What are the most significant challenges facing payroll/reward professionals today?

There are many challenges facing the payroll/reward industries, in my view some of the more pressing include:

• The complexity of the regulatory landscape and navigating the ever-evolving global and local compliance requirements, especially with hybrid and remote workforces.
• Integrations and maintaining data integrity as it can be challenging to always ensure the data travels seamlessly between various functions and their related systems, maintaining a single version of the truth with a view to improve reporting and reduce errors to a tolerable minimum. This works hand in hand with technology adoption, ensuring systems are updated and upgraded, they are scalable and the data they hold is secure.
• Cost is also an important factor to consider, especially when Organisations strive to maintain a balanced approach between cost optimisation and the employee experience.

What excites you most about participating in the Reward & Payroll Summit this year?

What excites me most is the opportunity to network with likeminded thought leaders who are equally passionate about shaping the future of pay and reward. We often get caught in the day-to-day demands of our roles and I am looking forward to stepping away and engaging in strategic conversations around innovation, equity, and the evolving role of pay and reward in driving business performance and employee engagement.

Which session or theme are you most looking forward to, and why?

I am personally looking forward to sessions that explore AI and automation in payroll and reward. I am passionate about continuous improvement, and I am excited to embrace the way the new technologies shape the way we operate. I am looking forward to discussing examples on how other organisations are using AI to enhance accuracy, reduce the admin burden, and deliver more strategic insights.

What advice would you give to companies looking to innovate while ensuring compliance in today’s regulatory environment?

• Regulatory compliance must be a core part of the design process as it is an increasingly complex area, especially for global organisations. This cannot be an afterthought!
• Have the right people around the decision-making table, invest in expertise, having that critical access to expert legal and tax knowledge is critical. Utilise technology who offer built-in compliance and updates in real-time.
• The innovation process must include appropriate testing and doing so in a controlled environment before going live is key to success.
• Ensure everything is documented clearly and completely, maintain audit trails and create the right governance structures to demonstrate compliance.

What role does technology and/or AI play in transforming payroll/reward, and how can businesses leverage it effectively?

Technology and AI can be enablers for our industry to:

• Automate the repetitive tasks, to free up our time to elevate our roles to a more strategic level and partner with our businesses to deliver value rather than just output.
• Develop and utilise real-time analytics for better business decision-making.
• Utilise existing data to support the modelling of various reward outcomes and workforce related costs.
• Tailor the reward strategy based on employee preference and potentially even individual/team performance.

To leverage it effectively, businesses should:

• Begin with a clearly defined strategy which is closely aligned to the business goals.
• Select platforms which can integrate with ease and are scalable to future proof and enable growth.
• Train teams to operate alongside AI, not against it. Clearly explaining the aims of utilising this to improve business outcomes.
• Prioritise data governance and security.

What inspired you to have a career in payroll/reward, and what keeps you passionate about it?

I chose this industry because it sits at the crossroads between people, finance, and strategy. I am a people’s person through and through and it is incredibly rewarding to have such an impact on my colleagues on a personal level whilst strategically contributing to the overall organisational success.

What do you hope attendees will take away from your session at Reward & Payroll Summit?

I hope attendees leave with practical knowledge and tips on how to design equitable compensation systems which align with Organisational objectives whilst also building employee trust and improving the overall experience. Additionally, on a separate session, we discuss what the future holds for our industry and how this is shaped by various factors such as technology, compliance, risk, etc over the next 5 years.

See Ana speak at Reward & Payroll Summit 2025.