Organisation Mission
At EnglishCoach, we aim to be the trusted partner for organisations seeking strong business communication capability across teams.
We believe professionals, anywhere in the world, should be able to speak and write with clarity, confidence and conviction. No one should feel held back by a lack of fluency in English.
Our mission is to help people express ideas effectively, participate fully, and communicate with confidence at work.
Meet the Team
Founder, EnglishCoach
Sharmila Gautama brings over two decades of experience in Learning and Development. She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature, a training certification from City & Guilds, UK, and a certification in Instructional Design. She has also completed a programme in Entrepreneurship from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. At EnglishCoach, she shapes strategic direction and ensures communication training is closely aligned to business goals and measurable workplace impact.
Co-Founder & Director, EnglishCoach
Madhulika Gautama leads business development, growth and strategy at EnglishCoach. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a Master’s degree in Communication. She has completed CELTA from the University of Cambridge with a ‘Pass A’ grade and is an alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women programme from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. A certified MBTI and Thomas PPA practitioner, she blends behavioural insights with communication training. With a background in journalism and academic publishing, she brings rigour and creativity to EnglishCoach’s learning design and coaching solutions.
Chief Operating Officer
Jayanthi Shivakumar brings experience across HR, teaching, facilitation and business development to EnglishCoach. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree in English and a Master’s degree in English Literature. She has completed CELTA from the University of Cambridge, U.K., as well as the ‘Leadership Essentials’ programme from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. At EnglishCoach, she helps lead delivery and operations while strengthening programmes in business communication, leadership and interpersonal effectiveness.
Content & Learning Strategist
Akshay Swaroop is a Content and Learning Strategist at EnglishCoach and brings ten years of experience in English language and communication training. He holds an Honours degree in English Literature, a Master’s degree in Holistic Education, and a CELTA from the University of Cambridge, U.K. His work spans business communication training, facilitation and content development. At EnglishCoach, he helps translate pedagogy into practical learning experiences that are relevant, scalable and learner-centred.
Graphic Designer
Cherry Bahety contributes to EnglishCoach with formal training in animation and visual design. With a strong inclination towards translating ideas into intuitive and engaging visual experiences, she brings a thoughtful creative dimension to the organisation’s work. At EnglishCoach, she supports the learner experience by making communication-led content more polished, accessible, visually engaging, and aligned with the organisation’s brand presence.
Accounts Manager
Vimala supports EnglishCoach in finance and accounts, helping keep the organisation’s operations steady and well managed. Her role brings structure and precision to the business side of the company, ensuring that key financial processes are handled smoothly. At EnglishCoach, she provides the reliability and financial discipline that support seamless delivery and operational continuity.
Gautama Sreenivasan is a Director at EnglishCoach Services and brings strong operational and strategic expertise to the organisation. A retired Colonel from the Indian Army, he currently serves as Director – Infrastructure & Strategic Partnerships at Lancaster University, Ghana. With extensive experience in project planning and management, he has led key infrastructure initiatives that support operational efficiency and long-term growth. His focus on execution and partnerships add a structured, outcome-driven perspective to EnglishCoach’s work.
Ashwin Gautama is a Director at EnglishCoach Services and brings strong strategic and financial expertise to the organisation.
He is the CEO of Transnational Academic Group Middle East, a higher education platform that owns Curtin University Dubai and Lancaster University Ghana. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Ashwin served as TAG’s Group CFO, leading group-wide financial strategy, capital raising, governance, and sustainable growth across TAG’s global education portfolio with approximately USD 60 million in assets under management.
Ashwin holds BA in Economics from Loyola College, University of Madras, and an MSc in Investment Management with distinction from Edinburgh Business School
Harish Sadasivan is an advisor to EnglishCoach and brings deep business and operational perspective to the organisation. A Six Sigma Master Black Belt, he has also served as the APAC Head of a leading American multinational company. His experience adds strong strategic and process-oriented insight to EnglishCoach’s work, helping sharpen business relevance and operational thinking.
Peter Drury is an advisor to EnglishCoach and brings valuable leadership and client-side perspective to the organisation. With experience in senior leadership and governance roles, he offers a sharp understanding of stakeholder expectations and organisational effectiveness. His association with EnglishCoach as a client leader also brings an informed external view that strengthens its strategic and customer-facing thinking.
AI for Communication Training
At EnglishCoach, we embrace AI as an enabler of better learning, not as a replacement for human development. In our communication and business English programmes, AI supports faster improvement through structured, timely feedback that is modelled on a proprietary scorecard.
This gives learners more opportunities to practise speaking and writing with useful, performance-oriented input. We also use AI in the evaluation of speaking and writing assessments, which allows for scalable, insight-rich measurement while keeping the focus on communication quality and workplace relevance.
Industries & Impact
EnglishCoach’s solutions are relevant across industries because effective communication is a core workplace capability, regardless of sector.
Our programmes and assessments are designed to support professionals in BFSI, construction, pharmaceuticals, aviation, IT and ITeS, NGOs and INGOs, as well as other service-led and knowledge-driven environments.
Since our approach is sector-agnostic and customisable, organisations can apply it to different roles, functions and business contexts while staying focused on clarity, collaboration, confidence and performance
