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A Leading NZ Media Company – Supporting a Complex Business Separation
A leading NZ media company was in the middle of a significant organisational change: separating into two independent business entities under a firm contractual deadline.
This wasn't starting from scratch. The media company had strong internal capability, experienced vendors, and a clear commitment to keeping the business running smoothly throughout the transition.
But the separation was inherently complex. Systems, integrations, finance processes, and operational workflows were deeply interconnected, and decisions in one area had knock-on effects elsewhere.
Alongside day-to-day operations, leaders and delivery teams were carrying a heavy decision-making load. What they needed wasn't someone to "fix" the business, but extra capacity and clear thinking to help connect the dots, manage dependencies, and reduce risk during a high-pressure period.
Date: 2025 | Client: New Zealand Digital Media Organisation | Sector: Media & Communications
The Challenge.
Several factors made the separation particularly demanding:
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Business, process, and technology separation were evolving while delivery was already in flight
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Finance processes needed to be re-designed for a smaller, simpler future organisation
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Multiple vendors were involved, each focused on their own domain
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Parts of the system landscape required uplift to be cloud-ready
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Contractual deadlines left little tolerance for rework
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Key stakeholders were balancing operational delivery with complex decision-making
Meeting the deadline without disrupting customers or staff required tight coordination across the whole ecosystem.
What we did (together).
The media company and Cyma worked side by side as one team to support the Separation Programme through its most complex stages.
Cyma provided integration architecture, finance process design, and delivery support, building on work already underway and helping bring clarity where dependencies overlapped. Together, we:
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Helped prioritise and refocus delivery efforts around critical path activities, improving alignment to key milestones
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Established a clearer end-to-end view across systems and vendors, highlighting gaps and overlaps where ownership wasn't always clear
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Worked collaboratively with the integration vendor to define critical integrations and support their transition to modern, cloud-based platforms
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Simplified finance processes using existing systems where possible, reducing manual effort and future complexity
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Supported stakeholder communications to help teams adapt smoothly to new processes
Throughout, the focus was on reducing risk, supporting confident decision-making, and keeping momentum without adding unnecessary overhead.
Right people, right fit
Experienced architects and analysts who integrated quickly into the team
Focused on what mattered
Simplifying systems and processes without over-engineering
Practical support under pressure
Extra capacity and clear thinking when it counted
Reduced risk, not added noise
Helping teams navigate complexity with confidence
The Result.
The media company successfully separated into two fully operational entities while maintaining business continuity and meeting contractual commitments.
The outcomes included:
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Separation completed on time and in line with contractual agreements
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Reduced cognitive load on key stakeholders through clearer system and process alignment
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Stronger coordination across vendors and internal teams
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A defined target system landscape showing how the end-to-end ecosystem fits together
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Finance processes better matched to the scale and needs of the new organisation
Why it worked.
This was a genuinely collaborative effort. Cyma operated as an extension of the media company's team, listening first, offering specialist support where it was most useful, and helping leaders make confident decisions under pressure.
As reflected in feedback:
"Both the Business Architect and Solution Architect are adding huge value and are a core part of the team."
The CFO noted increased confidence in the architecture and analysis supporting key decisions.