Hi, I’m Jesper Tejsen Lykke, the new Vice President, Global Markets for Relation’s Education Solutions practice group. I’ve been working in the international travel industry for more than 30 years and have always been passionate about the educational and cultural value of cultural exchange. I am delighted that my path has brought me to Relation and back to this world.

Cultural exchanges provide an opportunity to explore other countries’ traditions, customs, beliefs, societies, languages and much more and provide opportunities for participants to view the world with a different lens. Here in America, cultural exchange brings non-U.S. residents to the country on short-term visas to take up temporary positions as au pairs, camp counselors, interns and trainees, summer work/travel visitors, professors, and visiting scholars. United States-based companies and organizations act as the host, provide placement, and provide or coordinate the visa and insurance components.

Cultural exchange helps make our world more connected, and without the sponsorship of those host companies and organizations it wouldn’t be possible. Yet they are often time- and resource-strapped, especially when it comes to handling claims. I’m especially excited then, that Relation is now serving the in-bound international exchange market because we are both broker AND an experienced third-party claims administrator, which lets us support our partners every step of the way. Our team also brings valuable resources, technology solutions, and infrastructure to the table that can help reduce the administrative burden for sponsoring organizations and create more program sustainability.

Personally, I am looking forward to returning to an industry where I have decades-long ties and many great friends. I’m also excited to be developing deep partnerships, finding creative solutions, and helping create a safe, smooth experience for partners and participants alike. Our goal at Relation is to do everything we can to support the great opportunity that cultural exchange is, while helping improve program outcomes.

In the coming months I’ll be on the road at WSTC and ICEF Berlin and hope to see you out there. I’ll also be sharing insights and resources on Relation’s blog that can inform the work of time-pressed program administrators as they support participants. First up: Unlocking Claims Data: 3 Data Points to Help Optimize Your Cultural Exchange Insurance Plan.

If you’re interested in signing up to get notified when I post on the blog, click here…and in the meantime you can always find me on LinkedIn. If you’d like to read more about Relation’s cultural exchange services, visit this page. (My contact information is there, also.)