Agenda

March 4, 2026 (Wednesday)
Conference agenda
Interactive session topics
8.00am

Registration

9.00am

Welcome address

Aditi Sharma Kalra

Aditi Sharma Kalra

Editor-in-Chief

Human Resources Online
Agility and resilience
9.20am

[Opening keynote]

The 4 shifts in global talent mobility

Today’s world is being reshaped by powerful macroeconomic forces—from geopolitical volatility to AI‑driven skills disruption and the rapid evolution of hybrid work models. Companies must fundamentally rethink how their talent mobility programmes create value. 

This high‑impact opening keynote explores the major shifts transforming mobility today, including: 

  • Reexamining the purpose of talent mobility: How should organisations reframe mobility as a strategic lever? 
  • Understanding new patterns of talent flow: How will geopolitical dynamics, demographic shifts, and digital transformation influence where talent moves to and why? 
  • Transforming the work of mobility itself: Which aspects of mobility will be reinvented as these macro-forces accelerate? 
Speaker:
Joel Leong

Joel Leong

Head of Talent and Performance Management, Group Human Resources

OCBC

9.50am

[Keynote presentation]

Optimise people, costs, and opportunities: Research-driven insights for future-ready global mobility
Global mobility has become increasingly complex. Employees bring diverse family situations, personal priorities, and career expectations to international roles, while organisations face rising costs, evolving business needs, and mounting pressure to create mobility pathways that feel fair, supportive, and genuinely valuable.

This session will provide exclusive, research-based insights on the biggest trends in global mobility, offering practical guidance for organisations seeking to optimise their mobility strategies.

Let’s come together and gain insights into:

  • Navigate today’s global mobility challenges and organisational priorities, understanding what drives success in international assignments.
  • Explore the types of moves and assignments that best align with business objectives and employee needs.
  • Optimise mobility costs by leveraging insights on budgets, international compensation, tax implications, and cost projections to make strategic, cost-effective mobility decisions.
Speaker:
Rob Line

Rob Line

Vice President, Global Consulting & Product Strategy

Cartus

10.30am

Morning break

Take a breather, grab a cup of coffee, and connect with fellow attendees before we dive back into the morning sessions.

Mobility as a talent enabler

11.00am

[Panel discussion]

From compliance to competitive advantage: Unlocking growth through a localised talent pipeline
As Asia’s talent landscape evolves, organisations have an opportunity to turn localisation into a strategic advantage. Beyond meeting regulatory requirements, prioritising local talent development can strengthen national workforces, foster innovation, and drive sustainable growth. At the same time, global mobility flow remains critical for knowledge exchange and leadership development.

In this panel, we look forward to a robust conversation on:

  • How organisations are leveraging both global mobility and local capability building to accelerate skills transfer and build resilient, future-ready teams.
  • Strategies for integrating local talent development with global capability flow to unlock competitive advantage.
  • Building sustainable talent pipelines that align with an organisation’s long-term workforce development priorities.
Moderator:
Andrew Sam

Andrew Sam

Global Talent Acquisition Director

Jabil
Panellists:
Audrey Ng

Audrey Ng

Head of People & Organisation (Global)

Anglo American
Jo-Lynn Wee

Jo-Lynn Wee

Senior Director, Global Talent Mobility

Cartus
Seah Lee Mui

Seah Lee Mui

Director, New Operations Division

Workforce Singapore (WSG)

11.40am

[Interactive discussion 1 of 3]

You’ll be engaged in three roundtable discussions throughout the day, each topic led by a zone host. Topics include building a borderless strategy for global talent, navigating the new reality of global mobility and articulating the ROI of employee relocation.

Click here to find out more about each topic, and to meet the zone host.

12.20pm

Networking lunch

Recharge over a hearty lunch, exchange ideas, and make new connections, then return refreshed and ready for the afternoon ahead!

1.20pm

[Keynote presentation]

The future of global mobility: Managing today and preparing for tomorrow

Global mobility continues to evolve, as business needs change. Mobility leaders are being challenged to make a more strategic contribution and align more closely with business outcomes in an environment of increasingly diverse ways of working and deploying talent. In response to organisations reshaping and redesigning how they deploy talent, HR and Global Mobility teams need to drive greater efficiently, agility and responsiveness.

In this session, the speaker will share insights into how organisations’ needs are shifting, and how this is forcing HR and global mobility teams to respond and continue to respond in the future.

Key discussion topics will include:

  • The way business needs are changing the expectations of global mobility.
  • The importance of leveraging technology, data and vendor ecosystems to support efficiency, effectiveness and quality.
  • How HR and mobility leaders need to reconsider the role and shape of the mobility function of the future.

Speaker:

Garren Lam

Garren Lam

Principal Advisor

KPMG in Singapore
Murray Sarelius

Murray Sarelius

Partner, Head of Personal Tax & Global Mobility Services, Tax

KPMG in Singapore

2.00pm

[Interactive discussion 2 of 3]

You’ll be engaged in three roundtable discussions throughout the day, each topic led by a zone host. Topics include building a borderless strategy for global talent, navigating the new reality of global mobility and articulating the ROI of employee relocation.

Click here to find out more about each topic, and to meet the zone host.

Bolstering the talent pool

2.40pm 

[Panel discussion]

Internal mobility as a retention tool: Building engagement through purposeful career movement
In a climate of high turnover and evolving employee expectations, retention depends not only on rewards—but on growth. Internal mobility is emerging as a key strategy to nurture engagement, offer variety, and keep high performers within the business.

