CUSTOMER STORY
How Standard Bank Streamlined Global Infrastructure To Enhance Business Performance With Visier
Standard Bank, Africa’s largest financial institution, embarked on a major digital transformation to consolidate 80 disparate systems into a unified global infrastructure. By partnering with Visier, the bank standardized processes, integrated advanced workforce analytics, and centralized workforce intelligence across 28 countries. This transformation delivered significant cost savings, improved compliance, and enhanced business agility, allowing leaders to make real-time, data-driven decisions. Standard Bank’s workforce intelligence strategy is now a cornerstone of its competitive edge.
INDUSTRY
Financial services
HEADQUARTERS
Johannesburg, South Africa
EMPLOYEES
55,000
Standard Bank Group is a banking and financial services company represented in 27 countries, mainly on the African continent. Standard Bank is the largest bank in Africa from a market capitalization perspective and is Africa’s biggest lender by assets.
With Visier’s workforce analytics solutions, Standard Bank has:
Reduced operating costs by consolidating over 80 systems into just 10
Improved ESG reporting, elevating its rankings to the top 10% of companies globally
Increased business agility with real-time workforce insights
THE CHALLENGE
Decentralized workforce intelligence infrastructure drove up costs and risk
With 55,000 employees across 28 countries, Standard Bank struggled with fragmented HR and payroll systems—over 80 separate platforms were in use, each operating in isolation. This lack of standardization led to inefficiencies, redundant costs, and inaccurate workforce data.
The disjointed infrastructure made it difficult for leadership to see the full picture of their workforce, slowing down decision-making and increasing compliance risks. Regulatory reporting, including ESG disclosures, was inconsistent and time-consuming.
"I remember in one of my first meetings, I was asked to present crucial workforce data to the board, and I found errors everywhere," recalls Chief People and Culture Officer, Sharon Taylor. "We needed a single source of truth to operate efficiently at scale."
To reduce costs, improve compliance, and enhance agility, Standard Bank needed to replace its fragmented systems with a unified workforce intelligence solution
"The future of workforce intelligence lies in real-time, AI-driven insights. Platforms like Visier allow us to move beyond fragmented reporting to strategic, data-informed decision-making at every level of the business."
Jaco Van Vuuren
Chief Operating Officer for Human Capital, Standard Bank
"We needed a single source of truth. The ability to standardize workforce data and reporting has transformed how we operate across 28 countries."
Sharon Taylor
Chief People and Culture Officer, Standard Bank
THE SOLUTION
A single workforce intelligence platform to power business decisions
Standard Bank embraced a "One Thing Once" strategy—an enterprise-wide mandate to standardize workforce data, eliminate duplication, and streamline processes across all regions.
With Visier’s workforce intelligence platform, the bank consolidated 80 systems into fewer than 10, cutting IT and administrative costs while improving reporting accuracy. Leaders gained real-time access to workforce analytics, eliminating manual reporting bottlenecks and enabling data-driven decisions at every level.
Security and compliance were also strengthened. By mirroring Visier’s access controls with Workday’s security model, Standard Bank ensured consistent global governance across all regions, reducing risk and meeting stringent financial and ESG reporting standards.
"Bringing our data into one place has been our biggest win," said Chief Operating Officer for Human Capital, Jaco Van Vuuren. "Now, we’re not just managing people—we’re optimizing workforce strategy to drive business performance."
"Bringing our data into one place has been our biggest win. It’s not just about centralizing systems—it’s about leveraging quality data to drive better business outcomes."
Jaco Van Vuuren
Chief Operating Officer for Human Capital, Standard Bank
THE OUTCOME
A data-driven competitive advantage
By consolidating systems and embracing workforce intelligence, Standard Bank achieved:
Significant cost savings
Centralizing payroll systems eliminated the need for 50 separate roles previously spread across multiple countries. Similarly, consolidating 11 learning platforms into one reduced costs while ensuring a more consistent and scalable training experience.
Improved compliance and ESG reporting
Standard Bank's ability to report on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors improved, elevating its rankings to the top 10% of companies globally due to more accurate, verifiable data.
Enhanced business agility
A streamlined digital infrastructure enabled leaders to make faster, more informed decisions by eliminating reliance on manual reporting and fragmented data sources.
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About Visier
Visier is the recognized global leader in people analytics, workforce and compensation planning, embedded solutions, and GenAI for people answers. At the core of Visier’s innovations is a simple premise: People impact is business impact, and you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Visier gives people-powered organizations the tools and insights to drive productivity, performance, and business outcomes through people impact. Founded in 2010 by the pioneers of business intelligence, Visier has over 65,000 customers in 75 countries, including enterprises like BASF, Panasonic, Experian, Amgen, eBay, Ford Motor Company, and more. Visier is headquartered in Vancouver, BC with offices and team members worldwide.
For more information, visit visier.com