LanguageCert is governed by a Board of Directors and an Advisory Council. Responsibility for the implementation of the Board of Directors and Advisory Council’s strategy and decisions lies with the Responsible Officer & Manager.
- Board of Directors (BoD): Oversees the business and provides leadership and guidance, as it is responsible for developing and assessing the overall strategy and direction of LanguageCert.
- Dr Michael Milanovic, Chairman
- Graham Shaw, Member
- Dr Vasile Baltac, Member
- Advisory Council (AC): Established to offer advice on LanguageCert’s procedures and processes for continuous improvement and scrutinise its regulatory compliance status.
- Roger Johnson, Chairman
- Dr Michael Milanovic, Member
- Dr Sylvia Karastathi, Member
- Management Team (MT):
- Marios Molfetas, Responsible Officer & Manager
- Nigel Pike, Qualifications Development Manager
- Suzy Gunn, Quality Officer
- Henry Tolley, Head of Business Development
- Andrew Harrison, Business Development Manager
Dr Michael Milanovic, Chairman of BoD and Member of AC
Dr Michael Milanovic has been involved in language education and assessment since 1977. He has an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and a Ph.D. in the same field. His personal expertise encompasses qualitative and quantitative research, strategic leadership and the development of rigorous quality management systems.
Michael’s extensive academic, practical and managerial experience in his field is evident, as he has managed a wide range of projects related to operational issues, the development of new examinations and procedures, as well as research, in collaboration with ministries and universities around the world, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe. During 2003-2014 he was appointed CEO of Cambridge English Language Assessment. He was also involved with the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language Learning, Teaching and Assessment (CEFR) from its inception in the early 1990s and was a member of the Steering Group responsible for overseeing its development through the 1990s.
Graham Shaw, Member of BoD
Graham Shaw has experience as CFO and COO of a multi-national publishing company. He has served for 15 years as a board member. He has acted as President & Managing Director of US/UK reference publisher, and as non-executive Director. Graham is specialised in Mergers & Acquistions, restructuring, strategy and business development and contract negotiation.
Dr Vasile Baltac, Member of BoD
Dr Vasile Baltac has a vast experience as senior manager, researcher, consultant, educator, and writer in various private companies, as well in the public sector and in Non-Governmental Organisations. Educated both in Romania and UK (Cambridge University), he has a unique perspective in business and education in Western and Central Europe, as well as in USA, understanding the cultural differences of these areas.
Roger Johnson, Chairman of AC
Roger has a first degree in law, a Master's in English teaching from the University of Manchester, and an MA from Cambridge University. He is an educational assessment expert with broad experience of developing strategy and introducing process improvements in the risk-averse environment of high-stakes examinations.
Originally a teacher, trainer and examiner both in the UK and overseas, Roger worked for Cambridge English Language Assessment for 25 years, in a wide range of roles. When he left Cambridge in 2017, he was Chief Operating Officer, leading a team of 360 staff, covering assessment design and content, quality assurance and validation, as well as distribution channel management and back-office operations. He has a particular interest in how developments in language teaching and testing can interact to deliver real benefits for learners and teachers.
Dr Sylvia Karastathi, Member of AC
Dr. Sylvia Karastathi is a teacher educator and lecturer in TESOL at the Department of English Language and Language Teaching at New York College in Athens, Greece. Her PhD thesis was on contemporary literature and visual culture (University of Cambridge, UK) and she holds and MA in Modern Literature and Culture (University of York, UK). In 2015, she completed the Cambridge DELTA. She has previously published in the field of word and image studies in The Museal Turn (2012) and The Handbook of Intermediality (2015). Her current research focuses on visual culture and visual literacy in language education. Sylvia is a member of the Visual Arts Circle, a community of practice with a shared belief in the value of visual arts in education.
Marios Molfetas, Responsible Officer & Manager
Marios Molfetas holds an MSc in Electronic Business Management from the University of Warwick, where he served as Business Consultant and Business Development Manager prior to joining LanguageCert in 2009. Since then, he has served as a Manager in the Marketing & Communications, and Business Development Departments.
Appointed by the Board of Directors, Marios assumes the role of the Responsible Officer & Manager in 2016, monitoring at high levels the contracts regarding all activities outsourced to LanguageCert. He is also responsible for the sales and marketing, as well as the development and execution of LanguageCert’s business development strategy. Marios also manages the relationship with LanguageCert’s business development partners and liaises with the assigned personnel.
Nigel Pike, Qualifications Development Manager
Nigel Pike is MBA-qualified and highly experienced in assessment, having over 20 years of experience in English language assessment. He was appointed Director of Assessment at Cambridge English Language Assessment for 6 years, directing the development, production and delivery of all Cambridge English examinations, from Young Learners to IELTS and all teaching qualifications..
Nigel has extensive experience with national and local ministries of education around the globe, delivering consultancy, customised examinations and large-scale administration, developing language policy for governments, and working successfully across a variety of cultures and contexts. The fact that he is highly analytical, as well as qualified with soft skills for motivating and organising a high-achieving department, contributes to the development of key interpersonal relationships with both external and internal stakeholders.
Suzy Gunn, Quality Officer
Suzy Gunn has extensive experience and expert knowledge of UK education, accreditation, government funding, audit, regulatory and risk compliance, with a proven track record of developing, implementing and maintaining process and systems to optimise company and people performance. She has also previously held Awarding Organisation Responsible Officer status for several years and has regularly served as a powerful, influential and collective voice on qualification and apprenticeship development.
Suzy has spent many years serving on Commercial Boards and held a critical, strategic role as part of a highly successful multi-million-pound company sale and acquisition.
She is dedicated to ensuring LanguageCert’s design, delivery and award of qualifications is of high-quality and value, and is fully committed to the growth of the business on a global scale.
Henry Tolley, Head of Business Development
Henry Tolley has been involved in the field of language education and assessment since 1993. He has an M.A. (Dip) in Applied Linguistics and an MBA from Open University. His extensive teaching experience is evident, as he has been working for over 15 years in schools and universities in Hungary, Spain and Italy.
Henry joined LanguageCert as Head of Business Development. Prior to LanguageCert, he has served for 4 years as Head of Business Development of Trinity College London. He previously worked for Pearson Publishing as Country Manager in Italy, and then as Director in UK, as well as for Cambridge Assessment English as Regional Development Manager.
Andrew Harrison, Business Development Manager
Andrew Harrison has over 10 years’ experience working for international examination boards. Having completed his studies in Drama & Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths College, London, Andrew has used his extensive communicative and transferable skills to provide continued sales growth in each market that he has worked, and has enjoyed delivering presentations on drama and English language assessment to hundreds of stakeholders across Canada, China, Italy and the UK.
He joined LanguageCert in 2018 as Business Development Manager. Prior to LanguageCert, he has been working for Trinity College London since 2007, as examinations coordinator in UK and Southern Italy. In 2011, Andrew was appointed Business Development Manager for UK and Ireland for Trinity’s language and drama portfolio, and was later rewarded for his success by becoming Acting Head of Business Development for UK, Ireland & Malta.