GPA Payroll Symposium
Date: 11 November 2026
Time: 1.30pm - 5.00pm
Cost: FREE
Location: Radisson Collection Hotel, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 3, 10178 Berlin
Join us where Payroll & HR professionals will come together for an afternoon of insightful discussions, networking, and collaboration. Whether you’re reconnecting with familiar faces or expanding your network with new industry peers, this symposium offers a unique platform to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and stay ahead in the evolving payroll landscape. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and build meaningful connections in a vibrant professional setting!
REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
NETWORKING AND REFRESHMENTS
The Agenda
The Speakers
The Venue
Address: Radisson Collection Hotel, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 3, 10178 Berlin
From Berlin Brandenburg Airport
By public transport:
From Terminal 1-2, both the RE 7 and RB 14 regional trains go to Alexanderplatz station, they run twice an hour and take just under 30 minutes. From Alexanderplatz Station the hotel is a 10-minute walk down Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse. Head towards the Berlin cathedral and our hotel is on the right, just before the bridge. Alternatively, from Alexanderplatz, take the M4, M5, or M6 tram just one stop to Spandauer Strasse/Marienkirche, the hotel is just around the corner on Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse. From the airport, the S9 suburban train connects all terminals (1-2 and 5) to S Hackescher Markt station and runs every 20 minutes. From there, walk about 500 meters to the hotel.
From the Central Railway Station
By train
Take any train from platform 15 (S3 direction Erkner, S5 direction Strausberg Nord, S7 direction Ahrensfelde, or S9 direction airport BER). Travel eastbound for 2 stops and get off the train at S Hackescher Markt station. From there, walk about 500 meters to reach the hotel.
The Sponsor
TransferMate is an international payments solution that helps companies save thousands on global payroll payments. TransferMate also integrates with the most popular accounting and payroll software, so it’s even easier and faster to pay your international employees.
EU Pay Transparency: The pay gap hidden in the payroll
Reward designs the reward architecture, but payroll holds the evidence of how it actually works in practice.
The EU Pay Transparency Directive measures actual payments, not design intent. As a result, the pay gaps that will surprise organisations in 2027 are hidden in the payroll and unlikely to be on base salary and more like to be embedded in the complementary and variable components that haven’t been reviewed in years. This simple fact makes payroll a strategic partner in pay equity, not just the source of an extract.
Presenter: Stuart Hyland, Partner at Ellason LLP
People, Process or Technology: Where Should Payroll Invest Next?
As payroll continues to evolve, organisations face an important question: where will investment have the greatest impact? Should the focus be on developing people, improving processes, or embracing new technologies such as AI and automation? With increasing expectations, tighter budgets and growing complexity, making the right choices has never been more important. Join our expert panel for an interactive discussion as they explore the benefits, challenges and trade-offs of each approach. Through practical insights and real-world experiences, this session will help payroll professionals consider where investment can deliver the greatest value and prepare their organisations for the future.
Speakers:
Melanie Pizzey
CEO
Global Payroll Alliance
Stuart Hyland
Partner
Ellason LLP
The Hidden Risks in Payroll: What Global Payroll Reviews Are Telling Us in 2026
Payroll reviews consistently uncover risks that often remain hidden until they result in compliance breaches, employee dissatisfaction, financial exposure, or audit findings. Drawing on insights from multinational payroll reviews across industries, this session explores the most common payroll risks organizations face today, emerging trends, and practical strategies to strengthen controls, governance, and compliance before issues become business-critical.
Speaker: Katharina Honsek, Partner at EY
Katharina Honsek
Partner
EY