Mobility Connect
33 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsConnecting the global mobility community. Mobility Connect is about the sharing of stories, challenges and ideas of all those involved in the moving of people across countries and continents. We are Maxxelli, with over 15 years of experience in the global mobility industry of China - but we are interested in the stories of people in any corner of the world - and your host is Managing Director, Adam McWhirter.
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Episodes
Mobility Connect and Love + Relo with Ben Cross
August 17, 2020 08:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBIn this episode, Adam connects to Ben Cross, a fellow creator. Ben goes live with Love + Relo 5 times per week with mobility leaders from around the world. Both Ben and Adam discuss the beginnings of their social media projects, including how they came up with the name, but also where they plan to take Mobility Connect and Love + Relo in the future. Ben's show can be found on LinkedIn, Youtube and Facebook. You can also find behind the scenes content from Love + Relo on Ben's Instagram p...
The Evolving Equation with Laura Levenson of Weichert
August 10, 2020 06:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MBIn this episode recorded late May, Adam has a chat with Laura Levenson of Weichert. To begin the chat, Adam couldn't resist digging into life in China during the 80s - when Laura first began her global mobility journey. In the coming months on Mobility Connect, there will be an "80s Party" with a group of 80s China expatsexchanging storiesof what life was like as China was just opening up. With Laura's vast experience within the global mobility industry, the chat then revolves around wh...
Managing into the New Normal with Bill Graebel and Katy Zhang
August 03, 2020 03:00 - 1 hour - 71.4 MBIn this (unintentional) two part podcast, Adam discusses with Bill Graebel and Katy Zhang (Graebel Shanghai) the future of mobility and what the "new normal" might look like in 2021. In Part 1, recorded June 4th 2020, the discussion revolves around managing both Graebel and Maxxelli through the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic - the decisions both firms were challenged to make in order to ensure safety for their staff, while still maintaining quality levels of service experience. In Par...
East-West Leadership, with Gabor Holch
July 27, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBIn this chat, the first and only chat in our Shanghai podcast studio prior to Covid-19, Adam and Gabor do a deep dive into what it takes to thrive as a global manager in China, East-West Leadership. Gabor has a vast amount of experience bridging the gap from the international community into China. He enables communication and trust through understanding the culture on both sides, but also the unique culture of the firm itself, which is just as vital. A useful listen to anyone managing a t...
East-West Leadership with Gabor Holch, Intercultural Leadership Coach
July 27, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBIn this chat, the first and only chat in our Shanghai podcast studio prior to Covid-19, Adam and Gabor do a deep dive into what it takes to thrive as a global manager in China, East-West Leadership. Gabor has a vast amount of experience bridging the gap from the international community into China. He enables communication and trust through understanding the culture on both sides, but also the unique culture of the firm itself, which is just as vital. A useful listen to anyone managing a t...
24-Years as an Expat with Dave and Darlene Lee
July 24, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.9 MBIn this chat with David and Darlene Lee, we go into life in Beijing in 90s straight through to June 2020 as they prepare to repatriate for the final time. This is the story of a couple who thrived as career expatriates and fully assimilated into their new surroundings each and every time they changed locations. There are A LOT of stories to tell after a 24-year "expat-life" Whether this is your first overseas assignment, or you are repatriating for the final time after a quarter century, ...
24-Years as an Expat, with Dave and Darlene Lee
July 24, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.9 MBIn this chat with David and Darlene Lee, we go into life in Beijing in 90s straight through to June 2020 as they prepare to repatriate for the final time. This is the story of a couple who thrived as career expatriates and fully assimilated into their new surroundings each and every time they changed locations. There are A LOT of stories to tell after a 24-year "expat-life" Whether this is your first overseas assignment, or you are repatriating for the final time after a quarter century, ...
From Inside Wuhan - The Global Community
March 25, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 46.1 MBA good friend from Canada reached out to interview me and hopefully learn from the experiences of China over the past 2 months. As the global community now deals with isolation and sudden uncertainty, perhaps Bill Gates said it best. "I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being bad. As I meditate upon this, I want to share with you what I feel the Corona/ Covid-19 virus is really doing to us...
