A glorious sun-drenched day in Amsterdam set the perfect backdrop for our latest Expat Academy Huddle, generously co-hosted by our friends at Brown-Forman. As tradition dictates, we kicked off with our signature ice-breaker that never fails to unearth the extraordinary lengths our members go to for their assignees - including one brave soul who orchestrated an international relocation for an entire family of bunny rabbits! (Your secret is safe with us!)
Our Corporate Updates featured Roberto Cortés from Brown-Forman, who shared fascinating insights into their GM function (did you know Amsterdam represents their largest office outside the US?). Roberto highlighted how evolving consumer trends and shifting business relocation drivers are necessitating increasingly creative policy and package solutions. We wrapped up the morning with our Hot Potatoes session, where the room tackled everything from furniture allowance conundrums to the eternal debate of in-house versus outsourced services!
Post-lunch, members dove into our Counselling Corner breakout sessions, addressing pressing challenges around GM technology and tools, alternative employment methodologies, and immigration and compliance navigation. This flowed perfectly into Regional Updates from Grant Thornton, where Sander Agterhof delivered a comprehensive overview of self-employment regulations and the evolving 30% (or should we say 27%?) Ruling. Stefan Popelier then guided us through the intricacies of the new pension framework.
No European Huddle would be complete without our beloved Perspective Playground! Teams enthusiastically "debated" the strategic considerations for when companies should - or absolutely shouldn't - initiate an RFP process. The passionate exchanges may have raised temperatures, but all was forgiven over drinks at the splendid Brown-Forman bar!