The Challenge
The client was a newly formed investment management firm in the UAE, created through the merger of several previously separate financial services businesses. Management recognised the need for a smooth transition and the rapid integration of staff from each of the legacy organisations.
Complicating the transition was the fact that each of the merged businesses had its own culture, compensation philosophy, talent processes and organisation structure.
The combined organisation managed a substantial portfolio of assets and required a fully integrated people function from day one, so it was vital that the integration was handled quickly and smoothly.
Our Role
AcuityX led the full people integration in an interim Chief People Officer role, bringing the legacy organisations together into a single, unified entity. We designed and implemented the target operating model, organisation structure and leadership alignment framework for the combined firm, ensuring clarity of roles and accountability.
We also harmonised the compensation and benefits framework across the legacy entities, addressing significant differences in pay philosophy, grading structures and incentive mechanisms. A cultural integration programme was developed and delivered to build a shared identity, values and ways of working for the newly combined workforce.
AcuityX also led the talent retention strategy, identifying and securing critical talent across all of the legacy organisations during a period of significant uncertainty, and established unified HR governance, policies and talent processes to provide consistency and fairness across the integrated organisation.
The Outcome
By the end of the engagement, the previously separate organisations had been integrated into a single, cohesive, high-performing team, with minimal attrition of critical talent during the transition. The client had a unified people strategy, governance framework and performance culture to support its growth ambitions, and a fully harmonised compensation and benefits structure that removed legacy disparities and improved perceived fairness. The people function was positioned as a strategic enabler of the business rather than a back-office service.
