“You need experienced people on your team who will tell you the hard truths,” said Sandeep Seeripat, Global Business Transformation and Technology Officer, Twinings Ovaltine.
“Having the Pivot Consulting team as trusted advisors helped make a difference.”
Twinings Ovaltine comprises of two well-known brands. Twinings has 320 years of history. Ovaltine has 120. Both have bold ambitions for the future. The company launched ‘Programme Optimus’ to standardise globally, provide greater data insight, and grow as a wellness brand. All while maintaining business as usual across 14 countries.
The vision was clear: expand in the wellbeing market and become consumer focused. The scope was ambitious, and like every large-scale SAP transformation, challenges were inevitable.
When the Programme Optimus team faced challenges, the Twinings Ovaltine leadership team made a strategic decision to pause. They brought in Pivot Consulting’s experts, and other third parties, to assess the programme and recommend options to keep it on track.
Pivot’s recommendations were clear. The early phases of the project needed stronger foundations to support Programme Optimus’s bold ambitions. The strategic decision to pause enabled the Programme Optimus team to reassess and replan the SAP transformation.
“Leading a transformation can feel isolating at times,” said Twinings Ovaltine’s Global Business Transformation Officer, Sandeep Seeripat. “You need experienced people on your team who share your ethos and will tell you the hard truths. Having the Pivot Consulting team as trusted advisors helped make a difference.”
Critical lessons from the first deployment wave were applied. These included reorganised team structures, strengthened governance, and replanned deployment.
Sandeep appointed Chris Burrage, Pivot Consulting’s Transformation Director, to co-lead Programme Optimus.
“Pivot has a great reputation for helping organisations navigate complex challenges,” said Sandeep. “It was clear that they have high-calibre, experienced people. They helped us see a clear path forward and kept our transformation on track.”
Together, they developed a Twinings Ovaltine methodology based on SAP Activate. They built realistic plans grounded in Pivot’s extensive SAP experience.
They established processes and governance to create the discipline and transparency that complex transformations need.
“The governance and gate process we put in place was detailed, disciplined,” Chris Burrage said. “We could tell you down to the nth degree exactly where problems were. That transparency was a success. We put methodology and governance in place and the right people to run it.”
Methodology provides the framework, but it’s people who deliver the transformation. From the outset of Programme Optimus, having a ‘one team’ mindset was important.
Pivot embedded within the Programme Optimus team, enhancing and strengthening the ‘one team’ culture. Pivot encouraged open conversations, ensuring everyone’s voice was heard and helped the team to resolve issues collectively.
“On the Programme Optimus team, we had many nationalities,” Sandeep said. “To achieve a one-team mindset across all those different cultures, countries, business units, consultants, and companies was something quite special.
“You need people and partners that believe in what you’re trying to achieve.”
“I’m told by my partners, peers and industry contacts that what we’ve achieved with Programme Optimus is what many large-scale global teams aim for but is difficult to make a reality: A true one-team ethos among people from different organisations and a shared sense of responsibility.”
As the programme evolved, Pivot helped Sandeep and his leadership team strike a balance between ambition and the discipline required to deliver.
“As the client, I could have said, ‘forget milestones, let’s push on’” said Sandeep. “But one of the reasons we hired Pivot was to hold us to account. That balance between ambition and risk was important.”
One principle proved especially valuable. “We committed to keeping the core clean. That means few customisations and accelerated value,” said Sandeep.
“SAP is a business system, and everyone should prioritise business outcomes over technical nice-to-haves,” said Chris Chittock, Managing Director at Pivot Consulting. “Stick to ‘standard SAP’ to future-proof your systems so they can adapt as your business evolves.”
With stronger governance and culture in place, Programme Optimus could accommodate Twinings Ovaltine’s evolving needs. They expanded the scope by about 30%, adding an automated High Bay Warehouse in Poland, AGVs and an automated blending process.
As a result, the Programme Optimus team delivered an award-winning SAP transformation. They achieved the 2025 SAP Customer Success Award for Business Network Innovator and were listed as a Finalist in the 2025 SAP Innovation Awards.
“We’re trying to build a legacy,” said Sandeep. “You need people and partners that believe in what you’re trying to achieve.”
For Pivot, the partnership reflected their philosophy of embedding with clients, offering straight-talking advice, and ensuring transformations delivers enduring value.
“We don’t sell the SAP software, so we’re honest about what global leaders need,” said Chris Chittock. “Our objective as a business is always 100% client success.”
“We delivered an ambitious scope together. We achieved this by doing what Pivot does best: embedding ourselves within the transformation team, building relationships and bringing in our many decades of experience,” said Chris Burrage, Transformation Director, Pivot Consulting
