Our Mission, Vision & Values
We are men, women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants, parents, activists—and we know the importance of contributing to a world that is not only just but fundamentally kind.
We’re passionate about serving clients who want to expand their companies to the USA. Collaboratively, we develop, refine, and regularly review our mission, vision, and corporate values.
OUR PRINCIPLES
Building an organization that lasts
Our Mission
To make it easy for businesses worldwide to expand to the USA. Â
Our Vision
To be the trusted partner of choice for international companies, testing, expanding, or scaling in the US from market entry to maturity with services that cut through the complexities of doing business in America.
2012
Foothold America co-founder, Rob Johnson, moves his family from London to Boston to expand his consulting firm to the US.
2015
Foothold America offers Employer of Record services to life science clients based in the UK wanting to expand to Boston, USA as a service of our parent company, an international life science consulting firm with US & UK offices.
2017
Foothold America is incorporated in the US and offers services as a stand-alone company to companies in a range of industries in five countries.
2018
Foothold America offers subsidiary setup and people partnership services for non-US scaling companies.
2021
Foothold International Ltd. and Foothold France, Sas are registered to manage our expanding internal workforce.
2022
Foothold America grows to nine internal employees serving hundreds of clients worldwide and employing personnel in more than 25 US states.
Timeline of Foothold America?
The story behind our story
Foothold America was founded to fill an unmet need discovered by a British scientist and Chair of Foothold America, Robert Johnson. He and his family moved to the US from London in 2012 to expand the consulting business he started with a partner.
Excited to take advantage of the opportunity in the US life science hub in Boston, USA. Rob found getting accurate information about tax, entity setup, and hiring was nearly impossible to find for a business of one.
Forging on, it didn’t take long for the Boston business to take off. Soon word got out in the UK life science industry that there was a resource making it possible for other UK companies to have the same success in Boston. Foothold America was born.
In a few short years, Foothold America was serving businesses around the world in dozens of industries as the employer of record with their turnkey solution, Employee Management Service (EMS).
Now, as the trusted partner of choice for businesses of all sizes, Foothold America also provides US entity setup and People Partnership Service (PPS) to guide companies from market entry to maturity and beyond.
Values that matter
Trust like our life
depends on it
We build trust with our clients by providing expert guidance that supports the ease in which they do business in the US. We develop collaborative relationships with our clients, emphasizing our role in protecting their company’s interests.
trust the information they receive from Foothold America.
Spring 2021 client survey
Angelique Soulet-Bangurah, HR & Client Service Manager Client Experience
beyond expectations
Diversity & Inclusion
is in our DNA
Joanne Farquharson, President & CEO of Foothold America I felt so supported and trusted.
Miruna Eliza Ionescu, Sr. Marketing Manager Corporate Culture
like no other
Foothold America fosters a collaborative, positive work environment that respects the contributions of each team member and celebrates individual talents and passion. Open communication and willing cooperation form the bedrock of team interactions. We embody a learning mindset and encourage lifetime professional development.
Social Responsibility is a
vital part of our identity
We actively seek opportunities to support organizations and do business with companies that share our desire to serve local communities, promote equity and fairness for all people, and sustain the environment. We encourage and empower employees to do the same in ways that are meaningful to them.
Natalie Gombalova, Digital Marketing Manager WHO WE ARE
Meet our team of experts
Foothold America has the knowledge and expertise to help you navigate the legal and administrative maze of doing business in the US.
Joanne M. Farquharson
US entrepreneur with 30 years experience in advising small and medium-sized businesses in employee benefits, insurance, labor law compliance, and risk management. Joanne has a passion for growing small companies and helping business owners actualize their goals.
Geanice Barganier
Experienced Global Management leader with over 15 years of professional services and consulting experience. Highly knowledgeable in Human Resources, Employee Relations, Global Operations and Outsourcing. Strong Compliance background experience with employee contracts and US & Global Immigration.
Robert R. Esquijarosa
Experienced HR & Client Success professional with a demonstrated 15-year history of working in employee relations, payroll & benefits administration, compliance, and recruitment within multiple industries throughout the US and UK.
Rose Adedeji
US Expansion Advisor with 20 years of global HR experience, recruitment and client delivery, supporting clients from the UK, Europe, US and Australasia. Rose has extensive knowledge of candidate attraction and employee communication management.
Laurie Spicer
Over 25 years of experience doing business in North American, European, and Asian markets, including seven years as an International Trade Advisor with a primary focus and specialism on the complexity of the US market.
Angelique Soulet-Bangurah, PHR
Angelique takes pride in providing client solutions, using more than seven years of experience as an HR Generalist with a vast knowledge of onboarding, employee relations and overall HR operations. She’s certified by the HR Certification Institute as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR).
Kate Marchant
Kate has a background of supporting the UK, US and Australia, with strategic direction on all areas of HR. She’s an experienced and CIPD-qualified HR professional with extensive experience in a variety of areas of human resources, including employee relations, HR strategy, recruitment, law advice, document creation, M&A, diversity and inclusion and learning & development.
Priti Raghunanshi
Our HR & Client Specialist Priti is experienced in various HR activities such as recruitment and retention, compensation, labour relations, benefits and leave of absences. And her passion is troubleshooting data issues to identify strategic solutions using knowledge of HR process, benefits, training and development. She’s lived in the US for 18+ and dedicated most of them to her career in HR. With Priti, you are definitely in good hands.
Ovidio E. Santistevan
Senior Staff Accountant with over 25 years of finance experience and more than ten years as a full-cycle accountant. Ovi takes pride in ensuring that the information he provides to our clients and partners is accurate, relevant, timely and easily understandable.
Miruna Eliza Ionescu
Multilingual marketing professional with more than ten years of experience in traditional and digital marketing for B2B and B2C sectors. Miruna has an extensive background in building customer engagement and ensuring that clients have the best tools and information in hand.
Natalie Gombalova
This conversion-minded marketer is responsible for strategizing, planning and creating high-calibre content for our website visitor’s digital experience. With over seven years in marketing, Natalie specialises in PPC, SEO, emerging trends, and customer behavioural insights that help clients find the best solutions for their business needs.
Jisselle Douglas
Jisselle has 8+ years experience of efficient business administration, data analysing and reporting in diverse industries. She’s a HubSpot wizard and strives on improving operations that deliver high-value returns for our clients. Jisselle works closely with all departments ensuring efficiency and satisfaction.
Robert Johnson
Robert is the Co-founder of several successful US and UK life science companies. He serves as the Board Chair of Foothold America influencing the direction of the company.
Our clients
from London to Tokyo, Stockholm to Dubai, and everywhere in between.
GET IN TOUCH
Contact Us
Request a quote, talk with our US expansion experts or ask any questions. We will get back to you via email in less than 24 hours.
Global HQ
68 Harrison Avenue 6th Floor Boston, MA 02111 (617) 702-3402