Munich Huddle: Where Stakeholder Mastery Meets AI Innovation

Our September Munich Huddle delivered one of our most dynamic sessions yet, thanks to the warm hospitality of Siemens and an agenda that perfectly balanced strategic thinking with future-forward innovation.

Mastering the Art of Stakeholder Relationships

The morning belonged to Stuart Jackson from Expat Academy, who led an intensive stakeholder masterclass that built beautifully on our June discussions about demonstrating Global Mobility's value. This wasn't your typical presentation – it was a deep-dive workshop looking at the complex web of relationships that define our profession.

We started by mapping out Global Mobility's diverse stakeholder ecosystem, from C-suite executives, HR business partners, and procurement to employees and vendors. The real magic happened when we moved beyond identification to evaluation – examining the health, influence, and strategic importance of each relationship.

Stuart then introduced us to powerful storytelling techniques that transform dry metrics into compelling narratives. We explored how to craft stories that resonate with different audiences, whether you're presenting ROI to finance teams or explaining policy changes to business leaders. The session reminded us that data tells us what happened, but stories help stakeholders understand why it matters and what comes next.

Tackling Today's Challenges Together

Our 'Counselling Corner' sessions sparked animated discussions across three critical areas. Policy development groups wrestled with balancing flexibility and fairness in an era of remote work. The geopolitics and compliance table addressed the mounting complexity of international regulations, while the business travel and remote work discussion explored how traditional mobility boundaries continue to blur.

These breakout sessions reinforced why peer learning is so valuable – the collective wisdom in the room provided practical solutions that no single organisation could develop alone.

Industry Insights and Tax Updates

Zuzana Jasenovcova from Siemens Healthineers offered fascinating insights into their mobility structure and programme evolution, providing a real-world case study of how large organizations adapt their global mobility strategies.

Grant Thornton Germany's Heike Bathke and Lena Lukas-Niemann delivered crucial updates on recent German tax developments, including a significant ruling on the Netherlands 30% ruling and clarifications around permanent establishment employment classifications – developments that will impact many cross-border assignments.

The Future is Already Here

Benjamin Oghene from The Cozm delivered what might have been the day's most eye-opening session. His demonstration of AI's current capabilities literally left jaws dropping as he showed how technology can eliminate tedious administrative tasks – form filling, data analysis, and routine processing – that consume so much of our time.

Ben's optimistic vision struck the perfect chord: AI isn't here to replace Global Mobility professionals; it's here to liberate us from mundane tasks so we can focus on what humans do best – building relationships, providing strategic counsel, and supporting the human experience of international mobility.

Debate and Connection

We closed with our traditional Perspective Playground, where teams passionately debated whether Global Mobility should prioritize long-term partnerships over competitive RFPs. Both sides presented compelling arguments, proving once again that our industry's most interesting questions rarely have simple answers.

As always, the formal sessions were just the beginning – the real connections happened over networking drinks, where ideas flowed as freely as the conversation.

Thanks to Siemens for hosting, and to all our expert partners who made this huddle unforgettable: Heike Bathke and Lena Lukas-Niemann from Grant Thornton Germany, Benjamin Oghene from The Cozm, Andy Hawtin from Altair Global, and Tom Crosby from ECA.