Meet the team

He has worked across a variety of sectors bringing a real strategic vision to the payroll function, ensuring that payroll is seen as a critical business service and deserving of a seat at the top table. He leads his teams with real passion focussing on the development of those working with him through a people centric approach.

Currently heading up the HR and Payroll Shared Services for Culina Group, a large logistics company, Clare has also worked for Wilkinson’s, Sherwood Forest NHS Trust, Mckesson, Bupa and Gist where she was a big influence on the changing face of the payrolls.

Clare loves to learn, and her qualifications include the CIPP Diploma, MSc in Payroll and Business Management, CMI management certificates, Prince 11 Project Management and SWBL level 6 teaching qualification.

Working for the CIPP for the last 13 years as a tutor, Clare teaches on the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management as well as delivering module workshops. Clare has been on the CIPP Board for 5 years and is currently in her 3^rd year as Chair of the Board.

Clare’s passion for payroll is evident to everyone around her and she likes to network with other payroll professionals whenever the opportunity arises.

Cliff Vidgeon is a Visiting Research Fellow at Aston University. Before becoming a CIPP Director Cliff served in an advisory capacity to the Institute’s magazine and has represented the Institute on several pensions related consultation bodies. He is a Chartered Governance Professional, and as Institute Secretary he has set about the task of modernising and improving the CIPP’s governance structures.

His literary endeavours have included articles for the Institute’s magazine and contributions to research papers. The annual Compact Payroll Reference Book was Cliff’s concept, which he co-wrote and first published in 1999.

Cliff’s main employment history has been entirely within the education sector. At various stages, in his career, he has been a Payroll Manager, a Pensions Manager and a Director of Human Resources before his reincarnation as Director of Corporate Management at Aston University. He is the Chair of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)  Advisory Committee and a member of its Joint Negotiating Committee. USS is the largest pension fund in the UK.

A seasoned payroll and reward professional with many achievements to be proud of, Ana consistently grew her skill set and stepped out of her comfort zone to ensure her knowledge stays relevant to the challenges posed by the constant changes in the industry.

She is also committed to securing the future of the Payroll profession and has showcased this through her work as a CIPP Tutor, Global Payroll Association Mentor and involvement in various industry initiatives. She is hugely passionate about life long learning and aims to inspire her students and mentees to reach their maximum potential.

As a payroll leader of today, Ana feels responsible for shaping the future of the profession, pushing back against stereotypes and constantly challenging the status-quo.

With over 35 years’ experience in payroll and HR sectors and a broad experience in sales, accounting and operations, he enjoys opportunities to pass on subject knowledge and help others develop.

He has experience of working at a strategic level, developing and implementing new concepts as well as understanding budgets and financial planning. From a payroll clerk, when he was a founder member of the BPMA, to CEO of a multimillion turnover company, his experience is broad as it is wide. Stuart achieved the Diploma in Payroll Management (2003), a further Diploma in Applied Management (2005) and graduated from Henley Business School, (University of Reading) with a Masters in Applied Management (2011).

He sees the CIPP playing an increasing role in helping, guiding and keeping payroll people updated and effectively trained for their roles, and engaging more in promoting the benefits of a career in payroll through programmes like apprenticeships. He believes passionately that ‘payroll’ can do much more in the strategic decision process within organisations and sees the CIPP helping to develop payroll into an influential role within businesses.

He was the Chief Pensions and External Affairs Officer at Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) Limited from 2001 to 2016; he is currently employed by Universities UK, the employer representative body in USS, as Senior Pensions Officer.  He also provides pensions advisory support for a small number of other universities in the higher education sector.

Brendan has a good understanding of the issues and challenges involved in running workplace pension schemes in an environment of continual change and increasing complexity (not least in areas such as changes to scheme design and/or contributions, the development of workforce pensions strategies, and in stakeholder and member engagement).  He is an enthusiastic advocate for the importance of payroll and pensions services, and for the professionals who manage and administer pension schemes, and shape their future strategy, on behalf of members and employers.

