2012 Membership is available at http://2012hinthr.eventbrite.com.

You are invited to the January 2012 education program of the Houston International HR Roundtable. Our speakers will be Tom Fox, Principal with tomfoxlaw.com and Advanced Compliance Solutions, and Marcel De Chermont, Compliance Manager with Aceteon Group Ltd. Tom and Marcel will present “The Local Compliance Advocate: FCPA’s New Best Practice.”

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is a daunting challenge for US companies. A recent study found that almost half of the $4 billion in penalties under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) were levied against companies in the energy sector. Many of those companies are familiar names in Houston.

HR is a key component of a FCPA compliance solution. HR’s role can include the onboarding process, training, employee evaluation, succession planning, hotlines and investigations, background screening, and assisting with government investigations.

A new best practice has evolved in FCPA compliance and HR plays a major role. A “local compliance advocate” is the concept of embedding compliance in the local business unit. The advocate receives specialized training and becomes the local point person for the company’s compliance program.

Our presentation will outline how this concept came about as a best practice. Tom and Marcel will also speak on the practical issues involved in this process and how HR is involved.

Learn about this new best practice, the FCPA and more at our January educational program.
Presenters:

Tom Fox is Principal with tomfoxlaw.com and Advanced Compliance Solutions. Tom is also a Featured Columnist at Corporate Compliance Insights.

Marcel De Chermont is the Compliance Manager with Aceteon Group Ltd. Marcel is responsible for overseeing his company’s global compliance program.

Don’t miss this important and timely presentation!

Greg Shrewsbury

I personally enjoyed the level of interaction at this month’s roundtable that focused on international HR career management.  Having a group of peers come together to share thoughts and experiences is definitely an invaluable opportunity!

My takeaways from this session reinforced my own views relating to personal international HR career management.  During our discussions, the following components to achieve success in this endeavor materialized as follows:

1. In order to develop a complete “international career portfolio,” it is critical that HR professionals experience expatriate assignments for themselves.
2. Like with all good things in life, goal setting must be a priority.  This is particularly true with successful career pathing and management.
3. Mentors and role models are valuable as we create and establish our personal brands in the global market.  We all need coaches to help champion our careers!
4. “Cross-cultural” awareness and sensitivity are important as we engage the global workplace.  In order to achieve this, we must become flexible in our dispositions, understandings and relationships.

These items give us real and tangible objectives to consider as we manage our careers!

Finally, as a newbie to Houston, I appreciate the hospitality given to me by the International HR Community!  Thank you for sharing your insights!  I wish everyone a great Holiday Season.

[Editors Note:  We are happy to welcome Greg Shrewsbury to Houston and as a Guest Author.  Greg was part of our panel this month on Managing Your International HR Career and is the Senior Director of Human Resources for Global Engineering, Procurement, and Construction hub for Aker Solutions.  He is responsible for talent acquisition that supports domestic and international EPC projects and core businesses (key leadership, engineering, procurement, project controls, commissioning, and HSE).  Greg has 18 years of human resources experience that includes Fortune 500 experience with The Clorox Company.  His tenure with Clorox included HR leadership in two of the Company’s principle subsidiaries—Kingsford Manufacturing and Glad Manufacturing.  He served as Division HR Manager for Glad, Clorox’s largest subsidiary.  Greg has an MBA from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a BS-Business Administration from Bluefield College.  Greg is also a member of our Advisory Committee.]

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!

You are invited to the June education program of the Houston International HR Roundtable. Our speaker will be Micheal Cadden, MBA, GMS will present Technologies for Global Mobility.  Michael is the Managing Director – International Operations with Living Abroad LLC.

Technology continues to advance rapidly and is impacting our Global Mobility space in many unexpected ways and helps HR deal with doing more with less, to a point. This discussion looks at what is out there today that works and what is coming next. Michael will also explore the use of Self-help Tools, Compliance Systems, Social Media and Mobile & Integrated Applications as they pertain to our business. Don’t miss this cutting-edge presentation!

Background on Michael Cadden: Soon after joining Craighead Publications in 1995, Michael became the force behind converting the printed publications of country information to the Web. With that success he later became the Managing Director of Living Abroad LLC in 2002 and is behind its highly successful transformation, culminating with the acquisition of the legacy Craighead business in 2008. He has created several breakthrough presentations and delivered them dozens of times in the USA, Latin America and Europe. Winning topics have included “10 Year Trends in Global Mobility” (2005), “The Dark Side of Short-term Assignments” (2006), “Relocating Generation Y” (2007), “Technology and Global Mobility” (2008), “Technology vs. Global Employee Privacy” (2009/10), and Technology & Mobility 2020 (2011).

