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Paris Roundtable Save the Date
Event

Permits Foundation Paris Roundtable,
16 October 2025

Latest insights for our employer network regarding employment access for partners of highly-skilled internationally mobile employees.

Event Co-Hosts:

Permits Foundation logo
Alstom

This event is co-hosted by Alstom. Permits Foundation roundtables are an opportunity for our network to get together in an informal setting, hear insightful updates from experts, learn about the Foundation’s latest and upcoming global activities, and discuss any issues where the Foundation can be of help.

SPEAKERS

Click on speaker for biography.

Christelle Labbe

Christelle Labbé

Head of HR, United Kingdom – SLB

Thai An Truong

Thai-An Truong

Group International Mobility Director at Alstom

Placeholder speaker M

Besart Kabashi

Legal & Policy Officer, Blue Card, European Commission

Fanny Laredo

Fanny Laredo

Avocate – Manager, Karl Waheed Avocats

Helen F

Helen Frew

Director – Permits Foundation

Marisa jacobs 720 (1)

Marisa Jacobs

Managing Director, Xpatweb, South Africa

AGENDA

Times displayed are local
10:30
  - 11:00
Registration & Coffee
Arrival, informal networking, and refreshments.
11:00
  - 11:05
Christelle Labbé, Head of HR SLB, UK/ Board member Permits Foundation
Chair’s introduction.
11:05
  - 11:10
Thai-An Truong, Group International Mobility Director at Alstom
Welcome as today’s host. Alstom’s long-standing support of international dual careers, why this issue matters.
11:10
  - 11:20
Besart Kabashi, Legal & Policy Officer, Blue Card, European Commission (by video call)
The Revised EU Blue Card Directive: benefits for accompanying family members.
11:20
  - 11:30
Fanny Laredo, Avocate – Manager, Karl Waheed Avocats
Partner work access in France, what pathways are available for partners of highly-skilled international employees?
11:30
  - 11:45
Helen Frew, Director, Permits Foundation
The global picture. Permits Foundation’s activities, how and where we are helping employers - top issues.
Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director, Xpatweb
Recent developments regarding accompanying spouses and partners in South Africa.
11:45
  - 11:55
Christelle Labbé, HR Manager SLB, UK/ Board member Permits Foundation
SLB and international dual careers, a corporate perspective, partner support in practice.
11:55
  - 12:25
Roundtable Discussion
Perspectives, insights and updates from attendees. How we can help relocating families. Promoting good practice.
12:25
  - 12:30
Closing Remarks & Next Steps

Register your interest

If you are interested in participating, please complete the form. We will then respond to let you know if your place is confirmed. Please note that unless otherwise stated, Permits Foundation events are only open to representatives from companies/organisations with an international workforce.

If you prefer to contact us via email:
contact@permitsfoundation.com

For media/events enquiries, please email us at contact@permitsfoundation.com

Christelle Labbe

Christelle Labbé

Head of HR, United Kingdom – SLB

‘’ (1)

Working in an international environment has always attracted me and this was one of the reasons why I chose to start my career at SLB. Global mobility is part of SLB’s DNA. This truly multicultural environment offers enriching and exciting opportunities for our international staff and their mobile families who want to grow and that is why a collective effort to safeguard good policy and promote improvement to immigration legislation is so important.

As a family we have experienced the challenges for an accompanying spouse to find a job and get the right to work in a country where we did not expect such difficulties. Therefore it is important for companies like SLB, with a diverse mobile work force, that partners have the certainty they can access employment while joining the main employee on an assignment. This will positively impact talent acquisition and retention.
I am very pleased to be on the board of Permits Foundation representing SLB and supporting dual careers in the global workplace.

Christelle Labbe joined the Permits Foundation Board in Dec 2020. With over 20 years experience in HR management & Talent development at SLB she experienced herself global mobility early on with various assignments in Europe (Belgium, France), Asia (Singapore, China) and the UK where she spent a large part of her career. She came back to London in Sept 2020 as UK HR Manager for SLB.

She has been involved in several companies integration, transformation of HR Services and leading key initiatives to foster Diversity & Inclusion. She holds a Master in Business Management from EDHEC, France.

Thai An Truong

Thai-An Truong

Group International Mobility Director at Alstom

Placeholder speaker M

Besart Kabashi

Legal & Policy Officer, Blue Card, European Commission

Fanny Laredo

Fanny Laredo

Avocate – Manager, Karl Waheed Avocats

Helen F

Helen Frew

Director – Permits Foundation

Helen Frew has over 20 years of international advocacy experience spent in the UK, Brussels and The Hague. Much of her career has involved working within member organisations, representing organisations and companies from the public and private spheres, developing advocacy strategy and bringing evidence-based recommendations to government. As Director of Permits Foundation, Helen is responsible for the overall strategy and global advocacy activities. Though Helen joined Permits Foundation in 2017, her connection dates back to 2010 when she consulted on the Foundation’s successful campaign to insert a clause enabling family employment access into the EU wide intra-corporate transferee Directive.

Email: helen.frew@permitsfoundation.com

Marisa jacobs 720 (1)

Marisa Jacobs

Managing Director, Xpatweb, South Africa

Marisa Jacobs is the Managing Director at Xpatweb, the premium work permit practice in South Africa. She is a recognised industry specialist on all work visa categories and her Critical Skills Survey was used for validation of the 2021 Critical Skills List, she serves on BUSA and Nedlac and day-to-day runs the practice on a hands-on basis. Marisa has extensive experience in expatriate management, which goes beyond just work visas and she has also developed the Immigration Tracker, which is now widely used by South Africa’s largest expatriate employers. Her solution-based methodologies extend to operating and managing a confidential payroll for various expatriate groups, various SARS tax directives and rulings, Reserve Bank clearances for expatriates and optimal banking solutions. She is deeply passionate about work visa matters and is in close contact on a daily basis with senior immigration officials and executives around the world.

Permits Foundation Paris Roundtable – 16 October 2025

This event is co-hosted by Alstom. Permits Foundation roundtables are an opportunity for our network to get together in an informal setting, hear insightful updates from experts, learn about the Foundation’s latest and upcoming global activities, and discuss any issues where the Foundation can be of help.