From Inside Wuhan - Mental Health with Lifeline
February 20, 2020 12:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBIn this chat with Karli Rowland of Lifeline, Adam discusses many of the issues all of those in China are facing due to isolation and quarantine. At the time of this recording, nearing one month since the Covid-19 virus caused the closing of cities and turned life in China up-side-down, Karli goes into detail on many of the common issues and provides relevant solutions on how to maintain a positive attitude during a time of crisis.
From Inside Wuhan - Corporate Insights
February 13, 2020 13:00 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MBIn this episode, Adam chats Fred Schlomann, the Vice President at AIRINC Asia-Pacific Limited; and Meng Ziang Chy, the Director of Business Development APAC at Graebel Companies, Inc. Both have recently conducted surveys on the impact of the Covid-19 virus within global mobility industry. The discussion outlines the findings in their surveys with mobility leaders following the Chinese New Year holiday. Meng's survey can be found here. The AIRINC Survey is yet to be published, but check b...
From Inside Wuhan - The Entire Team
February 13, 2020 02:00 - 1 hour - 44.2 MBIn this episode, Adam chats to all 5 Maxxelli staff from the Wuhan office. They tell their stories on what life in Wuhan has been like since being closed off for 17 days . "From Inside Wuhan" - An aunt who fell ill to Covid-19 - A husband supporting construction of the 1,000 bed hospital - Advising younger cousins in Europe dealing with discrimination being from Wuhan - Organizing medical donations from around the world - A mother and her journey supporting her family The wonderful Maxxel...
From Inside Wuhan
February 04, 2020 07:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MBIn this episode, I (Adam McWhirter, Maxxelli Managing Director), discussed with Ms. Dan Huang (China Operations Manager based in Wuhan) what has transpired over the past 3 weeks in China with regards to the Coronvirus. A bit of a recap on the timeline of things: - January 11th, Dan returned to China from her vacation - January 13th, Dan flew to Shanghai from Wuhan for our 2020 Strategy Meetings - January 17th, Dan flew home from Shanghai to Wuhan full of positivity. - January 20th, suddenly...
Settling into Shanghai with Jenny and Lisa of Shanghai Mamas
December 16, 2019 05:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBStarted in 2006 as a group for expat mothers looking to arrange playdates for their children, Shanghai Mamas today is a diverse online community with over 4000 members from across the globe, providing peer to peer recommendations and advice on all things to do with living in Shanghai. Run by a committee of volunteer members, this grassroots, non-profit community allows members to connect with each other through forums, Facebook and WeChat groups and weekly coffee mornings across the city. Wi...
Service Consistency with Bob Rosing of Dwellworks
December 12, 2019 04:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBOriginally hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Bob Rosing is a global mobility veteran with over 30 years’ experience in the relocation and real estate industries. In 2007 Bob started with Dwellworks, a global provider of services to the mobility industry. Today, Dwellworks has 250+ employees located in 12 centers around the globe providing services ranging from destination services to property management and intercultural support. In this interview Adam and Bob discuss the importance of hiring a...
1 Million Children with Tom Stader of The Library Project
December 03, 2019 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBTom Stader is the founder of The Library Project (TLP), an international non-profit organisation started in 2008 that donates libraries and provides teacher training to rural elementary schools, orphanages and community centres around China and Vietnam. Originally from the US, Tom relocated to China fifteen years ago and initially worked as a teacher for six months; this experience exposed him to the difficulty of teaching without the correct tools, and inspired him to make a change. Fast-fo...
Repatriating Children with Elizabeth Sawyer of Bennett International
November 07, 2019 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBHaving spent the first twelve years of her life overseas, and with an education spanning five different systems from Ireland to New York, Elizabeth Sawyer is no stranger to international schooling. Following the completion of her MA at Villanova University, Elizabeth spent the first 15 years of her career teaching English, French and Spanish at private high schools in the US, a path that would later inform her role as an Education Consultant for Bennett Educational Resources. In 2009, after ...
