Global HR Leaders Networking Series on Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets Ends its European Leg in Sweden

The Chapman Consulting Group has completed the European leg of its Global HR Leader Series this week in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The series, held between 17 and 24 September 2012, involved eight separate focus groups of 15-20 Global HR Leaders, and was held in London (United Kingdom), Frankfurt (Germany), Zurich (Switzerland), Paris (France), Brussels (Belgium) and Gothenburg (Sweden).

The London sessions were hosted on 17 September by Giovanni Giordano, Chief HR Officer of British American Tobacco (BAT) and Alastair Proctor, Global Head of HR of IPG Mediabrands. The BAT session was held in conjunction with Organisation Solutions. At BAT, Giovanni Giordano gave an interesting insight into BAT's top level HR strategy; Anne Daugaard, Global Head of Talent for the AP Moeller Maersk Group, led a discussion on improving connectivity between global HR and regional HR; and Andrew Wood, Global Head of Talent for Aegis Media talked about misconceptions of working in China and Hong Kong, from his own personal experience of being in these markets. At IPG Mediabrands, Marieke Mangnus, Global Head of Talent, talked about their HR strategy and gave two interesting case studies on the success of Talent Management strategies in its Thailand and China operations.

The third session, at the Boehringer Ingelheim campus near Frankfurt on 18 September, was attended by 20 Global HR leaders and was opened by Thorsten Poehl, BI’s Global Head of Talent Management. The group then had five discussions on Talent Management in Asia Pacific and other emerging markets, led by Mark Hagmann, Global HR Head, Marketing and Sales, Boehringer Ingelheim; Allie Brueck, Global Head of Compensation & Benefits, Dow Corning; Deborah Capill, Senior Vice President, DHL Supply Chain; Angela Evans-Custard, Head of Talent Management for Europe/Middle East/Africa/Asia, Avaya; and Klementia Pejic, Global Talent Management Head, Clariant.

On 19 September, The Chapman Consulting Group moved to Swiss Re's Centre for Global Dialogue, just outside Zurich. Monika Waber, Global HR Head for Swiss Re's Reinsurance and Products business lines, could not be with us due to a trip to China, so Richard Teague, a Global HR Leader in the team, welcomed more than 15 Global HR Leaders attending from around Europe. Karin Priarollo, Chief HR Officer of Galenica, talked about her learnings from being a Regional Head of HR of a former company in Asia; and Claudine Lewis, a Global HR Lead at Kuehne + Nagel, led a discussion about the issues of diversity and Talent Management in Asia Pacific.

Paris, on 18 September, saw two fantastic gatherings of Global HR Leaders, firstly at Sodexo's world headquarters and then later at the global headquarters of Alcatel-Lucent. At Sodexo, Nathalie Blarel, Global Head of Recruitment; Nandini Colin, an HR Lead for Europe and Asia; Cathy Cordier, another member of the global recruitment team, talked to the group on Sodexo's Talent Management practices in Asia Pacific and emerging markets. This was followed by discussions led by Patricia Waldron-Werner, Global Head of HR, Orange Business Services; Laurence Garrido, Global Head of HR, Virbac; Con De Ruig, Global Head of HR, Corporate Functions, APM Terminals; and Maria Rosario Bonifacio, Global Head of People Engagement, Managed Services, Ericsson.