The Spring Midlands Global Mobility Forum (MGMF) took place on Wednesday 17th April, at The Exchange, a University of Birmingham events space and former Birmingham Municipal Bank Headquarters in Birmingham City Centre.
A platform through which global mobility professionals in the region can come together to discuss ‘hot topics’ and receive relevant industry updates, the Midlands Global Mobility Forum was established in 2015 and now runs biannually, with one event taking place in the spring and the other in late autumn.
The first session of 2024, the Spring MGMF had a packed agenda. The event opened with tax updates from members of the EY People Advisory Services Tax Mobility Team, who offered an overview of the impact of the 2024 Spring Budget for the Mobility sector, alongside a review of the positioning of Tax in Mobility and an exploration of assignment-related benefits for Mobility professionals.
Next up was K2’s UK Immigration Leader, Simon Higson, who presented on the recently announced changes to UK immigration rules.
Simon, who shared important information around changes to occupational codes and salary thresholds, the further relaxation of supplementary employment rules, updates to eVisas and more, comments: “With the significant changes that have just been announced in the UK, this event could not have been timelier. It was a great opportunity to take attendees through all the changes, and the challenges that they might present for Mobility teams moving forwards and be on hand to answer questions.”
Simon continues: “These changes could cause disruption if not properly managed so providing businesses with all the information they need to consider themselves ‘forewarned and forearmed’ is crucial to minimise the risk to business continuity.”
After a short break, Ben Neville-Towle, Head of GM Tax Advisory and Strategic Alliances at K2, facilitated an interactive session, inviting those present to break out into discussion groups to consider how their GM function is positioned internally, the management of global populations, training and development opportunities, and the tools and technology available for teams to utilise. This session was designed to encourage knowledge-sharing and open the dialogue about what’s working well, and any barriers faced.
The event was closed by Sophie Wilson, beneficiary turned Head of Operations for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Sophie delivered an inspirational talk about her personal journey of loss and growth, after sustaining a life-changing injury whilst travelling in December 2018.
There was then an opportunity to attend a networking lunch.
Dominique Dee, Global Mobility Manager at the University of Birmingham, and one of the founder members of the MGMF reflects: “It has been brilliant to be a part of the growing MGMF community over the past 9 years and we were delighted to be able host the Spring MGMF at The Exchange. These events offer GM and HR peers the chance to have open discussions in a warm and welcoming environment and get the benefit of the collective experience and expertise in the room. There are always valuable takeaways for all those who attend, and this session was no exception.”
If you would like to find out more about any of the topics covered or would like to receive information about future regional forums, please contact the K2 Events Team: events@k2corporatemobility.com
