Some people question why the current coronavirus has brought the world to standstill while a previous deadly coronavirus, SARS, did not. Others have questioned why a vaccine is so urgently needed now to stop the spread of the current coronavirus when a vaccine was never developed for SARS.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce University of Oxford Departmental Lecturer and Deputy Director of Evidence-Based Healthcare DPhil programme I work in the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, where I am involved in research and teaching, and serve as the deputy director of the part-time Evidence-Based Healthcare DPhil programme. My particular interests lie in evidence synthesis (both quantitative and qualitative) and the communication of complex information and data to inform policy and public action. I am

Sheena Cruickshank University of Manchester Professor in Biomedical Sciences Immunology is the science of the immune system, the body’s defence against infection. From birth to death, we are bombarded with potential infectious threats that are immune system must recognise and respond to by killing or containing the threat. Yet, the immune system can be harmful too to us too when it isn’t properly controlled as is seen in allergies

Daniel M Davis University of Manchester Professor of Immunology Daniel M Davis is a Professor of Immunology at the University of Manchester, UK. He helped pioneer the use of microscopy to show how immune cells communicate with each other and detect disease in other cells. He co-discovered the Natural Killer cell immune synapse and membrane nanotubes. He is also the author of ‘The Compatibility Gene’ and ‘The Beautiful Cure’,

Scientists are constantly revealing newly discovered benefits of exercise. In experiments over the past 10 years, my research has found that exercise can help with a respiratory problem known as ARDS.

Zhen Yan University of Virginia Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine Non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, cause > 60% of the death in the USA and account for > 75% of health care costs. Regular exercise has profound health benefits and is the most powerful intervention in disease prevention and treatment. We employ the state-of-the-art molecular genetics and imaging technologies in a variety of animal

Wladislaw Rivkin Aston University Senior Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology Dr Wladislaw Rivkin is a Senior Lecturer in the Work and Organisational Psychology Department at Aston Business School. His research focuses on the interplay of stressors, leadership and other resources in predicting employees’ health well-being and performance in organisations, which has been published in high impact academic journals. Wladislaw works as a practitioner with businesses and organisations in

Marilyn J. Roossinck Pennsylvania State University Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology Our focus in the Roossinck lab is on virus-plant and virus-fungus-plant interactions in virus evolution and ecology. We use Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) as a model virus for experimental evolution studies, including generation and maintenance of quasispecies, rates of recombination, and polymerase fidelity. We are interested in how plants use viruses in adaptation to extreme environments. Fungal viruses

As an academic who regularly worked from home in the days before coronavirus, my friends often joked about what they imagined my daily routine might be (such as enjoying a morning gin and not changing out of my pyjamas). But as many people now realise, the reality is quite different. Working from home can be quite a challenge.

Taking a holistic view in managing their global employee benefit programs is the chosen way forward for an increasing number of multinationals that want a better overview and cost control of these programs. Many companies find that outsourcing the day-to-day handling and reporting of the insured benefits to local experts coordinated by a central team with one of the global consulting / brokerage firms is the preferred approach.

Jimmy Johansen jimmy.johansen@mercer.com Mercer Partner Jimmy Johansen is a Partner in Mercer’s Career and Global Benefit Management (GBM) business. He combines the role of Norway Lead for Career and GBM Account Director being the strategic benefit advisor for some of Mercer’s largest European clients. He has worked with Mercer since 2003 including 2 years in the Singapore office. During the last 10 years Jimmy has worked with Mercer Marsh Benefits’ GBM

The 50th edition of the IBIS Conference will be held online on Wednesday 13 May 2020 at 10am ET (1400 GMT/UTC, 1500 London time, 1600 CEST). It is the second one-hour roundtable of the 2020 IBIS event that covers the evolution of key global employee benefits and global mobility topics. The IBIS Conference will deal with the evolution of the COVID-19 crisis: Lessons learned; Unexpected consequences; and Innovative industry

The USA-based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in May 2020 announced the cancellation of the 2020 Annual Conference & Exposition, citing “new directives from the San Diego Convention Center, the City of San Diego and the state of California”. The event previously was scheduled for late June in San Diego, CA. The cancellation is not really a surprise, as many U.S. states and foreign countries have prohibited large

The 50th edition of the IBIS Academy starts on Tuesday 12 May 2020 with the first of two one-hour roundtables that cover the evolution of key global employee benefits and global mobility topics. The IBIS Mobility Congress is devoted to refining global mobility strategies. On May 13, the IBIS Conference will deal with the evolution of the COVID-19 crisis: Lessons learned; Unexpected consequences; and Innovative industry response and solutions.

