Over 50 delegates from the world of global mobility gathered at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in London on 20 June for a morning seminar examining the challenges of managing workers and their families taking up assignments down under.

The seminar was organised by Gerson Relocation, which regularly moves families and assignees to and from Australia, and is one of a series of similar events covering mobility subjects planned to take place later in the year.

The event was chaired by long-standing relocation expert Anita Blanchett who invited informal presentations by guest speakers from Rio Tinto, KPMG and energy consultancy Worley Parsons Group, all of which have large numbers of employees in various parts of the world, including Australia. Topics included the trend towards making lump-sum payments to assignees, the challenges of communicating effectively across different time zones, as well as pension provision and the tax implications of working abroad.

Before breaking for coffee and networking, Chairman Anita Blanchet asked delegates to post questions to the panel using their smartphones via an app, which displayed them on the seminar screen.  This unusual move proved popular with the delegates who, unrestrained by any reluctance to speak publicly, provided the experts with far more material than they were able to cover during the remaining hour of the event.

All this made for a lively discussion, followed by ample opportunities to network with others from a wide cross section of industries. The seminar concluded on time at 11:30 after what had been a worthwhile and productive meeting.

Gerson Relocation has published a full report on the conclusions of the seminar, which can be obtained by visiting https://gersonrelocation.com/download-managing-assignments-between-uk-australia.

Photo: Delegates were invited to ask questions via smartphone app.