Business & Technology
Workday lands finance & HR system at Sovereign Network Group
Workday has implemented its finance and human resources software at Sovereign Network Group.
The rollout covers one of the UK’s largest housing associations, which manages 85,000 homes.
Known as SNG, the organisation has brought together Workday Financial Management and Workday Human Capital Management on a single system for more than 3,000 employees. The change is intended to give leaders a clearer view of finance, staffing, talent and skills across the business.
The housing association operates across London, the South East, the South West and the East of England. It works in a sector facing tighter regulation, cost pressure and persistent demand for affordable housing.
By combining HR and finance data, SNG aims to reduce internal friction and improve decision-making. The new system is also expected to cut manual HR administration and speed up accounting processes in finance.
That matters for an organisation with a large development programme and broad social housing responsibilities. SNG wants to strengthen delivery across its communities while supporting a GBP £750 million affordable homes framework.
The deployment was carried out with PwC, which worked with Workday on the implementation. The project was delivered without disruption to operations.
Operational shift
The move reflects a wider trend among large housing associations to replace older back-office systems with unified cloud platforms. For providers managing tens of thousands of homes, finance and workforce data have become increasingly important as boards face scrutiny over costs, service standards and investment priorities.
In social housing, landlords are under pressure to improve tenant services while maintaining existing homes and funding new development. Better visibility over staffing and spending can help shape decisions on where resources are deployed and how quickly organisations can respond to operational problems.
SNG said the new platform gives it a stronger digital base to meet those demands. The group described the implementation as the first phase of a broader transformation of its core business systems.
“Moving our core HR and finance operations to Workday is a huge step forward for our organisation,” said Kevin Ives, Chief Information Officer, SNG. “Working hand-in-hand with PwC and Workday, we have successfully delivered this crucial first phase of our transformation. We now have a robust, unified system that vastly improves the daily experience for our colleagues, providing us with the sturdy groundwork required to evolve and better serve our communities.”
Workday said the project gives SNG more consistent and auditable information across the organisation. The software supplier has been expanding its position in sectors that need closer links between financial planning and workforce management.
For housing groups, those links are increasingly relevant. Providers must manage rent income, repairs programmes, compliance spending, development pipelines and community investment, while also handling recruitment, retention and skills gaps in specialist roles.
Housing context
SNG is among the larger not-for-profit housing providers in England and is a member of the G15 group of London housing associations. It is also involved in regional housing alliances in the South West and South East focused on increasing the supply of affordable homes.
The group has set out ambitions to add 25,000 homes over the next decade. It has also outlined wider social and environmental plans, including a Homes and Place Standard and a GBP £100 million Community Foundation.
Those objectives put pressure on internal systems to support planning, budgeting and workforce deployment at scale. A single finance and HR system can help management teams track costs, monitor organisational changes and identify skills needs across a large and dispersed operation.
Daniel Pell, Workday’s UK and Ireland Country Manager, said the software was intended to give SNG a more reliable operating base.
“When it comes to mission-critical work, organisations need a deterministic foundation that provides consistent, auditable outcomes,” said Daniel Pell, Vice President and Country Manager, UKI, Workday. “By bringing HR and Finance together on Workday, and in close partnership with PwC, SNG can operate with greater certainty and speed.”
PwC framed the work as a large-scale organisational change rather than a simple software installation. Consulting firms have increasingly targeted housing associations as they modernise finance, procurement and workforce systems after mergers and growth in asset bases.
“Delivering a transformation of this scale requires a shared vision and a profound commitment to the end goal,” said Althea D’Lima, Workforce Transformation Partner, PwC. “By combining Workday’s unified platform with our implementation expertise, we have helped equip SNG with a resilient, future-ready environment that will accelerate their strategic ambitions.”
The chair of the Witney Chamber of Commerce has said that the scheme to redevelop the town’s high street delivers “no economic benefits” on its own because the area already operates at capacity now.
This comes as Oxfordshire County Council prepares to begin work on the delayed project, with construction to commence in mid-May and finish in November 2026.
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Andrew Gant, the county council’s cabinet member for transport management, said: “The works will be undertaken in phases, starting on the western side of the street, with traffic movements restricted to southbound only during this phase.
“Works will then then switch to the eastern side of the street when traffic will only be permitted northbound on the High Street and Market Square between the Corn Street and Welch Way junctions.”
A spokesperson for the local authority said the works will make it easier for people to move around the High Street and access it.
The completed scheme will include new seating areas and trees, resurfacing of approximately 2,000m2 of existing footways and creating over 1,000m2 of new footway space, and a new bus stop for community transport.
However, chair of the chamber of commerce Adrian Bullock said they have a number of concerns from the reduction in the size of the carriageway to the fall in the number of taxi spaces.
Mr Bullock said: “We are confident a scheme accommodating short term parking, improvements to the paving, the same size taxi rank as now, increased disabled spaces and some beautification could have been achieved without requiring 2.5 sq km of new paving and access restrictions.”
He added that his group’s focus would be on making the area more attractive to visitors in other ways, working with West Oxfordshire District Council on marketing and better directional signage.
Local councillor Thomas Ashby also had worries, including about the construction period’s impact on local business.
Considering this, the Liberal Democrat-run county council has appointed an on-site public liaison officer who will work with parties impacted to ensure suitable access is maintained throughout.
Mr Ashby, a Conservative, said: “As businesses navigate a climate of increased taxation by the Labour Government, I worry that the summer construction will hinder our hospitality trade by eliminating outdoor service areas.”
He also criticised the cost which has risen from an initial £1.98 million to £4.4 million.
“All funded by the taxpayer,” he added.
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The county council said: “The additional funding will help to deliver more of what local people told us they would like, while meeting increasing materials and labour prices.”
