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.]

Many of you have seen the Ron Howard film “Gung Ho.”  While the film is a comedy,  cultural differences and management style can create real challenges for human resource departments.  Throughout the film, there are numerous examples of how Japanese culture contrasts with US culture.  How do the cultural values of individualism and collectivism affect the role of HR?  Employee motivation and incentives often vary by culture.  How does a foreign company adapt to US cultural differences?  What is HR’s role in bridging these gaps?  Learn the answers to these questions and more at our November educational program.

Houston is a world-class international city.  According to the Greater Houston Partnership, Houston is home to almost 800 foreign-owned firms.  Business costs in Houston are also significantly lower than many other major cities around the world.

Presenter:

Athan Katsilometes is currently a Regional Human Resources Director with CEMEX – a multinational corporation that focuses on production, marketing, distribution, and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and other construction materials.  CEMEX has operations in North America, Europe, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia.  Mr. Katsilometes has 15 years of experience in HR and Management Consulting and has worked internationally for companies such as McKinsey and Company and Nucor Steel.

Mr. Katsilometes holds a Bachelor degree in Spanish and Business Administration from the University of Idaho and a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California.  In addition, he is also certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) through the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).  Mr. Katsilometes has lived and worked throughout the United States, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico and Colombia and speaks English and Spanish fluently.

Don’t miss this important and timely presentation!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

The Houston Greeters invites members and friends of Houston International HR Roundtable to celebrate with them at the annual meeting of the Global Greeter Network, the association of Greeter organizations in 26 cities around the world,

Honoring NASA and Special Guest Astronauts.

Tuesday, October 4, 7-9 p.m at The Mosaic Condominium
5927 Almeda Road
Houston, TX 77004

Please RSVP to admin@houstongreeters.org

Travel of an internationally mobile workforce is becoming more common place throughout the world. This also includes travel throughout continental Africa and West Africa in particular. Employees are asked to travel from locations like Pointe Noire, Congo to Takaradi, Ghana and from Luanda, Angola to Douala, Cameroon and to do so in a quick and timely manner to accommodate business schedules and needs. However, travel throughout this region can be complicated and time consuming and pose security risks to the employees as well as the company. Human resource professionals are often asked to take an active role in minimizing security risks to the company’s most valuable asset – its employees!

In addition to the presentation, we had a lively discussion on innovative practices and strategies that companies use to facilitate the mobility of internationally mobile employees working in the West Africa region. Join the discussion in LinkedIn or on Facebook.

Thank you to our September presenters:

Joe Crumly, Director – International Employee Relations. Joe is in charge of the expatriate program and global relocation for the American Bureau of Shipping.

Josh Bibb, Surveyor – Corporate Human Resources – American Bureau of Shipping. Josh has worked as a Surveyor for ABS throughout the African continent since 2008 and has first hand experience working, traveling and living in the region.

We look forward to seeing you in October!

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

You are invited to the May education program of the Houston International HR Roundtable. Our speaker will be Stephen Youngblood of Deloitte Tax LLP’s Global Employee Services.  The tax impact of an international assignment can be significant to both the employer and the employee. Many companies currently exercise a tax equalization strategy. We will discuss the importance of tax equalization to both the company and the employee. We will also cover how tax equalization is calculated, why the employee may owe the company money and how to best keep the company out of a collection position.

This will be a great forum to discuss how tax equalization assists global mobility managers in keeping assignments tax neutral so companies can better manage employee deployments to desired countries instead of negotiating deployments based on employee perceived benefits.

Please note that we are meeting on “Thursday” this month. We look forward to a great program. Please bring yourself, a friend, and your questions on tax equalization.

Steve is a member of Deloitte’s Global Employer Services (GES) team in Houston, Texas. Steve’s expertise covers international mobility management, expatriate tax compliance/advisory/planning, compensation and benefits structuring, social security advisory, “best practice” policy benchmarking, global equity plan design advisory and roll out, merger and acquisitions, and other expatriate tax issues.

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 39th 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.

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

Host Sponsor - Deloitte Tax LLP

China.  A vibrant economy.  The global impact of an emerging world power.  Currency and trade issues.  Enormous business opportunities.  Enormous problems!

China’s rapidly changing legal and regulatory environment presents a daunting array of issues.  Even for the most sophisticated, experienced and knowledgeable HR professional, doing business in China, together with internal and external compliance challenges, can be supremely confusing.  Whether you are a seasoned professional in the international human resources field, or a newcomer to this oftentimes difficult and uncertain area, you simply MUST come to our March 23 International HR Roundtable presentation, Sheena Goes to Shanghai!

Our speaker, international lawyer Jordan W. Cowman, will enlighten us with a fun, lively and informative presentation of the most pressing HR issues facing US companies doing business in China.  Please bring yourself and a friend, along with your questions and your business cards, and get ready for a top-notch morning program.

One of our goals for this program is to set a new attendance record…can we count on you to be there and help us?

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.

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

Host Sponsor – Deloitte Tax LLP

Please contact us regarding other sponsorship opportunities.