Mallek Hassan is Country Manager France at activpayroll, leading French payroll operations and supporting international organisations with the complexities of French payroll and employment requirements. He has worked in payroll since 2007, including in global payroll since 2015, and combines local expertise, international experience and a practical understanding of technology to support clients and teams.
Q: What’s one challenge in global payroll, global mobility, and global HR you’re passionate about solving?
A: I am particularly passionate about solving the gap between global HR systems and local payroll requirements. A global system can provide a common framework, but payroll still relies on detailed local rules, reliable data and clearly defined responsibilities.
My approach is to bring HR, payroll, finance and IT teams together to agree on how information should flow and how it should be checked. At activpayroll, combining local payroll expertise with an international perspective helps us turn these complex requirements into practical solutions for our clients.
Q: What development in technology or compliance excites you most?
A: I am particularly excited by the potential of connected HR and payroll systems, supported by automation and stronger data controls. When implemented effectively, these tools can reduce repetitive work, make discrepancies easier to identify and improve visibility into payroll information.
For me, their real value lies in giving payroll professionals more time to apply their expertise, analyse exceptions and advise clients. Technology delivers its best results when it is built around a sound understanding of payroll and the people who use it.
Q: What’s a skill you rely on every day?
A: Making complex subjects understandable. Whether I am explaining a French payroll rule to an international client, supporting a colleague or working on a system integration, I aim to turn complexity into clear explanations and practical next steps. This helps people make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.
Q: What’s one thing colleagues might be surprised to learn about your role?
A: How much of my day-to-day role involves connecting different disciplines. Alongside leading payroll operations and managing teams, I work on system integrations, data flows, reporting and process design.
A payroll issue can originate in an HR process or a system configuration and ultimately affect financial reporting or an employee’s experience. Understanding these connections helps me look beyond the immediate issue and work with colleagues towards a lasting solution.
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