Background: A new beginning for Daiichi Sankyo Europe
In 2023, following its merger with HarbisonWalker International (HWI), Daiichi Sankyo Europe faced a unique challenge. The company was operating two separate intranets, one for the legacy Calderys Group and one for HWI – serving employees in diverse regions like Europe, Canada, and the Americas. These intranets reflected old organizational structures, leading to silos, content duplication, and limited collaboration.
In October 2025, HelloDS was born: a unified intranet designed to connect 3,000 employees across 17 locations in Europe and Canada. Built on Microsoft SharePoint and powered by Powell Intranet, HelloDS aims to be the single source of truth, connecting employees with the tools and information they need, wherever they are.
The Challenge: Bridging silos and redefining collaboration
Before HelloDS, Daiichi Sankyo Europe’s employees had to navigate two fragmented intranets with different systems, governance, and languages. This disconnection led to inefficiency, frustration, and lost time as employees across Europe, Canada, and the Americas searched for content across two platforms. To make matters worse, the company used two different collaboration ecosystems: Google Workspace for some regions and Microsoft 365 for others.
The challenge was not just technical; it was cultural. Employees in different regions were disconnected, making it difficult to foster a shared identity across the newly merged organization. Additionally, the old systems didn’t allow for a seamless multilingual experience, leaving many employees without access to information in their preferred language.
The solution was clear: Daiichi Sankyo needed one unified platform to break down silos, create consistency, and make content easy to find for all employees, no matter their location or language.
The Solution: A unified digital workplace with HelloDS
HelloDS was launched as part of a larger Collaboration Project aimed at consolidating the company’s tools and completing the migration to Microsoft 365. The goal was to create a central European intranet that could:
Key features of HelloDS include:
- Unified European Interface: A consistent design and governance model that delivers a coherent experience for employees across the globe.
- Localized Spaces: While the intranet remains centralized, each region and team has the flexibility to maintain their own localized content.
- Multilingual Support: The platform supports multiple languages and allows employees to switch to their preferred language at any time. AI-assisted translation via Azure AI ensures that non-localized content can be translated automatically.
- Advanced Search: A powerful search function that allows employees to find content quickly, even in multiple languages.
- Mobile-First: Fully optimized for mobile devices, ensuring that both office and field employees have access to the same information.
- Microsoft Teams Integration: Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 ensures that HelloDS fits directly into employees’ daily workflows.
What makes HelloDS stand out?
What sets HelloDS apart is its ability to balance scale with relevance. It connects 3,000 employees across multiple regions, ensuring that information is always accessible while still feeling personalized for each employee.
The real innovation comes in its multilingual capabilities:
- Automatic browser-based language display with an English fallback.
- AI-assisted translations to fill content gaps.
- Real-time content personalization through passive personalization that surfaces the most relevant content based on individual preferences.
This multilingual-first approach, paired with personalized navigation, makes HelloDS a true digital workplace for a global organization. Employees no longer feel disconnected by language or region, but united by a shared digital experience.
Early results: Measuring success
While the full impact will be measured in the months to come, early results from HelloDS are already promising. In just the first three months post-launch (October 28, 2025 to January 31, 2026), HelloDS achieved:
📊 The key figures
Page views (3 months)
Average daily views
Active users (Dec 2025)
These figures reflect the early success of the platform and its ability to engage employees quickly, making it an essential part of daily workflows.
Quotes from the team: The impact of HelloDS
“HelloDS has been a game changer for our Group. For the first time, everyone shares one intuitive, user-friendly platform – a single source of truth that breaks down silos, connects teams, strengthens our Group identity, and enables employees to access reliable, up-to-date information in their own language.”
— Aurelie de Chassey-Hayot, Global Vice President, Communications & Sustainability
“Launching HelloDS not only optimized the way we find, store, and share information, but it connected our colleagues around the world. It’s been a great tool to symbolize our unity as a global organization.”
— Jameilyara Moore, Corporate Knowledge Management Specialist II
Advice for intranet launches: What we’ve learned
From the experience of launching HelloDS, here are key pieces of advice for any company about to undertake a similar transformation:
✨ Key learnings
- Design with regions in mind – Understand what needs to be standardized across the organization and what can remain localized.
- Prioritize language – For multinational organizations, a seamless multilingual experience is critical.
- Launch like a campaign – Build excitement around the launch with creative visuals, short videos, and regular communication.
- Meet employees where they work – Integrate your intranet with tools like Microsoft Teams and optimize for mobile.
- Measure and evolve – Use analytics tools to gather data and make continuous improvements based on feedback.
- Build an editor community – Involve local editors early and empower them with training and clear templates.
Conclusion: The future of HelloDS
HelloDS is more than just a tool; it’s the cornerstone of Daiichi Sankyo’s digital transformation. By uniting employees under one cohesive platform, it’s fostered collaboration, improved efficiency, and ensured that everyone, regardless of location or role, can stay informed and connected. As Daiichi Sankyo continues to grow, HelloDS will be a driving force in shaping a truly unified, global workforce.
More about the partner: HIRSCHTEC
Specializing in the digitization of internal communication and collaboration since 2005 , HIRSCHTEC customers get everything from a single source: from developing the big picture for the digital workplace to the introduction and further development of intranets , employee apps and digital workplaces based on M365, from the automation of workflows to support in digital leadership .
Ready to transform your communication?
Become your very own success story
Trinity Resting
Product Marketing Manager
Product marketing doesn’t have to be all jargon and slides—Trinity’s here to prove it’s about creating human connections. With 5 years in digital marketing, she’s been scaling, building, and transforming product strategies that resonate with real people. At Powell, Trinity ensures the message isn’t just heard, but felt. She’s passionate about helping teams go beyond the office and build lasting relationships. When she’s not crafting strategies, you’ll find her sipping tea (she’s a self-proclaimed tea-aholic) or working as a professional dog sitter—because, let’s be honest, dogs are the ultimate team players.
