Meet Davida Lara, Executive Vice President of Payroll Services, Entertainment Partners

As seen on CPO.

Davida Lara, Entertainment Partners’ Executive Vice President of Payroll Services, combines a high level of proficiency in business applications, business processes, and organizational management in leading her payroll teams. She believes in tailoring client needs to deliver a superior payroll experience. Over the past decade, Lara has gained extensive expertise in developing systems and process automation, as well as training personnel. She has been responsible for developing global mobility best practices and payroll shared services. Additionally, she has led initiatives involving international assignment policies and global mobility.

Before joining Entertainment Partners, Lara served as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Payroll for The Blackstone Group, where she directly oversaw global payroll operations impacting more than 500,000 employees. Prior to that, Lara was the Head of Global HRIS and Payroll at Harman International Industries, where she oversaw system strategy and implementation across 23 countries.

Lara is a recipient of the Global Payroll Titan Award, recognized for her pioneering work in international payroll strategies and operations.

Entertainment Partners (EP) has been a trusted partner to the entertainment industry for at least 50 years, helping clients produce great content, choosing the best production locations, managing and tracking expenses, and paying crew and talent. They are a leading force in digitizing the back-office operations of film and television productions, so all data flows through secure, integrated cloud-based solutions.

Q. What are the biggest challenges out there for payroll teams that the C-suite should be aware of, and why is it important to address these challenges?

People used to picture payroll workers hunched over crunching numbers in a dim room under buzzing fluorescent lights. Now, thanks to technological advancements, payroll misconceptions have shifted, but that perception remains a challenge. It’s less about the menial day-to-day operations, now we need to shift the perception that payroll only offers limited career trajectories.

Working in payroll was often assumed to be hyper-transactional with little to no growth potential, but that’s simply not the reality anymore. Starting a career in payroll today is a launchpad. Think about it: You build operational, technical, and strategic skills that translate to many other facets of the corporate world. You also build fluency in cross-functional workflows and dive deep into compliance—interpreting labor laws and navigating global legislation. You bring insight to the table, not just output to the operation.

None of the work we do is busy work; it’s all foundational. This industry and this profession provide the experience to handle complexity at scale, setting you up to be a successful leader. You must stop thinking of payroll as a cul-de-sac and start seeing it as a through-line.

Q. What more would you say for the C-suite to understand about this changing role of the payroll professional?

The C-suite needs to understand that payroll professionals aren’t just support staff; they are strategic, and their voices and experience matter. You’ve heard me say payroll deserves a seat at the table, but even within our ranks, all payroll voices deserve to have a say. But people who are deep in the weeds often get overlooked. That’s a mistake, and here’s why.

When you’re really in it, handling the day-to-day challenges, you’re taking compliance, systems, and policy into consideration in every decision you make. You have a clear view of how things really work. That perspective makes payroll professionals uniquely qualified to make strategic contributions. But since our roles aren’t always framed as strategic, we must teach people. We must raise awareness of the value and impact of all we know and can contribute.

We’re also sitting on a goldmine of data. In the entertainment industry, for example, much of the production workforce is freelance, and one contractor might work for multiple different employers in a year, so we’ve got all that intel. We’re also compiling incentive data from all over the world. Put it all together and we’ve got a mountain of information that can be used to help analyze labor trends, develop a successful location strategy, manage incentive compliance, and more.

The fact is that payroll isn’t a back-office function anymore; it’s a business driver—and technology is only strengthening our value. We’re integrating systems that streamline operations and provide us with better industry insights. We have context, data, and operational fluency, and we can—and should—be trusted to help drive better, more strategic business decisions.

Q. What have your senior experiences been in successfully navigating cultural and other differences on a worldwide stage?

When managing global payroll, you don’t have the advantage of everyone speaking the same language—literally or operationally. You’re dealing with different time zones, legal systems, business expectations, and communication norms. What makes the difference is staying measured. You can’t lead from impulse; you must listen, observe, and learn before you act.

Technology simplified things by providing faster access to information and better visibility across global operations. The basics, currency, timing, and technical infrastructure are much more manageable than they used to be. Even so, you still need local expertise because at the end of the day, payroll is highly localized. No two countries, and in some cases, even states or territories, operate the same way. Your systems, policies, and relationships must reflect that.

Understanding how processes work and incorporating local customization wherever possible is key. Keep the backend in English, but make sure the frontend is in the local language. Also, do your homework. Payroll workers are expected to confidently know which countries prefer SAP, explain how local taxes apply to various production-related expenses, and advise which documentation forms are considered official in different regions.

It’s also critical to build strong relationships with each country’s revenue authority. Think about how well we understand the IRS here in the U.S. We know their filing cadence, what they expect, and how they communicate. Now imagine trying to apply that same mindset to another country’s revenue authority. It doesn’t work! You need to understand how each inland revenue authority operates, figure out what they expect from a payroll provider, and use what you learn to earn their trust.

Q. What has the emotional experience of being an executive leader in payroll meant to you?

For me, executive leadership isn’t just about making business decisions. It’s about advocating for those who need a voice, mentoring up-and-coming talent, and helping people grow and thrive in every capacity I can.

Creating space for others, especially those who have historically been left out of the conversation, may be the most rewarding part of my job. I’m proud of the ways I’ve been able to help drive change. For example, I’m a vocal supporter of implementing more inclusive hiring practices. Bringing awareness to this important issue has helped create real career pathways for women, especially those working behind the scenes.

I also genuinely love what I do. I love the impact payroll has on people’s lives, and I love helping others see the value in it. I get fired up about debunking payroll misconceptions. And it gives me energy to stand on a stage and say, “Payroll is sexy!”—because it is (listen to PayrollOrg’s “PayTalk” Podcast episode 21 where Davida talks more about this).

I’m a firm believer that our industry is not stuck in the past. Payroll is forward-thinking and leading change, and I plan to keep shouting it every chance I get.

Q. What advice should the C-suite give others who want to achieve that role someday?

As I’ve consistently said, maturity, a willingness to learn, and strong relationship skills are vital. That hasn’t changed, and I don’t expect it ever will. Those qualities have been the foundation of my own career, and they hold true for anyone looking to grow.

The thing I’ve come to understand over time is that success in this field also comes down to how well you absorb and apply your experiences. I didn’t learn my biggest lessons in school; the real learning happened on the job. I had some defining moments very early on, like going through a major structural realignment in my twenties. It felt like too much, too soon at the time. But looking back, those experiences very much shaped the leader I am today.

It’s also important to be flexible. The role I’m in today isn’t the same role I stepped into years ago, but I was able to pivot—and that’s pivotal, too. Tech and time change things, and your job may not be what it once was. You need to be ready to evolve with it.

If you get the chance to move up or expand your scope, do yourself a favor and take payroll with you. People still underestimate this profession, but you can use that to your advantage. Show off what you’re capable of—because payroll is powerful. We’ve done the work, now let’s own the spotlight.