Team players

1 March, 2010

When the bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation announced that they would merge at the tail end of 2006, creating the world’s largest securities servicing and asset management firm, the usual question arose about how this merger would be managed. A new corporate identity was needed, and there had to be a new approach for both employees and their workplaces.

To find out how they went about this, FMX visited the 49th floor of Canary Wharf, one of the numerous London homes of the new bank, now called The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY Mellon). One of the main challenges faced by designers BDG Workfutures and the in-house project management and facilities team, led by Paul Etherington, was the lack of a joint identity – a challenge that also confronted the wider organisation.

‘Following the merger, inevitably there wasn’t a real joint identity for the new BNY Mellon,’ explains Etherington. ‘There were two different brands and two different interiors. Originally the Bank of New York had a burgundy and blue look and Mellon had a largely green identity. So what we had to look at was the development of a new palette to create a framework for the identity of the building. The brand was really developed fully from the work here at level 49 – the logo had been developed, the colour palette, the signage, the imagery. It has to fit with the wider business.’

BNY Mellon now has a strong corporate brand identity, incorporating gold, silver and bronze, and an equally strong corporate interior palette and style to follow.

While the merger meant the coming together of two major institutions, it also meant the amalgamation of the many different divisions within each company and their different types of workers. The asset management division, for instance, would see workers off site and with clients a lot of the time, whereas customer services would tend to spend the majority of their time in the office.

‘There was a great opportunity to address issues about how space was managed,’ says Etherington. ‘The standard desk footprint in the old scheme was too large and space was under utilised. So we had the chance to focus on what activities people were involved in at every level and create spaces that reflected that. As a result we’ve improved the use of floorspace by around 33 per cent.’

Integrated workforce
Another challenge was the integration of two workforces to create a single unit with a new identity and a new set of shared values. One of the most important values was to look after the wellbeing of employees across the board – and that meant supplying people with the sort of working environment to help them be happier, healthier and more productive at work.

‘At this level, choice of furnishing and equipment is incredibly important,’ says Etherington. ‘It also demands input from departments such as health and safety, and working with the best suppliers such as RH Chairs. We had an extensive evaluation process involving our colleagues in health and safety and so on, and we’re delighted with the choices we’ve made.’

He is equally pleased with the way the refurbishment has addressed some key environmental concerns. ‘It was essential we looked at all aspects of this but especially energy management. We upgraded the lighting systems and introduced motion sensors to cut costs and meet our green targets. Where possible we used existing equipment so we kept the existing front of house infrastructure as far as possible. The integrated M&E was retained and upgraded, which also had the bonus of minimising the amount of waste we produced in the refurbishment.’

The Canary Wharf site sees BNY Mellon occupying five floors, a space that demonstrates just how big a physical presence it has in the UK alone, and this in turn reflects how well it is doing globally. This office, as well as the one in Harbour Exchange, is part of a substantial and ongoing refurbishment programme which is designed to do exactly what it says on the tin. There are plans to refurbish all of the bank’s UK offices to give the best environment to employees, who are clearly key to the company’s continuing success.

BNY Mellon has continued to be successful in a very tough market because of its astute approach; Canary Wharf and Harbour Exchange make up part of a large, budgeted-for programme which sees a major global employer making its workforce the centre of attention – and paving the way for others to do the same.