Fast Lane Management
WORLDWIDE Management
Torsten Poels, CEO & Chairman of the Board
Torsten has been working in the IT industry in Europe since 1985. He started with technical training and consulting projects and founded his first company in 1990, specializing in high-end networking services. …Read moreSince then, he has gained comprehensive executive board and sales experience leading several Cisco Learning Partners and IT training companies. He has a proven track record of growing businesses quickly and profitably and building successful strategic partnerships. Torsten founded Fast Lane in 2003 in several countries and is responsible for Fast Lane's outstanding global growth. Torsten holds a degree in Computer Engineering from PTL Physikalische Technische Lehranstalt, University of Applied Sciences Wedel/Hamburg.
Jonas Westphalen, CFO
Jonas joined Fast Lane in July 2021 as the Global CFO to manage the global financial activities supporting the accelerated growth plans at the Fast Lane Group. Jonas has extensive experience in the financial sector in different roles and positions. …Read moreFor about seven years, Jonas worked at DMB, a private equity company in Germany where he represented investors and worked closely with management teams to drive profitable growth along a wide range of industries. Before that, Jonas worked for more than three years in the transaction department at EY, the auditing firm, where he advised companies on transactions and in transition/crisis-situations. Jonas holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from the University of St. Andrews/Scotland and has completed his Bachelor Degree in General Business Administration at the University of Hamburg/Germany.
Dan O’Brien, President US & Canada
Dan O’Brien joined Fast Lane in Oct of 2010 as the COO Americas, responsible for business operations in Canada and the USA. Dan has an extensive background in training operations and services, …Read moreprior to Fast Lane he held the Position of VP Managed Learning Services at MicroTek a provider of learning solutions. While in that role he was responsible for building a global service line of business and for launching many new service offerings that supported high quality training delivery. Dan also spent 10 years at a very large global technology training company from 1996 to 2006. He started in Canada running Canadian Operations then spent 3 years running US operations and then 2 year running European operations; he left the company as the Global VP of Operations and Planning. In the past 17 years in the private training industry Dan has been instrumental in defining plans and strategies to manage growth and to drive efficiency and profitability in all countries where he has had management responsibility.
Jennifer Didier, COO US
A computer instructor by training, Jennifer earned a ‘computer science in Business’ degree from DeVry Institute of Technology and has applied this knowledge to Corporate Enterprises where she worked in many roles all related to the Information technology field. …Read moreAfter spending over 10 years in the private sector, Jennifer’s interests expanded into entrepreneurship and started her own training company Directions Training. Jennifer has built a company with double digit growth, year over year and has expanded the organization from a local to a global focus. Following Fast Lane's acquisition of Directions Training Jennifer continues to use her skills to the leadership and growth of Fast Lane Group.
Michel Sabry, General Manager ITLS/Fast Lane Dubai UAE
Michel has worked in the IT industry for more than 10 years. He started his career in the financial services sector in Egypt in 1998. He held different sales, business development and management positions at international IT training companies like Arrow ECS and …Read moreGlobal Knowledge. In between he was Channel Manager and Business Development Manager at Cisco. Michel has a B.Sc. of Accounting degree from Alexandria University in Egypt.
Luis Campbell, VP Latin America
Luis has worked for Unisys Corporation most of his career in Executive Management positions, leading technical and consultant business groups and providing value add in complex technical Integration Projects in several Latin America countries. Also, he is an expert …Read morein business planning and organization, and a consultant expert in business process transformation in banks and business alignment. He also had direct sales roles coordinating sales groups of technological products across Latin America. Luis is a Computer Science engineer and has an MBA with a Marketing major and post-graduate degree in Tele-communications. He was appointed Information Services Director since 1999, Certified Principal since May 2000 and Certified Partner since 2003. In 2004 he was responsible for the consultant practice of Retail Banking for Latin America including Mexico and Brazil. He had the responsibility of over one hundred consultants and 23 managers, and had a total services quota over US$7.5M.
James Furneaux, VP APAC & Wordwide BLP Management
James has been working in IT for 15+ years. He began running sales in 1998 for a high tech start up in APJC that was purchased by a large Networking vendor in 2000. At that company over his 7 years he served as Product Manager, Sales and Business Development in various technologies for the whole of APJC …Read morewith particular geographic focus on China, Japan, India and Australia. James started his own professional services company that worked with many of the leading IT vendors across the theatre. Since then he has served as the GM of APJC for a number of US and European based companies entering the APJC region. His last role before ITLS was GM, APJC for a high end Data Center Consultancy outfit.
