Hiring, Culture and AI Insights from Payslip Founder

Hiring, Culture and AI with Payslip Founder & CEO Fidelma McGuirk

In this episode we explore hiring, culture and AI with Payslip Founder & CEO Fidelma McGuirk

In this episode of The Talent Fix, Barry Prost speaks with Fidelma McGuirk, Founder and CEO of Payslip. With 21 years of international leadership experience and teams built across 25 countries, Fidelma shares a practical and honest view of hiring in fintech, building culture across borders and using AI to improve how teams work.

Whether you are a CEO, founder or HR leader, this session offers a clear look at what is actually working inside growing tech companies today.

In this episode, Fidelma shares candid insights on the challenges leaders are navigating today, including

• Why hiring tech talent has become significantly harder and why validation matters more than ever
• How Payslip attracts engineers away from major banks by giving them impactful work and rapid release cycles
• Practical lessons on building and protecting culture across hybrid teams in Ireland, Spain and Bulgaria
• Why her monthly CEO induction is a cornerstone of innovation and how it gives every new hire a license to improve the business
• The real impact of AI on work and why AI replaces tasks, not jobs but professionals who use AI will outperform those who don’t

About Fidelma McGuirk

Fidelma is the Founder and CEO of Payslip, the global payroll automation platform built from Westport and scaling internationally. She has over 21 years of experience building and leading teams across Europe, the US and multiple global markets.

Fidelma was recently named Irish Tatler Women of the Year 2025 Entrepreneur Award winner. Under her leadership, Payslip has delivered double-digit global growth, launched the AI powered Payslip Alpha platform, and earned international recognition for transforming how payroll is managed worldwide.

Building effective teams in fintech has never been more complex. Talent expectations are shifting quickly and the pressure on leaders to create meaningful work environments continues to rise. Many companies are still navigating the long term impact of remote and hybrid models, while others are trying to rebuild in person collaboration without losing the flexibility employees value. In the middle of all this change sits a deeper question for founders and CEOs: how do you design an organisation that people genuinely want to be part of.

The conversation with Fidelma McGuirk highlights how important it is to build a workplace where structure and autonomy can coexist. Payslip’s approach shows that culture is not something you bolt on once the team grows. It has to be woven into the daily rhythm of the business, from onboarding to project delivery and cross team communication. When leaders take responsibility for setting those standards early, it becomes far easier to maintain them as the company expands into new markets.

Another theme raised in the episode is the value of creating real momentum for employees. Engineers, analysts and operational teams want to see tangible progress in their work. When product cycles move quickly and customer feedback is visible, people stay engaged for longer and feel a sense of ownership. That sense of contribution is a major differentiator for scaling companies competing with large institutions for talent.

The discussion also reinforces how essential adaptability has become. Markets shift, customer demands evolve and technology continues to accelerate change across European tech teams. Leaders who respond with openness, experimentation and clear communication tend to foster more resilient organisations. It is this combination of clarity and curiosity that ultimately shapes strong teams and supports sustainable growth across international locations.

Interested in how AI is already shaping recruitment?

Check out our article on AI Recruitment: Leading with Ethics and Accountability to see how businesses can adopt AI tools responsibly while keeping fairness and trust at the center of hiring.