GPA Payroll Symposium
Date: 3rd November 2026
Time: 8.30am - 12.30pm
Cost: FREE
Location: The Gibson Hotel, Point Square, North Wall, Dublin, D01 X2P2, Ireland
Join us where Payroll & HR professionals will come together for a morning 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!
Session One
The Last Mile on Stage
Payroll can be calculated perfectly, approved on time and fully compliant — but none of that matters if the money doesn’t reach the employee.
In this interactive session, we’ll put the last mile of payroll centre stage and reveal the findings from our latest global survey of Payroll Leaders. We’ll hear what leaders from around the world are telling us about the reality of payroll payments today — where the biggest challenges sit, what’s working, what isn’t, and where change is needed.
Using the results as the starting point for the discussion, we’ll explore what really happens between payroll sign-off and money landing in an employee’s account, including the handoffs, payment processes, banking challenges, technology and risks that can make or break payday.
Because payroll isn’t finished when the file is sent. It’s finished when people are paid.
Speakers: Jonny Nash, Navro and Tracey Gernon, Chief Executive Officer at Navro.
REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
NETWORKING AND REFRESHMENTS
Session Three
Before the Tech. Before the Transformation. What Comes First?
Everyone wants to talk about AI, automation and transformation. But are we jumping ahead? Technology can’t fix poor processes, unreliable data, unclear ownership or teams that aren’t ready for change. Before payroll invests in the next platform or launches another transformation programme, there are some fundamental questions to answer. What problem are we actually trying to solve? Are our processes working? Do we have the right skills and data? And are we clear about what success should look like? This session will explore the work that needs to happen before the technology conversation even begins — because sometimes the smartest transformation decision is knowing what needs fixing first.
Panellists: Trevor Townsend Co- Founder @ Payzaar
Jess Webbley-O'Gorman, Global Payroll Director @ ICON PLC
The Agenda
The Speakers
The Venue
The Gibson Hotel,
Point Square,
North Dock,
Dublin,
D01 X2P2
Travelling by Car
The Gibson Hotel is located in the Point Square beside the 3 Arena. Hotel residents receive a preferential rate of €25 at Point Square Car Park when paying at hotel reception on departure.
Get Directions to Point Square Car Park here on Google Maps.
*Please note; there is a height restriction on the car park of 1.9m
From Dublin Airport
By Taxi: Taxis are available from outside arrivals of both terminals, although availability may be limited during peak travel times. Please be advised taxi’s in Dublin run via a taxi meter. Expect to pay approximately €30 from Dublin Airport.
By Bus: Aircoach route 702 and Dublin Express route 783 both operate 24-hour services that will bring you from Dublin Airport to the 3Arena stop, located next to the hotel.
The Sponsors
Headquartered in London, Navro’s payments curation platform enables multinational corporations to move money globally on the best payment and banking infrastructure via a single API. Navro makes the complex simple, curating the optimal rails and routes for each payment while automatically fulfilling regulatory requirements.
With its expertise in managing large volumes of transactions in multiple jurisdictions alongside the associated compliance obligations, Navro’s payments curation platform is well suited to pension and payroll solutions providers and Employer of Record platforms. Navro currently processes workforce payouts for more than 200 large corporations and executes international payments for 1,700 pension schemes.
Tracey Gernon
Chief Executive Officer
Navro
Trevor Townsend
Co-Founder
Payzaar
Jonny Nash
Global Head of Payroll and Pension Payments
Navro
Simone Terranova
Staff Product Manager
Remote
Session Two
The Payroll Intelligence Gap: Why AI Still Needs Local Expertise
AI is changing what payroll teams can automate, accelerate, and predict—but global payroll is still shaped by local rules, regional nuance, statutory change, and real-world exceptions. The biggest risk for payroll leaders is assuming intelligence alone equals compliance. This session explores the “payroll intelligence gap”: the space between what AI can process and what only experienced local payroll experts can interpret. Drawing on Remote’s global payroll expertise, we’ll look at how businesses can use AI to reduce manual admin, spot risks earlier, improve consistency, and scale payroll operations across borders—while keeping human accountability where it matters most. Attendees will leave with a practical view of how to combine automation, governance, and expert oversight to build a payroll function that is faster, smarter, and safer.
Speakers: Vic Thatcher, Director, Payroll Strategy & Compliance @ Remote
Simone Terranova - Staff Product Manager @ Remote
Vic Thatcher
Director, Payroll Strategy & Compliance
Remote
Remote is the all-in-one HR and payroll platform to find, hire, manage, and pay your entire team everywhere. Whether onboarding your first cross-border hire or scaling across continents, Remote delivers enterprise-grade compliance, intuitive design, and dedicated local expertise. With one platform for every contract, payslip, and regulation, Remote helps you grow without borders.
Jess Webbley-O'Gorman
Global Payroll Director
ICON PLC