North East Mobility Forum 2026

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At the North East Mobility Forum (NEMF) 2026, Global Mobility and HR leaders from across the region came together in Newcastle for a day of practical updates, peer discussion and time to connect. Hosted at the Cundall office in Newcastle and delivered with contributions from Cundall, K2 X Border, Grant Thornton, Sage and K2 Group, the forum brought together a strong cross-section of perspectives across global induction, immigration, tax, mobility operations and wider business change.

A forum built around practical relevance

The agenda reflected what makes NEMF valuable: a mix of expert-led sessions, employer insight and open discussion grounded in the realities mobility teams are dealing with day to day. From arrival coffee through to optional networking drinks, the format was designed to create space not only for updates, but for meaningful conversation between peers facing similar questions and pressures.

This year’s first programme covered global induction, immigration updates, tax updates, business traveller technology, graduate relocation policy and a K2 Group update and story behind our rebrand. Taken together, the topics highlighted how broad the mobility remit has become, spanning employee experience, governance, compliance, systems and strategic communication.

Global induction and the employee experience

The morning opened with a welcome from Hazel Liebscher from Cundall, whose session focused on global induction and the importance of a joined-up approach to supporting international hires and moves. At a high level, the discussion underlined that successful induction is shaped by multiple touchpoints, from mobility and HR through to IT, local teams and the wider new joiner experience.

That emphasis on coordination and accountability set a strong tone for the day. It reinforced the idea that mobility outcomes are often strongest when organisations think beyond the transaction itself and focus on how different functions come together to support people effectively.

The move is only one part of the wider employee journey. Read our Thinking Paper to learn more about why the move is not the outcome.

Why do immigration and compliance remain such a priority?

Later in the morning, Simon Higson from K2 X Border led the immigration update session. Without going into the detail of the presentation itself, the broader message was clear: immigration continues to be an area of significant change for employers, with ongoing implications for planning, sponsor responsibilities and internal compliance readiness.

The session themes pointed to the importance of staying alert to policy developments while also maintaining strong internal processes around sponsorship, right to work and record keeping. For many in the room, that combination of regulatory change and operational discipline remains one of the most important areas to keep close to.

Employer insight, tax awareness and mobility operations

The agenda also included tax updates from Davyd Fisher of Grant Thornton, alongside employer-led discussion from Sage on business traveller technology, service partner comparison, and graduate relocation policy and allowance. Together, these sessions added practical depth to the forum, bringing tax, technology and programme design into the same conversation.  

What stood out across the programme was the balance between specialist input and operational relevance. Rather than focusing on theory alone, the sessions encouraged attendees to think about how policy, process and partner decisions shape the experience and effectiveness of mobility programmes in practice.

Closing with a wider business perspective

The day concluded with a session from Richard Rutledge on K2 Group updates and the story behind our rebrand. Positioned at the end of the agenda, it provided a wider business lens to complement the earlier technical and operational discussions, while also signalling the broader context in which mobility conversations now sit.

To learn more about how K2 Corporate Mobility evolved into K2 Group, and how our specialist brands fit together, read: K2 Corporate Mobility’s growth leads the company to rebrand.

As with previous NEMF events, the value of the day came not only from the content delivered, but from the quality of discussion around it. North East Mobility Forum (NEMF) 2026 once again created a trusted space for regional Global Mobility and HR leaders to share perspectives, hear practical updates and leave with ideas relevant to their own organisations.