Last year’s FEM EMEA Summit was my first as Head of Content at FEM, but since then I’ve had the privilege of chairing conferences and Summits in Houston, Denver, Sydney and Hong Kong where I’ve been able to meet hundreds of global mobility experts and find out about the key challenges in each of those very different locations. 

Speakers from across the EMEA region

I’m delighted to say that at this year’s EMEA Summit, taking place on 9-10 November at the O2 InterContinental, London, we have speakers and attendees from right across the region - from continental Europe and the Middle East to the UK and Ireland. And we have more than ever – 69 distinguished global mobility specialists at the last count, so I think we have a wealth of EMEA expertise.

Perennial and new topics

Of course, there are certain topics that are pertinent to every area of the globe, but EMEA is facing some very particular challenges – not least of course the issue of Brexit – which is rapidly becoming far more real. I know that many of us are both by turns jaded and fascinated by the twists and turns of the negotiations, but the deadline for an agreement (or possibly no agreement) is drawing ever nearer and whatever happens, there will be profound implications for business and for mobility in particular. 

Practical guidance

So our immigration panel: Brexit, Schengen and the changing immigration landscape in Europe features legal experts from the UK and Europe and includes Ian Robinson of Fragomen Worldwide, who previously worked at the Home Office on the European immigration policy. Our second Brexit panel discussion: Brexit & Beyond takes a pragmatic approach, and we have Dawn Hale of Johnson Matthey, Viv Mott of Aviva, Christopher Hawkes from KPMG and Nikki Williams of LUSH Cosmetics to share insight into what they have been doing since the vote last June and what they plan to do next. 

Another change that every business needs to plan for is the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) that will come into effect on May 25th 2018. Non-compliance could mean a fine of up to £500,000 on a data controller and organisations can be fined up to 4% of annual global turnover or €20 million, so this is something that we all need to prepare for now. I’m pleased to say that we have assembled a panel for our discussion: Countdown to the GDPR who each have a valuable perspective on the issue and have prepared a set of practical materials that delegates can use to structure their own roadmap.

The corporate only roundtables on both days are always popular and every one of the nine topics has filled up with delegates very quickly this year, so I look forward to gathering the feedback from the sessions on day One. 
We have plenty of other panel discussions – some of which are on perennial topics such as Business Travel in EMEA, but I’m really excited to have a significant number of senior figures who are new to speaking at FEM events, so we will have the benefit of an even broader range of perspectives.

Brand new features for 2017

Our brand new Mobility Masterclasses are a feature of this year’s Summit that I am particularly excited about and delegates can choose between two on each day. With so much talent and innovation on show at the EMMAs, it seemed logical to ask some of our winning companies and individuals to share some of the secrets of their success, so I’m thrilled that we have Anja Vahldiek from EY and Sigrid Nauwelearts of Johnson & Johnson presenting individual sessions on Day One and Gareth Davies of Rolls Royce and Viv Mott of Aviva partnering with Selina Jones-May of WorleyParsons on Day Two. Having seen some of their presentation materials I think these workshops will be a tremendous addition to the programme and I plan to offer more at our Amsterdam Conference on 22nd March.

Of course, as technology is constantly evolving, we all need to keep up with latest developments and on Day One a diverse panel will be discussing the power of connecting the entire global mobility value chain in: Delivering enhanced value through the ecosystem which will be moderated by Tim Wells of Equus Software. 

A Commanding View

Be sure to be alert and ready for action on Day Two, because our Opening Keynote Address will be delivered by Colonel Marcus Reedman. Colonel Reedman will be talking about: Doing Business in a ‘VUCA World’. VUCA is an acronym coined at by the US Army at the end of the Cold War and is a way of describing the complex and uncertain times that we live in. Colonel Reedman now has a strategic role at the MoD, but has been a Commanding Officer in conflict and disaster zones across the world - and knows exactly how to anticipate and deal with the unexpected - and how to maximise talent and resources. I think he will have some useful practical insights and advice to pass on to all those who deal with the myriad tasks that are involved in mobility.

Back on Track

Back into the Tracks, straight after this, we have a discussion on The key challenges of modern mobility in Track A, and in Track B, an exploration of Agile mobility management: Segmentation and flexibility. 

Following our sponsored roundtable discussions and special session for suppliers, our discussion in Track A will ask When is the right time for mobility transformation? And examine corporate change journeys. In Track B, we’ll look at EU Intra-Company Transfer and Posted Worker Directives. Then Edward Sides of Statoil will be sharing some insight when he addresses the question: How can technology help you become more efficient? While in Track B an expert panel will be discussing Diversity and security in a global landscape. 

Our last two Mobility Masterclasses will be followed by our closing panel discussion, where we will look ahead to the ‘Future Workplace’ and hear from Ed Sides again, as well as Victoria Christofides of Thomson Reuters, Charlotte Sword of global architects, Foster + Partners, Anja Vahldiek of EY and Sandra Winstanley from Heineken.

We look forward to seeing you there and I really hope you will engage with the speakers and ask plenty of questions.

It will be a very busy but rewarding couple of days, but at 6.45 pm on Friday the mobility community will reconvene for the drinks reception prior to the EMEA EMMAs and the winners of FEM’s prestigious global mobility awards will be revealed!

To see the EMEA Agenda at a glance, take a look at our Agenda Planner or see the full Agenda and Speaker Profiles.

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