Transition of Global Mobility Tax Program to a New Provider
Offering: Regulatory Compliance
Client Type: Top 5 Global Technology & Services Firm
Client Situation
Faced with regulatory compliance pressures, the client needed an experienced change agent and transition team to seamlessly lead the migration of their Global Mobility Tax Services from one provider to another.
Key context and challenges included:
The client’s initiative to eliminate non-audit services provided by their current audit firm required transitioning their Global Mobility Tax Services contract, valued at $18–$25 million annually, to a new provider.
The services impacted over 8,000 assignees, including temporarily relocated executives and consultants, and were delivered by 400 professionals across 86 locations in 66 countries, utilizing diverse technology tools and systems.
The client recognized the need for a seasoned leader and transition team with expertise in audit, tax services, and global mobility programs to ensure minimal disruption during this large-scale transition.
The primary driver behind this initiative was regulatory compliance.
Approach
Capital Markets Advisors was engaged to manage this complex, global inter-company transition, overseeing:
4 major global companies, including the incoming and outgoing Big 4 tax services providers, Fidelity (handling outsourced benefits and HR services), and the client’s internal divisions.
A $10 million project budget, over 8,000 assignees, dozens of workstreams, and thousands of interdependent tasks.
Coordination among senior stakeholders from Finance, Global Mobility, Tax, Legal, Procurement, and HR divisions.
To meet the high visibility and strict year-end deadlines with economic and regulatory implications, CMA deployed:
Integrated project governance using proprietary tools for status reporting, issue tracking, and resolution management.
A comprehensive transition plan with detailed workstreams, task prioritization, and risk mitigation strategies.
Clear communication channels to align stakeholders across geographies and organizations, ensuring seamless collaboration.
Benefits
The transition was completed with minimal disruption, delivering significant benefits:
Seamless Transition:
Successfully managed the transition of tax services between Big 4 providers, ensuring continuity for global mobility participants.
Stakeholder Satisfaction:
Achieved high levels of satisfaction among stakeholders, including the client’s senior leadership, global assignees, and service providers.
Regulatory Compliance:
Ensured compliance with regulatory mandates by eliminating non-audit services performed by the former provider.
Efficient Project Execution:
Leveraged CMA’s proven methodology and proprietary tools to manage dozens of workstreams, thousands of tasks, and complex dependencies under tight deadlines.
This initiative demonstrated Capital Markets Advisors’ ability to lead high-stakes, cross-functional transitions for global organizations, ensuring compliance and operational excellence.
