Building bridges and waking up to success: MTS meets the British Consulate-General in Sao Paulo, Brazil

On Friday 24 April, MTS was honoured with an invitation to step inside protected British premises in Brazil, for a coffee and a strategic catch-up with Maria Sales, the Head of Education (Brazil) who works for the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), based at the British Consulate building in central Sao Paulo.

A tale of two cities (and one missed flight connection)

In the world of international business, "global" often means "on the move." While our Country Director for Brazil, Bruno Feijo, was on the ground in Sao Paulo and ready to go, the travel gods had other plans for our London-based leadership.

Despite their best efforts, Matthew Steele (Director of Strategy & Development) and Ivo Vicente (Director of Operations) found themselves at the mercy of a tight flight connection. While they were unfortunately sidelined at the airport terminal, and what is often said about the English language teaching and testing delivery markets is “the show must go on”, so the meeting with Maria continued with Bruno to fly the MTS flag.

Strategic synergy: market-making in action

Maria Sales’ role is a masterclass in senior stakeholder diplomacy. Her work involves leading the UK Government’s education strategy in Brazil, facilitating UK businesses expanding into Brazil, the 7th most populous country in the world (a population of 212m people) with a wealth of growth opportunities to ‘raise the bar’ in terms of English language proficiency amongst its (mostly Portuguese-speaking) citizens.

Over a cup of coffee, Maria and Bruno spoke at length about the "market-building" interventions that are currently reshaping the educational landscape. The conversation focused heavily on the success of MTS’s expansion across Brazil, specifically our work in:

1. English Language Programme Support: Bridging critical market gaps in the Brazilian education system and educational institutions.

2. English Language Testing: Scaling the delivery of world-recognised certifications, including IELTS, the Oxford Test of English, and LanguageCert.

These programmes aren't just about language development and exams; they are about breaking down barriers to international education and career mobility for ambitious and talented Brazilians.

The power of partnership

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the associated trade-promoting umbrella group "UK in Brazil" both serve as important catalysts for companies like MTS. By providing the framework for government relations and trade policy collaboration, they allow us to focus on what we do best: delivering excellence in education and English language testing.

"Maria’s work to develop ties between our two nations is truly amazing. The support from the DBT is the fuel that facilitates our ongoing growth in the region." commented Bruno Feijo, MTS Country Director for Brazil.

Looking ahead

We may have missed out on having our London-based MTS’s executives at the coffee table in Brazil this time, but the insights shared during this meeting have only strengthened our resolve. We are grateful to Maria for her time and for posing for a photo by the iconic red phone box, a symbol of the "home away from home" the British Consulate in Sao Paulo provides.

As we continue to shape the Brazilian educational landscape, we look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with Maria, the DBT, and the "UK in Brazil" teams.

Next time, we’ll just make sure Matthew and Ivo catch an earlier flight.

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