacher, Magda believes that speaking English is one of several skills necessary to do well in the exam. She understands that there are many details that are important to study, so effort and commitment are essential to sharpen student’s skills and accomplish the desired certification score.n Johnson
Carina Henzel was born in the south of Brazil and has been living in São Paulo for the last 13 years. She holds a BA in English from Unisinos where she graduated with honors. Carina has been teaching ESL and ELA for twenty years to students from 2 to 70 years old. She has also lived in NYC where she got a scholarship to study Performing Arts. Carina loves musical theater, videogames, tennis, swimming, traveling, and volunteering. She is passionate about reading and writing, and hopes to help her students communicate effectively in a natural, fun way. She speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and a little bit of Hebrew. Carina is organized, caring, empathic, and is very happy to be a part of Fast Forward.
Renata Barboza Ferraz is a lawyer practicing civil law. Renata has always been passionate about writing which led her to a second career in digital marketing. She enjoys helping companies to express themselves in a humane and truthful way with their customers. In addition to her legal education, Renata has always delighted in studying English. In fact, it was during an exchange program in Philadelphia that she met Mike Ward, Fast Forward’s founder. While studying at the Kaplan International Center, Renata developed skills that she continues to use today. Because of her experience abroad, she is an enthusiastic supporter of studies, especially languages, for the freedom and autonomy that speaking a second language provides. Renata also loves traveling and connecting with new people and cultures.
Peter Osterberg is a psychological scientist from Sweden, currently residing in Helsinki Finland, Peter has a PhD in psychology, an MSc in Business Administration, and a diploma in Marketing. Peter had spent the last 20 years as a teacher, manager, and executive coach.
Peter’s impressive educational background and his coaching experience will add significant value for our students, helping them to build confidence and overcome challenges.
Peter is available for classes. If you’d like to meet him, let us know and we can arrange a complimentary introduction.
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