Issue 9 2019

6 Acquisition International - Issue 9 2019 Thinking Outside The Boxx Boxx global expat solutions is a service provider and consulting firm provides all kinds of services for corporations that assign employees internationally. We profile the firm and CEO, Petra Opentij in order to discover their secrets to success following their place in Acquisition International’s Global Excellence Awards. or companies sending staff abroad to work, there are a number of key requirements, and Boxx aims to be a one-stop-shop for those requirements when travelling to any country in the world. Whether by their own consultants or trusted partner firms, when a company deals with the challenges of cross-border employment, they need look no further than the excellent practices of Boxx. Established in 2006, Boxx is now the largest independent office for global mobility in the Benelux region, providing services globally. The company works with a vision and concept that is built on delivering and organising integrated mobility services on a global scale through a permanent focus on innovation and quality. With a clientele that mostly includes publicly traded international companies, Boxx is headquartered in Belgium. Companies want staff who are focused on international careers, but can be coordinated with a personal touch. For employees, Boxx can assist in compliance, logistics and ongoing support once working internationally. For employers, the company acts as a wingman, overcoming strategical and operational challenges. Ten thousands expatriates have joined the services of Boxx, and the company intends to only grow further. One of the first things that must be done with regards to cross-border employment is ensure that all immigration requirements are met to legally work and stay in the host country. That includes work and residence permits, visa applications, and a plethora of other factors. Boxx advises companies in those immigration policies and processes, ensuring that all parties involved know exactly what is going on. Secondly, Boxx then works to arrange all the practicalities surrounding the move itself. From arranging and providing the removal, orientation trip, settling-in services, temporary or permanent home-finding services, and insurances to all other aspects, the firm works to accommodate for all issues. As if this weren’t enough, the company also assist with drafting policies around cross-border employments. Benchmarking them against other companies, Boxx will happily give advice on renumeration, preparing income calculations, cost estimates and assignment contracts. Once all that is taken care of, the firm will involve their tax services department, which provides tax and social security advice, as well as compliance and payroll services. Spearheading Boxx is CEO Petra Opentij. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Tax Economics more than twenty years ago, Petra went on to start as a tax consultant at PWC, while at the same time starting a master’s degree. Within five and half years, she had F developed and been promoted to assistant manager, whilst also graduating from the University of Amsterdam. Fresh out of college, Petra would never have guessed that having a preference for personal income tax would result in her having a career in global mobility tax. And yet, it has proven to be the perfect fit right from the start. Moving on from PWC, Petra went on to join Ernst & Young for twelve years, where she had numerous opportunities to work on challenging projects for companies headquartered in The Netherlands. Consulting at board level and managing multiple global accounts, the firm proved an educational milestone for Petra before Boxx came knocking. Since joining Boxx in 2015, Petra has enjoyed the myriad of opportunities available for personal growth and development, especially outside the field of taxation. Beginning her time at the company in the tax department, she gradually gained more responsibilities which resulted in her promotion to CEO in 2018. First and foremost, Petra seeks to enable her employees to provide top-quality services to their clients, through a good basis and continuing support. With these crucial elements, staff are able to meet both work and personal goals. Boxx employees work in a flat organisation, where leadership takes a more supporting role and every staff member is fully aware of their value to the company and clients. Petra’s success can be attributed to her constantly being an excellent advisor throughout her career. Knowing and translating what a client truly wants and needs, seeing a real challenge and understand how a provided solution may impact an organisation. Not content to offer just a legal or theoretical solution that works great on paper, Petra and the team at Boxx offer practical approaches that are easy to implement within an organisation. A self-confessed activator, Petra is often eager to act. Believing that it is better to start and refine along the way rather than keep talking and going in circles of inactivity, this CEO is a person who gets things done and doesn’t settle for mediocrity. In small, growing companies such as Boxx once was, that can be a valuable asset. Petra has ushered Boxx into a new era of being an incredibly personable and practical company, working within boundaries of law, compliance and company policies to offer cross-border employment solutions. The culture of Boxx is permeated by Petra’s qualities, transforming the company into a personal and informal place of work, where creativity, quality and commitment are key driving forces behind May19133