Alison Sellar

Alison Sellar launched activpayroll in 2001 in Aberdeen, North East Scotland. The company is now in its 19th year of successful business, servicing more than 1000 customers and operating in over 140 countries around the globe.

From a young age, Alison worked in her parents’ firm, Grampian Business Bureau, and had several part-time jobs. She then became a partner in the firm in 1999 and asked her father if she could grow the payroll department which she was running. It was agreed that Alison would launch a separate company: activpayroll.

activpayroll was set up as a local firm specialising in payroll for the oil and gas market in Aberdeen. Now operating in 140 countries, activpayroll started off with just one Aberdeen-based client and has expanded from there. The first overseas office was opened in 2005 in Perth, Australia and it was during this experience that the challenges to be faced in becoming an international business became clear. Despite the difficulties, Alison overcame all obstacles; breaking through cultural, distance and language barriers. Not to be underestimated are the differences in payroll and tax processes around the globe which have been surmounted whilst establishing a network of international offices and managing diverse payroll teams.

Alison has built one of the strongest global teams of specialists in payroll, expatriate tax and human resources and attributes the spectacular global success of activpayroll to filling a distinct gap in the market for fully integrated payroll services. Anytime Alison is praised for her tremendous efforts and success, she states that it is all about her team and the people that have got het to where she stands today.