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We’ve done your job, we know the pain you feel and understand what you need from us

We are an amazing team of experienced Global Mobility professionals who bring many years of both in-house and consulting experience. Our mission is to advance Global Mobility by setting standards, promoting best practice and facilitating a supportive community for international members to learn, connect and share.

Whether you’re just starting out on your Global Mobility journey or have already walked the walk with the t-shirt to prove it, Expat Academy is here to help!

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The Expat Academy is unique in the Global Mobility industry sector. It is without doubt the most recognised organisation for the provision of on-going Global Mobility support as it relates to training, industry updates and networking with fellow Global Mobility peers.

Viv Mott, ERM

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The best thing about the Expat Academy membership is the community, everyone is very willing and able to help and support - it’s such a great resource to be able to tap in to. I really love the benchmarking service, we can submit a question and get responses from a huge range of companies which we can then feed into our policy development, our decision making and our negotiations with the business and it helps us to be competitive.

Fiona Shaw, UnitedHealth Group

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There’s no ambiguity in my mind about the value an organisation or individual gets from being part of the Expat Academy community. I have been a member for well over a decade now and it was indispensable when I was a consultant at an RMC, an Operations Manager at a Big 4 and even more so now in my strategic role in-house. I can’t think of an alternative source of community and all that comes with it.

Eric Ogoe, Jaguar Landrover

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An excellent opportunity to expand my knowledge and to adopt a fresh perspective on various aspects of mobility while also staying informed about the industry developments from my peers. The chance to network with new contacts from all over Global Mobility alongside colleagues of old is invaluable.

James Bowerbank, CooperVision

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An Expat Academy membership is just what every Global Mobility professional needs! It has so much to offer ranging from networking, learning about several topics and GM trends, benchmarking and gaining different peer perspectives, to the strategic input of the ever-supportive core team who check-in regularly to help with any challenge(s) being faced.

Riddhi Ravishekar, SNV

Meet the team

Emma Holder

Emma Holder

Co-Founder

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James Holder

James Holder

Co-Founder

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Sharon Thorpe

Sharon Thorpe

Relationship Manager

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Chris Blair

Chris Blair

Co-Head of Client Services

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Greg Smith

Greg Smith

Co-Head of Client Services

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Roxy Opas

Roxy Opas

Client Relationship Manager

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Sugi Thatcroos

Sugi Thatcroos

Client Relationship Manager

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Stuart Jackson

Stuart Jackson

Head of Content

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Laura Mayo

Laura Mayo

Director

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Tony Miller

Tony Miller

Business Development Consultant

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Lynda Brennam

Lynda Brennam

MyGMPD Manager

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Natalie Steinberg

Natalie Steinberg

Virtual Learning Advisor

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Charlotte Willingham

Charlotte Willingham

Events and Admin Assistant

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Rhian Murphy

Rhian Murphy

Finance Manager

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Astrid Hunton

Astrid Hunton

Marketing Assistant

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Emma Holder

Emma Holder

Co-Founder

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Emma trained as a consultant at both Arthur Andersen and PwC and then moved to work in-house for Goldman Sachs and Diageo plc. Emma co-founded Expat Academy in 2010. She facilitates many cross-industry Global Mobility forums and is at the cutting edge of the latest trends and news in the Global Mobility Industry. For fun, she loves the theatre, dancing and travelling.

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James Holder

James Holder

Co-Founder

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James has over 30 years of Global Mobility experience gained from both in-house and consultancy roles. He started his career with Arthur Andersen, specialising in international tax and HR. His in-house roles include EMEA lead at Goldman Sachs and Global Head of Mobility at both Diageo and BP.

James co-founded Expat Academy in 2010. He has a real passion for training and development.  In his spare time James is working on his golf handicap, his padel tennis and fishing in the waters around Looe!

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Sharon Thorpe

Sharon Thorpe

Relationship Manager

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Sharon has more than 20 years of broad HR experience. She has worked at JCDecaux and Williams Lea, where her client base was within the Financial Services Sector. Expat Academy partner with best-in class training partners and Sharon works with Expat Academy to ensure that we are always partnering with organisations who can add the most value to our members.

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Chris Blair

Chris Blair

Co-Head of Client Services

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Chris is an experienced Global Mobility professional. His most recent in-house role was at Aviva where he managed intra UK, EMEA, APAC and Americas moves. Prior to that Chris held roles as a HR generalist, following 8 Years of being a Youth Worker with The Salvation Army. Chris manages the Expat Academy Vanguard networks and has a strategic focus on our growth in the US and the Netherlands.

