Excellence in the luxury world is a non-negotiable. Not only in the products that carry a brand’s signature, but in the operations that enable them. For a leading luxury manufacturer, sustaining this standard meant modernising a fragmented Human Resources Information System (HRIS) to support global expansion, uphold regulatory precision, and empower HR teams to focus on work that truly shapes the organisation.
Ivy Partners led this transformation, guiding the deployment of a unified HRIS across multiple countries. The initiative demanded a careful balance: respect for local regulatory nuance and adherence to group-wide standards.
The Challenge: One Maison, Many Realities
Despite a strong Swiss foundation, each international entity operated under its own regulatory framework. Over time, this created a landscape that felt anything but seamless:
- 1. Distint, siloed HR processes
- 2. Limited visibility across the organization
- 3. Manual and email driven workflows
- 4. Inconsistent data and duplicated entries
To continue its global journey, the Maison required a single HRIS capable of harmonising operations without compromising the specificity of each locale. Precision, consistency, and digital fluency became essential, not optional.
A Deliberate, Four-Phase Transformation
The programme combined the agility needed for modern delivery with the rigor expected in luxury manufacturing. Each phase was structured to ensure clarity, control, and uncompromising quality.
Phase 1
Requirements and Business Needs
In an intensive six-week period, we led focused workshops to capture regulatory requirements, functional expectations, and localisation needs, setting a refined blueprint for customisation.
Phase 2
Vendor Customisation
Over the next five weeks, the vendor refined and tailored the HRIS to reflect the Maison’s HR rules, workflows, and country-specific obligations. Ivy Partners safeguarded alignment between technical choices and operational expectations.
Phase 3
Testing, Training and Change Management
Across a structured four- to seven-week window, configurations were validated, functional and user tests were executed, documentation was prepared, and key users were trained. Change management ensured that teams were ready not only to use the system, but to adopt it with confidence.
Phase 4
Go-Live and Hypercare
Each deployment concluded with a dedicated four-week hypercare period in each country, designed to stabilise performance, resolve issues rapidly, and fine-tune workflows based on real usage.
Ivy Partners’ Role
Throughout the programme, Ivy Partners remained the central orchestrator, ensuring coherence between HR, IT, and the vendor. The result was a solution that respects global standards without diminishing local identity. Our contribution included:
A Cohesive, Digital HR Ecosystem
The initiative delivered tangible, organisation-wide improvements, introducing clarity, precision, and structure, namely:
The Maison now operates on a modern, scalable HR foundation that fully supports its global ambitions.
A Future-Ready HR Function
This HRIS harmonisation represents a quiet yet decisive shift in the organisation’s evolution. With refined processes, regulatory alignment, and a digital backbone worthy of its name, the Maison is now equipped to support the next chapter of its global growth, sustaining the same level of excellence behind the scenes that it delivers to the world.
If operational excellence is becoming your competitive advantage, we should talk. To explore this project in more depth or discuss how Ivy Partners can support your own HR or operational transformation, our team is available for a confidential conversation. Reach out and let’s build the next chapter of your organisation together.
