Brian Potts

“Client partnerships are special relationships–they are based upon trust, and in the business-to-business space, also execution and delivery on priorities and goals on a continuous loop. The really cool thing that can evolve with these types of relationships over time, is they become so personal, and lifetime friendships can—and do—form. With the nature of the job and touching so many different people’s lives and in so many different circumstances, there are shared stories galore to bond and reminisce over. Plus, if there was travel together to different cities or countries, now there are those road stories to layer on and enrich the relationship.“

Jim Russo

“I had the opportunity to invite a prospect to a client/prospect dinner that was hosted by Altair.  During this event, it gave the prospect the opportunity to meet many of our clients and prospects in attendance. The networking opportunity allowed the prospect to cultivate a relationship with many corporate contacts where relationships didn’t exist prior. Months later, we hosted a roundtable and the prospect was able to reconnect with a key decision–maker for one of our prospects.  Ultimately, that connection led to the prospect being offered a job at a major global organization. It just goes to show how partnerships can spark at any moment and are rooted in the connections you have with one another.“

Liana Ciatto

“To me, partnership in global mobility is about fostering a deep sense of trust and collaboration with our clients. It’s about understanding their unique needs, challenges, and goals, and working together to create tailored solutions that facilitate seamless transitions for their talent so they can focus on making a business impact.

One memorable experience in my career was with a client in Southeast Asia who faced unexpected regulatory changes during a critical relocation. Our close partnership and constant communication allowed us to swiftly adapt our strategy, ensuring the client’s operations remained uninterrupted. This experience highlighted the importance of flexibility, cultural sensitivity, and mutual respect in building successful partnerships. In the ever-evolving landscape of global mobility, these elements are essential for navigating complexities and achieving shared success.“

Mickey Calantropio

“A good partnership is truly the foundation for our relationships between the various partners who work with each other at Altair, supplier partners, and our client partners. I believe the best support for our clients starts with a good foundation. This means good communication, fair treatment of each other, accountability when things go wrong, and a dash of going the extra mile. Communication should be frequent, clear, and collaborative. We must treat each other fairly and understand realistic expectations. Honesty has to be at the forefront because when things go wrong—and they will go wrong—you have to be able to trust that the other person is being vulnerable, admitting error, and working with you on a solution. The partnerships that truly elevate to a higher level are when both sides go that extra mile for each other. My favorite partnerships are the ones where through all of the ups and downs, we are helping each other.“

Molly Turchuk

“The relocation management company and client partner relationship works best when a partnership is built based on transparency, collaboration, and trust. The success of both parties relies solely on this premise. I see many wonderful partnerships between Altair Global and our client partners.

I was recently able to witness a situation where a client was experiencing challenges in a specific location. The first step was a fact-finding session inviting all key stakeholders to the table. Including Altair and relevant suppliers as a first step allowed for open communication, active planning, and proactive management. Altair and the local suppliers were able to provide all relevant information on the location (market problems, housing options, and financial concerns). This transparency ensured all details needed were shared early on to remove roadblocks. By working as a team, all parties took accountability for a portion of the process to report back and determine appropriate handling. This involved engaging on-the-ground support, alignment internally with the client, and organization of the plan. The trust with all key stakeholders allowed for swift action and ultimate success.”

Niamh Columb

“As a member of the Supplier Partner Experience team, it’s essential that our team members and supplier partners operate as an extension of our clients. Over the last several years, the supply chain landscape has become increasingly complex and dynamic, with distinct challenges emerging from country to country. Cultural nuances, regional regulations, and varying client expectations require us to adapt our approach to each unique market. Close collaboration with both our supplier partners and client partners is critical to navigating these complexities. This partnership is more than just service delivery. It’s about being a strategic ally to our clients by offering tailored solutions that reflect local needs, providing valuable insights across markets, and driving innovation that resonates with diverse client expectations. Our relationship is founded on mutual trust, cross-cultural understanding, and open communication, with all parties fully committed to shared objectives and long-term success.“

Susan Myers

“When I think of partnerships in global mobility, I immediately have a flood of memories from my career.  All have one thing in common: solving the unique challenges of global mobility together. Early in my career, I had someone ask me how it was possible that we could justify having a two–day working session between global mobility, the RMC global compensation, and tax teams.  I laughed and said, ‘Two days is just the start given the size of the program and the needs of global payroll and tax.’ The trust and confidence we build when we deliver on our commitments sustain the relationships we have forged for many years.” 

Andy Hawtin

“A partnership is like a marriage but with a prenup (the contract)! Consider partnerships to be like a bank balance: a provider accrues a high balance by putting being positive, doing great work, and being proactive in bringing a solution to a problem before the client even knows there’s a problem. Yet, if there is a poor negative relationship, the bank balance falls away until you’re overdrawn. Important to take time right from the first engagement with providers/clients to understand the reality of how a relationship could and should work. This continues through RFP, and onboarding and is strengthened as the relationship develops. At its core, a partnership is a two-way street—it’s a give-and-take. It means supporting each other in achieving respective goals, having mutual understanding, taking time to recognize mutual goals, understanding what it takes to deliver those, and what role you can play in helping each side achieve their goals. It’s a drive and resilience together to ‘find a way,’ it includes internal and external support, appreciation, validation of one another, and it must have transparency—an open-book mentality from the provider side and openness about calling out challenges or seeking help as a client.”

