Steven John - President and CEO - HomeServices Relocation

Name: Steven John

Position: President and CEO

Company: HomeServices Relocation

Professional Background

HomeServices Relocation, President and CEO (United States): 2014 – Present

RELO Direct, SVP Client Services (United States): 2013 – 2014

Prudential Real Estate and Relocation, EVP, Client Services Operations (United States): 2009 – 2012

Prudential Real Estate and Relocation, SVP, Client Services (United States): 2007 – 2009

Prudential Real Estate and Relocation, VP/Controller, Accounting Operations (United States): 2003 – 2007

Avnet, VP Finance (United States): 1989 – 2002

ARAMARK, Controller (United States): 1984 – 1989

Deloitte, Auditor (United States): 1982 – 1984

Career Insider

Q: Why global mobility, and how did you get started in the industry?

A: Like many of us in the global mobility industry, I kind of fell into it. After the post-9/11 downturn in the economy I was interested in a new opportunity. Prudential Relocation had recently centralized their operations in Phoenix and were looking to fill some key positions. The Client Accounting Operations Controller role at Prudential was a great fit for my background as a CPA and operations executive. I was excited about the relocation industry, it’s anticipated growth and was impressed by the opportunity to join a premier organization like Prudential.

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Q: What are you proud of achieving in your career and what's next?

A: My time in finance and operations has been invaluable to me as those experiences have better prepared me to lead HomeServices Relocation I am most proud of my success in moving from a purely financial role, to operations and now to the head of the entire organization. I’ve had many mentors over the years, but those that have had the most impact are those that have helped me hone my people and management skills. I believe we do not truly reach perfection at anything, so what’s next for me is to keep myself, my organization, and the people who work for HomeServices Relocation on a path of continued growth, contribute to the industry, and simply put - get better and better!  

Q: What aspect of your work at HomeServices Relocation do you find most exciting?

A: I enjoy working with people. Whether it’s coaching team members, helping clients, working with our supplier partners to deliver the best possible service and helping everyone who touches the client achieve their goals. Getting to know people and working with them is the most exciting part of my job.

Industry Insider

Q: How do you think the global mobility industry has changed over the years?

A: At the turn of the century, our industry was experiencing significant consolidation, particularly in the RMC space. Many predicted that in just a few years there would only be a handful of very large providers. Things did not quite turn out that way as bigger is not always better! For every RMC purchased, it seems that two more companies sprang up in its place.  Relocation is a very service-oriented business, as clients that have chosen to outsource their mobility function are looking for a level of attention and service that RMCs often times fail to achieve as they reach a certain size. The largest can provide economies of scale, but at times struggle to provide personal service, both to HR professionals and to transferees.

Q: What is the most important strategic tip you can give to companies handling global mobility?

A: Don’t forget the mission.  As mobility professionals, our mission is to ensure retention, recruiting and productivity while allowing for a mobile workforce. These are critical functions and the cost of failure is high. Too often, a myopic focus on the bottom line leads us to make penny-wise, but pound-foolish decisions. Cost containment is important, but saving money on program expenses to the detriment of the mission is a costly mistake.

Q: What kind of tech or software would you suggest for global mobility processing?

A: There are several very high-quality firms that are providing software for use in our industry. The available “off-the-shelf” products are more than adequate to meet the needs of providers, clients and transferees. Current options have been through many iterations of development and are focused specifically on our industry needs. For industry specific features, integration and cost effectiveness, buying from one of the existing providers makes more sense than devoting relocation resources and attention to trying to build your own software.

Visionary Insider

Q: How well do you think issues surrounding diversity and inclusion are handled in the global mobility sector? What could they do better?

A: Diversity and inclusion in global mobility are generally no better or worse than in other industries. True diversity and inclusion requires respect for all people, education and leadership. While we have seen improvement over the years, there is still a long way to go.

Q: How can global mobility practices get better in the next 5 years?

A: The challenge will be to incorporate technology to gain efficiencies to reduce costs, improve cycle times and allow for greater access to resources for transferees, while still maintaining the personal touch our consultants provide today.  The moving process is very stressful. Transferees should always be able to reach out for help.  Our job is to make the move less stressful, not frustrate transferees and clients with a raft of unnavigable menu options and inhuman automation. Transferees should have the choice to work through automation, or not. Our use of technology at HomeServices Relocation is mostly in the background, freeing our consultants to be more accessible and responsive.

Q: If you had to pick, which aspect of global mobility is most needing change?

A: The typical revenue model for RMCs is poorly aligned with the goals and needs of their clients. RMC’s collect revenue from commissions, referrals and mark-ups which are mostly unrelated to the actual work performed by the RMC. The greater the mobility spend, the more revenue collected by the RMC. In many cases, HR professionals are unaware just how much of their mobility spend goes to the RMC. This can create a conflict of interest between the RMC’s duty to make the best policy and procurement decisions for their clients versus the RMC’s underlying profit motive. Revenue models for RMCs should be aligned to match cost for service paired with incentives for achieving specified cost containment and performance targets.

Either/Or…

• Short-term or long-term assignment? Short term! Go see the world!
• Airbnb or serviced apartments? Serviced apartments
• Excel or global mobility software? Global Mobility Software
• Lump-sum or flex-ben? Flex benefits
• Facebook or LinkedIn? LinkedIn
• Outlook or Gmail? Outlook
• Taxi or Uber? Uber
• iOS or Android? iOS
• Mac or PC? PC
• Computer or tablet? Both!
• Work hard or play hard? Work hard AND play hard!