An Everest summiteer’s guide to resilience, reframing, and embracing uncertainty

Tori James is the first Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest. Tori is a professional speaker and host of the First Females podcast which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first female ascent of Mount Everest.

Tori's expedition achievements include climbing Cho Oyu (8,201m) and becoming the first all-female team to complete the Polar Challenge, a 360-mile race to the Magnetic North Pole. In 2014, the Beeline Britain team made the first ever straight-line journey between Land's End and John O'Groats. This journey is documented in the multi award-winning film called 'As the Crow Flies’.

Tori has also cycled the length of New Zealand and is an advocate for active travel initiatives, passionately promoting 'bike buses' enabling children to cycle to school and experience everyday adventures by bike.

 Tori is the President of Girlguiding in Wales. She is an ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and a Fellow of British Exploring.

Team Lead, Global Mobility, Schwarz Group

William began his career in Global Mobility in 2016 within the Schwarz Group and brings over 10 years of experience, including living and working abroad. He has several years of expertise in expat management and leading operational teams. In his current role, William heads the Cross Functions in Global Mobility, where he is responsible for process excellence, building strategic vendor partnerships, and driving global mobility data to support data-driven decision-making. He also leads the technology and digitalization area within Global Mobility, implementing automation and AI to streamline workflows, minimize repetitive tasks, and enhance operational efficiency.

Global Mobility Competence and Support Centre Manager, Tetra Pak

Andrea is an accomplished global mobility professional with two decades of experience managing complex mobility programs for multinational organizations. She currently serves as a manager of the Global Mobility Competence and Support Center at Tetra Pak, where she leads strategic initiatives to optimize international assignment policies and ensure compliance with global tax and regulatory frameworks. Her career includes senior leadership roles at MOL Group, where she successfully implemented and continuously enhanced group-level mobility policies and introduced advanced software solutions to streamline operations. During her tenure, Andrea was also appointed to lead human resources (HR) for the Functional and Innovative Businesses & Services divisions, coordinating HR systems and processes in alignment with MOL Group’s strategic objectives.

Andrea began her mobility career at IBM, progressing from an expense validator to IBM Mobility Center Operations Manager and EMEA Mobility Business Controls Lead. In these roles, she drove audit readiness, process centralization, and compliance improvements across multiple regions. In addition to her corporate responsibilities, Andrea has contributed to academia as a guest lecturer at Corvinus University of Budapest, sharing best practices and emerging trends in international HR management. She is passionate about creating efficient, compliant, and employee-focused mobility solutions that align with business goals and foster global talent development.

Head of Global Mobility and Travel, HelloFresh

Michali belongs to the generation of global mobility leaders who transform the Global Mobility functions and teams from being operational functions into being strategic advisors and partners to the business, who have a seat at the table and are partners for strategic decision making. 

She currently leads the Global Mobility and Travel team at HelloFresh, an international tech company with 16 offices around the world.

Michali has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and over 10 years of experience in leading high-performing Global Mobility Teams.

Head of Global Mobility, Schwarz Group

Guy is a global mobility leader with more than 18 years of comprehensive experience spanning Big Four consulting and various senior in-house roles. He has been a pivotal force in co-shaping the global mobility function at the Schwarz Group for nearly nine years, culminating in his appointment as Head of Global Mobility in October 2024.

Throughout his career, Guy has focused on transforming global mobility from a purely logistical and compliance-driven function into a strategic pillar for human capital development. His vision centers on leveraging mobility as a key driver for identifying, developing, and retaining emerging leaders within the organization. Guy is dedicated to creating modern, business-aligned mobility strategies that have a direct impact on organizational growth and talent pipeline strength, positioning global mobility as a critical part of strategic decision-making.

Immigration and Mobility Lead EMEA and APJ, Databricks

Soren is a senior global mobility leader with over 15 years of extensive experience in designing and leading strategic talent mobility programs for multinational corporations. His expertise spans all facets of global mobility, including policy development, compensation, tax, immigration, and operational excellence, built on key roles he held at TikTok, Bayer, and Shell. One of his key interests is the application of generative artificial intelligence in global mobility.