REGIONAL Management
Andy Turner, Managing Director UK
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Andy has worked in the Telecommunications and IT industry for over 20 years. Initially with the Philips Electronics Group responsible for the Commercial & Business Development of mobile and …Read moredata products in Western Europe, Middle East and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and India. During this period a multitude of business experience was gained in driving Product Business Units and associated Sales & Marketing programmes achieving positioning Philips as the new market entrant and taking to market leadership in many of the developing markets of Eastern Europe by negotiating multi-million dollar contracts with Service Providers & intermediaries via both a direct and an indirect sales channel. Over the past 10 years Andy has held Senior Commercial Director roles with a number of IT Education and Consultancy businesses in the UK and EMEA. This has encompassed periods of rapid growth, mergers & acquisitions as well as assisting companies to sell their business. Andy has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronics from Brunel University, a post graduate diploma in Sales & Marketing and a Fellowship from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Jane Simons, EMEA Vendor Alliances Director |
Jane is the Vendor Alliances Director for Fast Lane EMEA and is responsible for the day-to-day engagement with our key Vendor Lines of Business. Jane has been with the company for 11 years. …Read more Three years ago, Microsoft partnered with Fast Lane UK to deliver OpenHack events globally. Since then Fast Lane has delivered over 100 OpenHacks across eight different tracks. Jane landed the hack idea with numerous vendors. Prior to Fast Lane, Jane worked for another UK training company for eight years managing all of their technical lines of business. She has worked for two Software Vendors in a sales capacity and spent 10 years at a global IT Distributor as a European Product & Marketing Manager living in London, Paris, Geneva, and Munich.
Daniel Hedtmann, COO Germany
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Daniel has been in the Telecommunications and IT industry since 2005. He has worked as a Sales Consultant, Account Executive and Sales Director for major distributors and IT Service Providers with a focus on professional-, support/managed- and training services in the ICT industry.…Read more Daniel's commitment to quality and his experience in building successful strategic partnerships help to further grow Fast Lane's training and consulting business and to strengthen the global footprint as a leading training and professional services provider.
Diana Wind, BDM Microsoft LoB |
Diana has been working in the IT Industry since 1997. She has worked as Sales and Project Manager for different System Integrators and with many of the leading IT vendors. She brings a wealth of skills and knowledge of sales. program and project management to Fast Lane. …Read more In her role as Senior Business Development Manager she managed several vendor programs for Fast Lane globally. She has run Cisco Avant Garde Start program, Cisco´s DC Bootcamps and also Fast Lanes DC Talent programs as well as Cisco Cyber Security Talent Camps. She has now continued with Program Management for Microsoft worldwide.
Gloria Gräser, Managing Director Switzerland
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Gloria worked in the IT training industry in Switzerland for over 10 years as a manager, including BDM for Microsoft, AWS, VMware, Citrix and Oracle, before joining Fast Lane in August 2019. …Read moreThere, Gloria started as Enterprise Solutions Sales Director, later as Chief Operating Officer. Since August 2021, Gloria has been responsible for Fast Lane's business in Switzerland as Managing Director.
Herman Goedman, Managing Director Benelux | 
Herman has worked in the IT Industry in The Benelux since 1983. He worked as software developer, project manager and business manager at different System Integrators.
…Read more As of 1998 Herman has been involved in Networking training as General Manager of a Cisco Learning Partner and UNIX Consulting Company. Before starting Fast Lane Benelux he was board member for a large International Training Company, responsible for business and partner development, sales and marketing management in many areas including Cisco, Microsoft, and Linux/UNIX.
…Read more As of 1998 Herman has been involved in Networking training as General Manager of a Cisco Learning Partner and UNIX Consulting Company. Before starting Fast Lane Benelux he was board member for a large International Training Company, responsible for business and partner development, sales and marketing management in many areas including Cisco, Microsoft, and Linux/UNIX.
Francesco Dell’Apa, Managing Director Italy | 
Francesco has worked in the IT Industry in Europe for 15 years. He started his professional career in Italy as Project Manager and then spent 10 years at a large international training company where he held different positions, he started as Sales Support Manager of Italy and then …Read more became Operations Manager of Italy & Spain. Francesco joined Fast Lane in 2009 through the acquisition of GKI, where he was Director of Operations. Before taking the position of Managing Director he held the position of Sales Operation Manager. Francesco has a degree in Electronic Engineer from University Politecnico di Torino.
