Mitel Corp. Mitel logo

Location:

Kanata

Size:

Ottawa – three buildings, 408,000 sq.ft. reduced to 225,000 sq.ft., then increased to 265,000 sq.ft. to accommodate an acquisition

The Challenge:

To consolidate Mitel Corp’s world headquarters by reducing space holdings by 50% without “upsetting the talent” and to upgrade the infrastructure of the computer labs while maintaining full functionality—all within a 12-month deadline.

The Solution:

In less than two months, Meredith and her team:

  • Met with every organizational unit
  • Captured their requirements
  • Developed necessary documents
  • Prepared final requirements
  • Developed the real estate financial analysis of various approaches
  • Analyzed change management implications, and
  • Delivered a presentation to the CEO, CFO and Vice Presidents showing a possible savings of $26M over 10 years

Meredith successfully managed the project to consolidate Mitel and reduce its lease holdings by 45% ahead of schedule and under budget.

The change management challenges for this large-scale project included:

  • Conducting detailed and regular management meetings to provide regular status updates
  • Communicating the implications of the changes on their staff and their business lines to management
  • Developing a strategy to upgrade to virtual software labs
  • Engaging the R&D staff in consultation meetings to ensure they understood requirements and expectations from senior management and how they could embrace the new ways of working

In 2013, she was tasked with fitting up and accommodating an acquisition which included moving their call centre while it remained active.

She set up and populated the Integrated Workplace Management System that will eventually incorporate all sites (x90) around the world.