You are invited to the October education program of the Houston International HR Roundtable. Our speakers will be Henry Noey and Max Maggio of Aon Corporation. Henry and Max will present Current Challenges & Opportunities in Global Benefits Management.

Multinational companies face constant challenges as they globalize and expand their diverse and international workforce. One of these challenges is managing benefits around the globe. Multinational companies are faced with a plethora of financial, legal and human capital risks. How does an international human professional assist their company in finding solutions to diverse issues such as corporate governance, compliance, and regional/country issues?

Henry and Max will present current trends, challenges and fundamentals for companies working to manage benefits around the globe. The presentation will include a discussion of governance, compliance, and regional/country issues and importantly solutions to these challenges.

Presenters:

Henry Noey, as Aon Hewitt’s Local Market Leader, is responsible for leading the Company’s services and managing client relationships the Houston, Austin, San Antonio and the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Henry has more than 30 years of business and human resources experience, including executive, operational and financial leadership. He has served clients as a Senior Consultant and Account Manager in strategic benefit redesign, global governance, organizational transformation and change management projects. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Sam Houston State University and completed the M.D. Anderson Executive Development Program in Health Care at the Jones Graduate School of Business of Rice University. Henry also received his certification as a Global Professional of Human Resources from the Society of Human Resource Management.

Max Maggio is an Assistant Vice President at Aon Consulting and works with clients in managing their benefit, compensation and talent development plans all over the world. His responsibilities also include leading the development of business initiatives in the Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to his transfer to Miami, Max was Employee Benefits Director in the Mexico City office and, prior to that, was the head of the Personal Lines and Employee Benefits divisions in Aon Argentina. Max has published articles in insurance and benefits magazines in Latin America and spoken at HR events at a number of chambers of commerce, the Greater Miami SHRM and at the National Foreign Trade Council. Max received a BA in Marketing at UADE and an MBA at the Miami campus of the Adolfo Ibanez University. He is a Certified Insurance Agent in Mexico and Argentina and achieved a Certificate in Global Benefits Management in US. Max is fluent in English and Spanish; operational in Portuguese. He is active participant of the Colombian, Argentinean and Brazilian Chambers of Commerce in Miami.

Don’t miss this important and timely presentation!

I’ve always heard that the value of networking is unmatched when it comes to finding great careers opportunities.   This is definitely true.

I’ve had the privilege of engaging and interacting with the Houston International HR Roundtable over the past year.   What it has afforded me is the realization of a very important career goal—true international exposure via a two year assignment in Paris, France!

I was approached about this opportunity through a contact at the roundtable.  Because of the roundtable connection, I was interviewed and ultimately offered the role of Vice President of Human Resources at Technip-North America…a journey that will start in Paris.

I can’t stress the importance of networking with colleagues at the appropriate level.  I feel the International HR Roundtable is the best organization in Houston that addresses international issues and mobilization for senior HR leaders.

We are all presented with prospects, and we have to take advantage of them as they arise.  This is true in our personal lives and our professional lives.   Participating in and supporting the right organizations are essential.

I would like to thank Larry and the roundtable for “getting me connected” with the right international career opportunity.  Merci!

I wish the Larry and the roundtable continued success.

À la prochaine!

[Editors Note:  We are happy to welcome back Greg Shrewsbury as a Guest Author.  Greg is now Vice President, Human Resources-North America for Technip.  We wish Greg the best of luck on his new adventure in Paris.]

Thank you to Tom Fox for allowing us to post a link to his recent webinar!

One of the key company lynch-pins in any FCPA compliance and ethics program is Human Resources. Most HR professional do not think of themselves as on the front lines for FCPA compliance and ethics. However the HR function is plays a  key role in “connecting the dots” for FCPA ethics and compliance. What policy does a company take to punish those employees who may engage in unethical and non-compliant behavior in order to meet company revenue targets versus what rewards are handed out to those employees who integrate such ethical and compliant behavior into their individual work practices going forward? One of the very important functions of HR is assisting management in setting the criteria for employee bonuses and assisting management in the evaluation of employees for the bonuses. This is an equally important role in getting out a company’s message of adherence to a FCPA compliance and ethics policy.

