Advertise on podcast: PerchPeek Pods - Global Mobility Pros

In this episode, Paul sits down with Alicia Browne, Global Mobility Manager at Boskalis Offshore Energy. They get into the parts of the job that almost always sit with a provider, and what happens when they don't. Alicia has 20 years in Global Mobility. She joined Boskalis expecting to manage international tax the way she always had, with a provider handling the technical work. Instead she found a project company building offshore wind farms, roughly a thousand crew a year to account for, and very little of that work going out of the door. So, she learned it. Which countries are treaty eligible and where the thresholds sit. What still has to be filed when a treaty means no tax is due. And a shadow payroll she set up herself, after ringing round providers who could not understand why she wanted to report earnings without paying anybody. She says she went into it kicking and screaming, and that she is quicker to spot an issue and better at planning because of it. We discuss: What does treaty eligibility actually oblige you to file when no tax is due?What is involved in setting up a shadow payroll yourself?What do you learn by doing the work a provider normally does for you?Why did Boskalis price Mobility tax in before it had won the project?How do you count taxable days for crew on a vessel that keeps moving?Who do you work with when Mobility sits in finance rather than HR?We hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Paul sits down with Reda Belabed, Senior Manager, Global Mobility and Immigration at MiniMed. They get into how you rebuild a Mobility programme when you've inherited one that isn't working, and where most teams start in the wrong place. Reda has spent 17 or 18 years in Mobility and immigration, in-house and on the supply side, at GE, Honeywell and now MiniMed. He's also relocated across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the US himself, first as the son of a retired diplomat and later as the one signing the paperwork. His framework is people, process, system, in that order. Spend the first 30 days asking open questions and letting your stakeholders talk. Then map the process - and share the map. Keep it to yourself, he says, and all it does is give you a detailed record of who to be annoyed at. Put your RMC, tax and immigration partners in the room with your internal teams and the duplication shows up fast. We discuss: Where do you start when you've inherited a Mobility programme that isn't working?What should the first 30 days look like, and why do open questions beat a specific list?Which processes are worth mapping when every case type is different?What happens when your RMC, tax and immigration partners read the map in the same room?How do you build the business case for technology when most of the benefit isn't a dollar figure?What do you look for in a Mobility hire who isn't an immigration expert? We hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Paul sits down with Kat Osborn, Global Mobility Coach & Consultant, to talk about the people on both sides of a move: the Mobility professionals who do the moving, and the employees and families who relocate. Kat has 19+ years in Global Mobility as an expat, a consultant and a transformation leader, including Head of Global Mobility at FIS and APAC Mobility Transformation Lead at Deloitte. She now coaches and consults for Global Mobility professionals and expat leaders. Kat expects much of Mobility's operational work to be automated, leaving the human skills as the job. She thinks Mobility people already have more of those than they give themselves credit for, from stakeholder management to project and change management, but rarely make time to step back and see it. She also asks what "hit the ground running" really takes for someone who's just uprooted their whole life. We often measure the success of the relocation, not the success of the person in their new role, and support for settling in is too often an afterthought, made optional or cut.  We discuss: How can Mobility professionals future-proof their careers as AI takes on operational work?Which transferable skills do Mobility people undersell?Why should Mobility teams stop and celebrate what they've achieved?What small, specific first steps actually stick?What does "hit the ground running" really mean for someone who's just uprooted their life?Why does settling-in support get cut, or come too late?We hope you enjoy.

In this episode, Paul sits down with Jaya Gangwani, Global Mobility Leader at Zalando. They talk about what Mobility still owes employees who are eager to relocate. Based in Berlin, Jaya has nearly two decades of experience across Mobility and HR, and has relocated six times herself, across four countries. She's run Mobility in very different businesses: sending software engineers to client sites around the world at Infosys, and supporting moves decided through a bid, months before anyone moved, at Alstom and Bombardier. Her view is that immigration stays core, the flex is where a package adapts to the person, and every flex decision needs thinking through for the precedent it sets. We discuss:When an employee is keen to move, what does the company still have to own?How do you flex a relocation package without setting a precedent you'll regret?What happens in the EU when the first question is "do I really have to move?"In bid-led businesses, why does Mobility need to sit close to the bid managers?How did one Workday field show a previous employer who was ready to move, and where?How do you support a generation for whom the move itself is the easy part?We hope you enjoy.

