Speaker Meeting, 6.15 for 6.30pm

In the picture, left to right: Visiting Rotarian Tobias Frenzi, a member of the Rotary Club of Ingolstadt-Kreuztor, Club member Rotarian Harveer Singh Chadha (this meeting's speaker) and Club President Steve Davison.

Harveer was inducted into membership of the Club on 18th December 2023.  Presenting his “My Job” talk at this meeting he said he was born in Yamuna Nagar, a small town in northern India. One of 3 children with their parents, uncles and cousins all helping to run the family’s casting factory and machine tools retail shop.

When he was 18 years old Harveer moved to Bidar in the south of India to continue his education and he graduated with a degree in Electronics & Communication in 1998.

His working career began in Hyderabad where he was employed by a company running search engine services and business to business e-commerce.  He subsequently worked for two other companies in that sector until 2004.  In that year he had what he called a ‘Eureka’ moment.

He set up his own “Global Mobility” company assisting professionals who have come from abroad to live and work in Hyderabad.  Global Mobility companies assist people who are relocating across international borders for their employers.  They arrange such things as shipping and storage, closing home and schooling in the city of origin, finding homes and schools in the new city, tax planning, understanding language and cultural differences, temporary accommodations, and so on.

After two years Harveer merged his company with Santa Fe Relocation Services.  Then in 2014 he left Santa Fe and joined Ikan Relocation Services India Pvt Ltd., a Global Talent Mobility company founded in 1996.  

Harveer managed all its operations in India.  He finds the incoming professionals housing and schools, sets up the necessary utilities, provides them with a car and driver (foreigners are not recommended to drive in India), arranges bank accounts, makes payments on behalf of them if necessary.  In short, he extends a friendly hand to make the transition as comfortable and as stress free as possible.  “I am a friend, mentor, companion and guide”, Harver said, “an FMCG.”

It was interesting to hear that a 3-year overseas assignment for someone with a family costs the employing company at least one million US Dollars.  And then, more than a quarter of these overseas assignments fail to reach their objectives.

Harveer is married to Simran and they have two children.  Simran works for Microsoft and in 2023 Microsoft asked her to move to the UK.   Fortunately Ikan were able to offer Harveer a new position, that of “Resident Director, Europe” based in the UK.   His role now is to increase relationships and business with companies in the UK, Europe and the USA.   So last year Harveer became both a provider and a consumer of Global Mobility when with his wife and family he moved to Reading in Berkshire.   But Reading was not to their liking and a colleague suggested they look at Swindon.  They found Swindon and its schools more favourable and they are now well settled in our town.

To conclude, Harveer quipped: “My work keeps me busy for about 25% of my time. What do I do for the remaining 75%?  Answer, I am at ‘My Majesty’s Service’”.  Meaning his wife, Simran.