Providing Expert Managers, Customer Service Support Staff and Trainers/Coaches

Each main office; Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Beijing has a dedicated Manager or Director overseeing the operation in order to provide the best possible customer service and guarantee that client learning objectives are achieved.

The Language Key has a dedicated team of Training Consultants and Customer Relations Managers in Hong Kong and Mainland China who oversee individual client contracts.

All Language Key trainers are internationally qualified in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. They all have at least three of years experience with corporate clients and understand the particular needs of Chinese learners of English.

Mr. Dirk Haddow

Training Director – Hong Kong & China

Dirk arrived in Hong Kong in 1995 having worked in the financial and banking industry in the U.K. and gained a professional CELTA Certificate. Having conducted training in the U.K. and Thailand, Dirk worked for a number of training organizations in HK before joining Language Key in 1997. As a Training Consultant, and then as Training Manager, Dirk helped build the Language Key brand in Hong Kong.

During the early years, Dirk drew on his knowledge of ESL and ESP techniques to design and conduct numerous courses for local and international corporate clients such as Hang Seng Bank, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Maersk, Citibank to name a few.

Since 2002, Dirk has been Language Key’s Regional Training Director covering training contracts in Hong Kong, Mainland China and other parts of the region. His extensive experience in corporate English training has been key for him to clearly understand client’s needs and ultimate objectives. This, along with his personalized and client-focused approach has given him the opportunity to build solid working relationships with an ever increasing number of new clients as well as providing multi-location company-wide English training solutions to more established clients.

CCTV BizChina Interview with Mr. Dirk Haddow

Mr. Matt Bentley

Training Manager - Hong Kong Office

Having worked in business English training in Hong Kong for the past five years, Matt has built up considerable experience in providing corporate English Training.

Matt joined The Language Key 5 years ago as a corporate trainer, but quickly progressed into the role of Training Consultant and then Senior Training Consultant. During his time with The Language Key, Matt has been responsible for overseeing training contracts with some of Hong Kong’s leading corporations.

Matt has built up extensive experience in organizing and managing training for all industries but is particularly experienced in providing training solutions to the hotel, hospitality, retail and shipping industries.

As Training Manager, Matt is responsible for overseeing the day to day running of the Hong Kong branch, making inroads into the Macau market and reinforcing The Language Key’s professional reputation.

Mr. Sergei Bismillah

Regional Manager – Shanghai Office

Sergei is a highly experienced corporate educator and manager, having arrived in China in 2001. Sergei was the Academic Director for two major corporate training companies in Beijing before joining Language Key Shanghai in 2006. Sergei has either conducted or supervised training in Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. This familiarity with the English communication skills business environment in China allows him to design, develop and deliver highest quality, practical courses for staff of leading multinational and domestic companies especially those in the professional services field.

Sergei is committed to forging strong, long-term relationships with clients. This is in part due to his friendly, relaxed demeanour and his broad knowledge which leads to achievable communication objectives for clients. This client list has grown to include Accenture, Citigroup, Deloitte Touche Tomatsu, and various law firms throughout Shanghai. At the same time, Sergei has worked to develop new programs for established Language Key clients like Maersk Logistics to meet the ever changing communication requirements of major companies in China.

Mr. Paul Murphy

Regional Manager – Beijing Office

Paul has worked for The Language Key since 2003. He is an experienced business development manager and corporate trainer. Paul opened the Language Key’s Beijing office in 2004 and has since developed a strong team and clientele, making it one of the largest operations in China. Before joining The Language Key he lectured at Donghai University in Shandong and studied Chinese at the prestigious Beijing Language & Culture University.

Paul’s focus on quality training and good customer service has helped The Language Key develop a long list of ongoing clients in China. His key strengths lie in excellent relationship management and a focus on strong, sustainable business growth.

Paul is also a professional trainer with particular strengths in executive coaching and presentation skills. He has delivered courses of all levels and focus to many local and multi-national clients, including The World Bank, Siemens, Bayer, UBS, Lenovo, and China Development Bank. His strong Chinese language ability and understanding of the particular needs of Chinese learners has helped him to develop and deliver high-impact, tailored programs to many of his clients.

Mr. Paul Murphy on CCTV4

Mr. Justin Allen

Business Development Manager E-Learning

Justin is from Oxfordshire, England. Before coming to Hong Kong in 2004, he worked for a blue-chip company for 7 years as a software developer and trainer. Having trained I.T. professionals in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Justin learnt of the language challenges faced by organisations and decided to redirect his career to communication training.

Since joining Language Key as a corporate trainer, Justin quickly moved into B2B consultancy and management, being accountable for the design and delivery of measurable training programs for local and multi-national companies and Government departments in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Since 2009, Justin has overseen and been responsible for Language Key’s e-learning solutions. Managing a team of distributed consultants and vendors, Justin ensures Language Key’s portfolio of online or blended courses offer quality, flexibility, measurability and value. Being customer-focused and result-driven, Justin aims to maintain Language Key’s competitive edge in the on-line market.