Transforming HR at Scale: A Global Use Case
This transformation set out to do more than restructure HR — it aimed to simplify complexity, boost employee experience, and build a future-ready service model that could scale across regions. Together, we co-created a model that delivers today and adapts for tomorrow.
Company Information
Industry:
Pharmaceutical
Headquarters:
London, United Kingdom
Number of Employees:
~100k
About the Organisation
Founded in the early 2000s through the merger of two major healthcare firms, this British multinational is headquartered in London, UK. Today, it ranks among the world’s largest biopharma companies, employing around 100,000 people globally across research, development, and large-scale production.
Driven by a mission to unite science, talent, and technology to get ahead of disease together, the company operates with a purpose-led culture and a deep commitment to global health. Innovation, collaboration, and improving lives sit at the heart of everything it does.
The Challenge: Transforming the HR Service Model
To support its bold ambitions, the company needed to evolve how HR operates. The aim: to create a future-ready service model with integrated business partners, regional hubs, and global Centres of Excellence.
The transformation tackled over 400 employee experience pain points, focusing on the moments that matter most, and tied every improvement to measurable outcomes. It also sought to streamline operations, introduce smarter self-service options, and equip teams with the right skills and tools to meet future demands.
The Solution: Building the Foundations for Scale and Agility
The initiative focused on aligning the HR operating model and delivery approach. This included:
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Launching regional hubs and a global business services model to drive consistency and coverage
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Mapping core HR processes and building service catalogues to standardise delivery
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Fully integrating systems and processes end-to-end for seamless experiences
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Enabling knowledge transfer and upskilling through hands-on training and transition support
The Outcome: A Scalable, Strategic HR Ecosystem
A new service delivery model is now in place, with clear roles and responsibilities that support a more strategic approach to HR. This included setting up four regional hubs, a global function for business services, and satellite teams for complex local compliance.
80 key HR processes were mapped and service catalogues created to standarise & optimise service delivery.
All HR knowledge were transitioned to regional hubs while extensive training were provided on systems such as Workday and ServiceNow.
20%
Increased user adoption
>80%
Key employee experience requirements addressed
7000
Weeks of effort automated annually
496
Process steps automated
70
Teams consolidated into 4 regional hubs
248
Process steps identified for simplified self service
Looking Ahead
This Use Case shows what’s possible when HR transformation is grounded in clarity, co-creation, and measurable outcomes. By aligning strategy with people, process, and technology, the organisation is now positioned to scale with confidence, and ready for what’s next.
