When seven companies became one group, discovering identity at the group's core became critical
Transforming Learning Group had ambition in spades. In just two years, they'd grown from 3 to 7 education technology companies — Turn IT On, School ICT, Salamander, Vital Source, GDPR Century, Locker, and SBM Services. On paper, the group had everything: expertise, market presence, and a bold mission to transform learning.
But something fundamental was missing: a clear sense of who they were as a group.
Without this, the leadership team faced a crisis of confidence:
- Business leaders couldn't articulate what being "part of TLG" actually meant
- Member companies hesitated to mention the group externally — unsure what message it sent
- Strategic decisions stalled because there was no shared framework for making them
- Potential acquisitions were hard to evaluate without clarity on what "fit" looked like
- The group risked remaining seven separate companies rather than one unified force
They had the structure. They had the people. What they lacked was unshakeable confidence in their collective identity.
What Upshot Did
Discovering Who They Really Are
We didn't start with logos or colours. We started with the hardest questions: Who are you? Why do you exist? What makes you different?
Through collaborative workshops with business leaders across all seven companies, we helped TLG discover their collective identity — not by imposing one, but by drawing out what was already there and giving it clear language.
Four Identity Pillars
We articulated TLG's fundamental purpose: to improve educational outcomes by empowering schools to transform their use of technology and data. But more importantly, we defined how they do this differently:
Empowering but Accountable – They give autonomy whilst ensuring strategic alignment
Radical but not Reckless – They move fast and innovate, but with smart guardrails
Expert but not Complacent – They maintain excellence whilst adapting to change
Optimistic but not Naïve – They have ambitious vision grounded in practical expertise
These weren't aspirational statements plucked from thin air. They were the DNA already running through the group — now clearly articulated so everyone could see it, speak it, and act on it.
Making It Real
For each pillar, we mapped exactly how it creates value:
"We're known for being Empowering but Accountable, which makes internal audiences feel trusted and energised, and enables them to cultivate a caring, high-trust culture where people can thrive."
This framework extended to external audiences too — ensuring the identity worked both ways.
We also created a manifesto that brought the identity to life in compelling language. Rather than corporate platitudes, it spoke with genuine conviction about TLG's role in transforming education: "We're catalysing change, from day-to-day school operations through to the highest levels of educational governance."
A Roadmap Forward
The work concluded with a comprehensive brand gap analysis — mapping where TLG was versus where they needed to be across positioning, visual and verbal identity, marketing, culture, and innovation. This gave leadership a clear roadmap for bringing their identity to life across every touchpoint.
The Impact
The transformation wasn't just about having nice words on a wall. When you have unshakeable confidence in your identity, everything else falls into place.
Confident Communication
The central leadership team could finally speak confidently about who TLG is and why it exists. This confidence cascaded down — business leaders began using TLG language in their own organisations, creating genuine cultural unity.
Commercial Advantage
Member companies like Turn IT On now proactively mention TLG in tender submissions, positioning themselves as part of a broader, more capable organisation. They're not hiding the group identity — they're leading with it because they understand its value.
Strategic Clarity
The "Empowering but Accountable" pillar directly shaped a "scheme of delegation" — a framework defining which decisions businesses control versus which require group approval. Identity literally informed operational structure.
Innovation with Purpose
TLG is now developing an innovation strategy guided by "Radical but not Reckless" — ensuring they innovate quickly whilst avoiding reckless resource waste. Their identity provides the guardrails.
Smarter Growth
When evaluating potential acquisitions, TLG can now ask: "Does this company align with our identity?" Values alignment has become the first filter, making strategic decisions faster and more confident.
External Presence
Companies like Salamander now represent TLG at industry conferences like EduGeek, speaking with authority about the group's vision. They're not just presenting — they're building TLG's reputation as thought leaders.
"You've got to do that strategic identity at the very beginning. It's absolutely critical to start to build culture and understanding and unify. This is fundamentally culture setting — it's highly strategic. Who are we? What do we want to be? How do we create unity?"
— Rosie Clayton, Chief of Staff, Transforming Learning Group
Why This Matters for Growing Organisations
TLG's challenge is far from unique. When organisations grow through acquisition or rapid expansion, operational integration often takes priority over identity clarity. It feels more urgent to align finance systems or standardise processes than to answer philosophical questions about identity.
But TLG's experience proves the opposite: without identity clarity first, operational integration lacks direction. You can't build a unified culture if you don't know what you're unifying around. You can't make confident strategic decisions without a framework rooted in who you are.
As Rosie reflected: "This isn't really brand work in the traditional sense — brand is externally facing. This is fundamentally about identity. And identity drives everything else."
The foundational identity work gave TLG something no amount of process documentation could provide: unshakeable confidence in who they are, what they stand for, and where they're going. With that foundation in place, everything else — from operations to innovation to growth — has a clear direction