Meet the heart behind the programme
Discover who I am, where I come from,
what it is like to work with me,
and why i founded languages for Leaders.
Discover who I am,
where I am coming from,
what it is like to work with me, and why i created languages for Leaders.
"If you can dream it,
you can do it. "
Walt Disney
"If you can dream it,
you can do it."
Walt Disney
- PhD in Language Education
- Former professional translator & interpreter
- Former language expert for European Union & Council of Europe
- Certified Expert Coach
- 10 years teaching languages across Europe
- 10 years as a manager at top global organizations
Hello, my name is Esther and I am the Founder & CEO of Languages for Leaders.
My goal is to empower the next generation of foreign business leaders to maximize their global impact through the most effective English & communication programmes in the world.
To understand WHY I decided to help founders, CEOs and senior leaders like you, you need to learn a bit about my story:
- I grew up in Spain speaking only Spanish. I started learning English at school, when I was 10.
- I wanted to share my passion for languages, so I started teaching languages when I was 15.
- For 10 years, I taught English, Spanish and French across Europe. My students ranged from 3-year-olds to senior executives to conference interpreters for the European Parliament.
- I wanted to help my students learn faster and better, so I did a PhD in Language Education. For 5 long years. It opened my eyes to how brains REALLY learn languages.
- After that, I needed a new challenge - so I left academia and spent 10 years working as a manager for some of the largest organisations and companies in the world.
These experiences made me realise something:
In today’s globalized world, communication skills in English are the key for success. At any level, in any organization, in any market.
Businesses in non-English-speaking countries are at a disadvantage.
This is a great financial loss for you - as a foreign business leader.
But this is also a disaster for society, who is missing on your immense potential:
- Innovations that could save 1000s of lives
- Solutions that could stop global warming
- Products that could revolutionize life as we know it today
All that potential locked away from the world.
Simply because you have no time to improve your English and share your ideas with the world.
So, if I wanted to help you, I had to develop something completely different.
I pulled together over 10.000h of research + my PhD + 10 years of teaching + 10 years in corporate.
And I created what truly is a shortcut to becoming fluent and confident in English.
>>> Programmes adapted to your goals and availability.
>>> Programmes designed to help you maximise each minute of learning.
>>> Programmes that will not just teach you English, but make you SHINE in English, in the shortest possible time.
So you can go back to running your business as soon as possible, and continue making an even bigger impact in the world.
Because running a business is difficult enough, and you have no time to waste.
What to expect working with me
Excellence
Details are important. Details differentiate "ok" from "amazing". I always expect "amazing", from me and from others.
Hard work
Nothing is impossible. You just need to put the hard work. No excuses. If it's difficult, you just work harder - and smarter!
Honesty
Strong relationships are based on trust. And trust is based on honesty. You can expect full honesty from me, for the good and for the bad.
People first
Goals and results are important, but people are more important. Without them, nothing else would be possible.
Flexibility
Life is surprising sometimes. I like planning and organising in advance, but I am always ready to adapt if the situation changes.
Discretion
Sometimes things get difficult in life. Any problems you share with me or my team will remain strictly between us.
Discover my story
The beginnings: Spain
I was born in Spain in a little city called Valladolid, where nobody spoke English.
I started learning English at school when I was 10 years old.
I knew I wanted to live in a different country in the future, so I studied English REALLY hard and for many years.
I also started teaching English to younger children - I was 15 when I gave my first English lesson. 🤯
My early university years: Languages & Teaching
I went to Spain's best university to study Translation and Interpreting for 4 years. My main languages were English and French.
To pay my bills, I started teaching languages to children and adults.
Some days I was teaching for 8-10h after attending 4-6h of lectures, so these were very intense years! 😰
During these years, I also studied German, Russian, Dutch, Italian and Portuguese.
I lived in Belgium for one year, and then in London for a semester, teaching Spanish and translation at Middlesex University.
Improving my English: summers in the UK
After my first year at university, I wanted to improve my English, so I got a job as an Activity Leader in an English summer school in the UK.
At the beginning it was AWFUL. I could not understand my boss. I could not understand my colleagues. I could not even understand the bus drivers! 🚌
And of course, nobody liked me - because they couldn't understand me either!
But I stayed, for the 2 months of my contract. And I started learning the "real English" little by little.
