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Our client, a national logistics provider and former Sunday Times Top Track 100 company, operates one of the UK’s highest-performing 24/7 time-critical networks. Their business is highly dependent on stable and high performing technology to deliver over 100 million units annually. With an outstanding client base, it provides nationwide coverage, robust digital solutions, and a strong reputation for innovation, safety, and sustainability.
The company has continued to scale rapidly, with growth further accelerated through a strategic partnership, culminating in its acquisition by one of Europe’s most dynamic and fast-growing e-commerce logistics leaders. This partnership has unlocked significant investment, innovation, and international reach, positioning the business for continued market leadership.
Posted Oct 13, 2025
Modernisation of Tech Infrastructure as an enabler for continued digital transformation
& Cost Avoidance
Reduced Onboarding time for new Customers
Operating one of the UK’s most time-critical logistics networks, our client needed to modernise its ageing IT infrastructure and legacy services to reduce operational risk, strengthen cyber resilience, and support sustained business growth. The challenge: deliver this transformation at pace and to quality, with zero disruption to 24/7 operations or the customer experience.
Marlborough was engaged to provide programme leadership for our client's £6.5m company-wide, Network Transition and Transformation Programme. This strategic initiative aimed to improve service delivery, mitigate operational and cyber security risks, and modernise IT infrastructure to support long-term business growth.
With sponsorship from the client’s CEO, CFO, CIO, business leaders, and Head of Technology and Security, Marlborough led:
Programme managed the end-to-end transformation of the UK&I network estate (WAN, LAN, wireless, VLAN, VPN) and central services (Including Security, Proxy, RAS, Internet), delivering a high-availability, scalable, secure, and flexible infrastructure service designed to support operations for at least the next five years.
A transition to a fully managed, ITIL-aligned service further simplified operations, reduced cost, and directly enabled future growth.
Marlborough worked closely with our client during mobilisation to refine and confirm the required outcomes, and then collaborated with their chosen vendor to define and document critical success factors across technical, programme, business, and risk perspectives, so all parties were aligned from the outset on what needed to be achieved.
These success factors were tracked throughout delivery using measurable KPIs, to drive performance and course correct as needed, supported by direct business feedback from operational sites post-transformation.
We also led a Marlborough-driven Continual Improvement initiative that enhanced customer centricity and operational insight, embedded a “right first time” and permanent-fix mindset, and introduced structured root cause analysis to reduce recurring issues in the vendor’s service environment.
Commercial & Financial Management: Led contract renegotiations to secure improved SLAs at no additional cost, managed the complexities of legacy agreements, and provided disciplined oversight of the overall programme budget.
Vendor Performance Management: Drove a fixed-price arrangement, aligned with Finance, Legal, and IT leadership, delivering £675K in savings and cost avoidance while strengthening the vendor’s understanding of how their performance drives client operations and customer experience.
We partnered with IT, Legal, business units, and multiple suppliers to deliver this complex, time-sensitive programme. Drawing on proven methodologies and best-practice frameworks, our support spanned:
Programme & Delivery Management: Led activities & cross functional/ cross organisational resources to deliver the transformation successfully & maximise benefits. Managed up to six suppliers to complete each site migration within critical time windows, while safely decommissioning the legacy environment.
Governance & Risk Control: Introduced readiness checklists, clear accountabilities, and pragmatic governance. Strengthened risk mitigation and improved business confidence.
Stakeholder Engagement: Engaged senior leaders to evaluate transition options and drive key decisions — highlighting impacts on risk, cost, and benefits at every stage.
Capability Building: Enhanced internal capability & vendor performance, laying the groundwork for future transformation success.
Marlborough worked as a true delivery partner, combining hands-on leadership, sharing best practices, and consistently acting in our client’s best interests to achieve the programme’s agreed objectives and outcomes. Client feedback was excellent throughout.
Marlborough proactively maximised the opportunity for our client, challenging suppliers to deliver value beyond the technical transformation. Our intervention reset relationships, secured more favourable commercial terms, and introduced contractual flexibility aligned to operational needs, ultimately driving stronger supplier performance and greater value for money.
The programme delivered/enabled:
"Well done Marlborough! You are always no.1 to turn to for digital/ technology advice and support."
CEO