Having tackled some pretty weighty topics during the course of the year, we decided that the seasonal timing of this last meeting of the year allowed us to be a little more informal.

KPMG kindly hosted the event in their 'Winter Garden' space which overlooks a glittering Canary Wharf skyline and the River Thames. The layout of the room inspired us to create an event that featured a speed through some key topics with the aid of six, expert-led roundtables. 

It turned out that KPMG use a similar format for their in-house training sessions, so Stuart McGlone, Manager of Global Mobility Services at KPMG made a fine Master of Ceremonies and managed the rotation of the guests around the roundtables with great panache.

Attendees were able to choose from tables on the following topics:

1. Benchmarking and cost containment 
   Led by: Georgina Farr, UK Global Mobility Lead, KPMG UK and Alison Shipitofsky, Head of Global Mobility Services (GMS) Operations, KPMG

1. Benefits and budgets – a balancing act
   Led by: Kamila Griffin, International Mobility Manager, DigitasLBI
   
   
2. Change management
   Led by: Helen Walton, Director of Global Mobility, AstraZeneca Plc
   
   
3. Getting ready for the GDPR and data management
   Led by: Christopher Hawkes, Director, Tax and Pensions – Global Mobility, KPMG
   
   
4. Immigration changes and compliance
   Led by: Sharon Christiaan, Chief Legal Compliance, Senior Immigration Lawyer and Behavioural Officer, BISAF
   
   
5. Localisation policy and practice
   Led by: Nicole Davis-Calinescu, Global Mobility Manager, JLT Group

Each table was hosted by one or more experts and though the timing of each session was relatively short, the more intimate scale of the event with Chatham House Rules enabled plenty of meaningful discussion and engagement.

The Global Mobility community at its best

At FEM we have to ensure that we serve the needs of a diverse professional body with a range of events and services for both corporate and service provider members which are sometimes quite separate, but as an organisation we always strive to be inclusive and this evening was a great demonstration of how close the global mobility community really is.

There was just enough time for everyone to discuss four topics before more drinks were served accompanied by some very elegant and delicious canapes. The networking went on for some time and it was a great way to round off a year of highly successful London Chapter Meetings.

Our thanks to our speakers, attendees and hosts

FEM would like to thank all our speakers for kindly giving their time and expertise and all our attendees for their valuable contributions. We also extend special thanks to all the Global Mobility Services team at KPMG who have so generously hosted several of our meetings and who are always such a pleasure to work with.

Our schedule for 2018

We will announce the schedule of London Chapter Meetings for 2018 in early January, but in the meantime, if you would like to join FEM, suggest a topic or would like to host a meeting, do please get in touch with me, Claire Tennant-Scull, Head of Content at FEM and London Chapter Lead, or Marianne Aronsen, our Chapters & Membership Manager at Claire.tennantscull@centaurmedia.com or Marianne.aronsen@centaurmedia.com

We look forward to seeing you again in 2018!