Rick Hammell is the founder and CEO of Elements Global Services. Rick founded Elements in 2015, from his dining room table after noticing gaps in the existing marketplace for solutions that enabled companies to expand into new markets simply, quickly, and compliantly. Through his commitment to simplifying expansion, Rick pioneered the Direct Employer of Record business model aimed at supporting companies with global aspirations.

Under Rick’s leadership, Elements has grown from a local startup to a global tech firm with 19 offices and the capability to support clients in more than 160 countries. Elements has since developed proprietary cloud-based software platforms further supported by a worldwide network of experts helping clients to navigate the complexities of international HR, payroll and local compliance.

Caroline is the VP for People and Culture at Blinkist - a tech start up, based in Berlin, focused on developing and curating bite-sized edutainment services that feeds curious minds with powerful ideas. Caroline's passion is in employee engagement, developing progressive and inspiring employee experiences and particularly in global start and scale ups. Caroline has worked in Financial Services, the outsourced Prison sector and then tech start-ups across Europe. She currently lives in Barcelona, works remotely and has herself been a digital nomad (with her husband and two children). Blinkist is a customer of Elements Global Services and utilises EOR payroll services as well as support in the UK, Italy, U.S and Greece.