Expatriate Management Committee

September 17-19, 2003

Outlined below is a summary of the semi-annual meeting of the NFTC’s Expatriate Management Committee (EMC) held in Minnetonka, MN. Participants included representatives from:

3M / Eastman Kodak / Microsoft
American Express / EDS / Motorola
Bank of America / Fluor / NCR
Boeing / Ford Motor Company / NFTC
Bristol-Myers Squibb / General Electric / Nortel Networks
Cargill / General Motors / PepsiCo
Cemex / Gillette / Philip Morris International
Cisco Systems / GlaxoSmithKline / Procter & Gamble
Citigroup / Hewlett Packard / Raytheon
Coca-Cola / IBM / Schlumberger Oilfield Services
Colgate-Palmolive / Intel / Shell International
Corning / Lucent / Unilever
Delphi / McDonald’s / Wal-Mart
duPont / Medtronic

Thank you to Bob Ernt of Cargill, Judy Knepp of 3M, and their colleagues for co-hosting the EMC meeting.

Open Forum Discussion

The group discussed policy and process issues that are being working on, including:

·  Country-specific updates (China, India, Russia, Iraq, Thailand)

·  Localization challenges in general and specific to countries such as China

·  Developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to mobility management

·  Changes in international assignee demographics (age, job level, country of origin)

·  Data systems that capture expatriate costs

Company Profile: Cargill

Bob Ernt provided an overview of the history and current business of Cargill.

Company Profile: 3M

Angie Lalor gave an overview of 3M’s global business and of its expatriate program.

Company Profile: Unilever

Sue Backholer of Unilever provided an overview of the company. In recent years the company has rationalized its products down to about 400 from several thousand. Historically the company has operated as a “multi-local multinational.” It recently moved from a regionally focused structure to being split into Foods and Home and Personal Care groups. Unilever expects Asia will be its future growth market.

Intra-Regional Assignment Alternatives

A poll was conducted to identify significant differences that affect intra-regional versus inter-regional transfers.

Self-Service Technology Applications for International Assignments

Loretta Allard of GE and Michael Schell and Charlene Solomon of ReloWizard presented on the use of technology. GE’s Global Mobile Employees (GMEs) can access information through a global mobility website. The GE assignment initiation process can: produce assignment cost projections; explain relocation packages including allowances and benefits; and is linked with all of the relevant parties.

Michael Schell and Charlene Solomon reviewed the objectives of a self-service website, including:

·  Ease of navigation

·  Availability of information 24/7

·  Automated checklists

·  Accessible on worldwide web and intranet

·  Be as comprehensive as possible

They also described its uses, including cross-cultural assessment and awareness/training.

Global Demographic Trends and Their Impact on Global Human Resources and International Assignments

Mary Tan, Director – Global Market Intelligence at Colgate Palmolive, reviewed socio-economic trends (regional differences, aging populations, diversity, and attitudes and lifestyles). Mary related the findings of her research to future workforce and global mobility.

Welcome New EMC Members

Sara J. Phillips, representing Delphi Corporation, and Joe Mongrain, representing Schlumberger Oilfield Services, were voted in as members of the EMC.

Online Cost Estimating Tools

Muriel Eason of Intel, Dimitri Vigushin of Microsoft, and Sally Wicks of General Motors demonstrated the online expatriate cost estimating tools that their corporations utilize.

Letters of Assignment

Frank Charbonier of Pepsi and Judy Knepp of 3M led discussions on the format and utilization of letters of assignment.

Steering Committee Leadership

Warren Heaps of Colgate-Palmolive has completed his three year term on the EMC Steering Committee. Thank you, Warren, for your leadership. Sally Wicks of General Motors will join the Steering Committee.

ORC Survey Update

The group was updated on the status of the special surveys being conducted by ORC including the Policy and Practices Survey, in which fifty three companies participated, and the planned Expatriate Cost and Administrative Performance Surveys that are being developed.

Organization Structure for International Assignment Services

Carl Brosman of Boeing, Harry Gram of IBM, Alejandro Lopez of Cemex, and Nancy Reisig of Ford Motor Company discussed the structure of their respective international assignment services organizations.

Future Meetings of the Expatriate Management Committee:
March 10-12, 2004: Scottsdale, AZ
September 2004: Boston, MA

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