The TEMI Taskforce is made up of experienced global mobility professionals who volunteer their time to support TEMi initiatives and events, and offer mentorship to junior practitioners. Go behind the scenes and get to to know more about our Taskforce volunteers in this new interview series with Taskforce members – and be sure to reach out to LinkedIn if you want to know more!
Q&A with Karla Costa
Karla is Mercer’s Principal – Global Mobility and Industry Networks Leader, and is passionate about helping organisations understand and find solutions for challenges related to their biggest asset… their people! She loves discussing and learning how we can use data to draw insights and ‘connect dots’. With 12+ years of professional experience, and a robust commercial, analytical and problem-solving mindset, she is an asset to the TEMi Taskforce and our community. Find out more about Karla and reach out to connect – she is here to help if you have questions!
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself?
Karla:Hi, pleased to meet you! My name is Karla, I have a gorgeous 2 year-old son and you will certainly notice by my accent that I come from countryside Brazil. I fell in love with Global Mobility about 15 years ago when I was working with J&J and needed to assist with a delicate situation involving expats and their families. I quickly learned the complexity and level of responsibility it takes when of working in this area and most importantly the impact it has in people’s lives and careers. A few years later I had the opportunity to really dedicate time and learn more in-depth about Mobility and eventually helped growing and strengthening Mercer’s Mobility Practice in Brazil and Latin America. It’s been almost eight years since I came to Australia and working with ANZ clients has been an amazing and eye-opening experience.
Q: What is the most rewarding/exciting aspect about working in the Talent Mobility Industry today?
Karla: The Global Mobility landscape is forever-changing. This is what excites me the most! We learn new things each day and will continue learning and adapting as new ways of working emerge. It’s challenging and overwhelming at times, but having a chance to make a real impact in people’s lives and come up with policies and frameworks that will help not only organisations but their employees grow and develop, that’s what drives me and keeps me going.
Q: Why is having a community focused industry group like TEMi important?
Karla: I’ve never experienced anything like what we have in Australia elsewhere. Working as a community, sharing experiences, learnings, celebrating each other’s achievements is just AMAZING.
Q: What motivated you to join TEMi’s team of volunteers?
Karla:I’ve been following Deborah de Cerff’s work for a few years now and always wanted to be part of the great initiatives she comes up with as TEMi’s Founder. It’s been a real pleasure and honour to work closely with the brilliant taskforce team this year. I have come to understand what ‘mateship’ means by working with this crew!
Q: What excites you most about where the profession is headed and the impact it’s making?
Karla: In my view, organisations need us more than ever. Global Mobility – regardless of its form and shape – is undoubtedly a crucial aspect of any HR strategy and it’s recognised by many CEOs as such. We are certainly part of the Talent and EVP programmes and making sure GM is embedded in these policies is just where we’ve always wanted to be! We still have a long way to go, that’s for sure, but when we have our people’s welfare front and centre, no matter what, we can achieve anything!
