PIRGROUP SOLD!

It took 30+ international moves, before I got introduced to the phenomenon of a RELOCATION INDUSTRY. The famous American Relocation Expert and Entrepreneur Peggy Love, founder of Full Circle International Relocation, Inc. asked me to represent Full Circle in Europe. As I just accepted a transfer from NYC to The Hague, The Netherlands for work- I accepted to work with her “on the side”. Soon this “side business” became my full time passion and since 1997 my career.

During the course of my career I have been happy to have worked with creative, talented and inspirational Relocation Experts from all over the world. The growth of the industry allowed for new services, activities and bold moves. We became a member of a newly started European Organization called EURA. Today I am one of the few EURA FELLOWS, having passed an industry related thesis, reviewed and judged by a team of European professors. We sponsored the EURA dinner in Ceausescu’s grand palace in Romania, with over 600 attendees. What joy it was to see our logo dancing around on the walls via high tech lightning devices. How proud I was of our local team to make this happen!

The development of the industry, demanded a review of our service portfolio. In order to be the best support to HR departments and Expat’s alike we added Immigration, Tax, Partner Career, International Mobility, Culture Shock workshops, and Group Moves with Property Management services. From an IT aspect, specialized platforms including immigration advice technology, reporting, 24/7 access and time and money saving devices were designed and developed. From a Quality and Compliance point of view, we have been able to proudly state the EURA QUALITY SEAL since 2011.

I have been a founding member of establishing the ARPN, the Association of Relocation Professionals in the Netherlands. This has lead to an increased level of professionalism, and working together as a branch with all the other stakeholders related to the Relocation field. Today the ARPN is a valued partner of the Dutch Immigration Services, IND.

By client request we moved to yet undeveloped nations when it came to Immigration and Relocation Services. Working with local eager, smart and fun people has absolutely enriched my life. The excitement, and awe of exploring setting-up shops in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has given me more

rewards than I could ever imagine. Closer to home, the challenges of working in the entire BeNeLux area was at times harder than any of the far away countries. Or perhaps it was my interest and eagerness to learn more from these former Soviet influenced countries?

While in the Netherlands, the immigration services moved fast and our service minds had to develop new tools and instruments to keep our clients impressed and happy. One of the very successful products we developed allowed non-EU professionals (suppliers, freelancers, joint venture partners) to be legally working on the work floor of our clients, despite not being able to fit into the then available work permits.

As our office - and field consultants teams grew, we started a management trainee program. Young, bright graduate students were given the opportunity to learn about this rapidly growing industry, now labeled “Mobility Industry”. It was one of these students, Ms. Ina Zhekova from Bulgaria who not only excelled at the internship period, she also allowed PIRGROUP to move to another level with her demands for IT developments, and continuous high Client Service Levels. Only last January Ina and Miranda were instrumental in the merger between Personal Relocation Services and PIRGROUP. It is with great pride that I can announce today that Ms. Zhekova will be the new Owner and CEO of PIRGROUP. She will be joined in this bold step by co-owner, Mrs. Miranda de Keijzer, who as our CFO has been instrumental to keep PIRGROUP lean, fit and ready for the next generation. Ms. De Keijzer – very unlike a typical Financial wizard, has been keen to learn all aspects of the Mobility Industry before making this decision. To top of the management team, both ladies have added the expertise and passion for the industry of Mrs. Iveta Berkolde, former Latvian Manager, to be the co-owner of the PIRGROUP SIA international destinations. Our operating grounds stretch from Estonia on the Baltic Sea, via Poland, Romania, Ukraine all the way to Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea.

It is with pride that I leave the company I founded, developed and loved to these hard working, bright and stimulating ladies! I wish PIRGROUP and her new owners all the best, and may her clients be happy to be serviced by them. I might contact you again when my PhD research regarding “Stealth Expats” needs some constructive criticism.

Thank you, it has been a pleasure to work with you, Kind Regards,

Isamar van Hilten, June 18, 2020