Michael is known for his lively presentations. He has been at the forefront of the innovative use of technology in the global mobility area. If we are lucky, we may even have a visit from the Moose. We look forward to a great program. Please bring yourself, a friend, and your questions on technology in global mobility.

Please go to http://hinthr2011.eventbrite.com for membership information!

Host Sponsor - Deloitte Tax LLP

Most organizations working internationally learn soon enough that ignorance of cultural requirements can put a very costly international venture at great risk; nevertheless, recent budget and time pressures have produced a marketplace of intercultural services that claim to provide cultural competencies without the critical investment of real training.

Dean’s presentation will evaluate the marketplace of intercultural services and products available, and the deliverables that they claim to provide.  Cultural training insures high-levels of competencies, that promote deep and longterm value for the entire organization, while cultural survival interventions, like coaching and passive webtools, provides no longterm value for the organization beyond the transactional success of the individual assignment.

By the end of the presentation, you  will be able to evaluate the benefits of various intercultural products and services, and assess their ability to provide real ROI, for both the international assignees and the organization, or just superficial cultural survival.

ABOUT DEAN FOSTER

As president of Dean Foster Associates, New York, Dean Foster conducts cross-cultural training worldwide and consults on intercultural business issues with most Fortune 1000 companies in the United States and around the globe.

For over twenty years, Dean has played a major role in the development of the intercultural training field: formerly he was founder and Managing Director of Berlitz Cross-Cultural Worldwide, Vice President GMAC/Windham Intercultural, and founder of Cross-Cultural Consulting Associates, New York. Dean is a frequent guest on CNN, CNBC and other TV and radio shows, and keynotes at major international professional conferences. interviewed in major publications, such as Newsweek Magazine, the New York Times,USA Today and others, Dean is also a frequent Guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, New York University, Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and other educational organizations.

Dean has written many articles, as well as the four-part Global Etiquette Guide book series (John Wiley & Sons), which includes The Global Etiquette Guide to Europe, the Global Etiquette Guide to Asia, the Global Etiquette Guide to Latin America, and the Global Etiquette Guide to Africa and the Middle East, and the book, Bargaining Across Borders (McGraw-Hill),which the American Library Association voted as one of the top ten business books of 1994.

Dean is a Contributing Editor for National Geographic Traveler, writing the CultureWise monthly column, Contributing Editor for American Express Executive Travel Magazine, and Senior Contributing Editor for the International webpage of Monster.com. Dean is adjunct Professor at the American University, Intercultural Management Institute, Washington, D.C., and received his M.A. and is a PhD candidate in Sociology from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, New York City.

Our 2011 programming begins on January 26 with a Culturally Thriving or Merely Culturally Surviving?: The Hidden ROI of Intercultural Training by Dean Foster of Dean Foster Associates. As president of DFA, New York, Dean Foster conducts cross-cultural training worldwide and consults on interculturalbusiness issues with most Fortune 500 companies in the United States and around the globe.

You can also find us on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.  We invite you to join us!

Talent, Talent, Talent (Presented by: John Burke, Lee Hecht Harrison & UH HRD Advisory Board)

Do you know the health of your talent? Do your leaders know how to manage change while retaining and engaging key talent? Most companies spend their budgets in human capital resources on the top and bottom 10%. However, that means 80% of your employees may feel ignored. Can you imagine how productive your company will be if 80% of your employees are just 5% more efficient/effective?

The bottom line: know your talent – where is it and where do you want it to be?

Don’t just do something – SIT THERE! (Presented by: Dr. Peter Bishop, Associate Professor of Futures Studies, University of Houston)

That’s right, sit…and think. Spend just 2-3% of your time focusing on the future and you will be better prepared tomorrow. It’s easy for businesses to forecast where they want to be in 10 years – financially, socially, politically, but what about people? What skills will our workforce need 5 or 10 years from now? What will the client of the future expect of your company? What if, contrary to what we expect, the internet becomes so plagued with spam, that companies re-focus their learning events towards pre-recorded (instead of Live) learning? What are you doing today to meet the future expectations of your company’s leaders and clients? How much is 2-3%? It’s just 10-15 minutes a day. Get ready. The future is now.

