Headquarters:
18 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Year founded:
1983
Number of employees:
356 in Australia;
570 globally
Phone:
+61 3 9639 0777
Email:
salesau@frontiersoftware.com
Website:
au.frontiersoftware.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/frontier-software
Nick Southcombe
Chief Executive Officer
Kim Boyd
National Sales and Marketing Manager
Martin Barlow
National Professional Services Manager
Leadership
Nick Southcombe is chief executive officer of Frontier Software and is based in Melbourne. Southcombe is responsible for the organisation’s strategic and operational leadership, with oversight across product development, client services, compliance and corporate governance. He works with leaders across the business to align technology, services and operations with the needs of customers and the company’s long-term direction. His leadership supports continued investment in HR, payroll and workforce management solutions, including capabilities that span recruitment and the broader employee life cycle.
Chief Executive Officer
Nick Southcombe
Kim Boyd, GAICD, is a senior commercial executive and growth leader with more than 15 years of experience driving business growth, strategic partnerships, and market expansion across the HR, payroll, workforce management, and technology sectors. Since joining Frontier Software in 2011, Boyd has helped shape commercial strategy and strengthen the organisation’s position across Australia and the Pacific region.
Recognised for her commercial acumen and strategic leadership, Boyd works with executives, industry partners, and enterprise organisations to translate complex business challenges into practical solutions that create lasting value. She is a passionate advocate for workforce transformation, organisational change, and helping organisations navigate the future of work.
National Sales and Marketing Manager
Kim Boyd
Martin Barlow is national professional services manager at Frontier Software, leading professional services delivery across Australia and New Zealand. Based in Melbourne, he oversees teams supporting customer onboarding, service delivery, compliance and technical support. Barlow works with customers, executives and internal teams to maintain service continuity and improve delivery practices. His experience spans enterprise software, HR and payroll technology, and regulatory requirements. He contributes to service frameworks designed to support customer outcomes and continuous improvement across complex operating environments.
National Professional Services Manager
Martin Barlow
Eugene LaFontaine
National Operations Manager, Frontier Payroll Services
Eugene LaFontaine is national operations manager at Frontier Payroll Services and has been with Frontier Software since 2008. His experience covers HR, payroll and operations across private and public sector environments. LaFontaine leads national service delivery teams and works across compliance, industrial relations and operational performance. He combines strategic oversight with practical leadership to support service quality and customer outcomes. LaFontaine works with executive stakeholders and cross-functional teams to align outsourced payroll services with organisational requirements and changing payroll obligations.
National Operations Manager, Frontier Payroll Services
Eugene LaFontaine
Karen Coombs is product manager at Frontier Software, leading cross-functional teams across Melbourne and Brisbane. Her work connects product strategy, development and customer requirements across HR, payroll and workforce management. Coombs supports collaboration between technical and business teams, helping translate strategic priorities into practical product outcomes. Her experience in enterprise HR and payroll systems informs an approach centred on usability, delivery quality and the evolving needs of customers. She also contributes to product development practices and customer experience initiatives across Frontier Software.
Product Manager
Karen Coombs
Liviu Marciu
Chief Technology Officer
Kathy Pallasis
Human Resources Manager
Liviu Marciu is chief technology officer at Frontier Software and leads the organisation’s technology strategy from Melbourne. His experience spans software engineering, enterprise architecture, platform scalability, security and performance. Marciu works with senior leaders to align technology investment with business priorities and oversees software development and infrastructure. He supports technical excellence across the organisation and contributes to vendor partnerships and the assessment of emerging technologies. His role helps guide the continuing development of secure, reliable HR, payroll and workforce management technology.
Chief Technology Officer
Liviu Marciu
Kathy Pallasis is human resources manager at Frontier Software and leads HR strategy and operations from Melbourne. Her responsibilities include policy development, employee relations, employee records and internal communications. Pallasis works with senior leaders and teams across the organisation to support workforce planning and workplace operations. Her experience includes enterprise software, payroll systems and governance. A member of the Australian HR Institute, Pallasis contributes to continuous improvement through practical policy and operational leadership.
Human Resources Manager
Kathy Pallasis
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“Having close connections with our parents, staff and community, is integral to a rich learning environment. When we work together, we can achieve amazing things”
Karen Yager,
Hills Grammar
“I believe that students learn in a supportive environment with passionate and inspiring teachers and staff. We surround our students with positive creative and inspiring people, enthusiastic about their own learning and keen to immerse students in the spirit of life-long learning across the whole community”
Karen Yager,
Hills Grammar
Decades of payroll expertise, all in one platform
HR and payroll teams often work in systems that were never built to make their job easy. From fragmented information to legislative changes, these teams are expected to provide a seamless and intuitive employee experience. Frontier Software’s payroll software in Australia, built on its ichris platform, is designed to help bring structure to that environment by reducing duplication and giving people access to the right information and tasks at the right time.