Does a company have, as a component of its bonus compensation plan, a part dedicated to FCPA compliance and ethics? If so, how is this component measured and then administered? There is very little in the corporate world that an employee notices more than what goes into the calculation of their bonuses. HR can and should facilitate this process by setting expectations early in the year and then following through when annual bonuses are released. With the assistance of HR, such a bonus can send a powerful message to employees regarding the seriousness with which compliance is taken at the company. There is nothing like putting your money where your mouth is for people to stand up and take notice.

If a company has an employee who meets, or exceeds all his sales targets, but does so in a manner which is opposite to the company’s stated FCPA compliance and ethics values, other employees will watch and see how that employee is treated. Is that employee rewarded with a large bonus? Is that employee promoted or are the employee’s violations of the company’s compliance and ethics policies swept under the carpet? If the employee is rewarded, or in any way not sanctioned for unethical or non-compliant behavior, it will be noticed and other employees will act accordingly. One of the functions of HR is to help ensure consistent application of company values throughout the organization.

In the energy industry, (and probably lots of other industries) there is the following archetypal story. It usually is told about a Regional Manager in the Far East or the Middle East who is alleged to have said some along the following lines, “If I violate the Code of Conduct I may or may not get caught. If I get caught I may or may not be disciplined. But if don’t make my revenue numbers for two quarters I will be fired”. If such a story is allowed to percolate throughout the company, employees will feel that all that matters is hitting their revenue targets, not acting in an ethical and compliant manner. Human Resources provides a vital front line function is providing consistent, across the board application of a values core values of compliance and ethics by training and then reinforcing that “hitting the numbers” in a manner which is antithetical to the company’s compliance and ethics program is not acceptable. But this must be done in both words and actions.

The HR Department in any multi-national company has a significant role in not only managing the employee base but in assisting to set the correct expectations regarding FCPA compliance and ethics. Consistent applications of these core beliefs and values will assist any company in remaining compliant and driving home the message that the company takes FCPA compliance seriously.

[Editors Note:  We are happy to welcome Thomas Fox of tomfoxlaw.com as a Guest Author.  Tom recently spoke to Houston International HR Roundtable on HR's role in FCPA compliance.  Tom will be presenting a webinar on The Role of HR in FCPA Compliance and Ethics on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 2 pm (CST) that will be of interest to international HR professionals.

Registration Link:              https://secure.confertel.net/tsregister.asp?course=509107

Tom has practiced law in Houston for 25 years. He is now assisting companies with FCPA compliance, Risk Management and international transactions. He was most recently the General Counsel at Drilling Controls, Inc., a worldwide oilfield manufacturing and service company.  He was previously Division Counsel with Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. where he supported Halliburton’s software division and its downhole division, which included the logging, directional drilling and drill bit business units.  Tom attended undergraduate school at the University of Texas, graduate school at Michigan State University and law school at the University of Michigan.  Tom writes and speaks nationally and internationally on a wide variety of topics, ranging from FCPA compliance, indemnities and other forms of risk management for a worldwide energy practice, tax issues faced by multi-national US companies, insurance coverage issues and protection of trade secrets.  Additional information on FCPA and compliance issues can be found at http://tfoxlaw.wordpress.com/.]

We have two great events planned for March.  We start off with the “Night Before” networking event on March 23.  PricewaterhouseCoopers will be our sponsor for this event.   Our Tough International HR Challenge Series continues with Foreign Corrupt Practice Act Essentials on March 24.  As always our educational event will be held at the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions Conference Center.

Houston is also hosting two international HR conferences in March and we welcome Families in Global Transition and National Foreign Trade Council (along with HR Houston). Houston IS the Global Center of Excellence for international human resources.

We look forward to seeing you at our events.  Contact info@houstoninternationalhr.com with any questions.

Reflecting Houston’s standing in the international HR community, we host a constant stream of international HR conferences.  In addition to our monthly events, Houston regularly hosts conferences by Families in Global Transition (FIGT), National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), Texas State Council of SHRM, and Global HR News.

Please send us a tweet or say hello in person when you are in Houston.  For further information on Houston as the Global Leader in international business, please visit the Greater Houston Partnership.

Welcome to Houston!

Program on International Labor and Employment

Many people think of Houston as the “energy capital,” but Houston is also the International Human Resource capital.  Visit us regularly to learn about our International Human Resource events and training! Houston International HR Roundtable is working on networking and educational events for the international HR community and to promote Houston as a Center of Excellence in International Human Resources.  You can also join Houston International HR Roundtable, LLC on Facebook and on LinkedIn.