Our Global Workforce Colloquium returned to London on Thursday 12th March, bringing together the Global Mobility community for a packed day of discussion, learning, and collaboration.
Hosted at Etc. Venues County Hall – with spectacular views across the Thames to the Palace of Westminster – the day brought together in-house professionals and expert partners for 21 different sessions covering the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Global Mobility today.
From technical deep dives and expert presentations to open “huddle” discussions where members shared experiences with peers, the day captured exactly what Expat Academy is all about – a community coming together to share practical ideas and support each other in navigating an increasingly complex landscape.
Setting the Scene: Evolution, Not Revolution
The day opened with Michael Grover and Marcus Downing from Mercer, who took us on a brief journey through the history of Global Mobility.
Their message was a reassuring one. Whilst the world of work continues to change rapidly, many of the shifts we’re seeing in Global Mobility may represent evolution rather than outright revolution. The function has always adapted to business needs – and that process continues today.
They also explored the future of work and the potential impact of AI, encouraging attendees to think about how technology may reshape aspects of mobility management whilst reinforcing the continued importance of human judgement and expertise.
The Evolving Global Mobility Role
Several sessions throughout the day focused on how the Global Mobility role itself is changing.
Mercer’s session “Is it even GM anymore?” highlighted the shift away from traditional expatriate programmes towards managing a far more complex ecosystem of international workers – including commuters, remote workers, and globally distributed teams.
ECA expanded on this in their session on the Diversified GM Role, describing modern mobility professionals as something of a “Renaissance” function – balancing tax, immigration, policy design, data, and strategic workforce planning.
Santa Fe Relocation also explored how this changing landscape is influencing policy design, advocating for a more human-centric approach that provides flexibility for employees whilst still supporting organisational governance.
Macro Trends: Geopolitics and Cost of Living
External forces are increasingly shaping how organisations move talent.
ECA’s session on geopolitical shifts and employee costs explored how currency volatility, regional conflicts, and climate-related disruption are contributing to global cost pressures for mobile employees.
Sterling Lexicon’s 2026 Global Mobility Blueprint revealed that supporting the employee experience and talent retention is now just as important to organisations as managing costs – reflecting the growing strategic importance of mobility programmes.
Striking the Balance Between Technology and People
Technology and automation were also key themes throughout the day.
Equus Software explored this balance in their session “Empowering Your Human Touch”, demonstrating how technology can reduce administrative workload and allow mobility professionals to focus more on the human side of their role.
Interestingly, data from Sterling Lexicon suggests the industry is AI-aware rather than AI-enabled, with many programmes still exploring how AI might realistically be used within mobility.
This topic sparked one of the day’s most engaging huddle discussions – an AI reality check, where members compared notes on how they are actually using AI tools today and where the real value may lie in the future.
The Human Impact of Data Disconnects
Global Expat Pay’s session, “The Human Side of Data,” provided a powerful reminder that behind every process and system sits a real employee experience.
Using the fictional example of an assignee named Maria, they illustrated how fragmented data and disconnected systems can create challenges at every stage of an assignment – from workforce planning and immigration timelines to payroll and tax equalisation.
The discussion highlighted how manual processes can lead to confusing payslips, unexpected tax bills, and unnecessary stress for employees and their families.
The takeaway was clear: integrating mobility data with wider HR systems can significantly improve both the employee experience and the organisation’s ability to measure assignment ROI.
Compliance, Tax, and Legal Realities
Of course, no Global Mobility event would be complete without tackling the realities of compliance.
Newland Chase hosted a lively discussion on whether immigration or tax risks present the greater compliance challenge. The conclusion? Immigration risks may be immediate and disruptive, whilst tax risks – such as permanent establishment exposure – can be quieter but potentially far more costly.
BDO encouraged organisations to move away from reactive compliance and instead build proactive strategies to deal with increasingly digitised tax authorities and the complexities of international remote working.
Grant Thornton delivered a wide-ranging update covering developments including the EU Framework Agreement on cross-border remote work, OECD commentary on permanent establishment considerations, and important changes affecting the UK.
Meanwhile, Magrath Sheldrick examined the rising costs of UK immigration and explored best practice for designing clawback provisions that help organisations manage financial risk when assignments end earlier than expected.
Huddle Sessions: The Power of Community Insight
Alongside the formal presentations, the Colloquium featured a series of member-led huddle sessions, which are always a highlight of the day.
These sessions allow attendees to explore topics together in smaller groups, sharing experiences and practical solutions.
One particularly well-attended discussion focused on the impact of the current conflict in the Middle East on Global Mobility programmes. Members discussed different policy approaches whilst expert partners Bournes Relocation, Grant Thornton, and Newland Chase shared the latest insights from relocation, tax, and immigration perspectives.
Another lively “Hot Seat” huddle session gave members the chance to tap into the wisdom of the Global Mobility community. Topics ranged from the use of PEOs and EORs, to managing international remote work, to the ever-present challenge of measuring the ROI of mobility programmes.
Other popular huddle discussions included:
These conversations perfectly captured the collaborative spirit of the community – practical, honest discussions between people facing many of the same challenges.
Closing the Day: Opportunity in Uncertainty
To close the Colloquium, our very own Chris Blair hosted a Global Heads panel bringing together senior mobility leaders from across the community.
Ben Tuvey (Ericsson), Roxi Sapsford (Convatec), and Rachel Harrington (Slaughter & May) explored the theme “Opportunity in Uncertainty: Embracing the Evolution.”
The conversation brought together many of the themes that had emerged throughout the day – from changing workforce models to technological disruption and geopolitical complexity.
The panel encouraged Global Mobility professionals to look beyond immediate operational challenges and recognise the strategic opportunities that change can create for the function.
Looking Ahead
The Global Workforce Colloquium once again demonstrated the strength of the Expat Academy community – bringing together practitioners and experts to share insights, challenge assumptions, and learn from one another.
If you weren’t able to join us this time, don’t worry – there will be plenty more opportunities to connect with the community.
Our Annual Conference returns this September, where we’ll continue exploring the biggest issues shaping the future of Global Mobility.
We hope to see you there.