Mundipharma Case Study

Mundipharma Transforms Global Payroll Across 28 Countries With activpayroll

Client

Highlight

Global payroll transformation delivered without disruption

Industry

Pharmaceutical

Regions

EMEA, APAC, Americas

Solutions

Payroll, International Payments, Mobility

28 Payrolls Transitioned

6 Months Go Live

Zero Disruption

Enabling a scalable global payroll model to support international growth

Mundipharma is a global healthcare company operating across Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. As the organisation continued to expand internationally, its payroll operating model needed to evolve to support growth across an increasingly complex global footprint.

With 28 countries and more than 30 payroll providers in place, Mundipharma saw an opportunity to strengthen consistency, improve visibility and create a more scalable and integrated approach to global payroll delivery.

Evolving from a decentralised model to a unified global approach

Prior to this global transformation, payroll was delivered through a wide network of local providers, each operating with different processes, systems and reporting structures. While this supported local requirements, it limited global visibility and made it more challenging to standardise governance and reporting across regions.

Mundipharma recognised the need to bring these operations together into a single, coordinated global model that would enhance control, improve data consistency and support better decision-making across HR, Finance and Global Mobility.

Designing a centralised payroll framework across 28 countries

Mundipharma partnered with activpayroll to design and deliver a fully centralised global payroll solution across APAC, EMEA and the Americas.

The transformation introduced a standardised global payroll operating model underpinned by consistent processes, strengthened governance and integrated technology. This included Workday HRIS integrations to improve data quality and streamline inputs, global payment solutions to enhance end-to-end processing, and a custom global ledger to support consistent financial reporting and reconciliation across all regions.

A unified in-house global payroll team was also established, creating a single point of ownership and accountability across the global payroll landscape.

Delivering transformation at scale within six months

The programme successfully transitioned 28 payrolls within an ambitious six-month timeframe.

All go-lives were delivered on schedule, with every pay date met and no disruption to employees throughout the transition. More than 1,500 employees continued to be paid accurately and on time while new systems, processes and providers were implemented in parallel.

The project required close coordination across multiple currencies, pay cycles and regulatory environments, alongside data migration from locally managed payrolls and integration activity across Workday and third-party systems.

Strong governance, accuracy and end-to-end visibility

The transformation delivered immediate improvements in payroll consistency, control and transparency.

Standardised global processes reduced variation across regions, while automation and integrations with Workday and Zellis improved data quality and reduced manual intervention. The introduction of a single portal for Payroll Elements and Chart of Accounts data strengthened visibility across inputs and enabled more consistent global oversight.

The custom global ledger enhanced financial alignment and improved reconciliation across Finance and Treasury, supporting more accurate and reliable reporting at a global level.

Across the programme, there were zero payroll failures and zero missed pay dates.

A stronger global payroll capability built for the future

The transformation has enabled Mundipharma to move from a decentralised operating model to a single, scalable global payroll function with consistent governance, improved visibility and stronger control across all regions.

With 28 countries now operating on a unified model, Mundipharma benefits from enhanced reporting capability, improved operational efficiency and a more standardised approach to compliance and payroll delivery.

The organisation now has a future-ready payroll foundation designed to support continued growth, evolving regulatory requirements and increased demand for global insight and analytics.

Partnership built on collaboration and delivery focus

The success of the programme was underpinned by strong collaboration between activpayroll and Mundipharma teams, supported by clear governance, transparent communication and a shared focus on delivery. Sarah Heidrich, Chief HR Officer, Mundipharma, added:

“This Global Payroll project is a strong example of executional excellence and collaboration at Mundipharma. Delivered with speed, discipline and courage, it has achieved measurable, sustainable business-critical results.

Most importantly, we have improved the way we operate as a business, driving efficiencies and creating time to focus on the ultimate mission of being United for Patients.”

Global Payroll

Overcome complexity and achieve compliance to ensure employees are paid on time, every time, no matter the location.

Payroll

Global Mobility

Enable your employees to work across borders, keeping up with ever-changing laws, tax regulations and employment law.

Mobility

Global HR

Utilise our HR services to support your compliance, HR projects and gain advisory support.

Human Resources