CEO Matthew Chapman and International President Stefanie Cross-Wilson Host Americas Webinar on Global HR Trends in 2015

Earlier this month, ChapmanCG CEO, Matthew Chapman, and International President, Stefanie Cross-Wilson, hosted an Americas Webinar focusing on trends for the global HR profession in 2015 and beyond. A large group of Americas based International HR leaders was in attendance from a broad range of companies including American Express, BIC, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan, Kennametal, Kohler, McGraw-Hill, Oliver Wyman, Sodexo, Standard Chartered Bank, and TE Connectivity, among others.

Matt and Stefanie kicked off with an overview of what is currently happening in the HR market across the globe. Some of their observations include:

• The Americas: There is a growing preference for international mindedness, even when it comes to domestic roles. We have seen the HR markets becoming increasingly sophisticated in Latam as the business environment and talent pool develops;
• Europe: Strong demand across the board here with London, Zurich, Amsterdam, Paris, Prague and Istanbul being the hottest locations. London, Zurich and Paris remain key regional headquarters locations;
• Middle East and Africa: Dubai is the country to watch, as it has made a good recovery and has a significant expat talent base. Africa remains ‘the last frontier’ for most multinationals and is still viewed as a ‘slow burn’ proposition;
• Singapore and SE Asia: Seeing a continued migration to locating international and global roles in Singapore, which is no longer viewed as a developing market. Key growth countries include Vietnam, Phillippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia;
• China and Hong Kong: Hong Kong has lost prominence against China, but continues to be the second location of choice for regional HR roles after Singapore. More roles being based in Shanghai than Beijing, largely due to pollution concerns;
• Japan and NE Asia: More global companies placing Japan under the APAC banner, as opposed to reporting direct to global, as in the past. Taiwan remains heavy on technology HR, while Japan and Korea continue to be complex locations to source HR talent and demand remains high for those with a global outlook;
• India and South Asia: Many Indian HR Leaders with international experience are returning to the country. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are becoming increasingly sophisticated HR markets;
• Australia and Pacific: Many Australians with international experience are returning home, while the government in New Zealand is looking to proactively attract homegrown talent back to the country.

Stefanie and Matt followed this regional outlook with a synopsis of five hot specializations in HR, which are HR Shared Services/ Operations, HR Analytics, Rewards, Talent Acquistion, and Diversity & Inclusion. The pair concluded with an examination of the common pitfalls and the strategies that leading companies are using to elevate their employer brands today.

This webinar is part of a regular series organised by The Chapman Consulting Group, with the aim of providing clients and key contacts with valuable market insight to make the best HR and business decisions. Look out for details of our next sessions early in 2015.