Most payroll professionals spend their careers heads down, processing pay, managing compliance, and keeping systems running. But the payroll leaders who will still be standing in ten years are the ones lifting their heads up right now, investing in their people, embracing AI before it is forced on them, and refusing to let the profession stay invisible.
This is the final episode of our three-part Payroll Congress 2026 series, recorded live on the floor in Nashville. Host Nick Day is joined by co-hosts Tom Croughton and Natalie Lloyd for an unmissable set of conversations with some of the most committed, forward-thinking payroll professionals in the world.
Throughout this episode the conversations cover the real shift happening inside payroll teams right now. Jen Ballack shares how she used AI to write a Python script with zero coding knowledge, recalculating qualified overtime for 2,000 employees in under five minutes. Michelle Clawson breaks down why the language payroll professionals use about their own function is silently holding the entire profession back. Jonny Nash exposes why payments has always been the forgotten part of payroll. And Brian Sparling, attending his very first Payroll Congress as the newly appointed Chair of the CIPP, reflects on why payroll professionals everywhere share the same challenges regardless of country, currency, or regulation.
The pace of change in payroll has stopped being a story we tell ourselves. It is the operating condition. AI is no longer a future conversation. The question has moved from should we to where, how, and with what guardrails. And the talent question remains the quietest crisis in the profession.
Because you will never know everything. And the minute you think you do, that is the first step to your downfall.
This episode is sponsored by Deel
Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide.
See how Deel works at www.deel.com/nickday
🎙️ Guests and Hosts:
Connect with Nadia Camarena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-camarena-cpp-b213894a/
Connect with Jen Balak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-balak-cpp-a198461/
Connect with Michelle Clawson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleclawson/
Connect with Carlyn Davis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-davis-cpp-35988485/
Connect with Jonny Nash: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonnash/
Connect with Brian Sparling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sparlingbrian/
Connect with Nick Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/
Connect with Tom Croughton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-croughton/
Connect with Natalie Lloyd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalielloyd94/
Find your ideal payroll candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/919cf6b9ea
Sign up to the Payroll Podcast Newsletter: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/23e7b153e7
Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon!
Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content!
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction & Welcome to the Payroll Congress 2026 Finale
(01:32) Meet Nadia Camarena: Global Vision Award Winner from Netflix
(05:26) The Power of Community, Networking & Giving Back at Congress
(07:49) AI & Early Wage Access: Hot Topics at the Executive Summit
(09:56) Tom & Natalie: First Timer Experience at Congress Nashville
(11:38) How AI Talks Have Evolved: From Theory to Real Practice
(19:56) Jen Balak & Michelle Clawson: AI in Action at Agilent Technologies
(28:31) Michelle's Talk: Why Payroll Language Is Holding the Profession Back
(43:58) Carlyn Davis: Community Commitment & Top Education Grant Winner
(50:38) Jonny Nash: Payments, The Forgotten Ugly Duckling of Payroll
(57:24) Brian Sparling: New CIPP Chair on Lifelong Learning & Embracing Change
(01:07:10) Closing Reflections: AI, Talent & the Operating Condition of Payroll