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Greg Smith

Greg Smith

Co-Head of Client Services

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Greg has in-house Global Mobility experience spanning aerospace and defence, education, and tobacco sectors. His most recent role was leading the European region for Lockheed Martin's Global Mobility activities, designing and implementing their EU Posted Worker compliance. Greg manages the Expat Academy Global Heads and Banking networks and has a strategic focus on our growth in Germany. Outside of work Greg is married with two crazy kids and a cat who turned out to be the biggest breed of domestic cat in the world. Greg likes wine, watches, cars, and supports Southampton FC.

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Roxy Opas

Roxy Opas

Client Relationship Manager

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Roxy has experience managing in-house GM functions across different sectors. Her last role was managing the UK & Ireland GM for Danone and prior to that she was leading the Global GM Team at Merlin Entertainments. Roxy has a degree in Psychology and spent a year mentoring within the UK prison system before looking for a career in the GM world.  Roxy plays a key role in managing Expat Academy's Club 100 Network, she writes superb executive summaries for our benchmarking service and ensures that the Expat Academy Vault is full of useful resources. She loves anything to do with dogs, crafts or food!

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Sugi Thatcroos

Sugi Thatcroos

Client Relationship Manager

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Sugi has 5 years experience of Account Management in the Cyber Security Sector. As Client Relationships Manager, he focusses on driving engagement to help Global Mobility professionals stay on top of the latest mobility trends. In his spare time, Sugi enjoys trying new foods and creating music with friends.

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Stuart Jackson

Stuart Jackson

Head of Content

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Stuart is a renowned Thought Leader in the industry with over twenty years’ experience of working with multi-national organisations to manage complex Global Mobility programmes. Commercially astute with proven track record of managing strategic relationships, delivery of major projects and driving success. A trusted advisor, recognised for excellence in execution, collaboration and with a track record of designing and implementing successful, innovative mobility solutions.

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Laura Mayo

Laura Mayo

Director

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Laura is an experienced Account Manager. Prior to joining Expat Academy, she worked closely with Global Mobility specialists from a wide range of industries with a particular focus on intercultural training and broader corporate training for HR professionals. Laura is responsible for the strategic growth of Expat Academy in the APAC region. She also ensures that our Trusted Supplier Directory is the go to resource for in-house Global Mobility professionals. On top of this, Laura is actively growing our Supplier membership and is constantly in search of MyGMPD Subject Matter Experts who can add value to the Expat Academy and GMPD community. 

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Tony Miller

Tony Miller

Business Development Consultant

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Tony brings with him more than 30 years of experience within the Global Mobility industry. He continues to play a lead role in growing the Expat Academy global membership and introducing new Service Providers to the community.  In his spare time, Tony is an avid Watford FC fan, part-time football coach and occasional golfer.  

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Lynda Brennam

Lynda Brennam

MyGMPD Manager

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Lynda has more than 30 years international HR experience in both not for profit and commercial environments. Her experience includes insurance, airlines, and consultancy.  Lynda has worked in the charity sector for Marie Stopes International and the Lumos Foundation providing support to staff working in challenging, and sometimes dangerous, environments. Lynda has used her experience to help create the MyGMPD programme which continuously develops Global Mobility professional to reach their potential and succeed.

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Natalie Steinberg

Natalie Steinberg

Virtual Learning Advisor

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Natalie has over a decade of experience within the Global Mobility sector, predominantly gained in the relocation industry where she proudly provided clients with unique, consultative guidance on sustainable global mobility practices and customised moving and relocation services.

Natalie has worked and travelled extensively. Each international stint has contributed to her holistic understanding of diverse cultures and global business dynamics. Outside of the office you'll find Natalie gracefully contorting herself into a downward dog – a true health and wellness warrior. And if she's not mastering the art of balancing chakras, you can catch her sprinting through the enchanting Kentish countryside, absorbing the beauty of nature.

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Charlotte Willingham

Charlotte Willingham

Events and Admin Assistant

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Charlotte comes from a solid administration and client services background.  She manages all the Expat Academy events seamlessly. She makes sure the team are in the right place at the right time and most importantly that all the logistics are in place. 

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Rhian Murphy

Rhian Murphy

Finance Manager

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Rhian manages the Finance Function at Expat Academy.  Her background includes a variety of client service roles with a focus on Financial Services.

In her spare time Rhian loves spending time with her family, walking her dog and playing a few sets of tennis!

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Astrid Hunton

Astrid Hunton

Marketing Assistant

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Astrid has over 20 years of experience in marketing. She has worked in a variety of marketing and communication positions covering a broad range of industries such as retail, financial services and design agency. Astrid supports the Expat Academy team in an administration and marketing role.

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Our memberships

Whether you're an HR professional involved in international expansion; a seasoned Global Mobility professional managing hundreds of moves; or a Global Mobility Supplier looking to build your knowledge and network we have the right membership for you.

Corporate membership

For Global Mobility and HR Professionals

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Supplier Membership

For Global Mobility and HR Service Providers

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