Case study · Publishing · London, Manchester, Essex
Eight acquisitions, one technology platform
In short: Penguin Random House, the world's largest trade book publisher, needed to consolidate the technology of 8 recent acquisitions across London, Manchester and Essex. Hurren & Hope supplied the contract and permanent people who led and delivered it: PMO, service delivery, and change and transformation leadership, plus data engineering and data science.
- Client
- Sector
- Publishing
- Where
- London, Manchester and Essex
- What we did
- PMO, service delivery, change leadership and data
Key numbers
acquired companies brought onto unified technology
editorially independent imprints across 6 continents
rows of sales, inventory and point-of-sale data consolidated
The challengeWhat did Penguin Random House need?
Each acquired company brought its own systems. Penguin Random House needed to unify them without disrupting publishing operations or the editorial independence of its imprints.
- Scale: 300+ editorially independent imprints across 6 continents
- Diversity: disparate systems from acquired companies that needed unifying
- Risk: £3+ billion of annual revenue dependent on the technology working
- Data: billions of rows of sales, inventory and point-of-sale data to consolidate
- Culture and compliance: editorial independence to protect, and data protection rules across several jurisdictions
“Hurren & Hope provided an excellent, personable service during a challenging and complex integration process. They are passionate about the service they provide and go the extra mile for clients and candidates.”
How Hurren & Hope helped
We supplied the people who led and delivered the transformation and integration programme, on contract and permanent terms.
PMO and change leadership
Change and transformation leaders, programme and project managers, and PMO specialists who ran the integration of 8 acquired companies as one programme.
Service delivery
Service delivery managers who kept publishing operations running through every system transition, and technical trainers who helped teams adopt the new platforms.
Data engineering and data science
Data engineers consolidating sources into unified platforms, and data scientists and analysts working with 3+ billion rows of sales, inventory and point-of-sale data.
ResultsWhat happened next
Integration
- Technology infrastructure unified across 8 acquired companies
- Consistent technology platforms across 6 continents
- Disparate data sources consolidated into a single source of truth
Transformation
- A move from legacy infrastructure to Azure-based cloud platforms
- An enterprise data platform processing billions of data points
- Platforms able to support future acquisitions
“It's all too easy to view recruiters with a negative cynical view and to tar Hurren & Hope with that brush would be unfair. Hurren & Hope are clear about their views, stick by their beliefs and offer great value with a high degree of integrity. H&H are great recruiters with a strong sector knowledge, appreciation of what makes a suitable match and a genuine interest in improving the process.”
Systems Specialist, Penguin Random House
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Questions about this case study
What did Penguin Random House need?
To consolidate the technology of 8 recent acquisitions, across London, Manchester and Essex, into unified platforms without disrupting publishing operations or editorial independence.
Which roles did you recruit?
Mainly PMO, service delivery, and change and transformation leadership: change leaders, programme and project managers, PMO specialists and service delivery managers. Alongside them, data engineers, data scientists and analysts, and technical trainers.
Was this contract or permanent recruitment?
Both. We supplied contract specialists and permanent hires across the integration programme.
How do your contract fees work?
Contractors are charged on a day rate. Our margin is agreed up front as a fixed figure, shown separately on the contract and fixed for the engagement. We supply contractors in the UK only.
What does Hurren & Hope charge for a permanent hire?
20% of first-year base salary for permanent hires below executive level, or 18% on every hire when you give us three or more roles to fill. You can pay it as one invoice on the start date, or monthly over 12 months through Pay While They Stay, where payments stop if your hire leaves. UK fees are plus VAT.US clients are not charged VAT.
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