The Growth of a Mobility Career with Sean Collins of Talent Mobility Search
October 29, 2019 09:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBSean Collins of Talent Mobility Search has over 20 years’ experience in global mobility, working in leadership roles on both the service provider and corporate client side during his extensive career. Originally from the UK, Sean began his career at a relocation management company, managing sales and marketing first across China, and then the South East Asia and India region, before moving in-house to manage the mobility programmes at Microsoft for 8 years. In 2014, Sean identified a need fo...
Medical Care in China with Dr. Stephen Misch
October 20, 2019 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.1 MBWith over three decades of medical experience in the US, then in Chengdu and Shanghai, Dr. Misch has expertise in a broad range of family practices, from blood pressure, asthma, cholesterol concerns, depression and anxiety to emergencies such as treating lacerations and fractures. He is also a promotor of preventative health measures and natural living, aiding his patients to understand any obstacles to their improvement. Having practiced in China for over twenty years, he has in-depth indus...
Growth into Tier 2 China with Nick Veiga
October 13, 2019 21:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBWith over twenty years’ experience in Human Resource Management, Nick Veiga has been HR director of automotive giant Renault for over a decade. Nick has been based in Wuhan since 2016 where he has overseen Renault’s forty assignees and their families while also managing those based in Beijing. Since 2013, the same year Maxxelli handled Renault’s first wave of inbound assignees to Wuhan and Beijing, Renault began its joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group, which now comprises most work of th...
Growth into Tier 2 China with Nick Veiga of Renault
October 13, 2019 21:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBWith over twenty years’ experience in Human Resource Management, Nick Veiga has been HR director of automotive giant Renault for over a decade. Nick has been based in Wuhan since 2016 where he has overseen Renault’s forty assignees and their families while also managing those based in Beijing. Since 2013, the same year Maxxelli handled Renault’s first wave of inbound assignees to Wuhan and Beijing, Renault began its joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group, which now comprises most work of th...
Special Needs Education in China with Andrew Hill
September 30, 2019 01:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBAndrew Hill first arrived in China thirty years ago and has since founded and managed several companies and received The Charity Star of Shanghai in 2010 for his service projects and charity work. He founded ELG to provide quality special needs education and therapy services in China – the first service of this nature in Shanghai – and is also the chairman of ELG’s sister NGO, Xiersen Children Service Centre. ELG has provided much-needed specialist therapy and behavioural services to thousan...
Special Needs Education in China with Andrew Hill of ELG & Xiersen
September 30, 2019 01:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBAndrew Hill first arrived in China thirty years ago and has since founded and managed several companies and received The Charity Star of Shanghai in 2010 for his service projects and charity work. He founded ELG to provide quality special needs education and therapy services in China – the first service of this nature in Shanghai – and is also the chairman of ELG’s sister NGO, Xiersen Children Service Centre. ELG has provided much-needed specialist therapy and behavioural services to thousan...
Empathy and Growth with Sei Ishikawa of WeWork
September 23, 2019 00:00 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MBWith well over a decade of experience in the mobility industry, Sei Ishikawa first joined The We Company in 2016 and has since grown its global mobility division from a one-man team to an entire department, responsible for the movement of nearly 700 employees. The We Company’s spectacular growth in the decade since its founding – as of mid-2019, over 500 WeWork locations in 28 separate countries – has rapidly expanded the need for a specialized, expert mobility team. Sei tells us more o...
Empathy and Growth with Sei Ishikawa
September 23, 2019 00:00 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MBWith well over a decade of experience in the mobility industry, Sei Ishikawa first joined The We Company in 2016 and has since grown its global mobility division from a one-man team to an entire department, responsible for the movement of nearly 700 employees. The We Company’s spectacular growth in the decade since its founding – as of mid-2019, over 500 WeWork locations in 28 separate countries – has rapidly expanded the need for a specialized, expert mobility team. Sei tells us more o...