In this episode, Paul sits down with Cassie Ramos, Lead Global Mobility Partner at Biogen. They talk about why Mobility, not HR Ops, should own right to work checks. Cassie started out as an immigration paralegal and spent about six years as an immigration attorney. At Biogen, she leads global immigration and right to work, a remit she put her hand up for. Her argument is simple. Mobility already handles the hardest right to work cases, so it understands the standard better than anyone. Owning the process doesn't mean checking every passport. It means building the process, being the escalation point and training the people who do the checks. We discuss: Why should Mobility own right to work when its population is a small slice of the company?What did a new facility in Switzerland reveal about every other country?How do you take on every new hire without checking every passport yourself?How do you decide which countries to focus on first?Why are the US, UK and Poland the hardest countries to get right?Why is right to work a business continuity issue, not just a compliance one?We hope you enjoy!

• How do you centralise Global Mobility across 18 countries without forcing every market into the same way of working?  • Why should you design the organisation first, before designing roles around the people already there?  • How do you get local teams comfortable moving away from long-standing vendors and processes?  • What skills matter most when building a centralised Global Mobility function? In this episode, Paul sits down with Nati Silveira, Head of Global Mobility at Thoughtworks.Nati is British-Brazilian, a proud mum, and has more than 18 years of experience in Global Mobility. At Thoughtworks, she has built a high-efficiency Global Mobility CoE supporting a 10,000+ person tech organisation, covering the full journey from talent supply strategy through to settling in and thriving. When Nati stepped into the global role, Mobility was highly decentralised across 18 countries, with different teams, vendors, processes and local ways of working.Over the following six years, Thoughtworks moved towards one global Mobility model, with a central CoE working alongside Mobility Operations. Together, Paul and Nati explore what that transformation actually took — from organisational design and vendor consolidation to stakeholder management, local resistance and the changing skills needed within a global Mobility team. We hope you enjoy :)

• What happens when immigration rules haven’t changed, but the way they’re being applied suddenly has?  • How can Mobility teams capture knowledge that isn’t written down anywhere?  • Why does Sweden’s housing market create such a challenge for relocating families?  • How has Sweden’s international talent population changed over the past 20 years? In this episode, Paul sits down with Johanna Lennartson, owner and Managing Director of Nimmersion and President of EuRA. With nearly 20 years in Global Mobility, Johanna has worked across immigration, relocation, operations and management, giving her a front-row view of how both the industry and the Swedish mobility landscape have changed. Together, Paul and Johanna discuss one of the hardest parts of immigration today: not necessarily changes in legislation, but changes in how existing rules are interpreted and applied, sometimes with very little warning. They also explore how Mobility teams can retain knowledge from unusual cases, the realities of Sweden’s housing market, and what relocating employees actually need in order to build a new everyday life. We hope you enjoy :)

How do you build a Mobility policy employees don’t constantly need exceptions from? What can historic assignment data tell you about whether your programme is actually working? When does a policy exception stop being an exception and become something the policy?  should address? How can AI dramatically reduce the work involved in analysing Mobility programmes?In this episode, Paul sits down with Dianne Couto Foutz, Global Mobility Leader at Pegasystems. Dianne is passionate about helping employees and organisations navigate global talent mobility.With expertise spanning immigration, relocation and policy development, Dianne combines strategic thinking, compliance excellence, technology and empathy to create impactful workforce mobility solutions. Dianne shares how she rebuilt a Mobility programme by going back through years of historic assignment data, looking at what employees had received, whether assignments had worked as intended and what happened to those employees afterwards.That work helped create a far more structured and equitable programme - one that has since supported close to 200 moves with only around five exceptions. Paul and Dianne also discuss her “rule of three” for policy exceptions, using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to think about Mobility benefits, structuring lump sums more effectively, and how AI could transform work that previously took months into something far more achievable for Mobility teams today. We hope you enjoy :)

How is the new H-1B selection system changing outcomes for different wage levels? Why are location and compensation becoming part of immigration strategy? What could the proposed $103,625 fee mean for graduate and early-career hiring? How should employers assess their H-1B exposure and plan for multiple scenarios before the next cycle? In this episode, Paul sits down with Steven Williams, Principal Attorney at Silberman Law. Steven leads Silberman Law’s workplace immigration practice, helping employers strengthen U.S. visa sponsorship programmes, I-9 compliance, immigration policies and enforcement response. His approach is informed by experience across government, in-house teams, law firms and consulting. Together, Paul and Steven unpack one of the most fast-moving periods for U.S. workplace immigration in recent years — from the changing H-1B lottery and the impact of wage levels, to location strategy, early-career talent, international “parking” options and the proposed $103,625 fee. They also discuss why employers shouldn’t be planning for just one version of next year’s H-1B cycle, and how Mobility and Immigration teams can start building scenarios now while the final rules remain uncertain. We hope you enjoy :)