Esmee Mos

“A partnership between a service provider (Altair Global) and a client partner means EVERYTHING! As a service provider, we can only deliver our best services if we know the client company’s values, traditions, and culture. This helps us put ourselves in their shoes. To some of our client partners, we say hej (as that is their culture) and to some, we say: Good morning Mr. Bode, and then we are more distant.

Furthermore, there is one word that is of most importance and that is TRUST. Parties need to trust each other; this doesn’t come overnight as a relationship needs to be built. Any advice from a service provider to a client partner is not about making things more complicated, it is not about simply trying to bill hours; it is about advising the client of the process, both the good and the bad, and to educate and therefore help the client with their global mobility job. We are trying to make it easier for our client partners with our knowledge, practical tips, experience, and network, so their relocating employees can settle in a new country as quickly and as smoothly as possible. In a good partnership, there is a willingness from both sides to be in frequent contact and discuss issues before they escalate (further); a good partnership is simply TEAMWORK. And, lucky us 😉, we have a lot of those meaningful partnerships with our clients. In the end, we are people working with and for people (both clients and customers), with the head and the heart!”

Lisa Reid

“For me, partnership is all about trust and communication. Having worked in the industry for several years, the two things that matter the most are being able to have open and honest conversations. Things don’t always go to plan but if you have these two elements in place, fixing the issues and finding solutions happens a whole lot quicker and easier and it produces results. We all know that having shared goals and objectives is key and aligning to the strategies and goals of our clients partner is the number one rule, but if you can’t have an open and honest conversation with your client partner and vice versa you will encounter roadblocks and find that trust breaks down. I never want to be in a position where I feel reluctant or worried to take a problem or a solution to a client; I want to be able to work with my clients to achieve a common goal.

Asking tough questions is also an important skill. We think that asking tough questions may lead to tougher conversations and resentment, but taking the time to gain a deeper understanding of why a client partner may have requested something can often lead to healthy conversations and an understanding if it’s the best approach to take. It also encourages both sides to think critically. I love to see a partnership evolve and grow. In the past, I’ve worked with clients who are cautious and sometimes closed in their approach when they first start working with you. It’s my job to be patient, keep chipping away, and build trust and collaboration. If you take this approach, you will quickly find the dialogue will flow a lot easier, things will get done a lot quicker, and you gain each other’s trust.”

Magali Bessard

“I’ve worked for Altair Global in the Paris, France office since 2010. I took part in many implementations of new clients for Destination Services and have found that everything starts with understanding the company culture of the new client partner. Listening is a great tool, using the same vocabulary when reformulating to ensure we have the same understanding. The relationship is then created by building trust and getting the confidence to work as ‘partners,’ with the same goal of satisfaction from the assignees. With good reporting, feedback, and calls, the trust gets stronger and you slowly but surely become an ally. I personally managed to get to this level with many human resources of large groups; it is always a big satisfaction to work hand in hand with client partners and to be questioned when they have challenges to face.” 

Simon Scott

“A partnership should be everyone working together to achieve the goals of the client partner, but with the client listening to the experience and advice of those helping, whether that’s the relocation management company (RMC), immigration provider, destination services provider, household goods supplier, etc. It is the full support network collaborating in helping the client partner achieve the desired result for what they want to do. Where this breaks down is where one element in the chain doesn’t seek that advice or listen to that experience. This could be the client deciding they know best how to achieve something, the RMC listening to what the client wants but then not talking to the supply chain to find out whether this is possible, or suppliers hearing what the customer wants but not communicating why that will be a problem or proposing a solution that works locally. For a true partnership to work there has to be communication, collaboration, and compromise.“ 

Benny Tan

“Partners are people coming together, towards a common goal, each playing a different role and yet all pointing to the North Star of their goal. In my years in global mobility, I have personally witnessed and experienced different styles of partnerships with clients and supplier partners but find there’s one common thing that always pops up: success in the relationship and the attainment of the common goal are always preceded by true partnership. And in a true partnership, there would surely be trust, communication, and commitment.

In a recent example, we were working with a new client partner in a challenging location (China), and initially, things didn’t go as well as one would hope. Relationships first must be built, especially in this part of the world. Once we got the communication going, we executed on what we committed to, and trust was built along the way. When a true partnership ultimately emerged, it was a win-win for both Altair and the client partner, benefiting all stakeholders and positively impacting the experiences of the numerous relocating customers in challenging locations within China. In having this true partnership, we know we can always count on each other going forward, however challenging the future may be.”

Selena Shen

“To me, partnership embodies the essence of collaboration and the art of leveraging diverse strengths to create high-impact solutions and enrich our client partners’ experiences. Imagine partnership as a pair of chopsticks: one couldn’t work without the other. Only when they come hand in hand, can they be effective tools in our hands. 

I recall a time when a client partner needed a swift solution to help a relocating customer and family evacuate from their home country. It was a moment that called for all hands on deck. With a sense of urgency and mobilizing all resources, we got the employee and family on an evacuation flight within less than four hours, avoiding the crisis that would have impacted the employee and family’s safety. Through this experience, I learned that our collective success is built on the strength of our relationships with our client partners (and our supplier partners)—fostering mutual trust and empowerment. In today’s fast-paced world, it truly takes an entire village to make things happen swiftly. This partnership not only helped us achieve an immediate goal, but also deepened our connection, reminding us that together, we can navigate even the most challenging circumstances.“