Staff Spotlight – Gaston Milsom

How long have you been at AMS? How’s it been going so far? 

I joined in May 2021, so it has been five years now. It has certainly been a journey. Six months in, we were acquired by Volaris and things were changed pretty significantly. Moving from a private company to being part of Volaris was a major shift, ultimately for the better. We have become a much stronger, more focused company and have had some amazing successes over that time. 

What were you doing before joining AMS? How did you find your way to AMS? 

I worked at Datacom for about 19 years, and left just shy of my 20-year anniversary. I have been a QA, BA, PM, Programme Manager, and Business Unit Manager, based in the Auckland office from 2002 to 2015. Then I moved to Datacom Tauranga to take over managing a Local Government ERP software company that Datacom acquired. I spent five years in Tauranga as Associate Director, growing the team, developing a new ERP solution, and helping to build Datacom Solutions, the product division of Datacom. In 2020, I moved back to Datacom Auckland and then decided that it was finally time for a change. I reached out to old friends and colleagues and connected with Ben Barlow, who gave me the opportunity to join AMS and be part of building something great that we could be proud of. I have been on that journey for five years now, and it’s working out well :) 

Tell us about some of the projects you’ve been part of this or last year. 

The two standouts are Leave Manager upgrades and the Holidays Act Rectification. Leave Manager was a programme of work to migrate all customers to a new Leader version that had been significantly redesigned to support NZ Holidays Act compliance and create a platform for customers to move forward on. That programme started in 2017, I picked it up in 2021, and we migrated the last customer in 2025. 

The second programme was being part of designing and delivering the Holidays Act rectification across all the AMS Health Districts. That was four years of hard work, but very enjoyable, filled with great people and satisfying successes. 

What stood out most for you during your time at AMS? 

The calibre and dedication of the people. The care and commitment that is shown to keep customers supported and to keep pays going is amazing. The domain knowledge held by some of the team is astonishing, and the product reflects that. The AMS product stack is incredibly deep and capable and performs an absolutely business-critical function. There is never a dull moment. 

What are you looking forward to in the year ahead? 

AMS is growing and changing rapidly. This year will be one of massive change, and I am really looking forward to seeing how far we have come by Christmas. We have a huge amount of delivery ahead of us, both customer-facing and internal, and this year will build a strong future for us all. 

What do you enjoy outside of work? Do you have a personal motto or something you live by? 

I am a passionate surfer, snowboarder, motorcyclist, runner, and dog owner. I am also a drummer in a band, and we even get paid to perform. I do struggle to find time to do it all though. No particular motto, just a passion for life and fun. As Tom Petty said, if you never slow down, you never get old. 

What has been the biggest thing you’ve learned since joining AMS? 

I have come to appreciate the heartbeat that payroll is for organisations and people, and to build a well of respect for the dedicated people who keep it happening week in and week out. 

What advice would you give someone thinking about joining AMS? 

The domain of payroll is as deep, complex, and challenging as any I have ever worked in, across Telco, Insurance, TV, Local Government, Central Government, and Utility companies. And AMS punches so far above its weight; it is almost unbelievable. If you are looking for an all-go place to work and want to be part of creating something amazing, then come and knock on the door.