CASE STUDY

OAG

Driving People Integration Through Strategic HR Leadership

Company Background

OAG is a global leader in travel data and information services. In 2023, the company acquired Infare, a specialist competitor based in Lithuania, triggering the need for a major integration programme across both businesses—particularly in their respective people functions.

Objectives

The integration presented an opportunity to align and strengthen OAG’s culture, leadership, and people strategy. Recommended by their investor, Vitruvian Partners, Start Inspiring was brought in to support the organisation through this transformation.

OAG’s leadership team had several priorities:

Align the mission, vision, strategy and values across the newly combined organisation
Build a structure that supported strategic goals
Refresh the people strategy
Develop a high-performance, high-trust leadership culture

Our Solutions

We partnered with OAG on a fractional basis, providing strategic leadership and hands-on support to the executive, leadership, and people teams. Key initiatives included:

Employee Insights

Delivered and analysed an organisation-wide employee survey, using the findings to shape targeted people plans.

Organisation Design

Cultural Integration

Leadership Development

People Function Integration

Future Workforce Planning

Communication & Engagement

Outcomes

Not only have we supported during planned sessions, the added value outside of these has been fundamental to the success of the business. Being able to genuinely partner and be on hand to help the leaders when they need it has been game-changing.

By the end of 2024, OAG had achieved its goal of becoming a fully integrated business. Key milestones included:

The successful onboarding of a new Chief People Officer
A new, scalable People Team structure ready to support future growth
A clear and shared organisational culture, values, and leadership approach
Strengthened strategic HR foundations, built to deliver long-term performance and alignment

TESTIMONIALS

Why our clients believe in us.

Hear from our incredible customers who are thriving, you could be next!

"“It starts with the smile.. routinely warm, welcoming and empathic. “How are you?” - non judgemental, disarming and supportive. Jo listens deeply to understand the deeper issue and not just to solve or sooth the symptoms. She has an upbeat, positive facilitation style without fear of addressing the elephant in the room.
Jo helped OAG as an interim CHRO through a tricky integration process, she supported with empathy and understanding. Having now accomplished our integration and operating as a single effective entity, this is in no small part thanks to Jo’s foundational contributions. I would recommend Jo in a heartbeat, especially for newly forming leadership teams or teams needing considerable empathetic support and people leadership in their growth journey."

James Cameron-Williams

CTO

"“I had the pleasure of working closely with Jo during a pivotal period as we brought together two organisations. From day one, Jo stood out—not just for their deep expertise in people strategy, but for their ability to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters.
What you get with Jo is substance, clarity, empathy and an unwavering focus on outcomes that actually make a difference. The integration was complex, but thanks to Jo’s leadership, pragmatism, and ability to drive alignment, we came out stronger.
On a personal level, I developed a deep trust in Jo. They’re one of those rare people who combine professional excellence with integrity, courage, and a clear moral compass. If you want someone who gets stuff done and does it with heart and brains, Jo is that person.”"

Nils Gelbjerg-Hansen

Chief Data Officer

"“I had the pleasure of working with Jo during the integration of Infare into OAG. As our Senior people director, she played a key role in designing and implementing the new HR structure for the combined group. Jo brought clarity, structure, and empathy to a complex transition—making a real impact at a critical time. A true professional and a trusted partner throughout.”"

Jerome Perez

Travel Industry Advisor