On June 26th & 27th, 2025, the DGfP Global Mobility Conference brought HR professionals and mobility experts together at KPMG Berlin. The conference focused on current developments in global mobility — from changing employee expectations to shifting compliance frameworks — and drew a growing number of participants compared to previous years.
Daniel Zinner, co-founder of People Mobility Alliance, moderated the event, as he has every year since the conference began in 2018. As one of the early initiators, Daniel opened and closed the event, guiding attendees through a series of panels, round tables, and workshops focused on rethinking the future of Global Mobility in Germany and beyond.
The conference built on key insights from last year’s edition, where we identified five major trends in mobility – read our 2024 recap here: PMA Perspective: 5 Key Trends from the DGfP GM Conference 2024
Evolving Roles, Expanding Responsibilities
Throughout the conference, it became clear that Global Mobility functions are becoming more complex. The traditional focus on assignments is giving way to a broader understanding of what international work looks like. Companies are rethinking their policies to meet changing employee demands, particularly when it comes to flexibility, remote work, and individual preferences during transfers.
Policy design was a recurring topic. Multiple sessions showed how businesses are adapting their internal rules — often building more modular or tiered policy frameworks — to stay responsive in fast-moving environments. These shifts are also reflected in cross-functional collaboration, especially where HR teams work closely with tax, legal, or compliance experts.
Global Mobility Meets Global Strategy
One of the central conversations was about global roles in matrix structures. In international companies, assigning responsibility and maintaining oversight can be difficult when teams are spread across jurisdictions. Speakers shared practical approaches on how to set up structures that work across business units, time zones, and legal systems.
Another area that drew attention was Cross Border Remote Work. As employee expectations shift, the question of what is possible — and what is legally permissible — is one many HR departments are now forced to answer. Several companies discussed real-world examples of when and how they allow remote work from abroad, and what frameworks are in place to reduce legal exposure.
ESG, Expat Experience, and Recruiting Talent
This year’s programme included growing interest in sustainability in international mobility. Companies reflected on how business travel, long-term assignments, and international relocations can be shaped in more climate-conscious ways. While some efforts are still early-stage, it is clear that ESG targets are slowly making their way into mobility strategies.
Sessions also covered how to improve the expat experience — moving beyond process to include wellbeing, family integration, and long-term retention. For many, this ties directly into the question of how to attract and keep foreign talent in a tight labour market.
In interactive workshops and real-world use cases, participants explored the future of GM through the lenses of:
- Business Travel Compliance
- Payroll and international employment without local entities
- Integration of foreign talent
- Inclusive mobility strategies
- Optimising the expat experience
Where PMA Stands in the Conversation
With Daniel’s continuing role in moderating and shaping the DGfP conference, PMA reinforces its position as a central voice in the German and European mobility discussion. The conversations taking place this year reflect many of the topics PMA addresses through its Academy, Expert Courses, and PeopleTech initiatives — including vendor strategy, AI in global mobility, and practical guidance for policy-making.
For Daniel and the PMA team, this conference is an opportunity to connect with decision-makers who are actively reshaping how their companies approach international work. It also offers space to share examples of what works — a goal captured in our ongoing #MissionPossible series.
PMA: Shaping the Ecosystem of Global Mobility
As mobility becomes more multi-dimensional, so too does the need for ecosystem thinking. PMA continues to build that ecosystem by connecting stakeholders from corporates, providers, and individuals – offering resources through the PMA Academy, sparking innovation through the International HR Tech Conference, and fostering dialogue in key events like the DGfP Conference.
This year’s event reinforced PMA’s central role in these conversations, and our mission remains clear: To make global mobility smarter, more collaborative, and more human.
Looking Ahead
The DGfP Global Mobility Conference 2025 shows that Global Mobility is no longer a support function — it’s part of how companies shape their workforce strategies. With more people working across borders, new compliance challenges, and different expectations from the workforce, there is a need for more clarity, more exchange, and more practical tools.
PMA will continue contributing to this dialogue — through our events, courses, and daily work with companies and providers — and we look forward to seeing how the shared ideas from this year’s conference unfold in practice.
Stay up to date with PMA events for further reflections on current trends in mobility, recruiting, and international work. Want to learn more about how we support professionals and organisations in this space? Visit us at https://people-mobility.org/events/
Author:
Alexia Schmolling is the Head of Operations and Academy Lead at PMA. Her focus lies on Expat Management, Employee Health and international HRM. She brings valuable insights from her international experiences.