Denis Bonnamour, Managing Director Fast Lane France
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With more than 10 years of experience in the IT industry, Denis has participated in the expansion of Fast Lane France and occupied all strategic positions in the company, from operations to sales and Partner Management, before becoming Managing Director in 2018. …Read moreHe has extensive experience in developing relationships with IT vendors, building strong channel connections and execute complex IT training projects on a global level.
Helmuth Mai, Managing Director Austria
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Helmuth has worked in the IT Industry in Europe for 30 years. He started his professional career in Austria as Program Manager at Digital Equipment and then spent 15 years at a large international training company where …Read more he held different positions, Helmuth started as Country Manager Austria & CEE, then became Country Manager Switzerland, Operations Manager EMEA and Marketing Manager EMEA. Helmuth joined ITLS / Fast Lane in 2015. Helmuth has a degree in Business Management from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Gregor Röhrich, Managing Director Austria
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Gregor looks retrospectively at 15 years of experience as an Enterprise Account Manager, Sales Manager, Alliance Manager, Business Development Manager, Marketing Manager, and now …Read moreas Managing Director of ITLS Training and Consulting GmbH Austria. He started his IT career as an instructor and achieved various technical certifications. Gregor has a wealth of experience in building strong relationships with large corporate and IT Partners. His intention is to design and execute high end training programs in ultimate perfection with his team members.
Michel Sabry, General Manager ITLS/Fast Lane Dubai UAE
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Michel has worked in the IT industry for more than 10 years. He started his career in the financial services sector in Egypt in 1998. He held different sales, business development and management positions at international IT training companies like Arrow ECS and …Read moreGlobal Knowledge. In between he was Channel Manager and Business Development Manager at Cisco. Michel has a B.Sc. of Accounting degree from Alexandria University in Egypt.
Adel Albert, Managing Director Fast Lane Egypt
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Adel has worked in the IT industry for over 30 years. He was working in both private and public sectors, in many specializations, holding different positions in the IT field. He was also a Technical Services Director at Global Knowledge for more than 5 years, a Senior Consultant in …Read moreSoftware Engineering Competence Center (SECC), and a Regional IT Manager in ARCHIRODON Construction Overseas. Adel is a certified ITIL Expert and has a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Ain Shams University.
Joanna Łuksza, Chairman of the Board Poland/CEE
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Joanna Skrycka-Łuksza has in-depth experience in the IT industry that spans over 35 years. She started her professional career at the IMM Research Institute in Warsaw, focusing mainly on the development of early PC operating systems. Joanna holds a MSc degree obtained …Read moreat the Faculty of Electronics and Computer Science of the Warsaw University of Technology. She co-founded Hector SA, one of the first private IT companies in Poland, that introduced the first generation of PC computers to the Polish market, working closely with Digital Equipment, HP, and IBM. For over 30 years, Joanna has also managed Hector Training Centre
Centrum Szkoleniowe Hector(CSH) — an IT training company, which was the largest CLP on the Polish market. CSH was a recognisable, professional company with a long historical standing and excellent quality. In 2017 she joined Fast Lane Poland as the Managing Director. On February 1st, 2021 both companies CSH and Fast Lane Poland has been merged and establish Hector Fast Lane Poland. Currently Joanna is the Managing Director of Hector Fast Lane Poland.
Mariola Gotfryd, CEO Poland/CEE
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Mariola has been involved in sales and IT industry for her entire career. She entered the IT industry in 1997. She has over 15 years of experience in the IT training business, working in sales and business development for Hector Training Centre
Centrum Szkoleniowe Hector(CSH), …Read morewhich was the largest Cisco Learning Partner in Poland. In 2017 she joined Fast Lane group, as a Sales Director for Fast Lane Poland. On February 1st, 2021 CSH and Fast Lane Poland has been merged and the new company name is Hector Fast Lane Poland. Mariola is leading the sales team in Poland. She knows the Polish market very well and has an experience in working with customers and partners as well. Her experience and current position gives her an opportunity to develop new business and implement new IT trainings in Poland.
Durdica Strunjas Kurt, Managing Director CEE
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With 10 years' experience in sales in the IT learning industry, Durdica brings a wealth of knowledge, skills and energy to her role as Sales Director for Fast Lane Central Eastern Europe.
