AIRINCer Mira has been working in global mobility for nearly 20 years. A German national, she moved to London after university and spent 15 years there. She relocated back to Germany in 2019 to look after AIRINC’s German market. Here we catch up with Mira and her AIRINC story.
Tell us about your role at AIRINC:
I joined AIRINC at the end of 2018. I had left the mobility industry in favor of self-employment in order to start a corporate health and wellbeing business with my sister. But after the Brexit referendum happened, my husband and I decided to leave the UK. We had already felt the economic climate changing, and my husband, who was in between jobs at that point, found it difficult to find something as quickly as he had in the past. We landed on Germany, and after receiving my offer from AIRINC, and doing the initial onboarding in our London office, moved to my hometown of Cologne.
How did you find returning to Germany after so many years?
Ironically, I was probably the most worried out of all of us. Repatriation challenges, reverse culture shock, etc. I was worried about all of this and more. Plus, it felt like taking a step back, returning to the city that I am originally from. But it made sense not to start completely from scratch; my parents were still living in Germany, and I had some school friends in the area too. In the end, I loved being back (and still do!), and my British husband loves it too. The verdict is still out there with the kids… My daughter’s heart will always belong to the UK, but that’s okay, London is my second home too and I love going back. Whether it’s for work, to visit friends and family, or ideally, a combination of both!
Tell us a bit about the German global mobility market and what has changed in the five years you’ve been working in Germany.
AIRINC has been present in the German market for a long time, but before I started, we didn’t have anyone based on the ground—and that really does make a difference, especially with the pervasiveness of remote work. Most global mobility teams in Germany speak fluent English—and enjoy speaking English! However, I’ve found that it does make a difference to speak the local language and know what’s going on in the country, be that socially, politically, or on any other level. When I started here, many clients were unfamiliar with AIRINC or saw us as an American company. In my five years at AIRINC, I have met with countless companies in person, organized and attended many events, and co-founded a mobility networking organization with a focus on Germany, and onboarded small and large German clients. I think I have made it clear that we are a global organization: our people, our outlook, our data and of course, our clients. Our HQ just happens to be in the US. AIRINC has come to be known as a provider with excellent data, tools, and remarkable client service.
What’s your favorite AIRINC product?
My favorite AIRINC product is the COLA change report. I remember visiting our US office in 2019 and the product team showing me a new feature on our balance sheet calculator: I loved it instantly. In one of my previous jobs, I wrote countless emails explaining why an index had changed. The questions came if a COLA had gone down. It always required a careful look at exchange rates and inflation in both the home and host countries, so every email was different because all enquiries were for different country combinations. Seeing that our COLA change feature would produce a comprehensive report with accurate figures and great visuals in a few clicks blew me away. And although we have so many other great ones, five years later, the COLA change report is still my favorite.
Is there a particular tech solution you like?
I love our Assignment Cost Estimator. In my markets, especially Germany, cost estimates are very sought after by clients and partner organizations. Our tool is very user friendly and produces extremely detailed reports in minutes; I love telling clients about that. The reports also contain tax information, which many users appreciate. And if something gets too technical, we have our client engagement and tax teams to help explain even further.
I’m especially excited about the new self-configuration feature. It’s something clients used to ask for, and we always said that it was coming soon, but now it’s here and already has great feedback. The best thing is that we are already implementing some changes that users have requested. Even in its early days, it’s constantly evolving and getting even better.
What do you like about working at AIRINC?
I love that we are modern and forward looking, and honest feedback is appreciated. We are not a huge organization: I try and remember every employee's name and make an effort to get to know as many people from the different offices as possible. AIRINC is full of interesting, smart, and friendly people, and I really enjoy working in an international and open-minded environment. We practice what we preach by allowing remote work, flexible hours, and operating on a culture of trust and mutual respect. I’m part of our internal DE&I team (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). My son is autistic which has been a challenge as well as an eye opener changing my views on many things.
Tell us something about yourself
I’m half Indian, half German, and married to a Brit. I spent a year in Paris, and I love languages and traveling. I don’t do enough traveling anymore, but can’t wait to get back to that when the kids are older. The company I started with my sister is still going strong, and now that I don’t teach anymore, I practice yoga for myself. I also love being in nature. My son really wants a dog. Currently we have two cats, which I totally adore, but I’m sure a dog is in the picture somewhere in the future too (“no,” says my husband from over my shoulder). I’m a big foodie and an avid reader — I recently joined a book club with my friends here in Cologne.
