Global Payroll Week

Global Payroll Titan Award Recipients

The Global Payroll Titan Award was initiated in 2020 to highlight and recognize the everyday global payroll professional who is doing extraordinary work. These professionals were chosen by their peers based on the answers they have provided to questions surrounding projects they have led or participated in, leading to a significant change in how payroll is processed globally within their own businesses. Visit the official award page for more details.

Current Honoree

The 2026 recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award is Victoria O'Callaghan. With more than 20 years of experience, Victoria has helped transform payroll from a back-office task into a strategic, technology-driven function that supports business growth and long-term stability.

A trusted leader not only in payroll, but also in technology and business strategy, Victoria is known for creating practical, scalable solutions. At Deel, she has played a key role in developing in-house payroll infrastructure to better support operations across more than 50 countries. By bringing real-world payroll experience into product development and compliance design, she has helped reduce manual work, speed up processing times, and improve accuracy in global compliance. She is also a strong advocate for raising professional standards. She actively promotes open discovery, realistic planning, and effective collaboration across teams. Through readiness assessments, governance structures, and careful data validation, she has lowered implementation risk and helped build payroll operations that are both resilient and scalable.

Previous Years' Honorees

The 2025 recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award is Jonathan Goldsmith. Jonathan is the GM and Vice President at Remote where he combines his 30 years of payroll experience with a visionary approach to payroll transformation. His leadership at Remote took payroll from a back-office function to a strategic, tech-enabled cornerstone of global business operations.

The 2024 recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award is Priti Rughani, CPP. Priti is the Associate Director of Global Payroll at King & Spalding and the President of the Greater Atlanta Payroll Association Chapter of PayrollOrg. Priti is a dedicated and experienced payroll professional with more than 25 years of experience. She leverages her experience to help organizations deliver and manage multicounty payroll in effective and innovative ways.

The 2023 recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award is Shakil Gour, Vice President and Head of Global Payroll Product for Neeyamo. Shakil oversees a team of 500+ payroll professionals and implements comprehensive training programs to promote a culture of continual development. He has managed delivery for customers across 120+ countries.

The 2022 recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award is Mohita Awasthee, CPP. Mohita is a Senior Manager of Payroll, APAC & Africa, at Amazon and has more than 18 years of experience. Mohita has led several high impact projects for process improvement, including development and implementation for next gen product solutions, product automation, and Robotic Process Automation.

The 2021 recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award is Davida Lara, CPP. Davida is the Executive Vice President of Payroll Services at Entertainment Partners. Davida has gained extensive expertise developing systems, process automation, and training personnel. She has led initiatives involving international assignment policies and global mobility.

The 2020 recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award is Sharon Tayfield. Sharon is the Global Payroll Operations Director for BDO LLP with over 25 years of experience. Sharon was nominated by a colleague for her dedication to the global payroll industry and her expansive knowledge of global compliance and legislation