b'WECAN 2021recognition for the fundamental role our industry plays in helpingA SUCCESSFUL FIRST to recover from the global pandemic. [We do that by] keeping theWithout question, 2020 was a year of adaptation. This was the global workforce fully mobile and effectively getting the worldcase for WECAN 2021s organizers, hosts and international part-economy moving again as quickly as possible. ners, who were all tasked with transforming their annual confer-ences into a single combined online event. While going virtual If I were to sum up what were trying to achieve through theposed some challenges, their success in connecting participants WECAN summit in one word, it would be unity, added Cryne.through interactive sessions, social games, networking events and All of us have been through one of the most trying years inthe WECAN conference app demonstrated the sectors tremen-modern history, and its our collective resilience that will getdous ability to evolve. Overall, the show was incredibly well-us through and see this industry flourish to become a strategicreceived, said Shotwell. [Participants] liked the fresh content and partner in the new world of work. hoped this would become an annual event.GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES For the closing session, WECANs hosts shared similar impres-WECAN 2021 attracted hundreds of mobility professionals fromsions of the event. There is a lot of optimism in our industry, said across 28 countries. They participated in two days of live sessionsCryne. Over the course of the discussions that weve been having, and presentations, including a (virtual) face-to-face discussion withIve seen so many opportunities for the mobility community to Claude Guay, president and general manager of IBM Canada. play a much more important role than in the past.In his presentation, titled In Conversation with the C-SuiteA ViewThe more we work together, added Zurlinden, the better we from the Top, Guay shared insights regarding the IBM experiencecan deliver.with hybrid workforces and where he saw the world of work evolving. He also commented on how numerous digital trends (e.g., cloud, AI, team collaboration systems, etc.) have all been accelerated by the shift to remote work and hybrid offices. When we look back on the pandemic, were going to say that the tech- MISSED THE SHOW? nologies we thought would change how people worked in five to 10 years actually happened in one to three years, he noted. See who attended and watch theGuay also offered insight into how current digital trends wouldrecorded videos at www.wecan2021.orgshape the world of work in the post-pandemic timeframe. He emphasized, however, that the need for physical talent mobility would remain, noting, Teams work better together, especially when you need to solve tough problems or co-innovate with our clients. We will still need to bring people into the country for the kind of work that requires them to be there in person.Similarly, Canada will still need access to skills associated with todays digital trends, continued Guay. We have 800 open positions in specific areas of this digital acceleration that I would hire today if I could find the right people, he said. Im looking for people with cyber, AI, data science expertise, as well as people who can work in a hybrid cloud environment. We dont have these skills, so bringing them in, whether its on a short- or long-term basis, remains a critical part of the job For Canada to succeed, we need to have those skills in the country. Discussions on mobility in the post-pandemic period featured heavily throughout the events Q&As, breakout sessions and networking socials. Session topics included Is Mobility a Prerequisite to Acquiring Global Savvy in a Post-Pandemic World, Responding to the Here and Now While Building for the Future: Migration and Mobility Policy, and Advancing a New Policy Framework for Migration and Mobility. The latter was hosted by Menno Bart, public affairs manager for The Adecco Group. It included conversations on how global immigration rules and tax laws posed challenges for many companies during the pandemic, and what changes could be made to support economic recovery and mobility in the days ahead.The question moving forward is going to be Does the current framework of international taxation work with this new way of working? emphasized Sonia Gandhi, partner, Global Mobility Tax Service, with KPMG LLP. Each country cant go and do their own thing because theyre all so intertwined, and thats going to result in a change in global laws.Summer 2021PERSPECTIVES13'