Paris to the UK

FTSE 100 Oil company group move to London

In July 2013 TTA Relocation were approached to tender for the group move from Paris to London of 50 members of a large oil company.

Following the tender process we were delighted to be awarded the role as destination provider for the move.

There followed a detailed and co-ordinated planning process, working closely with the client HR expatriate team in London, group project management team in Paris and external consultants to provide a co-ordinated, seamless transition plan for the teams into their new roles and lives in London. The deadline for the teams to be settled in London was the 1st September 2014.

Below are examples of some of the research and analysis which were prepared:

  • Preparation of report on market conditions

  • Provision of detailed housing area guides

  • Detailed analysis of possible journey times to schools and office

  • Detailed scheduling plan for visits to London for 2 days of accompanied property viewings.

  • Miscellaneous materials to be provided in both French and English

  • Preparation of corporate tenancy agreement under the new company name

As one can imagine there were a large number of interdependencies to co-ordinate the movement of 25 single status assignees and 25 families, with visits to London being managed and scheduled in meticulous detail to take into account the work commitments of assignees, spouses, personal leave, public holidays and TTA resourcing availability.

The first influx of assignees arrived into the UK in April 2014 to carry our their home searches. 28 home searches were carried out in April for this client alone, followed by 7 in May and 9 in June, with the final few through July, August and September. Our bilingual team of property counsellors ensured that each assignee was met from the Eurostar at St Pancras and showed a carefully prepared selection of properties over two days in their chosen areas. Once selections had been made the office team took over the submission of the offers, tenancy negotiations and property check-in preparations. Close co-ordination with the project team throughout the process was vital to ensure that move dates for assignees into their chosen homes met with business continuity plans and office relocation considerations.

Each assignee was provided with a personal relocation account manager to guide them through the process ensuring that questions and concerns could be answered directly (and where English was not spoken, French spoken support was provided by TTA). TTA ensured throughout the process that issues and challenges were fedback to the Company and strategies put in place to resolve any issues.

By the end of August all of the assignees had secured properties in London and were ready for the unveiling of the new offices.

An Assignee satisfaction survey conducted by the Company shortly after the move confirmed that the assignees were happy with the support they received in their relocation.

The Team at TTA have an excellent understanding of our assignee needs and the scope of the services they provide to our Company are invaluable. Our assignees consistently provide extremely good feedback on the assistance they receive from TTA, the level of service and the professional manner in which their needs are dealt with. Our assignees are guaranteed a seamless relocation to/from the UK with the support of a team who are true experts in their field. The team at TTA are also a pleasure to deal with!

EXPAT ADVISOR