And I came back the summer after, and the summer after. For a total of 9 summers!
After a few summers, I was promoted to Activity Manager, and then to Leisure Manager.
I went from not understanding anything, to managing a team of 50 people. Most of them native speakers.
Oh, and entertaining more than 600 children on campus. Fun times! 😅
Training as a Teacher & working as a translator/Interpreter
Thanks to my summer experience in the UK, my English became good enough to study in the UK.
When I finished my degree in Spain, I went to Glasgow University to do my PGDE in Modern Foreign Languages to qualify as a secondary education teacher.
I also started working as a professional translator and interpreter, both at conferences and at court.
I really enjoyed it but it was very hard, both physically and emotionally.
To complete my training, I also did another BSc in International Studies with The Open University, UK's top distance-learning university.
Becoming a Language Education Expert
Then I moved to Budapest (Hungary), where I started teaching English, Spanish and French at different schools and universities. But there was something that worried me: I had found the way to learn languages myself, but sometimes it was difficult to help my students if they learnt in a different way from me.
I decided that, if I wanted to be a great teacher, I needed to undestand how the brain learns languages, so I enrolled in a PhD in Language Education. This was the most interesting experience of my life, and it made me a true language education expert.
But it was really hard work. I had a full-time job while doing my PhD, so I had to study and write my thesis from 4am til 8am every morning. And I did that for 5 years!
Oh, and I also learnt Hungarian. Most beautiful language in the world! ❤️
Working for the University of Cambridge
My first management job was at the University of Cambridge. I worked at Cambridge Assessement, the department responsible for all the famous English exams: IELTS, First, Advanced, LinguaSkill.
My role involved managing A LOT of projects with European partners, but also doing research, coordinating events, grant applications, communication campaigns - even developing a website! 💻
I also had to present at many conferences across Europe and had the chance to meet incredible language experts from all around the world. 🗺️
Curious about my work? Check this video to see me in action (in 2015)!
Building bridges with Europe
As part of my role at the University of Cambridge, I also had to act as a language expert for different European organisations. This included the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.
I managed language education projects for them, wrote reports and articles to inform discussions with the EU countries, and participated in conferences about the future of language education.
While I was still based in Cambridge, some weeks I had to go to Brussels twice or even 3 times, so during this period I really felt like I was living on the Eurostar (the direct train from London to Brussels)! 🚅
Working for the United Nations Office at Geneva
When the United Nations called me to join their office in Geneva, I could not say "no".
So I moved from Cambridge to Geneva (Switzerland) to work in the Perception Change Project, a communications programme to inform the public about the work of more than 40 international organizations and over 180 NGOs that are based in Geneva.
I had to manage schedules, budgets, publications, events - and communicate on a daily basis with our network of over 200 international partners! 🫱🏾🫲🏻
This is when I started to become curious about a new "hot" topic everyone talked about: Data Science. In my free time, I taught myself how to code, and decided I wanted to work in this passionating field of data.
Working for American corporations
I wanted to learn more about analytics, so I decided to enrol in an MSc in Data Science at the Spanish distance-learning university. 👩🏻💻
A couple of months later, I joined Caterpillar as a Data Specialist, where I worked with an amazing team of analysts and engineers building the future data infrastructure of the company. 📈
Then I moved to Procter & Gamble, where I was a Senior Analytics Manager, developing innovative measurement methods and custom reporting solutions for all our brands and countries in Europe. I had to manage projects, deliver analytical products, and lead teams with colleagues from many different countries and cultures. 🌍
Languages for Leaders: Bringing it all together
Working for such big companies and organisations was a great experience.
For years, I had the opportunity to see how international teams work and communicate.
The challenges they face. The solutions they find and create together.
What is important and what is not when you speak English as a global language. 🌐
But I was also disappointed with the world.
A world where only those priviledged to speak English FLUENTLY and CONFIDENTLY can access the best opportunities.
So I decided to use all my expert language knowledge and international experience to help change this situation.
Focusing on those who have the highest potential to change the world through better English and communication skills.
And this is how Languages for Leaders was born.
To help foreign business leaders unlock their true global potential
through the most empowering and life-changing language programmes in the world.
Empowering foreign business leaders to maximize their global impact & express their full potential through the most effective English and communication programmes in the world.
We are always looking for great English, accent and communication coaches. Interested? Join our vision!
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