On Thursday 16th May, members of the K2 UK Team travelled up to Newcastle for the first North East Mobility Forum (NEMF) of 2024.
21 NEMF community members assembled at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Newcastle for a full day of presentations and discussions, hosted by K2’s UK Client Development Manager, Huw Thomas.
Below is an overview of the six sessions that ran over the course of the day:
Session 1 – UK Immigration Updates
Presenter: Simon Higson, UK Immigration Leader, K2 Corporate Mobility
During this informative session Simon took attendees through the latest UK immigration updates, covering topics such as the changes to occupational codes and salary thresholds, along with the further relaxation of supplementary employment rules, updates to eVisas and more.
Session 2 – Temporary International Remote Workers
Presenters: Kamal Algarbani, Regional Immigration Manager, EAME, and Adele Lucas, Regional Mobility Manager, EAME, Cummins
The second session of the day saw representatives from Cummins offering the group some insight into their new Temporary International Remote Work Program (TIRW).
Presented as a case study, Kamal and Adele talked about the scope and objectives of the initiative, how it came into existence, compliance requirements, and the application process, before moving on to unveil some potential new projects and planned improvements.
Session 3 – UK Tax Update
Presenter: Davyd Fisher, Director, Specialist Services, Grant Thornton
In this segment of the event, Grant Thornton’s Davyd Fished delved into how GM teams can achieve cost optimisation in different areas, including business travel, income tax and social security. Davyd then went through the proposed legislation changes for Non-Domicile Taxation and the EU Social Security.
Session 4 – The GM Team: An Inward Focus
Presenter: Helen Squibb, HR Advisory, K2 Corporate Mobility
Before the group broke for lunch, Helen facilitated this session, inviting attendees to take an inward look at their GM teams by dividing into discussions groups to consider the following:
- How the GM function is positioned within their organisation
- How they manage their global populations
- How they learn and develop
- What tools of the trade or partners can be tapped into
This interactive session encouraged participants to learn from each other, work to identify any opportunities to improve their service delivery model, and provide everyone with at least one idea that they could take back and implement within their own teams.
Session 5 – Life in My Own Hand
Presenter: Henry Dunn, Matt Hampson Foundation
In addition to the industry-relevant topics presented throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to hear from Henry, a Matt Hampson Foundation beneficiary, who sustained a life-changing injury that resulted in the amputation of his left arm.
Henry spoke about his rehabilitation journey and the tools and techniques he has developed along the way to achieve resilience in the face of adversity.
Session 6 – ESG & the K2 Foundation
Presenter: Huw Thomas, UK Client Development Manager, K2 Corporate Mobility
The final presentation of the day, delivered by K2’s Huw Thomas, provided an overview of some key highlights from K2’s Sustainability Programme, including:
- K2’s ongoing partnership with the University of Bath and the Knowledge Transfer Partnership project
- Our programme of plastic reduction and the work being done in collaboration with our Supply Chain partners
- The EcoVadis sustainability ratings platform and our efforts to onboard Supply Chain partners, as well as taking part in our own assessment annually
- The K2 Foundation and the work being done with local charities to make a meaningful difference in the communities where we operate
The event culminated in a relaxed social evening, offering the group the chance to build new relationships and cultivate existing ones.
Huw comments:
“Running these forums biannually since 2018 has meant that we have been able to build a close-knit community of like-minded professionals, who are keen to learn from and engage with their GM and HR peers, alongside hearing from other industry experts.”
Huw continues:
“We’re grateful to all of our presenters for enabling us to offer attendees a packed programme of informative and thought-provoking content.”
If you are interested in hearing more about upcoming events in your region, email the K2 Events Team: events@k2corporatemobility.com.