In 2022, Dianne decided to look for a new challenge and joined TFG (Brands London) as the Head of Group. TFG London is part of The Foschini Group Limited (TFG), a leading South African retail business. TFG entered the UK market in 2015 with the acquisition of Phase Eight and have now added Whistles, Hobbs and Damsel in a Dress to their impressive portfolio.

Dianne is always looking for the next challenge and as we move further into the digital age and Artificial Intelligence hopes this will provide that challenge and there are exciting times ahead for us all.

Currently, Michelle is the Head of Reward and Pensions at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, overseeing HR Systems, Pensions, Payroll, and Reward. In 2021, she launched a pioneering payroll auto-save scheme, significantly enhancing employees' financial wellbeing and earning several industry awards.

A Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, Michelle has also been a tutor and examiner for the CIPP since 2012. Her leadership and dedication continue to drive innovation and excellence in the HR industry.

Before joining the CIPP Jason was MD of Calendar Consulting Ltd, and prior to that COO of Capita’s HR Division. Jason has supported the international growth of payroll services businesses such as NorthgateArinso, and LogicaCMG where he worked in global delivery. Jason has always worked in payroll – beginning his working career in the construction sector.

Jason is also a 'Be The Business Mentor', which is a central government initiative to support the SME sector, and designed to help improve productivity. He has recently supported an MD of a marketing business, an MD of a talent acquisition business and a CTO working for a sports data analysis business. Mentoring is incredibly rewarding and Jason finds it a positive challenge to support individuals from all different business backgrounds.

Outside of work, Jason is a L2 England Union Rugby Coach, and trains under 16s. He started that development as his son is a hooker for his school and club. Jason also has a UK powerboat licence and the International equivalent, as he owns a sports cruiser and has her berthed in the Mediterranean.

Due to the restructuring of the authority, Jill began working for East Riding of Yorkshire Council in 1996 and transferred to the payroll section in January 1997 as a payroll supervisor. Jill has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in both local government and end-user clients which include fire Service, educational sector and the probation service.

In 2005 the payroll was outsourced to Arvato and Jill was promoted to senior payroll officer. This role involved implementing new clients onto the database, ensuring payments were made to HMRC, teachers pensions third parties every month and the reconciliation of year-end payrolls.

In 2013 the section transferred back to ERYC and Jill progressed to payroll team leader assuming responsibility for 6 staff, managing the day to day running of the department and ensuring that all legislation was implemented and staff were trained in both statutory and government policies.

A diploma graduate and holding the certificate in Training Practice (CIPD) qualification Jill became a freelance trainer for CIPP Education in April 2015 delivering bespoke in-house courses as well as introduction to payroll, shared parental leave, holiday pay and legislation updates.

Throughout his career, Adrian has consistently driven revenue growth, enhanced profit margins and led high-performing teams while shaping commercial strategies that deliver lasting impact. Now at the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP), he champions the payroll profession, its people, its purpose and its recognition across the UK and wider community.
 
Known for his hands-on and people-first approach, Adrian thrives on turning ambitious ideas into reality, breaking through challenges and inspiring teams to excel. He is skilled in recruitment, coaching, career development and creating collaborative environments, underpinned by his Level 5 HND in Coaching & Leadership. He also brings expertise in sales enablement, change management, outsourced operations, and strategic partnerships and is the co-host of the CIPP's 'Behind the Button'.
 
Outside of work, Adrian is a husband and proud father to three teenagers, a man of faith and an advocate for personal growth and wellbeing as a qualified Mental Health First Aider. Whether developing future tennis champions in his children, spending time in the gym, playing piano or enjoying the chaos brought by a young Cocker Spaniel, Adrian values connection, laughter and helping others see potential they may not yet see in themselves.

Mathew Akrigg is the Policy and Advisory Leader at the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP), he is a full member and has completed the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management.  

Mathew works hard to ensure that the voice of payroll professionals is heard through government representations and advocacy. This takes the form of consultation responses, surveys, reports and research.  

Recently, Mathew was seconded into HMRC to assist with the implementation of mandatory payrolling of benefits. On top of this, Mathew keeps CIPP members, and the wider industry, updated through news articles and updates, ensuring compliance across the sector.  

Before working for the CIPP, Mathew worked in an outsourced environment providing payroll services to the NHS and has a background in accountancy. 

