“We are being pushed further and further out from
global cities,” she said. “We are seeing high demand emerging in new and often less traditional markets, for example in Debrecen, Hungary, where we have just completed a large project.” That project required Synergy to stretch the
definition of corporate housing. “We used hostel-style accommodation for a group of workers relocating there. It is not just serviced apartments and aparthotels anymore. We are talking handpicked homes, student housing, hostels, even caravans and mobile homes in some cases.” The market isn’t just changing geographically, there
are also new and interesting demographics emerging, including rising demand from the education sector, for instance, with universities and research institutions increasingly seeking extended-stay accommodation for faculty and international students, especially those who have a large budget to spend on relatively short- term lets. This diversification has required housing providers to
shift their mindset and expand their networks, both in terms of locations and types of housing stock.
In rapidly developing regions, infrastructure is under
pressure. “If you look at India, for example,” she said, “cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad are at capacity. They can’t expand up or out anymore. So investment is moving into tier two and tier three cities, and we are following that movement.” This means corporate housing providers must now
build deeper expertise in less-established markets, often with little or no existing accommodation infrastructure, while maintaining service levels and transparency. One of her key messages was the importance of
honesty and expectation-setting. “We have to be realistic with clients about what’s possible in these locations. If the housing doesn’t exist, we can offer alternative solutions that still meet the safety and comfort needs of travellers.”
Sophia’s three takeaways for business leaders: • The definition of corporate housing is expanding rapidly – from aparthotels to hostels, student housing, and even mobile homes – driven by geographic shifts and market constraints.
• Demand is growing in tier two and tier three cities, especially in emerging markets, requiring new levels of local knowledge and investment from providers.
• Transparency, flexibility, and expectation-setting are now critical elements of delivering successful housing solutions in less traditional locations.
“We’re not just finding homes anymore – we’re finding solutions in places no one was looking five years ago,” she said.
AUTOMATION, DIVERSITY & THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY: RETHINKING GLOBAL TALENT MODELS As the demands on global mobility functions evolve, one question continues to dominate: how can we adapt faster, smarter, and more inclusively? For Benjamin Oghene, CEO and founder of The Cozm, the answer lies in blending intelligent automation with human insight and knowing when to apply each. He explained how heavily repetitive processes currently performed by humans are being done in a matter of minutes or days by AI-enabled technology, a combination which he called “augmented intelligence”. For example, when making a visa application, The
Cozm’s technology uses predictive analytics to forecast which applications are likely to be rejected by authorities before they are even submitted, something which no human would be able to know. “This is about doing what machines do best, fast,
accurate, data-driven work so humans can focus on relationship-building and high-impact decision- making,” he said. He also offered a unique perspective on how AI
can potentially both solve and replicate bias in global hiring. Reflecting on his time at Unilever, he described how the company replaced first-round interviews in one recruitment programme with AI interviews, while keeping second-round interviews conducted by humans. “Within 12 months, gender diversity improved by 14 per cent, and we cut recruitment costs by a million. That
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