FEM is delighted to confirm Blanca Utarid, Global Mobility Relationship Manager at HSBC, will be joining us to chair a round-table at the Philadelphia Summit on 4 May. Join her to learn more from her session on "How can you identify opportunities to reduce cost and drive greater efficiency"!

FEM: How long have you been involved in the Global Mobility sector?

BU: 20 years

FEM: What changes have you seen in that time?

BU: I've seen corporations go from a regional approach to a global standard approach with their processes and policies. I have also seen corporations move from the traditional policy type to segregated polices based on business need and strategy.

FEM: What do you think are the 3 greatest challenges facing Global Mobility professionals today?

BU: Retaining talent, cost control, and compliance.

FEM: Why do you think (this issue) is such a challenge for Global Mobility and why is it important that the audience understand more about the debate?

BU: Many companies today are not looking at talent closely and thus losing talent to other corporations. Companies need to be more in tune of what their talent pool is for opportunities and retention. Global Mobility partnering with Talent Management for a global succession plan is key. GM would need to ensure policies are aligned with business strategy to drive a cost effective approach with the talent in mind. This comes to my second challenge listed above cost control. Many corporations for years have been trying to reduce the cost of assignment by cutting certain benefits from the policy. This approach can assist with reducing the cost but not by much and in fact may cause an increase in exceptions. Aligning policies with business strategy and review of global talent is the direction of success when reviewing the ROI. Compliance is another area where organizations get caught on the complexity of assignments (and if business travelers are under GM's scope) due to lack of know how and collaboration with other departments.

It is important for the audience to understand so they can take away what they have learned and review where it may make sense to apply for their organization and GM platform.

FEM: What is the one message you hope delegates take away from your roundtable?

BU: What I would hope they take away from the roundtable is ideas of ways to reduce cost effectively within there Global Mobility area by not just reviewing policy but looking at the business strategy and needs holistically to ensure they have a well carved out program for their assignees.

FEM: Who would you recommend attend your roundtable?

BU: I recommend all GM and vendors attend as well as those in the talent and HR positions.

Blanca Utarid is an experienced Global Mobility professional with over 15 years of Human Resources experience in global assignment operations and domestic relocation. She has served as advisor in both corporate and professional services roles for various sectors from small to large multi-national companies in all regions providing consultation of assignment trends and policy review, management and coordination of global supplier, training, and financial budget control.

Blanca is currently a Global Mobility Relationship Manager at HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations. Blanca works closely with corporate human resources, international payroll, internal immigration, and line management to mitigate risk, cost control, and lead the direction of assignment type and management for a smooth functioning global mobility program. She also manages the relationship with external consultants who provide services and support for tax, HHG, destination services, legal, and immigration. Blanca is presently working on several projects ultimately leading to a global strategic transformation.