From individual models to connected workforce outcomes
Frontier Software’s most important recent strategy has been modernising its HCM and payroll experience while keeping the reliability and compliance clients expect from ichris. The company is moving away from individual modules toward connected workforce outcomes across the whole employee life cycle, covering vacancy management, onboarding, performance, workforce planning, payroll and compliance.
This shift is anchored by two products, VCM²¹ and chatHR. VCM²¹ brings vacancies, candidates, approvals and recruitment workflows into one centralised, more intuitive experience for recruiters, hiring managers and candidates. chatHR gives employees and managers a secure, natural-language way to complete HR and payroll tasks.
Time-tested provider across the whole payroll and HR life cycle
Frontier Software has been building payroll and HCM technology since 1983, giving it decades of institutional knowledge about how payroll obligations and workplace expectations change over time. What sets it apart today is ownership. The company develops, implements, supports and operates its own technology, giving clients a single line of accountability rather than a patchwork of vendors and integrations.
In Australia, local specialists handle the legislative and regulatory detail, while the company’s wider footprint supports organisations with multi-country needs. Clients can also choose the delivery model that suits them, from licensed software and hosted delivery to payroll outsourcing through Frontier Payroll Services. They also get direct communication and clear accountability from day one, the same standard new employees are expected to meet in a workplace that values specialist knowledge and treats quality as non-negotiable.
This blend of product ownership, payroll expertise and flexible delivery is what makes Frontier Software a dependable partner that clients can trust today and count on to keep evolving.
Innovation based on real-world needs
Frontier Software drives innovation in-house, but not in isolation. Product strategy sets the direction, while clients, implementation consultants, support teams and account managers supply real-world insights that keep development grounded. This helps the company differentiate a one-off request from a real shift in how organisations approach HR workforce management. Ideas are assessed for client value, security, regulatory impact, usability and fit with the broader product roadmap. This process is how both VCM²¹ and chatHR came about.
The next stage of that modernisation is already visible in chatHR and VCM²¹, with further work under way in analytics, exception handling, knowledge and guidance. For Frontier Software, making the HRD Readers’ Choice 2026 list is momentum, not the finish line. Product quality, customer satisfaction and employee engagement remain its priorities, alongside continued investment in payroll excellence, HCM modernisation and secure automation.
Learning designed for educators
The centrepiece of Hills Grammar’s approach to staff development is its Professional Learning Model, led by director of professional learning Dr. Chris Furner. Grounded in adult learning pedagogies, aligned with the school’s strategic intent and staff profile and standards, the model deliberately moves away from compliance-driven professional development towards something more meaningful. This is delivered as learning that is authentic, research-based and tailored to where each educator is in their career journey.
Supporting this is the Learning Centre Staff Program, which creates structured opportunities for staff to share practice, reflect on their work and learn from one another. Mentoring, leadership development and action research opportunities are embedded throughout, making professional growth a continuous and collegial practice rather than a periodic obligation. It is a model that reflects Hills Grammar’s commitment to investing in the people responsible for delivering its educational vision.
Future-forward leadership
The school’s commitment to its team extends to how Hills Grammar approaches leadership. Working in partnership with the governing council, school leaders maintain a shared focus on developing what the school describes as a ‘future fit’ graduate and the workforce equipped to teach them. Innovation is encouraged, and the culture is one where academic ambition and professional development are seen as inseparable.
Wellbeing in a remarkable setting
Staff also benefit from complimentary wellbeing programs, a genuine commitment to work-life balance and access to an Employee Assistance Program. Additionally, for educators who value a workplace where the physical environment itself is part of the daily experience, Hills Grammar’s picturesque campus offers a setting that is as restorative as it is inspiring.
There is also a proactive approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), such that employees are informed and educated through integrated professional learning frameworks. Hills Grammar is proud to be actively shaping bold thinkers, and in turn empowering the people who teach them.
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HR TECHNOLOGY
Benefits
Compensation
Culture
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Innovation
Reputation
Sustainable programs
Overall
Karen Coombs
Product Manager
Jenny Botton
Chief Information Security Officer
Jenny Botton is chief information security officer at Frontier Software. A cybersecurity leader with more than 12 years of experience in information security, her expertise spans managed technology services, local government and the construction industry.
Botton began her career at global professional services firms as a chartered accountant and IT auditor. That grounding in risk and assurance continues to shape how she builds security programs that stand up to scrutiny. She holds CISA, CRISC and CISM certifications and is a senior lead implementer of ISO 27001. Combined with a degree in psychology, these qualifications have influenced her approach to developing people and culture and the adoption of security practices across organisations.
Chief Information Security Officer
Jenny Botton