Meridian

Meridian Retail could see significant change coming to the energy market. Customer expectations were evolving, electricity demand was forecast to grow, and new opportunities were emerging. But while the ambition was there, Meridian’s existing operating model was making it difficult to move quickly enough.

Meridian had already identified new technologies, products and services its customers wanted. The problem was getting them to market. Innovation tended to happen alongside the core business rather than within it. New initiatives were difficult to scale, digital projects could be slow and expensive, and reliance on external contractors meant Meridian didn’t have all the capability it needed inside the organisation.

To deliver its growth strategy, Meridian needed more than new products. It needed a different way of working.

Rather than redesigning the entire organisation based on theory, Double-O helped Meridian test the idea first. Together, we created Basecamp, a pilot involving four cross-functional squads made up of 30 Meridian people and 20 external specialists.

The goal was simple: prove that empowered, cross-functional teams using modern technology and more iterative ways of working could deliver valuable new products significantly faster.

They did. Within six weeks, Basecamp had produced three new customer offers. Just as importantly, it demonstrated that teams could move faster, collaborate more effectively and make progress without being constrained by the existing operating model. The pilot gave Meridian the evidence and confidence to go further.

Using the lessons from Basecamp, Double-O worked alongside Meridian to design a new operating model for the wider Retail business. Meridian was reorganised around two customer-focused value streams, Home and Business, supported by cross-functional squads and enabling teams.

At the same time, Double-O coached Meridian’s leadership team in the new way of working. This meant the change wasn’t simply being introduced to the organisation. Its leaders were experiencing it themselves and learning how to lead within it. The new model launched in December 2024, changing roles, reporting lines and the rhythm of work across Meridian Retail.

The objective was never to make Meridian dependent on Double-O. We helped establish an internal Way of Working team to take ownership of the operating model, supported by Agile coaches, leadership coaching and business-planning capability.

We also developed a practical playbook explaining how the new model worked and an empowerment framework giving teams clearer authority to make decisions and move work forward without unnecessary approval. As Meridian’s internal capability grew, Double-O progressively stepped back.

The change has helped Meridian move faster while continuing to deliver against ambitious business goals.

3 new offers in 6 weeks
Basecamp demonstrated dramatically faster product development.

450,000+ customers
Meridian has continued growing towards its target of 500,000 customers by 2028.

2 weeks instead of a year
One squad developed an app prototype in two weeks that Meridian estimates could previously have taken a year.

Greater clarity and alignment
Teams have clearer priorities, greater visibility of work and a stronger understanding of how their work contributes to Meridian’s strategy.

Faster, lower-cost delivery
Cross-functional teams are enabling Meridian to deliver more quickly and efficiently while making better trade-offs about where effort creates the greatest value.

Meridian was already a strong business. The opportunity was to create an operating model capable of turning its strategy into action faster. By testing the change, building confidence, redesigning the organisation and developing Meridian’s own capability to sustain it, Double-O helped turn a new way of working into a platform for growth.