Our Local and Overseas Partners
Efrat Machikawa
Efrat is a specialist in intercultural communication, particularly focused on Japan, with over twenty years of experience in bridging diverse cultural landscapes. She holds a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Edinburgh and a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is also a graduate of the first project management course by the Schenker and Rothschild Foundation communities and holds a certificate in curation from the School of Curating Roots.
Efrat’s career began with establishing an English language department at a Portuguese school in Mozambique, Africa, where she lived with her husband from 1995 to 1998. For nearly a decade thereafter, she served as a language and community relations coordinator at an international school in Tokyo, catering to students from over 70 countries. There, she launched and led initiatives fostering meaningful connections between the international and local communities.
Upon her return to Israel, Efrat joined academia as an English instructor in specialized programs and a senior simulation facilitator, while also providing consulting and training services to companies and organizations seeking to enhance their multicultural understanding.
Efrat was later appointed by the Israeli government to represent Israel as a Cultural, Science, and Innovation Attaché at the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo. Since October 7, 2023, she has played a vital role in advocating for the release of our hostages, utilizing her skills in intercultural communication and cultural diplomacy. Her advocacy has gained international attention, with interviews on major media networks worldwide and appearances at influential forums, including the U.S. Congress and the United Nations.
Today, Efrat continues to lead global initiatives and serves as a vital link between cultures through her active involvement in public, community, and educational activities.
Vanessa Seyman, Advocate
Vanessa is a professional negotiator and consultant for complex negotiation processes. She has been working for over a decade as part of a team of senior negotiation consultants, specializing in accompanying and advising negotiation processes.
Vanessa accompanies negotiation processes in a variety of industries in the private and public sectors and operates in the professional negotiation world – from teaching, content development and work methodologies to accompanying and advising in complex negotiation processes.
She works closely with senior and middle-level executives, in a wide range of negotiation contexts, all over the world, with an emphasis on business negotiation processes in the areas of project management, procurement, property and real estate.
Ms. Seyman works with procurement bodies in imparting the theory of professional negotiation to the organization and its characteristics. She also advises and accompanies business negotiation processes with suppliers, customers, authorities and financial and institutional bodies in everything related to improving the day-to-day business conduct of the business vis-à-vis external and internal factors. She specializes in the interface between negotiation and government and politics, procurement and engagement management, family business management, the interface between negotiation and the world of construction/real estate, as well as the interface between the negotiation profession and gender.
She writes and publishes on these topics and is active in frameworks for the empowerment of women in Israel and around the world. She holds a law degree from the College of Management, a bachelor’s degree with honors in diplomacy and security studies from Tel Aviv University, a Master’s degree in business administration – specializing in managerial psychology, and is a graduate of PON (Program on Negotiation) from Harvard Law School.
Sandra
Sandra completed her BA in Education at the Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden, in the city of Leeuwarden, located in northern Holland.
Because she is passionate about travelling around the world and meeting new peoples and cultures, she chose to complete her practical training with us in 2010. During her internship, she attended TriEnglish business English courses and soon became our specialist in intercultural differences in the business context, focusing on Europe in general and on the Netherlands in particular.
She is open, friendly and talented, and is well-familiar with tailoring each course to the client’s specific needs and aspirations.
Ayelet Zadok
Ayelet, our partner in general-spoken English courses for kids and teenagers has been an English teacher and lecturer for the past 15 years. She graduated with honors with a degree in literature, linguistics and teaching English – a degree which was always her dream.
In high school Ayelet learned the language but felt she was not actually taught to communicate in English. Her dream was to speak English fluently. So, she decided to immerse herself in English – through friends, reading, watching English content, participating in events and studying with good teachers.
Ayelet fulfilled her dream and reached native English level! In her teaching of English, she focuses on understanding the difficulties faced by English-learners and fine-tunes her teaching methods accordingly. This is done by continuously learning and developing and by finding new solutions to students’ individual challenges. For the past 15 years, Ayelet has been teaching young people, students and adults and has already completed thousands of hours.
The method she teaches simulates an English-speaking environment. Learning is conducted by implementing a curriculum that is developed and tailored according to the goals of each student. Her method also includes guided and self-practice. Most importantly – she is always there in TriEnglish to motivate, encourage and develop perseverance among her students.
Ayelet addresses all types of difficulties that her students raise and develops online courses that address these needs. Thus, she leads her students, hand in hand, to success.
Efi
Efi was raised in South Africa. He obtained a Bachelor’s of Law, a Bachelor’s of Commerce and the Baccalaureus Procurationis from The University of South Africa.
Efi moved to London and, in addition to practicing law and coaching business people, he is promoting a private venture dealing with energy conservation in energy conservation in South-Africa.
The cultural wealth he has been exposed to throughout his life, along with his openness and sensitivity, have turned him into an outstanding coach in the field of business and legal English. As a Language Coach, Efi is articulate and charismatic and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the global business and legal arenas, as well as the ability to bridge cultural gaps.
With his positive energy, comprehensive knowledge and the capability to connect to each client on both professional and personal levels, Efi is a true asset to TriEnglish.
