In 1990 Jacqueline left the security of fulltime employment to enable her husband to start
his expat career. The family experienced two postings, the first for Nedlloyd in
Singapore, the second for Heineken in the Caribbean.
After returning to the Netherlands in 1999, Jacqueline was asked to chair the Heineken
Partner Network (HPN). Run by volunteers and sponsored by Heineken, HPN provides a
platform for information exchange between expat spouses. In 2003, HPN initiated the
shared partner network Global Connection, allowing multinationals worldwide to join and
make the network available to spouses of their expat employees. Jacqueline, who is the
proud mother of two teenage boys, loves to work (work being her favourite hobby), and she
also enjoys gardening and going to the gym in her few spare moments.
About GC
Global Connection is an internationally operating media company focusing especially on expats and their partners. Various international companies with head offices in the US, Europe and Asia use Global Connection products and/or Global Connection membership.
Books
Global Connection publishes books about living, working and travelling abroad. Global Connection informs and inspires expats and their partners in order to contribute to their well-being and mobility and thus to the success of their posting. The books can be ordered from the bookstore
Partner Support
For companies that would like to provide structured support to their expat partners, Global Connection offers corporate membership which includes a quarterly magazine, a partly secured website, e-mail newsletters and a range of other services. Expat partners can use the website’s secure section to contact one another and share their knowledge and experiences. This part of the website also contains country-specific information. All assembled by the best possible experts: experienced expat partners.
Global Connection produces special corporate editions of its magazine for a number of companies that use their membership as an HR tool.
All publications appear in both English and Dutch language versions.
Workshops
Global Connection furthermore offers interactive workshops for expat partners to prepare them for a transfer or repatriation. The participants learn to deal with cultural changes, helping them start their posting with realistic expectations. For more information, please go to Workshops.
Why Partner Support?
There is no denying the fact that the well-being and mobility of expat partners contributes a great deal to the success of an employee’s posting abroad. A partner who feels valued and supported whilst living oversees will, in turn, be able to offer more support to the expat’s career.
Therefore employers should give due attention, not only to their employees, but also their employees’ partners. Luckily, as international mobility becomes more commonplace, more and more employers are realising this and are putting more emphasis on partners’ needs than ever before.
However, it is not always easy to figure out the best way to support expat partners. It’s sometimes difficult to define their needs, their worries, and how best to address these issues. Research has shown that the support of other people who are in a similar situation is vital.
Global Connection aims to provide the information and tools for support that many people rely on whilst they are abroad. This support can ultimately lead to the success of their expatriation.
The Global Connection Team
A third culture kid with both Australian and Dutch nationality, Tanja lived in Portugal and
Nigeria in her early childhood, after which she settled in Holland. After finishing her MBA
degree, she lived and worked in Australia and Austria for several years. Once she returned
to Holland, she joined the Global Connection team in 2008. As Operations Manager, Tanja is
responsible for all operational aspects regarding the production of media products, in
addition to everything relating to our members and the interactive website. In her free time
Tanja loves spending time with her son and husband, preferably on skis in the Alps.
Irma worked in several marketing and account management positions for two multinationals in the FMCG
market, when she quit her job to follow her partner, a Handelsbanken employee, to Sweden. They lived
there for nearly two years before returning home. Before joining Global Connection, Irma was
responsible for the commercial activities of a specialist magazine for childcare organisations. Irma
has been working as an International Account Manager at Global Connection since the beginning of 2010.
Besides this, she is also responsible for the digital media. Although it’s difficult to find free
time with two young children, Irma likes photography, as well as running, playing tennis and travelling.
In her early twenties Geke lived in Haiti and the Caribbean for three years as an expat
partner, and experienced all the phases of a culture shock. After returning to the
Netherlands, she had several account management and sales jobs with international companies.
Geke has been working as an international account manager at Global Connection, since the
beginning of 2007. She is responsible for the client contacts and enthusing new companies
to join the Global Connection network. Geke is fluent in Dutch, English, German and French.
As a wife and mother of two young daughters, she also enjoys spending time with family and
friends. In her spare moments she loves to run.
Anouk was born in the Dominican Republic and returned to the Netherlands when she was three
years old. In her early twenties she worked as a flight attendant for KLM. After that, she
spent most of her working years as Consultant Customer Relations for a real estate agency
and property developer. In 2006, her husband was posted to Adelaide, Australia, where they
lived for two years. Anouk has three children and in her spare time she loves to travel,
go to the gym and read.
Danielle spent her early childhood as a Third Culture Kid. Her father's job took the family to
Nairobi, Kenya, where Danielle was born. Subsequently they also lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
and Jakarta, Indonesia. 
Danielle spent almost two years working and studying in the United States. While she was there, she met
her French husband. On their return to Europe, they got married in France, but settled in the Netherlands.
Since then, Danielle has worked for several international companies and joined the Global Connection team
in November 2008 as Network Coordinator. She is our main contact for members who have queries regarding
our products and services and is responsible for the registration of our members on the website. Apart
from raising three teenage girls, she also enjoys singing and sports.
Henk Dam had his first article printed in a local newspaper when he was 15 years old and still
at school, and has been a journalist ever since. He worked for daily newspapers, for a radiostation
and for a wire service as a general reporter covering home news and foreign news, as a foreign
correspondent in London and Washington, and as editor-in-chief and managing director. Now working
as a freelancer, Henk recently published a book about obesity. For Global Connection Magazine he
writes articles and works as a final editor. In his free time he plays the piano, listens to
classical music, cooks, reads English language literature and follows courses in art history.
Bert van Dommelen has been a journalist for more than 30 years. He worked for various
Dutch newspapers. In 2002 he moved to Ireland, where he works as a journalist (he also was a
chef and joined a signage company). For Global Connection Magazine, he edits the Dutch
articles. Bert is not a real expat, because expats leave their home, planning to come back one
day. Since Bert came to Ireland, he feels like he has finally come home. Bert is a keen
guitarist and plays traditional Irish music with the Slievenamon Hillbillies. Named after the
mountain in Co. Tipperary where he lives.
Helen Gamble has been working as a final editor for Global Connection since 2005. A
British national, she grew up as an expat child in the Netherlands. She spent many years
studying and working in the UK and is now back on Dutch soil working as an editor, writer
and translator.