Steering a leading wealth manager through merger — at short notice.

The brief

Following a merger, a leading wealth management company needed help fast. Two organisations, two ways of working, and a business that couldn't afford to let service slip while the dust settled. We were brought in at short notice to help the client work through the organisational change the merger had created, and to bring structure to a situation that was moving quickly.

Reshaping the operating model

Merging two businesses rarely means merging two org charts neatly into one. We worked closely with leadership to reshape the operating model around how the combined business actually needed to function — clarifying accountabilities, removing duplication, and designing a structure built for the business the merger had created, not the two it replaced.

Building a new team for data, engineering and governance

A central part of the work was establishing a new team to support data operations, engineering, and governance. This meant defining the team's purpose and remit, getting the right roles and skills in place, and giving the team a clear way of working from day one — so it could start adding value immediately rather than spending months finding its feet.

Maximising the use of service management tools

Rather than introduce new tooling for the sake of it, we focused on getting more value out of what the client already had. We reviewed how the existing service management tools were being used, closed the gaps, and embedded better practice across the team — improving visibility, consistency, and control without adding unnecessary complexity at an already complex time.

Business relationship and supplier governance

Mergers bring inherited suppliers, inherited contracts, and inherited relationships that don't always fit the combined business. We built a business relationship and supplier governance framework that gave the client a consistent way to manage suppliers and stakeholders going forward — clear ownership, clear expectations, and a structure for ongoing oversight rather than a one-off tidy-up.

The outcome

The client came through the merger with a reshaped operating model fit for the combined business, a new data, engineering and governance team operating with clarity and purpose, service management tools being used to their full potential, and a supplier governance framework giving leadership ongoing oversight and control. All delivered by a team that was engaged, mobilised, and adding value within days — not months.