APAC Immigration Leader Jesper Albrekt’s experience as an Expat
With thirteen offices in nine countries, K2 is a global network of local expertise. From anywhere in the world, our experts have the regional knowledge that can settle you into your new home. Personal experiences of relocating also play a key role when supporting international assignments, as our colleagues can relate first-hand to the challenges of moving abroad.
An exciting way our colleagues gain this experience is through moving between offices.
Moving either temporarily or permanently to another K2 office is not an uncommon occurrence, and the passion our own colleagues have for international exchanges and experiences consequently shows in the service they provide.
A fine example of this passion comes from Jesper Albrekt, K2’s APAC Immigration Leader.
Jesper joined K2 Sweden as a graduate in 2017. Two years later, he would be leading K2’s immigration function in APAC:
“Working in Sweden with growing accounts that were on the other side of the world quickly lead to the need of an immigration leader in APAC. It was June 2019 – client demand in Asia and Australia was only increasing, and I knew my role would benefit from the knowledge that I could only gain by packing my bags and living there myself. The opportunity for a two year move to Singapore was on the horizon.”
In what was initially a two-year move to Singapore to help bolster K2’s Immigration presence in APAC, Jesper is still living in the ‘Lion City’ four years later.
“Extending my time in Singapore was an easy decision to make. Since moving, more clients were in need of K2’s immigration services in the region, and it wasn’t too long before APAC’s own Immigration Team began to take shape.
We are now a team of five: myself, Sharifah Nassibah, Nadiyah Hanifi, Syafiqah Muhyiddin and Glendi Png, supporting both regional and Singapore immigration services. We are a fantastic team and it is the vibrant energy of the office and the K2 colleagues that makes me feel welcome every day and keeps driving my ambitions to continue on K2´s journey in the APAC region.”
It is also the opportunities that Jesper engages in that helped dissuade him from moving back to Sweden.
Working with organizations such as the Swedish Chamber of Commerce (SwedCham and Swedes Worldwide has allowed Jesper to understand common issues experienced by expatriates, while also making connections that provide more transparency for clients in Singapore and around the world.
K2 can now provide a more holistic immigration service offering in the region, as invaluable connections are made with clients, partners, government organizations and NGOs that simply would not be possible if Jesper was working from Sweden. To go one step further, Jesper was even named 2023 Swedes Worldwide Representative of the Year!
Jesper’s life as an expat closely aligns with his personal interests in travelling and food, which he feels fortunate about being able to explore in a culturally diverse and dynamic region.
“I see Singapore as a soft approach to living in Asia. You have the rest of the continent looming large, with such a wide array of cultures and nationalities, and yet you can still feel very much at home with all the different communities formed from expatriates such as myself. There’s even a Swedish restaurant here!
My wife and I have made the most of travelling around Asia, whether that is a weekend to Kuala Lumpur or exploring the jungles of Borneo… embracing different cultures and finding opportunities is what living abroad is all about. But even then, we always feel fortunate about being able to come home to Singapore’s safety and stability.”
From invaluable industry and client connections, to having all of Asia to explore, Jesper reflects on the previous four years, grateful that the opportunity arose in 2019.
“Being an expat is all about opening yourself to opportunity. In both my professional and personal life, I have grown to embrace as much as I can and am grateful for the trust K2 has put in me to continue growing our service offering in the region. K2 Singapore now has a global overview of Immigration and a growing local client base in the region.
The experience of having moved myself into a different culture gives me the opportunity to relate to clients and elevate the services offered to our clients, which I think speaks volumes to why saying yes to moving abroad is worth it.”
Jesper’s story is just one of many expat experiences that our K2 Family share with our clients. If you would like to learn more about our Immigration services, click the link below.