However, Mr Bullock was also unimpressed.
“There is no doubt the High Street needed improving,” he said, “and we are pleased that something is being done”.
“We are however disappointed that the cost has spiralled to £4.4m and that even with this enlarged budget some areas of paving will see no works or improvement.”
TeamSystem has appointed Tommaso Cohen as Chief Executive Officer and Federico Leproux as Executive Chairman, reshaping the leadership of the Italian software and AI group after Leproux’s roughly 20 years as chief executive.
The reorganisation gives Leproux responsibility for strategic direction, board oversight, stakeholder relations, mergers and acquisitions, and legal and corporate affairs. Cohen, previously Chief Financial Officer and then Chief Operating Officer, takes over day-to-day leadership of the business.
The move follows a succession plan developed over time and leaves the existing governance model largely unchanged. Cohen has held broad responsibilities across the organisation, including oversight of product and technology.
The changes come as TeamSystem reports strong growth in demand for AI-based services from small and medium-sized businesses and professional customers. In 2025, the group posted record revenue of €1.15 billion, with organic year-on-year growth of 12%, and had more than three million active customers.
TeamSystem employs more than 6,000 people and has a direct presence in five countries across Europe and the Mediterranean region. The group focuses on digital business management platforms used by companies and professionals.
Leadership shift
Leproux moves into the chairman role while retaining executive responsibilities as TeamSystem pursues further growth across its markets. His remit includes overseeing deal activity, signalling that acquisitions remain part of the group’s broader strategy.
Cohen’s appointment formalises a transition from a finance-focused executive to one with a broader operational and product brief. The handover was described as a natural progression.
The board also thanked Vincenzo Morelli for his contribution as Chairman. He will remain a member of the Board of Directors.
Growth backdrop
The management changes come amid expansion in software and AI tools for smaller businesses, an area where TeamSystem has built a sizeable customer base. Its cloud-based platforms are used by around 3.1 million customers.
That scale places TeamSystem among the larger European software providers focused on administrative, operational and business management tools for companies and professional firms. Its business spans Italy and international markets, with a footprint beyond its domestic base.
Leproux set out his view of the transition in a statement accompanying the announcement.
“Over the past twenty years, we have built an extraordinary story of growth and innovation, showing that an Italian tech company can become a reference point for millions of businesses and professionals worldwide,” said Federico Leproux, Executive Chairman, TeamSystem. “In this new phase, I will continue to work to ensure a robust strategy, strong governance, and alignment between the board, the management team and key stakeholders, while supporting further growth – also through M&A – in line with our industrial vision. Tommaso Cohen is the right professional to lead the Group as it enters its next chapter. His profound understanding of the company has already been instrumental in shaping our technology and product strategy, and his vision will take it exactly where we want to go. We will continue to work side by side, with the same dedication and commitment that have always characterised our approach.”
In his first comments as Chief Executive Officer, Cohen underlined the company’s focus on AI and said it now sees the technology as part of product design rather than an add-on.
“In recent years, TeamSystem has undergone a significant transformation that extends far beyond scale. We have evolved from a SaaS company supporting businesses to a truly multinational organisation that can develop AI solutions designed to integrate Artificial Intelligence into decision-making and operational processes. AI is not a technological layer added after the fact: it is the way we design our solutions from day one. Our customers increasingly expect effective tools that are seamlessly integrated into their business processes, enabling them to be faster, more efficient and gain a competitive edge. This is exactly where we can deliver value. Assuming my new role with a strong sense of responsibility, I will continue to work alongside Federico Leproux and the leadership team to take TeamSystem to new heights. The work ahead of us is exciting,” said Cohen.
Bicester-based Hedley Studios Ltd, which makes miniaturised electric versions of classic cars, had administrators appointed in March with the majority of its 74 employees being made redundant.
The business, which was formed out of The Little Car Company in 2025, has now revealed that as of Wednesday, April 15, it had creditors worth £2,070,036.
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The biggest of these included £618,464 owed to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, £191,535 to Bentley Motors and £56,111 to transportation firm Pro-Logistics.
The full list of its approximately 100 creditors has been published in new documents released on Companies House on Tuesday, April 28, which also offer more insight into why the company collapsed.
The administrator’s proposal, compiled by representatives of administrators Interpath, details how the company struggled in late December 2025 and so former owner of the business Ben Hedley purchased the shareholding from Island Capital LLC.
The investor group had led the acquisition of previous company The Little Car Company.
Following the management buyout late last year, Interpath was appointed to explore sale and restructuring options as a short-term liquidity requirement was identified.
This means the business needed cash to cover upcoming payments, often within 30 days although this has not been confirmed in this case.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Interpath launched the early options process by marketing the business to over 250 trade and financial parties.
“The early options process ultimately resulted in no offers on either a solvent or insolvent basis.”
After this the company appointed administrators on March 4.
The business and certain of the assets were sold to a connected party, Hedley Labs Limited, with £100,000 having already been received and a further £150,000 due in May.
This included the transfer of five employees to the new business
As for Hedley Studios and its remaining assets, a spokesperson for Interpath said: “Whilst we consider it prudent to retain all options available, it is anticipated that the most likely exit route from administration will be via dissolution or a creditors’ voluntary liquidation.”
They added: “Following an extensive sales process, no offers for a rescue of the whole company were received and therefore rescuing the company…was not achievable.
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“Therefore, our primary objective is to achieve a better result for the company’s creditors as a whole than would be likely if the company were wound up.”
In its previous guise, as The Little Car Company, it hosted a royal visit with Prince Michael of Kent trying out some of the cars in 2024.
The company makes its cars in partnership with a range of luxury manufacturers, including Aston Martin, Bentley and Ferrari.
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