Transforming Global HR Systems & Capabilities

A global leader in the development and management of solar energy projects, our client provides sustainable and affordable energy to businesses and communities. They set ambitious targets to grow significantly whilst enacting real change on the global energy landscape to help drive the transition to low carbon energy.

Posted Oct 23, 2025

Marlborough was critical to successful global HR systems transformation

ONE

Global HR Platform & streamlined processes, high quality data & consistent ways of working

ZERO

Disruption to Users
No downtime or service interruption

AUTOMATION

Powering Operational Agility to scale growth and expansion across Big Tech, Fashion, Retail, Utilities & Public Sector

SITUATION & CLIENT CHALLENGE

Digital investment was and continues to be a critical enabler of their growth strategy, including to support the rapid scale up of key development and asset management functions and in raising the maturity of Human Resource Management globally.
The client, operating in 15+ countries, aimed to double its capacity and expand into new markets while transforming its HR capabilities. Legacy processes, fragmented systems, and inconsistent data significantly hindered operational effectiveness and limited the confidence needed to support rapid growth.

OUR LEADERSHIP ROLE & KEY INTERVENTIONS

Following prior programme success, Marlborough was appointed to inject programme leadership for a company-wide HR systems transformation. Our role focused on strengthening, simplifying and standarding their global HR capability. Marlborough was also able to leverage significant experience and complementary value being delivered via Strategic Advisory to the IT Director.

This work was very visible at Board level as one of the top 3 digitally enabled initiatives to directly enable business growth ambitions.

Organisational Change at Pace

Drove momentum across a complex, multi-vendor programme, to meet ambitious delivery timelines.

Set up cross functional change for success, with senior sponsorship to resolve issues and mitigate risks.

Built engagement with key user groups so there was clarity on how the investment would drive real benefits.

Establishing a high performing team, comprising multiple new vendors alongside internal resources across functions.

Development and approval of a strong case for change.

Introduced tailored blend of good practice, including gated project delivery with Agile ways of working.

Early interventions to minimise impact and keep on track.

Collaborative Approach across Functions & Geographies

Focus on business led outcomes as central to achieving outstanding value.

Structured approach to supplier selection leading to selection of SAP SuccessFactors as best fit technology.

Further elevating the profile of IT as a highly collaborative business partner.

Transformational leadership, guiding our client through adoption of tailored good practice to de-risk and accelerate the change.

Leading and coordinating a multi-disciplined approach across multiple vendors (e.g. SAP and HR SME’s), internal functions (e.g. HR, IT, Finance, Board & Execs, Manager community) to achieve common agreed outcomes to time, cost, quality.

Global Cloud Solutions Delivery with Rigour & Control

Injecting significant transformation experience, coupled with tried and tested tools and techniques to identify factors crucial to successful design, build, test and launch of a global SaaS solution.

Rigorous approach to system and business readiness, with structured process to test and refine SaaS configuration and business approval for key stage gates.

Effective and pragmatic challenge in managing vendors.

Engaging the right people at the right time to support the right decisions to secure critical data in the cloud.

Understanding country specific needs and legislative constraints, whilst requiring zero customisation & avoiding technical debt.

Setting the bar high to consistently achieve data quality levels & maintain continuity & integrity of key services. E.g. payroll.

KEY RESULTS & LASTING IMPACT

HR System deployed on time and to budget, achieving ambitious timelines and receiving outstanding Board feedback.

Programme Management, Delivery & Deployment seen as exemplar and a role model across the organisation, with outstanding feedback across stakeholder groups.
Global Head of HR “delighted” with improvements to data quality, access to data for managers and employees & reduced admin effort.
Zero user impact through transition, maintaining continuity of key business processes and integrity of employee data (e.g. time off bookings, pay, renumeration etc).

Greater understanding of costs & opportunities to optimise operations, enabled through improved data management and data quality.
Reduced manual intervention, reduced cycle times and improved decision-making enabled by greater accuracy of data shared across the business.
Greater automation of processes, reducing HR overheads, rework and freeing up line management and HR capacity to focus on more value adding areas.

"A text book use case of how projects should be implemented where a cross functional team works as ONE"

Group HR Director

Creation of a single platform to effectively engage the global workforce, retain top talent and develop inhouse people capability.
Reduction of systems allowing centralisation of people data globally, simplifying integration with other systems to share data.
Reduced Business Risk, through a more reliable, scalable, and secure global solution.
Further support for enhanced credibility of the IT Function, in partnership with HR.
Direct support for business growth achieved globally, which includes;
- Growth into 19 markets.
- Becoming a global solar powerhouse, with multi‑GW of capacity built, billions in financing secured.
- Steady expansion via corporate deals (PPA’s) across sectors including Big Tech, Fashion, Retail, Utilities & Public Sector.