Expat Expectations: Building Your Global Workforce in Atlanta

As Aprio’s Global Mobility Services (GMS) Leader, Shivam oversees the growth and development of the firm’s GMS practice. He has a decade of experience in professional services, assisting multinational companies with international business matters such as including navigating taxation and compensation, transferring individuals and managing expatriate needs across all aspects of global mobility. He works closely with CEOs and CFOs of global organizations, global mobility managers, human resources leaders, high-net- worth individuals and cross-border individuals.  

Combining technical prowess with a servant’s heart, Paula Henao is an architect as well as a REALTOR®. Born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, Paula pursued her education in architecture and came to the United States after being offered a position with a builder in Georgia. After working on residential communities in Augusta and Aiken, she chose to settle in Atlanta, a city she loves for its growth, opportunities for families and diverse community. A resident of Johns Creek, she has been in the business for over 12 years and has loved growing together with her clients as they move forward with their families and careers. Proud to offer the highest level of service through her partnership with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, she works with clients throughout the North Atlanta area. Fully bilingual in English and Spanish, her unrivaled ability to be fully present and communicate the right information to the right person at the right time makes her a sought-after negotiator and confidante. Active in her community, Paula has accepted various roles with the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association as their first executive director and former member of their board of directors. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Johns Creek North Fulton and Global Atlanta. She is also an engaged PTA member at State Bridge Crossing Elementary, where her daughter attends.

Michael has practiced divorce and family law for more than 30 years and has prevailed in thousands of family law cases. He has become one of the most sought-after international family law attorneys in Georgia, representing clients in federal court throughout the United States and in select foreign jurisdictions. Michael has successfully resolved cases from every continent in the world, except Antarctica, and served as an expert witness on international child abduction in court proceedings in the United States and Scotland. On December 5, 2012 he delivered oral argument before the Supreme Court of the United States in Chafin v. Chafin, securing a unanimous victory and establishing that parents who have a child removed from the United States have standing regarding their custodial interests. The decision has been cited over 950 times. Michael is the only all family law attorney to win unanimous decisions from both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Georgia!

Soumaya is the President & CEO of Khalifa Consulting, is a highly-regarded coach, trainer and consultant, specializing in intercultural communications, diversity, equity and inclusion, and leadership development. Through her consulting firm, Soumaya provides corporate, non-profit, and governmental institutions with wide-ranging expertise and practical solutions to cross-cultural operations.  Using resources she developed to examine the impact of religious diversity in the workplace and the marketplace, Soumaya has seen her clients and their employees improve their work environments and increase productivity.  

As a committed believer in “building bridges of understanding,” Soumaya is involved in a myriad of community activities, including sitting on the boards of  the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center, and The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and is a on The Carter Center’s Board of Councilors.  

Since 2009, Soumaya has been an adjunct faculty member at Emory University’s Center for Continuing Education, offering courses on intercultural communication, Women in Leadership and Human Resources Certification. She has published numerous articles, reviews and blog posts on managing cultural differences, including contributing a chapter to Religious Diversity at Work (2016). Soumaya is the founder of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta. 

Her work has brought her much recognition. Recently, Soumaya was listed in the 2023 Georgia 500: The State’s Most Influential Leaders by Georgia Trend magazine and she received the 2021 Honorable Mention Power the Future award from The Forum on Workplace Inclusion.  She is a 2019 YWCA Woman of Achievement, was honored in Atlanta Magazine’s 2019 Women Making a Mark, and was presented with the prestigious Phoenix Award by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed in 2017.