The tax division of global consultancy Deloitte in May 2020 published an analysis of permanent establishment and corporate residency issues in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. In a nutshell, employees stranded in a foreign country and performing remote work from there could unwittingly create a “permanent establishment” and/or a de-facto “corporate presence” in that country, which in turn would trigger tax consequences, potentially making their employer liable for

The 50th edition of the IBIS conference starts on Tuesday 12 May 2020. The longest-running international HR conference is available in a virtual format due (or is it thanks?) to the COVID-19 crisis. Two one-hour roundtables cover the evolution of key global employee benefits and global mobility topics: The IBIS Mobility Congress on May 12th at 10am ET is devoted to refining global mobility strategies. The IBIS Conference on

Multinational employee benefits network MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in May 2020 announced the appointment of Mattieu Rouot as its new CEO. Based in London, UK, Rouot succeeds Mauro Dugulin who oversaw the move from France to London five years ago and the implementation of a strategy focusing on large corporates. Rouot is far from being a newcomer to MAXIS, having played a key role in shaping the

The 50th edition of the IBIS conference will be held on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 May 2020. The longest-running international HR conference was moved online due to the COVID-19 crisis. Two one-hour roundtables cover the evolution of key global employee benefits and global mobility topics: The IBIS Mobility Congress on May 12th is devoted to refining global mobility strategies. The IBIS Conference on May 13th, titled “Crossfire –

Zurich, Switzerland-based ASN, Advisory Services Network AG, in April 2020 announced the appointment of Dr. Guglielmo Callipari as its Practice Leader for Corporate Health. Guglielmo is in charge of the expansion of corporate business outside of Switzerland. Dr. Callipari is a recognized expert in global benefits and multinational pooling. As Regional Managing Director, he developed and opened Generali Employee Benefits (GEB)’s offices across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, as well as

The non-profit association behind the Rendez-Vous de Septembre (RVS) international reinsurance industry conference in April 2020 announced it had canceled the 2020 edition. The organizers cited uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 crisis as the reason behind their decision. RVS brings together around 3 000 leaders from the global insurance, reinsurance, and brokerage industry and marks the beginning of the annual cycle of renewals of corporate insurance contracts and reinsurance treaties.

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in April 2020 appointed Cyrille de Montgolfier as the new leader of its French business, Gras Savoye Willis Towers Watson (GSWTW), based in Paris. He brings over three decades of insurance industry experience to the role and will be responsible for setting the strategic vision of GSWTW, developing innovative solutions to client needs, and driving revenues across multiple lines of business. Since early 2019, de

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in April 2020 announced the appointment of David Watts as its new Director of Member Management, leading the network management team. The team includes four professionals. Based in London, UK, Watts reports to Jérôme Picon, Head of Finance & Operations. David previously was Senior Business Development Executive at MAXIS GBN. In 2002 he joined AIG Global Benefits Network (Alico) working as an Account

Due to global travel restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of the 2020 Transatlantic Conference in April 2020 announced its postponement to 2021. The conference was originally planned to take place in Brussels on 27 – 29 May 2020 and is now postponed to 2, 3, and 4 June 2021 in Brussels. The venue is the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Le Palace Brussels, Rue Gineste

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s Composite Leading Indicators (CLI) in April 2020 went into negative territory as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The CLI was on the path to recovery after a low point in September 2019 when the trajectory abruptly changed for the worse. In March 2020, the CLI level is at 98.77 vs the Feb 2020 level of 99.57, up from Jan

The 2020 edition of the IBIS conference will be held online on 12 and 13 May 2020. The 50th edition of the IBIS conference initially was organized in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 11 through 15, 2020. The longest-running international HR conference had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis and now has been moved online. Two one-hour roundtables will cover the evolution of key global employee benefits and

AXA in April 2020 struck a deal to sell its Life & Savings, Property & Casualty, and Pension business operations in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia to Austria’s Uniqa Insurance Group for €1bn. Uniqa, which lacked critical mass in major eastern European markets, outbid Generali, and Austria-based AG. Uniqa has core markets in Austria, Central and Eastern Europe, and 20,000 employees serving 10.1 million customers in 18 different

The 2020 edition of the IBIS conference will be held online on 12 and 13 May 2020. The 50th edition of the IBIS conference initially was organized in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 11 through 15, 2020. The longest-running international HR conference had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis and now has been moved online. Two one-hour roundtables will cover the evolution of key global employee benefits and