Step into the future of strategic payroll leadership with “CPO Connect,” a new section in CPO Magazine that provides a brief synopsis of a C-suite-level payroll leader. Find quotes on their perspectives of why payroll is a strategic function and learn more in articles, videos, and podcasts.
Title: Executive Vice President of Payroll Services
Company: Entertainment Partners
Entertainment Partners is headquartered in Burbank, Calif., U.S.A. It has been a trusted partner to the entertainment industry for nearly 50 years, helping clients produce great content, choose the best production locations, manage and track expenses, and pay crew and talent. Learn more at https://www.ep.com.
Summary: Lara combines a high level of proficiency in business applications, business processes, and organizational management in leading her payroll teams. Over the past decade, she has gained extensive expertise in developing systems and process automation, as well as training personnel. She has been responsible for developing global mobility best practices and payroll shared services. Additionally, she has led initiatives involving international assignment policies and global mobility.
Before joining Entertainment Partners, Lara served as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Payroll for The Blackstone Group, where she directly oversaw global payroll operations impacting more than 500,000 employees. Prior to that, Lara was the Head of Global HRIS and Payroll at Harman International Industries, where she oversaw system strategy and implementation across 23 countries.
“I’m a firm believer that our industry is not stuck in the past. Payroll is forward-thinking and leading change.
We’re sitting on a goldmine of data. Put it all together and we’ve got a mountain of information that can be used to help analyze labor trends, develop a successful location strategy, manage incentive compliance, and more.
You must stop thinking of payroll as a cul-de-sac and start seeing it as a through-line.”
Honors and Awards:
2021 recipient of PayrollOrg’s Global Payroll Titan Award
For More Information:
Meet Davida Lara, Executive Vice President of Payroll Services, CPO Magazine, July 2025
Payroll Is ‘Sexy’: Davida Lara, CPP, Shares How She Reached the C-Suite
Title: Senior Director, Human Resources – Global Lead Payroll
Company: Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company that spans the lodging sector from luxury and full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and focused-service hotels. It consists of 28 brands and has more than 9,200 properties in 144 countries and territories. Learn more at https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/.
Summary: Obertin is a seasoned executive with more than three decades of global leadership experience, holding senior roles within Fortune 100 corporations and leading transformational initiatives across finance and HR functions. Her career has taken her to over 60 countries, enriching her leadership with deep cultural insight and a global perspective.
“Forward-thinking payroll leaders can drive enterprise-wide initiatives enhancing workforce alignment, engagement, and responsiveness.
Recognizing payroll as a strategic function unlocks its potential to drive competitive advantage and elevate employee engagement. Payroll isn’t just about transactions—it’s about transformation.
Payroll’s ability to adapt and lead through change is a strategic asset driving enterprise-wide resilience and readiness.
Effective risk mitigation is a top priority for global payroll leaders. A comprehensive political, economic, social, and technological (PEST) analysis reveals the constant volatility that payroll operations must navigate.”
Honors and Awards:
2010 and 2021 PayrollOrg President
2002 Payroll Woman of the Year
For More Information:
Meet Linda Obertin, CPP, Senior Director, HR – Global Lead Payroll, Hilton Worldwide, CPO Magazine, October 2025
The Secret Sauce – Episode: Architecting a Global Payroll Career with Linda Obertin, October 2025
PayTalk: The Strategic Payroll Professional, April 2020
Title: Principal, Human Capital Advisory Practice
Company: KPMG, LLP
KPMG is a global organization of independent services firms providing audit, tax, and advisory services to organizations and businesses. It operates in 138 countries and territories with more than 276,000 partners and employees. Learn more at https://kpmg.com/xx/about.html.
Summary: Papageorgiou is a partner at KPMG, LLP, where he leads the global payroll and workforce management (WFM) services. He is a highly experienced executive with more than two decades in human resources, WFM, and operations leadership. He specializes in modernizing payroll and WFM operating models through technology and skills-enabled transformations.
“The C-suite must recognize that payroll is evolving into a strategic data intelligence and decision-enablement hub. Payroll is the connective tissue between HR, finance, and IT, and often the lowest common organizational denominator for all employees.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will move us beyond simple automation to ‘Agentic AI’ that can provide predictive insights, flag compliance risks in real-time, and answer employee queries.
Payroll leaders must become masters of technology, experts in global compliance, and champions of an “intelligent hybrid workforce,” ensuring the right systems and processes are in place to support any work arrangement.”
For More Information:
Meet Dimitris Papageorgiou, Principal, Human Capital Advisory Practice at KPMG—Global Payroll, WFM Lead, CPO Magazine, January 2026
PayTalk: The Strategic Payroll Professional, April 2020