How do you stop employees choosing the wrong relocation benefits? What does it take to convince the business to invest in services over cash? How much flexibility can you offer without losing control of costs? What gets recruiters on board with a new relocation approach? When relocation practices differ across locations, how can you create consistency?  In this episode, Paul sits down with Zinnia Brasa, Global Mobility Manager at Arthrex.   Zinnia Brasa has spent her career helping people cross borders, build international careers, and navigate the sometimes surprisingly complex world of global mobility. Having designed and managed mobility programs for organizations ranging from agile start-ups to global corporations, she brings a unique perspective on what works and what doesn't.   Today, at Arthrex, she leads relocation, immigration, and global workforce initiatives, always striving to balance compliance, business needs, and employee experience. She firmly believes that behind every international assignment there is a personal story, and that's what makes this profession so fascinating. We hope you enjoy :)

Where are employers most at risk with UK immigration compliance? How can businesses prepare for Home Office audits? How will the UK's new right-to-work rules impact employers? How can HR, Legal and business leaders work together to navigate complex immigration changes?  In this episode, Paul sits down with Rose Carey, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland.   With over 23 years of experience in immigration law, Rose began her career as an immigration and human rights lawyer before moving into business immigration in 2007. She brings deep expertise in helping organisations navigate the complexities of the UK immigration system, alongside a strong interest in global migration trends and world affairs.   In this conversation, Rose shares practical insights on where employers are most at risk with UK immigration compliance, preparing for Home Office audits, navigating changes to right-to-work requirements, and how HR, Legal and business leaders can work together to stay ahead of an evolving immigration landscape.   We hope you enjoy :)

In this episode, Paul sits down with Mimi Elvidge, Head of Account Management at PerchPeek. Mimi has worked there for over 4 years. In this role, she consults with and advises companies daily on resource optimisation, policy revisions and change management. She has helped shape or create the programs of some of the largest and fastest growing companies globally, visiting clients across Europe, US and APAC to run strategic workshops on how to enhance their global mobility functions. In this episode, Mimi shares some of her learnings from the Global Mobility, Talent Acquisition and HR teams she has worked alongside, specifically around what she has seen bring the most success!. We hope you enjoy :)

How do you build a business case for Global Mobility technology when no single department can cover the cost? What does a successful Global Mobility ecosystem look like, and why does it matter? Why did Boeing introduce immigration workshops, and what impact did they have? How can Mobility teams uncover hidden cost savings across their immigration programme? How can Mobility leaders better align their programme to the wider business? In this episode, Paul sits down with Chris Gonzalez, Senior Talent Mobility & Immigration Professional. With more than 12 years of experience across both in-house and supplier-side roles, Chris has advised Fortune 100 organisations on immigration, compliance and workforce mobility, with a particular focus on technology, vendor optimisation and employee experience. In this conversation, Chris shares practical insights on building stronger business cases, gaining stakeholder buy-in, creating a connected mobility ecosystem, and using technology to drive better outcomes across Global Mobility. We hope you enjoy!

When should Global Mobility get involved in a merger or acquisition?How do you merge two very different mobility programmes into one?How do you decide which suppliers, policies and processes to keep after an M&A?How do you support employees through the uncertainty and change of an acquisition?What are the biggest mistakes organisations make when managing Global Mobility during M&A? In this episode, Paul sits down with Elina Udkovskaa, Senior Global Mobility Manager at Superhuman (formerly Grammarly). With a background spanning tax consulting, immigration law, legal operations at an immigration-tech company, and now Global Mobility, Elina brings a unique perspective on managing international workforces. She currently oversees immigration and relocation programmes across five countries and has led Global Mobility through multiple mergers and acquisitions, helping build scalable mobility programmes during periods of rapid change. Together, Paul and Elina explore the role of Global Mobility in M&A, discussing everything from integrating relocation policies and selecting suppliers to supporting employees through organisational change. We hope you enjoy :)

How can Mobility teams help identify the right candidates before an assignment even begins?Why is repatriation still one of the biggest blind spots in Global Mobility?When does a permanent transfer make more sense than a traditional assignment?What has changed most in Global Mobility over the past 30 years? In this episode, Paul sits down with Patricia Tavares, Founder of Brazil Talks People Solutions and a Global Mobility leader with more than 30 years of experience helping organisations manage international talent across Latin America and beyond. Patricia began her career at a time when Mobility teams handled almost every aspect of an assignment themselves. Over the decades, she has witnessed the evolution of the function from a largely operational service into a strategic partner that can influence talent decisions, assignment success, and business outcomes. A Master's graduate in Governance and recognised as one of GM's Top 250 Women Leaders, Patricia is passionate about Global Mobility, connecting professionals across the industry, and mentoring women seeking empowerment and growth in their careers. We hope you enjoy :)