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Crelan's payroll migration
How SD Worx supported Crelan's payroll migration following its merger with AXA Bank Belgium
After making headlines back in October 2019, the merger between Crelan and AXA Bank Belgium was officially finalised on 10 June 2024. For Crelan, the acquisition effectively meant doubling in size - and brought with it a complex challenge around payroll and reward integration. SD Worx provided technical support, legal checks, and a sharp, experienced perspective. It was a close-knit collaboration to align the two banks' payrolls and ensure a smooth migration to a new platform.
More than just the sum of two parts
Before the merger, both Crelan and AXA Bank Belgium were already working with SD Worx as their payroll partner. “That was definitely a plus,” says Maarten Moons, HR Project Manager at Crelan. “But when it came to technology and our respective pay and reward policies, both organisations were on quite different tracks.”
The companies' existing payroll systems weren't compatible out of the box. To tackle the job, SD Worx and Crelan worked very closely together. “We adopted a true One Team approach,” Maarten explains. “Our project team brought together a range of specialists from both sides - payroll consultants, software experts, reward advisors, business analysts and project managers.”
Workshops, analyses and shared expertise
“To make sense of the project's complexity, SD Worx kicked things off with a series of in-depth workshops,” Maarten continues. “Their experts were ideal sparring partners - always ready to challenge our decisions on payroll harmonisation, whether from a practical or legal point of view.
“They also carried out detailed analyses to help us back up key decisions,” he adds. “Meanwhile, their extensive experience and insights - both in benchmarking across different sectors and in working with other companies - helped us work through plenty of operational choices. This included decisions on how to structure and optimise our flexible benefits plan.”
A full-scale project
Throughout the process, the project team stayed agile and responsive - all while keeping payroll operations running without a hitch.
The harmonised payroll system went live in January 2025. SD Worx also developed a joint Flex Income Plan™ web shop to facilitate flexible reward. Both employee groups now have access to a single flexible benefits scheme, built around a thirteenth-month bonus, that's open year-round and available to all staff.
I'm really proud of what we achieved together. This was a full-scale project where we aligned and embedded virtually every HR domain into a new system. With their expertise, in-depth understanding, personal approach and solid project management skills, the SD Worx team truly helped make the difference.
Head of Reward, Social Relations & HR data at Crelan
