Hamburg: Where Festive Cheer Met Hard Truths About Transformation

The Christmas markets were calling, but first we had serious business to tackle. Our Hamburg Huddle brought together Global Mobility professionals for a day that perfectly captured the current industry moment: everyone wants to be strategic, but the pressure to prove value through cost transparency has never been more intense.

Innovation or Just Recycling? Let's Be Honest

We kicked off with a question that needed asking: are we actually innovating in Global Mobility, or just rebranding the same solutions every few years? The room immediately engaged with this reality check.

The discussion cut straight through the industry noise. That shiny 'dynamic policy' framework being sold as the future? It's core-flex with a makeover. The patterns keep repeating - policy structures, compensation philosophies, assignment models - they come back around under different names, repackaged for a new generation of thought leadership.

The real value emerged in how attendees approached this. Rather than chasing novelty for its own sake, the focus shifted to evaluating what's genuinely right for each organisation. Sometimes the proven solution that's come round again is exactly what you need. The trick is cutting through the noise to make that decision confidently, not getting swept up in trends because everyone else seems to be.

From Transactional to Strategic: The Gap We're Still Bridging

ECA's session brought data that should make us all pause: back in 2016, 47% of GM functions predicted they'd become predominantly strategic within five years. By 2021, only 10% had actually made that shift. Fast forward to 2025, and we've reached... 19%. Progress, yes, but still falling far short of where we thought we'd be.

The discussion explored what strategic functions are actually doing differently, focusing on three key areas: building solid foundations, proactive cost management, and connecting mobility to broader organisational priorities. Attendees broke into groups to tackle real questions about their own programmes - from reviewing processes and technology implementation to tracking budget versus actuals and expanding GM's influence beyond HR.

The German virtue metaphor framed the conversation brilliantly: Effizienz (efficiency) versus Bürokratie (bureaucracy). When asked where they sit and where they'd rather be, most admitted they're somewhere in between but aspiring towards efficiency. The key takeaway? Teams need absolute clarity on what they need - because it's different for everyone - and then they need to actually take steps in the right direction, no matter how small. No more burying heads in sand.

The Foundation You Can't Skip: Cost Transparency

Global Expat Pay's session landed at exactly the right moment, flowing naturally from ECA's efficiency discussion. Their message was uncompromising: if you want to transform your function, you really need to know your costs.

The distinction they drew was critical - a cost estimate for an international assignment is not the same as knowing actual costs. Yet how many of us are making transformation cases based on estimates rather than reality? And it's not just assignment costs; it's internal costs, team efficiencies, and all those hidden expenses that add up but never quite make it onto anyone's radar.

They shared a compelling case study that revealed challenges uncomfortably familiar to many in the room - the kind of operational inefficiencies, vendor dependencies, and compliance risks that keep GM leaders awake at night.

But here's where it got interesting. They asked everyone to move to one side of the room or the other based on whether they're experiencing high or low cost pressures. Predictably, the vast majority migrated to the high-pressure side. What's striking isn't just the pressure itself - it's how quickly some organisations have gone from relatively comfortable to incredibly constrained. When you're dealing with rapid change in volatile economic and geopolitical conditions, your processes, procedures, and policies struggle to keep pace.

The conversation touched on a familiar frustration: when GM teams find efficiencies and save time, the business often responds by expecting headcount cuts. But that's not the goal. The goal is freeing up capacity to become genuine strategic business partners. The suggestion? Perhaps strategically take on something important to the business that's currently not being managed properly - international business travellers were mentioned as an example - not just for the admin, but to actually solve a business need and demonstrate strategic value.

On procurement's favourite topic - vendor savings through renegotiations - the advice was pointed: understand what those savings actually mean for service delivery. Their message was clear: genuine cost transparency unlocks far more transformative potential than traditional cost-cutting exercises.

The session finished with practical guidance on transformation: be ambitious, identify root causes, and stay agile. Because by the time you implement change, the landscape will have shifted again.

Breakout Brilliance: Focused Conversations That Matter

The afternoon breakout sessions gave attendees exactly what they wanted - focused time on topics they're grappling with right now. Three groups formed around Tech and AI, Compliance/Business Travel/Remote Work, and Team Structure (a last-minute change based on attendee demand - we're nothing if not responsive!).

These sessions are where the real peer-to-peer magic happens. The Team Structure conversation, for instance, tackled those perennial questions about team sizes versus workload - never straightforward because it depends entirely on how much you've outsourced to vendors. But the discussion went deeper, exploring the purpose of each role, upskilling opportunities, and most importantly, how to help team members move beyond simply hiding behind policy to say 'no' to the business. Instead, how do you help the business get what they need whilst doing so compliantly, fairly, and equitably? That's the evolution from transactional to strategic in action.

Real-World Wisdom: When Transformation Actually Works

Angelika Boldt from Beiersdorf delivered the kind of corporate update that proves why members love these sessions. People are genuinely hungry to hear how other GM teams operate, what they're doing, and most importantly, how they're doing it.

With strong support from leadership, Angelika's team has been elevated to become true business partners. They don't just process anymore. They don't even just advise and consult. They have the credibility to challenge the business as part of that consultative approach, which in turn helps them provide better answers.

What came through unmistakably was the team's genuine passion - for their business, their products, and ultimately the work they do and how they go about it. Since 2020, they've reviewed their policies, implemented a new global mobility management tool, and become much more purpose-led. They've changed their internal setup to match this new strategic positioning.

It was the perfect example of what transformation can look like when you get buy-in, know what you're trying to achieve, and have the courage to challenge as well as support.

The Great Debate: Does Your Reporting Line Actually Matter?

We finished with our signature Perspective Playground debate format - this time tackling whether it matters which function Global Mobility reports into. After a day discussing strategic influence, stakeholder management, and transformation, you can imagine how spirited this became!

We're not giving away all the arguments here (FOMO alert!), but naturally the conversation explored how you manage your stakeholders, who supports you, and whether reporting lines should genuinely make a difference to your effectiveness. The exchanges were robust, perspectives were challenged, and thinking was stretched - exactly what this format is designed to do.

Hamburg Magic: Where Business Meets Glühwein

The formal programme ended, but the real networking continued at Hamburg's Christmas markets. Because sometimes the best insights come over Glühwein rather than in conference rooms, and the relationships built in those relaxed moments are the ones you'll call on when you're facing your next big challenge.

The combination of structured learning, peer problem-solving, and genuine community building is what makes these in-person Huddles so valuable. When members bring their real challenges, engage honestly, and commit to collective problem-solving, the results speak for themselves.

Missed Hamburg? We'd love to see you at the next gathering - because this is where strategic thinking meets practical reality, where cost transparency meets transformation ambition, and where the best insights often come with a side of festive cheer.

Interested in joining our next Huddle? Get in touch to learn more about Expat Academy membership and upcoming events.