A decade ago the Swiss National Bank (SNB) shocked global markets by removing the Swiss franc’s peg to the euro, triggering the so-called “Frankenschock.” The abrupt appreciation of the Swiss franc immediately impacted Switzerland’s economy, particularly for globally mobile professionals, expatriates, and multinational companies. Fast-forward to 2020, and the world was grappling with another seismic event—the COVID-19 pandemic—which disrupted global mobility on an unprecedented scale. Two years later, as we just moved out of the pandemic, Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, leading to a devastating conflict that has resulted in significant loss of life and displacement. As of early 2025, estimates suggest that nearly one million Ukrainian and Russian troops have been killed or wounded, with approximately 80,000 […]

We discussed how family challenges and marital issues significantly impact the outcome of international assignments. We also saw that many companies list the Expat Spouse’s unhappiness as the primary cause of “Expatriate Failure,” highlighting the importance of the Expat Spouse and Partner career support programs.  We will discuss more extensively the kind of support you can give Dual-Career Expat Couples and why that matters. I have always advocated for Global Mobility Managers to involve Expat Spouses proactively. Sometimes I sound like a broken record, though. I reiterate what I’ve been repeating for years. The days of the passive “trailing spouse,” when they were marginally involved in any decision to move abroad, are gone. Most expats (mobile employees) actively involve their […]