She is responsible for driving business development …Read moreand sales activities in the region, establishing key accounts, management of projects and strategic planning. She has a keen awareness of the market and ability to anticipate customers' needs in diverse regional and technological setups, and works to provide learning and development opportunities to help each reach their business goals.
In addition to this leadership role, Durdica is the Business Development Manager for NetApp ad VMware, working directly with both, partners and customers. Her aim in this role is strengtening the relationships with vendors as well as focusing on importance of education on keeping up with emerging technological advancements.
Finally, Durdica is leading the marketing team for the CEE region, overlooking technical and creative marketing team, ensuring efficient and effective marketing results.
Dan O´Brien, President US & Canada
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Dan O’Brien joined Fast Lane in Oct of 2010 as the COO Americas, responsible for business operations in Canada and the USA. Dan has an extensive background in training operations and services, …Read moreprior to Fast Lane he held the Position of VP Managed Learning Services at MicroTek a provider of learning solutions. While in that role he was responsible for building a global service line of business and for launching many new service offerings that supported high quality training delivery. Dan also spent 10 years at a very large global technology training company from 1996 to 2006. He started in Canada running Canadian Operations then spent 3 years running US operations and then 2 year running European operations; he left the company as the Global VP of Operations and Planning. In the past 17 years in the private training industry Dan has been instrumental in defining plans and strategies to manage growth and to drive efficiency and profitability in all countries where he has had management responsibility.
Jennifer Didier, COO
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A computer instructor by training, Jennifer earned a ‘computer science in Business’ degree from DeVry Institute of Technology and has applied this knowledge to Corporate Enterprises where she worked in many roles all related to the Information technology field. …Read moreAfter spending over 10 years in the private sector, Jennifer’s interests expanded into entrepreneurship and started her own training company Directions Training. Jennifer has built a company with double digit growth, year over year and has expanded the organization from a local to a global focus. Following Fast Lane's acquisition of Directions Training Jennifer continues to use her skills to the leadership and growth of Fast Lane Group.
Barry Kaufman, VP of Business Development, Cloud + AI
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Barry has been working in IT and Security consulting and training for 17 years, as well as holding a Master's Degree in Education. Over his career, Barry has had the experience of growing and selling a successful training business, …Read moredirecting and expanding professional services for an IT Security Firm, and continually working to innovate courses on security and advanced networking technology. He has a passion for bringing the
newto market; this includes accelerating vendors' Go-To-Market plans by envisioning and delivering on cutting edge technology training. He is also the author of several publications, including co-author of the
Official Certified Ethical Hacker Review Guide.
Luis Campbell, VP Latin America
Luis has worked for Unisys Corporation most of his career in Executive Management positions, leading technical and consultant business groups and providing value add in complex technical Integration Projects in several Latin America countries. Also, he is an expert …Read morein business planning and organization, and a consultant expert in business process transformation in banks and business alignment. He also had direct sales roles coordinating sales groups of technological products across Latin America. Luis is a Computer Science engineer and has an MBA with a Marketing major and post-graduate degree in Tele-communications. He was appointed Information Services Director since 1999, Certified Principal since May 2000 and Certified Partner since 2003. In 2004 he was responsible for the consultant practice of Retail Banking for Latin America including Mexico and Brazil. He had the responsibility of over one hundred consultants and 23 managers, and had a total services quota over US$7.5M.
James Furneaux, VP APAC
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James has been working in IT for 15+ years. He began running sales in 1998 for a high tech start up in APJC that was purchased by a large Networking vendor in 2000. At that company over his 7 years he served as Product Manager, …Read moreSales and Business Development in various technologies for the whole of APJC with particular geographic focus on China, Japan, India and Australia. James started his own professional services company that worked with many of the leading IT vendors across the theatre. Since then he has served as the GM of APJC for a number of US and European based companies entering the APJC region. His last role before ITLS was GM, APJC for a high end Data Center Consultancy outfit.
Linda Belina, COO Singapore & Operation APAC
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Linda joined Fast Lane in 2010 as COO and Operations Director for ITLS South APAC out of Singapore. Previously she has been working in Singapore as Regional Manager for NIL Data Communications where she gained experience in the training industry.…Read moreLinda has a strong business experience in Asia, she has worked as Project Manager and Operations Chief in China as well as Business Consultant for the APAC region. Linda worked for four years in Shanghai and was responsible for pavilion operations. Linda is fluent in Mandarin.
