London immigration law. Julia is the chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute Charitable Trust and is on the board of Breaking Barriers. “I advise governments and clients


about global immigration issues and I would say that the landscape in which governments and businesses are operating has never been so complex,” she explains. She describes the outlook as very


uncertain, with geopolitical tensions rising around the world with the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and supply chain issues in China. “The


last few years have


brought a lot of different shocks and challenges


for businesses,


governments and individuals, and therefore the legal support that is needed is much more


strategic.


There is renewed tension between East and West because of the war in Ukraine, tension between the US and China and the rise of the middle powers like Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “We are in a more unstable


environment than we have been for a long period of time, where sudden change wouldn't really surprise anyone.” While business travel is starting although not to 2019


to return,


levels, she says there is ongoing concern about the impact on the environment about travel and some uncertainty among assignees about working abroad. “As a result of the pandemic are more


people


taking assignments,” she explains. “During the pandemic, we had many cases where


people were


separated from their families. This means people may be more reluctant to take on assignments. Therefore, looking after your assignees’ welfare is really important. “With the advent of hybrid and


remote working, people sometimes have


less experience and less


confidence about taking on projects, especially younger people who maybe have finished their university studies just working from home and started a job working remotely.


Then it is quite a big undertaking for those same people to go on an assignment overseas, whereas maybe pre-pandemic that


wasn't such a


leap. So I think that has introduced an area of complexity into the whole picture. It is very important for that reason to really focus on the mental and physical welfare of your assignees and make sure that people have all the equipment and things that


they need if they are being


asked to move.” This might include having more


cultural support, something which some companies have cut back on in order to save costs. Another option is to offer more flexible packages to assignees.


ENSURING EQUITY Julia is on the board of the Permits Foundation, which lobbies for the rights of partners to get automatic work rights in different countries. She passionately believes that that is important, because


it is very


isolating for partners if they move but are unable to work. “It can be very isolating and in some countries partners are not even allowed to do charity work,” she says. “When you look at the success of the


assignments, you


often find it has failed because the partner is not very happy.” She says that creating a more


equitable workplace will require a cultural shift. Britain is still well behind


countries hesitant about like She describes her leadership


skills as collaborative in style and enjoys working as a team and training, development and teaching. “As you progress in your career


you have a lot of experiences to share. I believe it’s important to share


the highs and lows.


Otherwise, you can inadvertently create a misleading impression. The important thing is for people to have confidence to try new things and learn by their mistakes. In my view, this is the pathway to success.”


43 Sweden


where parents share childcare responsibilities and are entitled to greater parental leave.


“ It is very important to really focus on the mental and physical welfare of your assignees and make sure that people have all the equipment and things that they need if they are being asked to move.”


THINK WOMEN


GLOBAL MOBILITY


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