CASE STUDY: Global Industrial Conglomerate

Industry: Diversified manufacturing and services
Company Size: 125,000+ employees across 70+ countries
Scope: Global HCM transformation replacing multiple legacy systems, creating new global shared services center
Timeline: 3+ year engagement from initial strategy through implementation
Services: All Three Dimensions (Clarity + Strategy + Momentum)
Systems: Complete HCM platform including learning management (one of the largest implementations in vendor history)

The Situation

A global industrial conglomerate with operations spanning manufacturing, technology, consumer products, and a substantial not for profit arm was facing a critical decision. They had 125,000+ employees across more than 70 countries, each operating with different HR systems, different processes, and different levels of technological maturity.

Some subsidiaries had modern HR platforms. Others were running on decades old legacy systems. There was no consistency, no shared data, no ability to move talent across the enterprise, and no way for leadership to get a unified view of their most important asset: their people.

They needed to modernize. But more than that, they were building a brand new global shared services center that would fundamentally change how HR operated across the entire enterprise.

The complexity was staggering. The stakes were enormous. And they needed someone who could help them navigate it all before they committed millions of dollars.

The Challenge

Multiple legacy systems across a global enterprise
This wasn't one system to replace. It was dozens of systems across different companies, different countries, different regulatory environments. Some subsidiaries had invested heavily in their HR technology. Others hadn't. Consolidating without destroying what worked was the first hurdle.

Massive embedded to embodied gap across diverse businesses
A manufacturing plant in Georgia operates differently than a technology company in Asia. A consumer products division has different needs than a not for profit organization. The system had to work for all of them, but "one size fits all" would fit no one.

People: 125,000+ employees across vastly different roles, cultures, and expectations
Process: Every subsidiary had its own HR processes, some standardized, many not
Platform: Choosing the wrong vendor or architecture would lock the entire enterprise into limitations for decades

Building a global shared services center simultaneously
This wasn't just a technology project. The organization was fundamentally restructuring how HR would operate globally. That meant new operating models, new roles, new processes, all while migrating systems and maintaining business continuity.

Learning management as a strategic imperative
For an organization this size and this diverse, learning and development wasn't a nice to have. It was strategic. The system needed sophisticated learning management capabilities that didn't exist in the market yet. That meant working with the vendor to actually build new functionality.

One of the largest deals in vendor history
The scale meant every decision mattered. The vendor would listen. But that also meant navigating a complex sales and delivery environment where the stakes were high for everyone involved.

The Approach

Shera served as the key point of contact throughout this multi year, multi country, multi system transformation. She worked across all Three Dimensions to help the organization make the right decisions and execute successfully.

Clarity: Diagnose before committing hundreds of millions

Traveled globally to understand disparate needs across the enterprise
Shera met with subsidiaries around the world, from North American operations to international locations, to understand their current state, their pain points, and what they actually needed from a future system. Manufacturing, technology, consumer products, and not for profit organizations all had different realities.

Built comprehensive business case for executive and board approval
A decision of this magnitude required financial justification, risk analysis, and strategic alignment. Shera crafted the business case that secured investment and board approval for one of the largest HR technology projects in the company's history.

Assessed vendor capabilities against actual business requirements
Most vendors claimed they could do everything. Shera evaluated what they could actually deliver, where gaps existed, and what would need to be custom built. This included deep analysis of learning management capabilities, which were critical but underdeveloped in the market.

Strategy: Design solutions that work across extreme diversity

Solution architected for 125,000+ employees across 70+ countries
This wasn't about selecting software. It was about designing an architecture that could handle extreme diversity while creating enough consistency to operate as one enterprise. Shera worked with leadership to define what needed to be global, what could be regional, and what had to remain local.

Worked with vendor product management to build missing capabilities
The learning management functionality the organization needed didn't exist yet. Shera facilitated multiple design sessions between the client and the vendor's product team to define requirements and influence the product roadmap. The scale of the deal gave them leverage. Shera helped them use it strategically.

Designed for both standardization and flexibility
Some processes needed to be consistent globally (compliance, core data). Others needed to flex for local laws, cultures, and business realities. Getting this balance wrong would mean either chaos or rigidity. Shera helped design the architecture that allowed both.

Momentum: Partner through multi year execution

Stayed engaged throughout 3+ year implementation journey
Shera didn't hand off recommendations and disappear. She remained the key point of contact from strategy through execution, helping navigate inevitable challenges, scope changes, and emerging needs as the project evolved.

Facilitated transition, communication, and change strategy
With 125,000 employees across dozens of countries transitioning to new systems and new operating models, communication and change management were critical. Shera worked with leadership to develop transition strategies and ensure people understood not just what was changing, but why.

Bridged business needs and technical delivery
As implementation progressed, Shera continued translating business requirements into technical direction, ensuring the delivery team understood what success actually looked like from the organization's perspective.

The Outcome

✅ Global HCM platform selected and implemented serving 125,000+ employees across 70+ countries
✅ One of the largest implementations in vendor history successfully delivered
✅ Global shared services center established with technology foundation to support it
✅ Learning management capabilities built to meet strategic requirements
✅ Enterprise wide consistency achieved while respecting local business needs
✅ Multi year partnership from strategy through execution

What Made the Difference

Global perspective grounded in local realities
Most consultants think globally or locally. Shera operated at both levels simultaneously. She understood what needed to be consistent across the enterprise and what needed to flex for local realities. That dual perspective shaped every architectural decision.

Deep market knowledge combined with client specific needs
Shera brought extensive knowledge of HCM market capabilities and best practices, but she didn't apply generic solutions. She took time to understand this organization's unique culture, structure, and requirements before making recommendations.

All Three Dimensions over multiple years
This engagement required Clarity(diagnosis and business case), Strategy (solution architecture and vendor partnership), and Momentum (execution partnership through go live). Most consultants specialize in one phase. Shera partnered through all three because the problem required it.

Influencing product development at scale
The organization's size gave them leverage with the vendor. Shera helped them use that leverage strategically to get functionality built that didn't exist yet. That required understanding both the client's needs and the vendor's product roadmap deeply enough to facilitate productive collaboration.

Pattern recognition across extreme diversity
Manufacturing plants, technology companies, consumer products divisions, and not for profit organizations all operate differently. Shera's ability to see patterns across that diversity, to identify what was truly unique versus what was common, enabled architecture that worked for everyone.

Client Perspective

"I had the privilege of collaborating with Shera as we began our HR Transformation journey and decision making regarding choice of a global HCM platform. Shera brings current and deep knowledge of market best practices about workforce management and has deep knowledge of the capability of the Infor tool set. She's extremely customer focused, and I found her ability to quickly assimilate the unique parts of our culture in order to recommend the appropriate solution based on our needs an asset in the decision process. I look forward to working with Shera in the future."

— Assistant Vice President, HR Shared Services

Key Takeaway

Complexity at this scale requires partnership, not just consulting.

125,000 employees. 70+ countries. Multiple legacy systems. A new global operating model. Learning capabilities that didn't exist yet. This wasn't a project you could hand off after a few months of recommendations.

Shera's ability to diagnose across extreme diversity, design solutions that balanced global consistency with local flexibility, and partner through multi year execution made the difference between a transformation that delivered strategic value and one that created expensive chaos.

They didn't just get a vendor selection. They got a partner who helped them navigate one of the most complex HR transformations in their industry.