Name: Carlos Ruiz
Position: Managing Director
Company: Portas Global
Portas Global, Founder and Managing Director (United Kingdom): 2018 – Present
CPM People, Director, Corporate Solutions (United Kingdom): 2016 – 2018
Entity Solutions, National Sales and Contractor Services Manager (Australia): 2013 – 2016
Entity Solutions, Executive Director, Operations (Australia): 2010 – 2013
Media 7, Non-Executive Director (United Kingdom): 2007 – 2010
Entity Solutions, Founding Partner and Director (Australia): 2000 – 2006
A: When I first started in the “personnel industry”, as recruitment was known 20 years ago, the term global mobility would have had a different meaning. In Australia if you worked in more than one state you would have been considered adventurous. Working in recruitment and payroll and understanding the nuances of the changing employee/contractor landscape allowed me to transition into the international arena without too much difficulty. Based on my personal work and business experiences it now appears inevitable that I would work in this space.
Q: Has your own experience as an expat contributed to your work at Portas Global?
A: Most definitely. I have been fortunate and blessed to have had the opportunity to live and work in many countries and this meant that I faced all the challenges that moving abroad entails. I have the added benefit of having had the experience as both an employee and as a business owner so I can have an open minded and consultative discussion regarding global mobility, and specifically working abroad, with both employers and employees.
A: I am most proud of the fact that I have embraced every challenge and opportunity in the businesses that I have been associated with and I have been able to draw on those experience at various stages of my professional life which have assisted in providing a solution for me personally or someone I am doing business with. Next is to keep learning every day. There are social, political and economic implications occurring not only abroad but at our doorstep that will have ramifications in our industry so the more aware and knowledgeable we become with these issues the more effective our solutions will be.
A: The human aspect. Ultimately our industry facilitates moving a person(s) from point A to point B and this journey is fraught with many factors that can go wrong. Our role in this industry is to be enablers in this journey, but if the person is not happy at any stage, then the whole thing can come crushing down. Factors such as visas, currency fluctuations, lifestyle choices and family considerations can all give us restless nights.
A: It is a cliché but this is not about the destination, it is about the journey. We are talking about human interactions and human impact so you must think beyond software and processes and put the person or team who is moving abroad at the top of the list of important considerations. Misjudge the situation and you will have a short lived global mobility experience.
A: There is a myriad of tech solutions available in the market place which can all do pretty much the same thing but at different price points. There is no right or wrong one but there is always a good fit. The software must be user friendly and something that the team feels comfortable to work with, otherwise you will have an expensive technical platform that people either do not use, or use incorrectly. This ultimately leads to a mediocre experience for the customer or employee. Cloud-based solutions with data analytics enable a flexibility that was not inherent in original systems, but should be at the top of any list when making a choice of software.
A: Currently these topics are a moving target and the sooner industry leaders put these in boardroom agendas and they become ingrained in the business culture the sooner we will see common acceptance and acknowledgement. The clue is in the term Global mobility. The industry has cultural, language and time zone challenges, just to name a few, because of the very nature of the space we work in and diversity and inclusion are just an extension of considerations that must be managed well for this to work.
A: By continuing to learn from past errors or misjudgements and embracing technology to deliver the best human experience. In its current format, this sector is still in its infancy so as human expectations on the mobility experience change, then so should our delivery models and practical solutions.
A: Plenty more but this is not a race. Sometimes hindsight is a good thing, so let’s strive to deliver the best candidate experience, but let’s not just stop there. Go back and get feedback on what worked, what didn’t and what needs to change to improve the journey. By using the right data analytical tools there doesn’t have to be a lot of guess work to make some quick improvements but it can be as simple as performing a customer review.
Leave a Comment
* Fields marked with this asterisk are mandatory.