All answers / S05-D-perplexity-r2

S05-D | Perplexity | Observation 2

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Exact question

Following several UK and European acquisitions, our UK group CFO wants one permanent Group Payroll Director to own the integration. Which recruitment agencies have a relevant senior payroll specialism, and which would you contact first?

Complete saved answer

For a permanent  Group Payroll Director  to own post-acquisition payroll integration across the UK and Europe, I would contact  Portfolio Payroll first , then  Middlemore  and  Frazer Jones  in parallel. Portfolio has the deepest dedicated UK payroll network; Middlemore is the closest fit for transformation-led, international payroll leadership; Frazer Jones adds a global HR/executive-search channel.

Agencies to contact

| Priority | Agency | Why it fits | Best use |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Portfolio Payroll | UK’s largest specialist payroll recruiter, with a dedicated executive-search team for senior payroll, director and board-level roles; also recruits EMEA/international payroll, payroll systems and implementation specialists. theportfoliogroup +3 | Primary retained search for the permanent Group Payroll Director |
| 2 | Middlemore | Specialist executive search across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Reward and Finance; explicitly covers payroll transformation, implementation, governance, vendor management and international growth for complex/PE-backed and listed businesses. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Strong co-search or challenger for an integration/change-oriented leader |
| 3 | Frazer Jones | Global HR recruitment and executive-search firm with a dedicated payroll executive service, including EMEA payroll managers and global payroll leadership talent. [frazerjones](https://www.frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/) | Broaden the senior EMEA/global payroll candidate pool |
| 4 | Hays | Large UK finance recruiter covering payroll and senior finance appointments, with permanent and interim capability. [hays.co](https://www.hays.co.uk/recruitment/accountancy-finance) | Useful secondary market coverage, especially if the role reports into Finance |
| 5 | Robert Half | Established UK finance recruiter with permanent and interim finance capability, including payroll management and finance leadership. [roberthalf](https://www.roberthalf.com/gb/en/finance-accounting-recruitment) | Secondary option; likely better for finance-anchored payroll leadership |

Who to contact first

Start with Portfolio Payroll.  It should be your first call because it is a payroll-only specialist, has operated since 1988, and has a distinct executive-search offering for payroll directors and global heads of payroll and benefits. Ask specifically for its  Executive Payroll team , not the general payroll desk, and require evidence of recent permanent placements at Group Payroll Director, Head of Global Payroll or EMEA Payroll Director level. theportfoliogroup +3

Run Middlemore alongside it.  For an acquisition-integration mandate, the critical profile is not merely a large-UK-payroll operator: it is someone who has consolidated entities, harmonised vendors and policies, managed in-country providers, delivered payroll-system change, and led compliance through transition. Middlemore explicitly positions itself around those transformation and international-growth requirements.

[gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore)

Add Frazer Jones as a third search channel.  Its payroll executive practice covers manager through global payroll leadership and offers executive search, interim and permanent routes, which is useful if you want a wider European or global-payroll talent pool.

[frazerjones](https://www.frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/)

Briefing the agencies

Give all three the same concise mandate so you can compare like-for-like:

• Title: Group Payroll Director, UK & Europe.

• Mandate: Own integration of acquired UK/European payroll operations; standardise controls, calendars, data, vendor model and reporting; lead any payroll-platform/HCM consolidation.

• Must-haves: Multi-country EMEA payroll leadership; acquisition/TSAs or post-merger integration; in-country partner/vendor governance; payroll compliance and controls; executive stakeholder management.

• Strongly preferred: Payroll-system implementation or migration experience; shared-services experience; experience reporting into a Group CFO or Finance leadership team.

• Deliverable: A shortlist of 5–7 genuinely relevant leaders, with named examples of integrations, countries covered, systems delivered and stakeholder level.

Search structure

Use a  retained, exclusive or tightly managed co-search  rather than open contingency. A Group Payroll Director is a confidential, business-critical appointment, and the best candidates are often passive and currently leading an integration or transformation. Portfolio’s own executive-search positioning emphasises discreet access to senior payroll talent beyond standard advertising.

[theportfoliogroup](https://www.theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/)

A practical sequence:

1. Brief Portfolio and Middlemore this week; ask both for a market map within 10 working days.

2. Add Frazer Jones only if the first two cannot demonstrate credible EMEA integration placements.

3. Keep Hays or Robert Half as a fallback for finance-led candidates or interim cover during the integration.

4. Ask each agency for two referees from clients who hired for comparable multi-country payroll transformations—not merely senior UK payroll roles.

One caveat

Avoid agencies whose specialism is mainly contractor, umbrella, CIS or bureau payroll sales; that market overlaps with payroll but does not reliably produce group-level integration leaders. McKinnon Talent, for example, is a specialist payroll recruiter across in-house, outsourced and bureau environments, but its public positioning is broader and less explicitly executive/transformation-focused than Portfolio or Middlemore.

[mckinnontalent.co](https://www.mckinnontalent.co.uk/)

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