John Stransky, Merial’s executive director, global HR systems and services

Photographer: Bob Mahoney

 

by Jennifer S. Arapoff

It was one of the most successful pharmaceutical joint ventures in recent history. But after combining the animal health operations of U.S.-based Merck & Co. with France-based sanofi-aventis, Merial Limited wasn’t satisfied — executives wanted to be the undisputed worldwide leader in animal health products.

First they’d have to tackle some consequences of the merger: a host of legacy systems, several subsidiaries, and various grading and job evaluation processes. And nearly all aspects of the organization, including HR, were siloed. With 5,000 employees in a formidable 150 countries, the company needed to overhaul total rewards, beginning with a consistent and appropriate global job-grading system.

“We’ve always been regionally aligned from an HR perspective,” says John Stransky, Merial’s executive director, global HR systems and services. “But the new executive chairman had a vision for a global business strategy. It became crucial to simplify HR, consolidate the disparate reward practices and communicate in a unified way. We needed help.”