Cross-Cultural Learning (Presented by: Beatriz Arnillas, Head of Educational Production and Outreach, University of Houston)

Not all learning is received equally. Did you know that most trainers teach or “facilitate” using their preferred learning style? Along with our individual learning preferences, we each have our own innate cultural preferences when it comes to learning. Therefore, in order for learning to be effective, we need to analyze the learner characteristics in relation to the specific business needs and the context in which the solution will be delivered. Not only do we need to be aware of learning preferences, industry’s culture and context country by country, but also region by region within that country (yes, I mean the United States too!). Make sure you understand the context of learning and HOW people in your audience have learned most effectively in the past.

Storytelling: Ties that Bind (Presented by: Steve Dowdall, Cardtronics & UH HRD Advisory Board)

How have MOST cultures learned in the past? Storytelling. Think back to our first recorded history found on cave walls and scrawled on tablets. These early historians were instrumental in documenting what happened, but more importantly, they provided future generations with a cultural narrative to preserve HOW the group was expected and known to act.

So…How is your company leveraging the power of stories to teach others valuable lessons within the context of your business? What stories have you and your leaders created to preserve and steer your culture in a positive direction? Think about it.

Learning and Development in India – Presented by: Madhuri Kumar, Director of Instructional Technology and Adjunct Instructor of Human Resource Development, University of Houston

India has the second largest population in the world, the 11th largest economy, hosts a population with a wide range of religious, urban and rural, modern and pre-modern, ethnic and language backgrounds (though English is the official one,) and is expected to soon become one of the largest, most influential economies in the world and it is already to preferred outsourcing location for Western corporations. The sub-continent’s cultural context is significantly different from Western cultures, exhibiting lower individualistic index and a very long-term orientation index. How is a Western company to approach learning & development for Indian professionals who will work in the West? How to develop those who will work in India?

We want to thank Jim Molloy, a member of our Advisory Committee for his assistance with the program. Jim is also on the UH HRD Advisory Board and is a Senior Manager, AERS Learning & Development at Deloitte.

If you seek expertise on assessing, training or growing your human capital, consider collaborations with students, faculty and staff at The University of Houston’s Human Resource Development Program and Futures Studies in the College of Technology. Dozens of interns and faculty members are actively supporting our community working with small non-profit organizations to Fortune 500 companies.

If you like more information, please contact Beatriz Arnillas at The University of Houston’s College of Technology, 713 743 4637.

You are invited to the September education program of the Houston International HR Roundtable:

Introduction to International Organizations Impacting Labor Relations

Following this session, you will have a basic knowledge of the international labor aspects of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Labor Organization, Free Trade Agreements, non-governmental organizations, industry codes of conduct, and many other international bodies and global standards.

This program has been submitted to HR Certification Institute for review.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Please see our recent blog post on the value of networking and membership in the Houston International HR Roundtable.
• We have announce new membership fees for the remainder of 2010. Our memberships and sponsorships are for the calendar year.
• We have several graduate students seeking mentors from the group. Please contact the Chair or our Mentor Committee, Steve Youngblood, if you are a member and would like to sponsor a student. Please include a short bio.
• Please join us on Facebook and Twitter.
  

Directions and Parking Information: Heritage Plaza is across from the downtown Doubletree Hotel.
Parking is available at the Doubletree hotel or Heritage Clay Street
Parking Garage, 200 Clay, Houston 77002.You can park at the Doubletree hotel and walk across the street to the building – proceed to the 45th floor. Alternatively, park in the Heritage Clay Street Parking Garage – address of the garage is 200 Clay Street, Houston, TX 77002. If you park in the Clay Street Garage, park in any space that is not marked “Reserved.” Take the elevator in the Clay Street Garage to the Basement (‘B’). Upon reaching Basement level, turn left and follow the hallway until you reach the wall with the large ‘H’ on it. Turn left and immediately on the right you will see two elevators. Take the elevator to the Sky Lobby (‘SL’). Once you reach the Sky Lobby, turn right and proceed to the middle bank of elevators. Proceed to the 45th floor to the Deloitte reception area – this is the floor where the meeting will take place.

2010 Host Sponsor - Deloitte Tax LLP

Please contact us regarding other sponsorship opportunities.

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.]