TOEFL® as a bridge to Global Educational Opportunities with Executive Director of TOEFL Srikant Gopal
Srikant Gopal joined ETS in February 2018 as the new Senior Director for TOEFL Brand Marketing and was appointed to the position of Executive Director of the TOEFL Program in October 2018, in which he is responsible for the strategy, performance and growth of the TOEFL portfolio of products. His team, based in Princeton, NJ, USA and around the world, is focused on understanding and meeting the needs of TOEFL test takers, score users, key stakeholders and influencers in a superior way. The TOEFL product family consists of the TOEFL iBT test, the TOEFL ITP Assessment Series, and the TOEFL Young Student Series (Primary and Junior) tests, along with a suite of test prep products that include the TOEFL Go! App and the TOEFL MOOC course.
Srikant is a graduate of the Birla Institute for Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, India and earned his MBA from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA. He combines marketing and business experience from companies like Procter & Gamble and Nestle with a passion for education and student development. Currently residing in the Greater Philadelphia area, he brings a global background to the job, having lived and worked in six countries including the US, and with business experience across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
With the growing appetite for English language learning around the world, and many non-English speaking countries offering more English Taught Programs, Srikant is optimistic that these trends will bring countries around the world closer together at a time of increasing divisions. “The English language acts a unique unifying force by allowing diverse peoples around the world to communicate, collaborate and form communities”, he says. As someone who has taken the TOEFL test twice himself, he has a first-hand appreciation for how TOEFL opens pathways for people to fulfill their academic, career and social aspirations. “TOEFL unlocks opportunities for students to go anywhere and become who they want to be”, he adds.
Srikant is also a part-time educator and teaches a course on Economics and Ethics at the Philadelphia Ethical Society. He is also a science and music buff, and always tries to make time for a riveting Agatha Christie style mystery novel.