During Thursday’s Closing General Session at Payroll Congress, industry expert speaker Pete Tiliakos shared his personal payroll journey, from transitioning from a military background to founding his own analytics firm.

After spending 16 weeks in Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island, Tiliakos didn’t think his career path would lead him to payroll.

Tiliakos was initially responsible for recording service records, but that wasn’t enough for him. After leaving the military, Tiliakos joined the Walt Disney Company as a payroll manager. He has also worked for Alight, ADP, and IBM. These experiences not only satiated Tiliakos’ love for travel, but also gave him the experience he needed to lead payroll operations for Fortune 500 firms. 

“I’m not just an industry expert,” he said. “I have also walked a mile in their shoes.”

As his career took off, Tiliakos said he was put in situations that made him feel unsure of himself. When he landed at the global consulting firm Deloitte, he had to learn how to be an industry analyst, become a thought leader, and help translate his ideas into actionable steps for his clients to take.

 

 

That experience proved to be invaluable. Now, Tiliakos owns his own industry analytics firm, GxT Analytics. The firm helps with some of the largest employers and top brands in the world to optimize their payroll and human capital management processes.

“I always thought payroll would lead to a bigger human resources career, but each time I tried to leave, payroll kept pulling me back,” Tiliakos said. “It’s weird that I’ve tried to distance myself from the very skill that built my career.”

To attendee Jennifer Langhorst, payroll manager at Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs, Tiliakos’ story shows just how important it is to be open minded about your payroll career.

“Tiliakos’ story is really inspiring,” Langhorst said. “I hope that my career can take a similar trajectory as his.”