Georgie is positively passionate about payroll, with over 13 years of experience working within Payroll Bureaus and most recently progressing to Head of Payroll in a London accountancy firm.

She completed the CIPP Foundation Degree in Payroll Management in 2018 and has been an active member of the Institute ever since. Georgie credits the CIPP’s webinars , factsheets and access to the Advisory Service as invaluable resources in helping her stay on top of the ever-changing legislation and best practice.

With her enthusiasm for all things payroll, Georgie is committed to supporting the wider payroll community and is excited to bring her experience, energy and insight to her new role with the CIPP.

Outside of work, Georgie proudly embraces her ‘crazy cat lady’ title and loves to cuddle up with her two adopted moggies. She also enjoys exploring the lakes and beyond with her husband and baby son, making the most of the fresh air, beautiful scenery and family adventures.

Lora has a wealth of knowledge and experience gained over ten years of working within the payroll profession. She has experience of delivering payroll solutions, to colleagues in-house and also to clients using bureaux services and has worked across a wide range of sectors.

Lora brings passion and enthusiasm, for the payroll profession, to her role as Editor and joined the CIPP in order to serve members and the wider profession by providing support, to ensure compliance with the increasingly complex range of rapidly changing legislation.

Her role also promotes the importance of education, training and continued professional development for a profession whose value is often overlooked but Is vital to ensure that employees and workers get paid accurately, first time. Lora is eager to promote and raise the profile of payroll so that it gets the recognition that it deserves.

Lora is co-host of the CIPP's podcast which delves into the complexities of roles in the pay professions and also explores the people behind those roles, 'Behind the Button'.

Chevonne started her career assisting the Human Resources department with the Time and Attendance reports and then moved on to process Irish Payroll. After this, Chevonne knew Payroll was her passion and loves manual calculations. In 2017, it was the opportune time for her to start the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management, which she completed in November 2019. She enjoys her role as she finds the complexities with legislation interesting and there is always more to learn.

Starting in 2016, Monica entered the world of payroll by chance when she applied for an HR and Payroll Admin role at a UK estate letting and selling business. This opportunity aligned with her background in accountancy, generating a passion for payroll that has driven her career ever since.

Having risen through the ranks from Payroll Admin to her current position as a Payroll Advisor, Monica has gathered expertise in payroll systems, compliance, and leadership. She has worked in diverse sectors, including estate letting and sales, payroll bureaus, AI-powered cyber-security, and veterinary services. Her career has seen her collaborate closely with payroll management teams, impacting projects such as new payroll system implementations and ensuring the integration of cutting-edge payroll software.

One of her standout achievements includes leading the transition from excel-based payroll processing to software systems, ensuring smoother operations and greater efficiency. Monica also holds an FDA Payroll Management Diploma, earned through a three-year period of balancing full-time work as a Payroll Team Leader with rigorous studies, showing unwavering dedication.

Monica has an enquiring mind, attention to detail, and passion for compliance. Thrives on researching evolving payroll legislation and sharing her knowledge with fellow professionals. With a strong visual memory and a commitment to customer satisfaction, Monica takes pride in delivering solutions that meet and exceed expectations.

She gained basic knowledge and experience in the role and enjoyed learning more each day. She enrolled onto the equivalent of the CIPP Foundation Degree, to enhance her knowledge and gain a recognised qualification in the industry.

Since graduating in October 2005, she has had various roles within payroll processing; across bureau, in-house and accountancy environments. In her last role before joining CIPP, she progressed to a UK Senior Payroll Associate position and was able to assist her colleagues with her knowledge and experience, which she enjoyed immensely. Joining the Advisory team is fulfilling her ambition, to be able to help payroll professionals and make a difference to the payroll community every day.

Leanne started her payroll career as a payroll administrator in 2010. Leanne ‘fell’ into Payroll, after leaving college and getting her first job as a receptionist for a recruitment agency she was soon asked if she would like to join the payroll team and of course she said yes!

Since then, she's worked hard to progress from payroll administrator to senior then on to a shared management role until she reached a payroll manager position. "Enjoying the challenges that come with payroll, including the ever-changing legislative updates had me hooked"