140 Countries with Andrew Morollo
September 17, 2019 00:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBGlobe-trotting Andrew Morollo has visited 207 cities in nearly 140 different countries, and that’s without keeping exact lists. As a senior surveyor with AIRINC, a leading data provider for global talent deployment with over half a century of experience, Andrew has been conducting cost-of-living research and hardship surveys across the globe and in every continent for nearly twenty years. Much of his work is specific to the oil and gas industry, and Andrew has decades of expertise in expatri...
140 Countries with Andrew Morollo of AIRINC
September 17, 2019 00:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBGlobe-trotting Andrew Morollo has visited 207 cities in nearly 140 different countries, and that’s without keeping exact lists. As a senior surveyor with AIRINC, a leading data provider for global talent deployment with over half a century of experience, Andrew has been conducting cost-of-living research and hardship surveys across the globe and in every continent for nearly twenty years. Much of his work is specific to the oil and gas industry, and Andrew has decades of expertise in expatri...
Part 2 - Managing into the 2020s with Bill Graebel
September 09, 2019 12:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBBill Graebel has been with industry-leading Graebel Companies since 1975, and has witnessed its growth from a local relocation provider in the US to a global mobility company. Serving industry leaders of the Fortune 500 and Global 100, Graebel Companies handles all elements of workforce mobility and has decades of experience designing and implementing mobility programmes. In this exclusive two-part interview, Bill talks in-depth about the complexities of talent management and his though...
Part 2 - Managing into the 2020s with Bill Graebel of Graebel
September 09, 2019 12:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBBill Graebel has been with industry-leading Graebel Companies since 1975, and has witnessed its growth from a local relocation provider in the US to a global mobility company. Serving industry leaders of the Fortune 500 and Global 100, Graebel Companies handles all elements of workforce mobility and has decades of experience designing and implementing mobility programmes. In this exclusive two-part interview, Bill talks in-depth about the complexities of talent management and his though...
Managing into the 2020s with Bill Graebel
September 02, 2019 08:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBBill Graebel has been with industry-leading Graebel Companies since 1975, and has witnessed its growth from a local relocation provider in the US to a global mobility company. Serving industry leaders of the Fortune 500 and Global 100, Graebel Companies handles all elements of workforce mobility and has decades of experience designing and implementing mobility programmes. In this exclusive two-part interview, Bill talks in-depth about the complexities of talent management and his though...
Managing into the 2020s with Bill Graebel of Graebel
September 02, 2019 08:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBBill Graebel has been with industry-leading Graebel Companies since 1975, and has witnessed its growth from a local relocation provider in the US to a global mobility company. Serving industry leaders of the Fortune 500 and Global 100, Graebel Companies handles all elements of workforce mobility and has decades of experience designing and implementing mobility programmes. In this exclusive two-part interview, Bill talks in-depth about the complexities of talent management and his though...
Branding your Mobility Program with Liana Ciatto of Crown World Mobility
September 02, 2019 07:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBLiana Ciatto of Crown World Mobility, an industry-leading mobility firm providing a complete service, has over thirteen years’ experience in the relocation industry, working closely in supporting Fortune 500 multi-national corporations. As vice president of account management, Liana now defines the account management blueprint for Crown World Mobility’s global team and helps build strategic relationships. Liana’s own career has crossed three continents, first moving from the US to Hong Kong ...
Developing a Global Career with Tracy Kautzmann of IMPACT Group
September 02, 2019 06:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBTracy Kautzmann has been providing career coaching and training for individuals relocating countries for over twenty years. Joining IMPACT Group – which provides relocation assistance and coaching to empower employees operating in 65 countries – in 2005, Tracy has expertise in job search strategies, branding and leadership coaching and managing transitions. Considering herself a global nomad, Tracy herself has lived in seven countries and relocated seventeen times. In this discussion, T...
Growing up in China as an Expat Kid
August 27, 2019 23:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MBHolland, Chongqing, Guangzhou then Shanghai. The very special journey of the Hoffman family, who first came to China in 2008 when daughters Romy and Sanne were only four and six years old, reveals much about the joys and difficulties of settling and attending school as a young family in the mobility world. Mother Asha and her two daughters join us this week to share their personal insights into everything to do with life as an expat, from navigating Chinese traffic to the importance of commu...