When employees see tangible pathways to new roles or skill-building projects internally, they’re less likely to seek growth elsewhere. But enabling this requires a cultural shift – let’s find out what that is.

Join our panel of experts, as they explore:

  • Turning internal movement into a retention engine: Creating visible, structured pathways for progression across departments and regions.
  • Balancing transparency and fairness: Leveraging internal marketplaces and clear communication to match talent with opportunities effectively.
  • Building a movement-friendly culture: Coaching leaders to celebrate internal transitions rather than resist talent flow.
Moderator:
Balakarthikeyan Nagarajan

Balakarthikeyan Nagarajan

APAC People Operations Leader

GE Vernova
Panellists:
Bamidele Aremu

Bamidele Aremu

Director, Total Rewards – AMEA

Barry Callebaut
Genie Chua

Genie Chua

Talent Mobility Manager

Mott MacDonald
Sean Lim

Sean Lim

Chief Human Resource Officer

NTUC LearningHub

3.20pm 

Afternoon break

Refuel with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a quick chat with peers before we wrap up the day’s final sessions.

3.50pm 

[Interactive discussion 3 of 3]

You’ll be engaged in three roundtable discussions throughout the day, each topic led by a zone host. Topics include building a borderless strategy for global talent, navigating the new reality of global mobility and articulating the ROI of employee relocation.

Click here to find out more about each topic, and to meet the zone host.

4.30pm 

[Case study]

From mobility to access: Building a borderless strategy for global talent
Businesses expansion continues across the region, and leaders are reassessing how best to deploy and develop global talent. The question is no longer, can we move talent, but rather how do we enable capability anywhere it’s needed?

This session explores how to strategically redefine mobility — determining when relocation still drives business and leadership value, and when virtual deployment or local-plus models offer greater returns.

In this session, we will explore:

  • Prioritising access to the right skills, leadership, and capabilities over traditional relocation models.
  • Leveraging a mix of hybrid talent mobility strategies to deliver business impact where and when it is needed.
  • Clarifying the scenarios where physical relocation creates unique strategic value.  

Speaker:

Yee Ling Lee

Yee Ling Lee

VP, Group People Development

Certis
5.00pm

Closing remarks

Aditi Sharma Kalra

Aditi Sharma Kalra

Editor-in-Chief

Human Resources Online

5.15pm

End of Talent Mobility 2026

Interactive session topics

[Interactive topic #1]

The borderless workforce: Unlocking global capability through flexible talent ecosystems
Digital maturity and the expanding gig economy are enabling organisations to access skills faster, more inclusively, and without long-term disruptions. This session examines how companies can harness gig work, digital platforms, and virtual collaboration to build borderless workforce ecosystems that deliver capability and innovation at speed.

In this conversation, we will gain insights on:

  • Leveraging gig and platform ecosystems: Unlocking on-demand skills across borders.
  • Agile deployment models: Structuring virtual collaboration to accelerate capability development and market responsiveness.
  • Governance and alignment: Maintaining performance, data security, and cultural cohesion in a dispersed workforce.

Zone A C E host:

Jackson Teng

Jackson Teng

Senior Director, Asia Talent Acquisition & Workforce Development

Micron Technology

Zone B D F host:

Sundara Srinivas

Sundara Srinivas

Global HR Innovation & Strategy and AI Catalyst

Bayer

[Interactive topic #2]

Charting what’s next: Navigating the new reality of global mobility
Traditional relocation models, predictable visa pathways, clear distinctions between “local” and “global” work—no longer reflects today’s reality. 

Organisations now face intense competition for critical skills, increasing regulatory complexity, rapid digital innovation, geopolitical instability, evolving employee expectations, heightened cost scrutiny, and a fundamentally changing nature of work. Global mobility teams are being asked to do more with fewer resources—while the stakes have never been higher.  

In this session, we will discuss:

  • The global mobility trends shaping programmes in 2026 and beyond.
  • Balancing employee experience with cost discipline while driving strategic impact.
  • Understanding the evolving role of Global Mobility—from operational support to strategic business enabler.

Zone C E A hosts:

Dean Bennetts

Dean Bennetts

Vice President Business Development APAC

Sirva
Kelly Cheong

Kelly Cheong

Regional Business Development Director

Sirva

Zone D F B host:

Daria Olennikova Chang

Daria Olennikova Chang

Global Workforce Mobility Expert

[Interactive topic #3]

Making the business case: Articulating the ROI of employee mobility
Demonstrating the value of mobility is essential for making a business case that resonates with finance, HR, and leadership teams alike. After all, poorly managed mobility programmes can cost more than just relocation fees — they can result in inefficiencies, missed opportunities for operational improvement, and reduced business impact.

In this conversation, let’s learn how to:

  • Craft compelling narratives that show how mobility fuels innovation and business growth.
  • Harness data to optimise talent deployment and identify cost-saving opportunities.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to align mobility with organisational goals and measurable impact.

Zone E A C host:

Justin Kwok

Justin Kwok

International Mobility Partner, APAC

Philips

Zone F B D hosts:

Elodie Marques

Elodie Marques

Global Consulting Leader, APAC

Cartus
Paul Franco

Paul Franco

Director, Strategic Business Solutions

Cartus